Sarah Laskow's User Profile - Atlas Obscura

Sarah Laskow

Former Atlas Obscura staff writer

2015
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The New Year's Feast That Transformed Fools Into Popes and Kings

In medieval churches, hierarchy was inverted for a day.

December 29, 2017

the year in wonder

What 2017 Was Like for the World's Oldest Trees

The past 12 months, contemplated in tree time.

December 28, 2017

Wild Poinsettias Can Grow Eight Feet Tall

A diplomat, a scientist, and a farmer tamed the blazing red plant into a commercial juggernaut.

December 21, 2017

The Mystery of Maine's Viking Penny

The coin is the real deal, but how did it get all the way from Norway?

December 21, 2017

Who Steals a Bollard?

An Irish pub reports that a woman pulled a steel bollard right out of the ground.

December 15, 2017

A Short History of Tree Shaping

People have long tried to bend trees to their will, for both practical and aesthetic reasons.

December 13, 2017

Once a Forbidden Tradition, Mummering in Newfoundland Is Alive and Well

See the creative costumes that mummers in St. John's wore this year.

December 13, 2017

A Forest of Furniture Is Growing in England

A decade-long plan is finally approaching fruition.

December 13, 2017

New Research Suggests Solar Storms Don't Lead Whales Astray

Whatever is causing whales to strand themselves on shore, it's likely a more complicated cocktail of factors.

December 11, 2017

Mountain Trees Love Dust

A new study highlights how the nutrients in dust feed plants along the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

December 6, 2017

13 Wonderfully Specific Libraries Reveal Their Oldest Treasures

We asked these unique libraries about their oldest holdings and got delightfully diverse answers.

December 6, 2017

Welcome to Interactive Fiction: You're a Wizard-Sniffing Pig

How text-based games are changing way we tell stories.

December 1, 2017

All the Other Names for the Moon

The "Supermoon" makes headlines, but it's a relatively recent entry in a long history of descriptions of the moon.

What's Left of America's Cold War Civil Defense System?

Hawaii is testing its nuclear warning signal. How much other infrastructure is still ready for action?

November 29, 2017

The Festival That Soaks a Spanish Town With Rosemary-Scented Smoke

A yearly procession commemorates a smallpox cure.

November 28, 2017

In 1507, This Map Used the Name 'America' for the First Time

Only five copies of this early map of the whole globe still exist, and one is now for sale in London.

November 27, 2017

telecommunications

New York Once Threw a Giant Parade to Celebrate a 1,600-Mile Cable

It was the first telegraph cable across the Atlantic.

November 22, 2017

Fancy Medieval Nobles Washed Their Hands With Bronze Lion-Shaped Vessels

Without forks, hand-washing at mealtime was extra important.

November 22, 2017

These Beautiful, Swirling Images Are Maps of Washington's Geology

Lidar mapping reveals the land's secrets, usually hidden beneath thick forests.

November 21, 2017

The Artist Who Sees Vintage Medical Devices as Sculpture

A Chicago gallery showcases haunting pieces of medical and dental history.

November 20, 2017

A Cold-War Museum Gets the Perfect New Home—an Empty Cold-War Armory

Culver City's Wende Museum is moving into what was once a secret military site.

November 16, 2017

When Did Humans Become a Burrowing Species?

Digging into our drive to tunnel, bore, and head underground.

November 16, 2017

A Remote Shetland Island Could Become a Spaceport

Unst's isolation is an asset for satellite launches. And it has a radar station.

November 15, 2017

One of America's Largest Collections of Memento Mori Is for Sale

Once held at the Museum of Mourning Art, more than 150 pieces will go to auction.

November 14, 2017