Lauren J Young's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places added to Bar Harbor, Maine
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story
comic books

Marie Duval, the Pioneering 19th-Century Cartoonist That History Forgot

She's responsible for developing the world of Ally Sloper, one of England's most iconic comic characters.
February 1, 2017
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marie antoinette

Watch a Strange Miniature Automaton of Marie Antoinette Play a Dulcimer Music Box

Beautiful and creepy.
January 31, 2017
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map monday

The Stunning Early Infographics and Maps of the 1800s

Educational diagrams of scientific discoveries, from the moon's surface to the longest rivers.
January 30, 2017
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villains week

In 1969, One Inventor Tried to Sell Police a 'Net Gun' for Catching Robbers

While effective, the invention never quite took off.
January 26, 2017
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villains week

How We Forgot the Bobbed Haired Bandit

In the 1920s, the armed robber Celia Cooney unintentionally became a symbol for the women's movement.
January 26, 2017
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villains week

Watch a Hong Kong 'Villain-Hitter' Beat Away Foes With a Shoe

The centuries-old ritual started as a way to drive away evil spirits.
January 25, 2017
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map

A 1927 Map Reveals the Hide-Outs of Chicago's Most Notorious Gangsters

Drawn by hand, one sociologist detailed the whereabouts of over 1,300 active criminal enterprises.
January 23, 2017
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villains week

A Tour of Al Capone's 'Killer' Cadillac, Which Once Terrorized Chicago Streets

It featured bullet-proof glass and a police siren.
January 23, 2017
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snow

Watch These Joyous Strangers in London Roll a Massive Snowball Down a Hill

The crowd cheers as it rolls down the slopes of Parliament Hill.
January 20, 2017
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fossils

How Museum Preparators Uncover Fossil Specimens

It takes a steady hand and hours of dedication.
January 19, 2017
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nasa

The Female Space Sculptor Who Designed the Earliest Space and Aviation Helmets

Alice King Chatham's name is attached to some of the world's most pivotal aviation and space experiments.
January 18, 2017
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cartoons

This 19th-Century Book Chronicles Victorians' Strange Cat Fears And Fascinations

A cartoonist illustrated and wrote accounts of weather-predicting and love spell-binding cats.
January 17, 2017
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video wonders

Listen to the Low Earthly Hum of a Candle Pipe Organ

As the wax melts, the pitch changes.
January 17, 2017
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science fiction

One Architect's Spectacular Vision for a Spherical Subterranean City

New Yorkers would weather nuclear attack in an underground metropolis.
January 16, 2017
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snow

Watch an Artist Walk Thousands of Steps to Create Wolves and Leaves in the Snow

These intricate pieces of art are only temporarily preserved.
January 13, 2017
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knitting

Watch This Artist Knit Body Suits and Tapestries Out of Shredded Paper

Who knew magazines could be good knitting material?
January 11, 2017
Gastro Obscura
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world war i

The Meatless, Wheatless Meals of World War I America

Recipes got a lot more creative during the days of food rationing.
January 10, 2017
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wigs

The Elaborate Wig-Snatching Schemes of the 18th Century

Thieves employed monkeys to rob the wealthy of their coiffures.
January 9, 2017
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gnomes

Take a Virtual Tour of the Firefly Forest, a Kansas Park Turned Gnome Village

In 2013, tiny hollow-tree homes for fairies started popping up around Overland Park.
January 6, 2017
Gastro Obscura
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maple syrup

Watch Hot Maple Syrup Freeze into Toffee on Packed Snow

Delectable lollipops, sourced from trees.
January 4, 2017
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ice skating

The Ice-Skating Dandies of 18th-Century Paris

The frozen fields were home to tight pants and graceful, showy moves.
January 3, 2017
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video wonders

Watch Paper Masterpieces of China's Forgotten Tribes Unfold in Pop-Up Books

Artist and photographer Colette Fu uses the pop-up book to tell stories of minority tribes in China.
December 30, 2016
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paper

Watch Sheets of Paper Turn into a Topographical Map of Lake Baikal

Artist Olga Skorokhod carves shapes into paper to create artistic cartography.
December 22, 2016
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gender

Why This Groundbreaking British Doctor Was Almost Erased From the History Books

James Barry's gender identity was a military secret for nearly a century.
December 22, 2016