California Etymology  California has long been associated with fantasy, but few people know that centuries before Hollywood, it drew its very name from an imaginary kingdom—one ruled by a Black queen. In the early 16th century, when Hernán Cortés’s conquistadors arrived at the peninsula on Mexico’s western side, they christened it “California,” after a fictional island in Las Sergas de Esplandían, a Spanish book published decades earlier. Its portrait of California’s warrior queen, Calafia, is worth revisiting—not just for its marvelous details, but for the light it sheds on medieval European attitudes about race.  READ MORE →

FROM THE ARCHIVES Dino-Sized Mystery For the last century or so there has been a paleontological debate surrounding a single, pointy-toothed dinosaur skull that came out of the Montana rock in 1942. The question is this: was it just a juvenile T. rex, or another species entirely? Research on two recently excavated individuals, known as Jane and Petey, could settle the debate for good. READ MORE →

SOMERSET, ENGLAND Vicars' Close This is the oldest residential street in Europe, but it’s more than just a pretty street. It also features an optical illusion. An optical trick created by the space between the two rows of houses makes the street look longer when standing near the main entrance; wander to the other end of the street, however, and look back to find that the street looks considerably shorter. READ MORE →

Unusual Animals For as many fascinating, unbelievable places as there are to explore on our planet, there are just as many, if not far more, mind-blowing animals. A deer with long vampire fangs? Sure. A shrimp that punches so hard and fast that the water boils around it? Oh yes, that’s real. Atlas Obscura readers flocked to our forums to tell us about the most shocking and unbelievable animals they’d ever heard of. READ MORE →

The History of America’s Bloodiest Election On November 2, 1920—Election Day, 100 years ago—Moses Norman of Ocoee, Florida, joined more than 25 million Americans in going to the polls to cast his vote. Norman was Black, and exercising his rights meant putting his safety at serious risk. Just days earlier, the Ku Klux Klan had rode through nearby Orlando, trying to send a message to Black people who planned on voting. Norman was turned away on Election Day, and no one knows, in detail, precisely what happened next. But the following is clear: This simple act of self-assertion led to the murders of at least four Black people, and the story was largely kept under wraps for decades. READ MORE →

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA Bunnyhenge This local oddity is equal parts controversial and adorable. The sculpture, dubbed “Bunnyhenge,” consists of 14 large white bunnies arranged in a circle, with two even larger 8-foot-tall bunnies found nearby. When it was first installed in 2013, the sculpture was initially very popular, especially with children. But believe it or not, the public artwork also cost the city $221,000, or nearly $14,000 per bunny, which outraged many residents. READ MORE →

Spying on Winter Wildlife Winter is coming. Across the Northern Hemisphere, creatures have developed astounding adaptations to survive frigid conditions, from slowing down natural processes in the body to feigning death. In this three-part online course, we’ll get to know the coolest of critters, explore the cold worlds they inhabit, and learn how they’ve adapted—and how behavior may evolve in response to a changing climate. LEARN MORE →