EricGrundhauser's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
AO Member
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furniture

Saul Bellow's Son Explains How 'Guerilla Marketing' Sold His Father's Unsellable Desk

Until last month, nobody was much interested.
April 20, 2016
Gastro Obscura
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features

Meet the Association Upholding the Integrity of Instant Noodles

If you've ever lived off ramen, you can thank the global organization that keeps it coming.
April 20, 2016
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for sale

For Sale: An Entire Band of India's Electromagnetic Spectrum

It could be the priciest such auction of all time in India.
April 19, 2016
story
flight

The Last Flight of Germany's Glider King, Who Inspired the Wright Brothers

After kickstarting human aviation, the Glider King died as he lived: trying to fly.
April 19, 2016
story
sharks

Over 1,300 Pounds of Illegal Shark Meat Seized at Chinese Fish Market

The fishermen claim ignorance, but selling shark meat can be lucrative.
April 18, 2016
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obscura day 2016

Trippy Blacklight Posters From the Psychedelic Heyday

Whoa man. Is this poster glowing? Wait. Is that a centaur?
April 15, 2016
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obscura day 2016

How I (Sort of) Became a Pinball Wizard After Getting Tips From a Champion

A world-beating pinball player attempts to make me a master of the game.
April 13, 2016
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out there week

Have Fun Trying to Reach the Poles of Inaccessibility

Geography nuts have located the hardest place to get to on every continent and beyond.
April 11, 2016
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presidents

From Roosevelt to Resolute, the Secrets of All 6 Oval Office Desks

Nothing says "presidential" like a stately hunk of wood polished to a gleam.
April 7, 2016
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list

The Asymmetrical Charm of Crooked Houses

They're like regular buildings, but with a twist.
April 5, 2016
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games

Wizards, Warriors, and the Quest for LARP Insurance

Liability policies are making adventuring safer and helping players defeat red tape.
April 1, 2016
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obscura day 2016

The Cursed History of P.T. Barnum’s Museums

The greatest showman on Earth had a less-than-great run of disasters.
March 30, 2016
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stave churches

Stave Churches Are All Wood, Dragons, and Beauty

These austere churches mix Nordic dragons with Christian saints.
March 28, 2016
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video games

The History of the Philips CD-i, Failed PlayStation Ancestor

This ill-fated CD console produced some amazingly off-brand Nintendo games.
March 25, 2016
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kickass women

New York's First Female Crime Boss Started Her Own Crime School

Marm Mandelbaum, the Queen of Fences, turned street rats into professional criminals.
March 23, 2016
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horses

Behind the Scenes With the Horses of Hollywood

How equine members of the film industry prepare for on-camera roles.
March 22, 2016
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garbage week

Inside the Shady, Dangerous Business of Shipbreaking

Getting rid of giant ships is a hazardous operation.
March 18, 2016
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garbage week

The Evolution of the Garbage Truck

Garbage trucks have evolved from glorified dump trucks to sophisticated engines of trash transport.
March 17, 2016
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garbage week

How Pollution Spawned a Gang of 1990s Cartoon Villains

Hexxus, Captain Pollution, and the heyday of animated eco-villains.
March 15, 2016
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science fiction

The Problem With Invisibility Is The Blindness

Invisibility creeps closer to becoming a reality but we still don't know how to see out of it.
March 11, 2016
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postal

The Strategic Penpals Who Play Chess by Mail

Despite all technological advances that allow real-time play, correspondence chess is still going strong.
March 10, 2016
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video games

The Quest for the Real-Life Treasures of Atari's Swordquest

In the 1980s Atari offered golden treasures as gaming prizes, most of which were lost to time. Until now.
March 8, 2016
story
games

The 1980s Media Panic Over Dungeons & Dragons

From Mazes and Monsters to Dark Dungeons, D&D was a lot scarier in the 1980s.
March 4, 2016
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religion

The Secret Rooms That Were Custom Built to Hide Your Priest

When on the run from Protestants in the 16th century, Catholic clergy hid in custom-built "priest holes."
March 2, 2016