February 25, 2021

Mighty Dogs On the Mongolian steppe, there are predators, there are prey, and there are the bankhar. These large, powerful dogs weigh up to 125 pounds, with shaggy, thick coats that give them a bear-like appearance. For 15,000 years, bankhar dogs have been the guardians of the steppe, safeguarding both sheep and livestock. But during the era of Soviet socialist campaigns, that special connection between herder and bankhar dog was nearly lost, along with the bankhar itself. Now, an ambitious project aims to return bankhar dogs to their traditional role as livestock guardians. It’s an endeavor that may also give the Mongolian steppe, and its rich cultural traditions, a chance to thrive again. READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA From Cacti to Candy Does cactus candy prickle your fancy? Well, it should. The fruits of the wild Opuntia engelmanniicacti (better known as prickly pear) is an ingredient growing in popularity outside of the Southwest and Mexico, where it’s long been a staple food. Tucson-based company Cheri’s Desert Harvest hopes to introduce many more people outside the Southwest to the regional treat—with a little help from snake guards, hot-dog tongs, and a wine press.  READ MORE → LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA  The Los Angeles Times Bombing Memorial  During the early 20th century, several violent and controversial Iron Workers’ Union (IWU) strikes, protests, and a lengthy, but largely victim-free bombing campaign rocked the city of Los Angeles. In 1910, brothers John and James McNamara were tasked with organizing a bombing of the Los Angeles Times newspaper plant; when the bomb exploded, it ruptured a gas main and caused a fatal fire that killed 21 people. All but one of the victims were L.A. Times employees. The publisher of the L.A. Times, Harrison Grey Otis, erected this memorial which features emotive, combative, and profound words while offering “peace to their ashes.”  READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA EXPERIENCES Happy Hour in the New York Aquarium  We’re getting jelly with it tonight! We’re joining the New York Aquarium for a virtual tour of its underwater worlds, including the new exhibit dedicated to aquatic invertebrates! Bring your beverage of choice, all your questions about our squishy jellyfish friends, and get ready to dive into the wonders of the watery world.  GET TICKETS → FROM THE ARCHIVES  Meet Ma Rainey In the 1910s and ‘20s, long before Prince and Beyonce fascinated generations, America vested its quick-changing emotions in Ma Rainey, “The Mother of the Blues”—a gender-role-flaunting singer with sky-high charisma, great business sense, and a voice that could bring people from laughter to tears and back again. Rainey spent decades touring the country, wearing diamond tiaras, recording nearly a hundred records, and throwing at least one illegal queer orgy. She was, in the words of historian Robert Philipson, “one of the first black divas in history.”  READ MORE → OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA Cresta Aqueduct At first glance, this structure appears to be an enigma. It’s a bridge between two granite monoliths, an above-ground tunnel, and an aqueduct carrying water over a creek. This aqueduct is actually part of an elaborate water system, and is the only visible portion of the Cresta tunnel system.  READ MORE → COLEFORD, ENGLAND Puzzlewood  Located inside the Forest of Dean near Coleford, Puzzlewood is a popular outdoor tourist destination in Gloucestershire, England. Filled with beautiful moss-covered rocks, bridges, and fantastic rock and tree formations, Puzzlewood covers more than 14 acres and is considered one of the best examples of pre-Roman Celtic open cast iron mines. It’s been used as a filming location for Merlin and Doctor Who, and is said to have served as the inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.  READ MORE → ASHBURN, VIRGINIA Belmont Enslaved Cemetery Just east of Leesburg, Virginia, next to a heavily trafficked six-lane highway, is a plot of overgrown and scrubby wooded land that went unnoticed for years by passersby. This was once the largest slave cemetery in Loudoun County—and it was almost lost to history, if not for the research of a minister.  READ MORE →