WOMEN OF EXTREMES Annie Londonderry Biked Around the World The first man to cycle around the world, Thomas Stevens, did so in 33 months in the 1880s, prompting two unnamed Boston businessmen to wager $10,000 that a woman could not repeat the feat. Annie Cohen Kopchovsky accepted the challenge. On June 25, 1894, Kopchovsky set out from Boston, riding a 42-pound Sterling bicycle. The 15-month trip would eventually take her east around the globe to Chicago via Alexandria and Yokohama and more than 45 other stops. It was a daunting prospect, especially for Kopchovsky, who had only ridden a bicycle for the first time a few days before her departure.  READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA Searching for Manna Manna, the heaven-sent food said to have sustained the Israelites for 40 years during their exodus, has long captured the imagination of scholars, soldiers, and scientists alike. Many have mined biblical verses for clues about the Old Testament substance. Adding to the puzzle are the other descriptions of the food in the Bible: on hot days, manna melted in the sun. If not gathered quickly enough, it rotted and bred worms. In addition to this list of traits and possible culinary applications, manna also had seemingly supernatural qualities as well. READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA COURSES Gastronomic Time Travel Become a culinary archaeologist as we recreate dishes from ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Rome, and the Mediterranean Middle Ages, while exploring ancient foodways and trade routes along the Mediterranean Sea and the lasting legacy they had on several regional cuisines. ENROLL TODAY → HVERAGERÐI, ICELAND Hveragerði Sunnumӧrk Shopping Center What do you do when there’s a crack in the floor? Patch it up, probably. But this one in Hveragerði Sunnumӧrk Shopping Center might be a bit harder to fix, given that it is in fact a rift that belongs to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the continents of North America and Europe meet. The developers rolled with it, though—sections of the exposed fracture are covered with reinforced glass and have been incorporated into the flooring of the shopping center. READ MORE → HISTORY OF CHILDBIRTH The Midwives Who Birthed the Gulf South Men, for centuries, have gotten most of the credit in the history of gynecology. Far less noted are the women whose skills were essential to the birth of new communities—like Marie Grissot, who fought to save the lives of babies and mothers as the sole midwife in colonial Louisiana, and Aimée Potens, a free woman of color who earned a place of pride and privilege for herself as a midwife before and after the Civil War. The stories of Grissot and Potens are vital parts of history—and a testament to the contributions of midwives in a region where there’s still a critical need for investment in maternal health. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA TRIPS Living Islands: The Azores From April to October, the seas surrounding the Azores swell with the gentle motion of giant creatures gliding along their migratory paths. Join us as we swim with dolphins and go whale watching with marine biologists. Back on land we will explore the islands’ beautiful volcanic landscapes, sip wine, and enjoy freshly caught seafood. BOOK YOUR TRIP → SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Hang Ah Tea Room Tucked away in a narrow alleyway, this San Francisco institution has been dishing up bamboo steamers of dim sum for more than a century. First opened in 1920, it bears the distinction of being the oldest dim sum restaurant in the United States. A culinary legacy, indeed. READ MORE → HOPEFULLY THIS ISN’T MESSY City Break-Ups For 60 years, the cities of San Francisco, California, and Osaka, Japan, were “sister cities” enjoying a robust cultural partnership. That bond was severed in 2018 after the relationship became strained. But breaking up sister cities is a long and winding road—as one might expect, it’s extremely difficult to end a genuine decades-long bond with the swoop of a pen. READ MORE → THE ATLAS OBSCURA PODCAST Edna Lawrence Nature Lab with Brian Chesky In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, AirBnB founder and CEO Brian Chesky discusses how design experiences, like those found at the Edna Lawrence Nature Lab, shape his work. LISTEN ON OUR SITE →    LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS →    LISTEN ON SPOTIFY →    LISTEN ON STITCHER → ENIGMATIC FINAL SAYINGS Anne Boleyn’s Last Words “I have not come here to preach a sermon; I have come here to die.” Facing imminent execution, Anne Boleyn began her last speech with those words. Possibly. Maybe not. It depends who’s telling the story. Many of those who witnessed the execution of the Queen would leave detailed reports, either directly or indirectly, of what they saw that legendary day. But their accounts were radically different—shaped by personal prejudices, their nationalities, and their intended audience. READ MORE → BROOKLYN, NEW YORK Captain America Statue Most people walk into the industrial-chic mall that is Brooklyn’s Liberty View to buy pillowcases at the Bed, Bath & Beyond “mega-complex” inside. But those not in search of a duvet cover come for a very different reason: to pay respects to a one-ton, 13-foot bronze statue of Captain America in the lobby, lifting his shield nobly atop a plinth. READ MORE → SPONSORED BY ALGONQUIN BOOKS Sure to Fill You with Wanderlust Intimate and addictive, the essays in Letter to a Stranger take place all over the world—in each location marked on the map above. In this extraordinary anthology, contributors such as Lauren Groff, Pico Iyer, Elizabeth Kolbert, T Kira Madden, and Leslie Jamison all grapple with this mystery: How can an ephemeral encounter with a stranger leave such an eternal mark? LEARN MORE →