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A marker making the “first shot” claim.

Gettysburg’s First Shot Marker

This is the spot where the bloodiest battle in the American Civil War may have started.

Added By Ahuntley

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Featured Trips

Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest

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A Life Aquatic: 8 Places for Water Lovers in Wyoming

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Thermal springs, a disappearing river, bombastic geysers, and more.

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Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest

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This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage

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The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery

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Schieks Cave Below Minneapolis Contains a Lake of Warm Sewage

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The Ancient Greek Guide to Succeeding at Dinner Parties

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  • Mountain Dew Headstone

    Johnson City, Tennessee

    Mountain Dew Headstone

    This bottle-shaped monument pays tribute to the Appalachian drink that changed the pace of human life.

    Added By
    dashasta
  • Havana, Cuba

    Fusterlandia

    A Cuban artist reclaimed his impoverished neighborhood as a dreamy folk art kingdom.

    Added By
    alliouaganarama
  • Datong, China

    Yungang Grottoes

    Explore this massive series of 45 caves and over 51,000 sculptures carved from cliffsides in China.

  • Wave Rock

    Hyden, Australia

    Wave Rock

    This gracefully curving formation looks like a massive wave that was suddenly turned to stone.

    Added By
    Sam
  • Water tower and other building in Fordlandia, Brazil.

    Aveiro, Brazil

    Fordlândia

    Henry Ford's failed rubber plantation in the middle of the Amazon rain forest.

    Added By
    Allison Eng
  • San Francisco, California

    Gilbert Baker Memorial

    A tribute to the artist and activist who created the rainbow pride flag.

    Added By
    CoolCrab
  • Malakwa, British Columbia

    The Enchanted Forest

    An old world fairytale-land with over 350 fairy folk figurines hidden amongst 800 year old cedars.

    Added By
    Elina Ru
  • Milton Keynes, England

    Bletchley Park

    Home to Alan Turing, the cracking of the Enigma code, and Captain Ridley's shooting party.

    Added By
    Annetta Black
  • The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.

    Panaji, India

    The 'Old Secretariat'

    Panaji’s oldest surviving building, which was once a palace and viceroy residence, now houses the Goa State Museum.

    Added By
    Vivek Gadre
  • This set is inspired by a Roman arena.

    İstanbul, Turkey

    Bozdağ Film Platolari

    Step into the world of one of Turkey's most popular television series for a virtual trip through Ottoman Empire history.

    Added By
    linkogecko
  • The Sea Water Distilling Plant.

    Sliema, Malta

    Sea Water Distilling Plant

    Malta’s oldest sea water distillation building is now an architectural anomaly on the Sliema waterfront.

    Added By
    Dark Nebula Deluxe
  • Contemplative paths.

    Santa Cruz, Aruba

    Ayo Rock Formations

    The Ayo Rock Formations stand out on the island of Aruba as a unique arrangement of giant boulders with interesting crawl spaces to explore.

    Added By
    Denver Applehans
  • Las Vegas, Nevada

    Parking Lot Shoeprints

    A bizarre example of collective behavior resulted in thousands of shoe prints in Vegas parking lots.

    Added By
    CoolCrab
  • Boston, Massachusetts

    Dewey Square Pylon & Bent 38

    These structures serve as a memorial to one of Boston’s most ambitious and controversial urban redevelopment projects.

    Added By
    Josh Woolstenhulme
  • Pungo Andongo, Angola

    Black Rocks of Pungo Andongo

    These giant volcanic rocks towering above the Angolan savannah once served as a natural fortification.

    Added By
    cdanesh
  • Chisinau, Moldova

    Abandoned Observatory of the Pioneer Palace

    Once built to inspire young Soviet minds through astronomy, this dome now stands as a quiet relic of a vanished era.

    Added By
    Johan SWE
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Detail from an 1831 illustration of Rhipsalis baccifera.

mystery

The Mystery of the World's Least American Cactus

How did Rhipsalis baccifera cross the ocean?

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  • Burj Al Babas today is composed of hundreds of unfinished castle-like villas.

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    The Story Behind Turkey's Pricey, Fairy-Tale Ghost Town

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  • This colored wood engraving shows the pig-faced Miss Atkinson.

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    Regency Londoners Were Obsessed With Pig-Faced Ladies

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  • Incredible, colorful murals have transformed this once-dark alleyway in Uptown Charlotte.

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    9 Ways to Experience Charlotte’s Vibrant Art Scene

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  • Manhattan Well

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    The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery

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  • The Grateful Dead’s “Wall of Sound” on display in Las Vegas.

    Podcast

    The Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound Changed Live Music Forever

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The truth is out there—somewhere.

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The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)

What’s the real story behind America’s most infamous Air Force base?

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    Podcast

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  • Alresford Spy Toilet

    Podcast

    This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage

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  • Manhattan Well

    Podcast

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  • Beneath downtown Minneapolis, Schieks Cave has surprisingly warm groundwater, evidence of a subterranean heat island.

    Podcast

    Schieks Cave Below Minneapolis Contains a Lake of Warm Sewage

    By The Podcast Team

  • Athenaeus described various kinds of Greek drinking vessels, like the deep, rounded skyphos and wide, flat kylix.

    Podcast

    The Ancient Greek Guide to Succeeding at Dinner Parties

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  • No thanks.

    Podcast

    AO Mailbag: Which Places Just Aren’t Worth Visiting?

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  • Benshi would introduce and provide commentary for films like A Page of Madness.

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    Remembering the Heyday of Japan’s Silent Film Narrators

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Toronto

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