November 15, 2022

WORKS OF ART  Remembering History  In 2019, Tsuru for Solidarity, a social justice organization led by Japanese Americans, wanted to organize a rally in Washington DC to protest the separation of migrant children from their families at the US-Mexico border. The goal was to chant the names of those currently detained along with the names of those who were incarcerated during World War II—but there was no list of the Japanese Americans imprisoned at the internment camps. Enter the Ireichō. Weighing almost 30 pounds and coming in at more than 1,000 pages, it is a massive book listing the names of the 125,284 Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II.  READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA Behold, Canadian Whisky Canadian whisky is all contradictions. It’s unknown and yet somehow incredibly popular. It’s critically dismissed but wins global whiskey awards. It’s blended, which whiskey drinkers have been indoctrinated to think means it’s inferior, yet blending is what gives it its quality. Canadian whisky is among the most fascinating liquors on the market. And yet, chances are, if you’ve bought some, you did it by accident. READ MORE → LONDON, ENGLAND St. Leonard’s Court Air Raid Shelter This small, round building is the entrance to a bomb shelter built in anticipation of World War II. Capable of holding 48 people, the shelter still contains its original fixtures, including benches, beds, cost hooks and reading light bulbs, even the original chemical toilets. It is now conserved by a number of local organizations and is opened to the public on special occasions. READ MORE → SPONSORED BY THE MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM Wendell Gilley Museum To say that Maine artist Wendell Gilley “wrote the book” on decorative bird-carving is both a statement of fact and an understatement. The one-time plumber pioneered the art of bird carving, crafting thousands of stunningly lifelike avians and inspiring and teaching countless others to do the same. A collection of over 300 pieces saved by his wife now form the bulk of one of the only dedicated bird-carving museums in the country: the Wendell Gilley Museum. LEARN MORE → LINGUISTIC QUIRKS Decoding Hapaxes A hapax legomenon is a word that occurs only once in a text, an author’s oeuvre, or a language’s entire written record. They’re not limited to Latin. They appear in every language, from Arabic to Icelandic, even English. But where do these words come from, and what is their purpose? An investigation. READ MORE → BLUFFTON, INDIANA Ouabache State Park Ouabache State Park, pronounced “O-bah-chee,” near Bluffton, Indiana features a 20-acre, fenced area with a herd of about 10 bison—some of the last herds in the state. The bison roam in a natural setting within the fenced-off pasture, grazing and doing a fine job ignoring park visitors. READ MORE → THE ATLAS OBSCURA PODCAST African Heritage House In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit the African Heritage House in Mlolongo, Kenya, which contains one of the greatest collections of African art in the world—and an unusual backstory. LISTEN ON OUR SITE →    LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS →    LISTEN ON SPOTIFY →    LISTEN ON STITCHER → HISTORICAL MYSTERIES A Telling Clue “No food, no foot gear, and several hundred miles to the ship,” wrote Jørgen Brønlund, the last survivor of a three-man sledge team that perished in 1907 during the Denmark Expedition to survey far northeastern Greenland. Brønlund, an Inuit native of Greenland, managed to walk to a depot that had been prepared ahead of time, seeking shelter in a cave though he could go no farther due to frostbite and darkness. His body was found four months later, along with his diary, which held a tell-tale black material on the last page. READ MORE → SCOTT, ARKANSAS Toltec Mounds Some 1,400 years ago, the Indigenous peoples of the Plum Bayou culture came together to build earthen mounds in what is now known as Arkansas. These mounds, which reach as tall as 49 feet, were built by hand for religious, political, ceremonial, and cosmological purposes. These are the largest existing mounds in the state of Arkansas—though they do take their name from a mistake. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES Make an Upcycled Travel Journal Learn how to transform a stack of Kraft envelopes and a hardcover book you’re not planning to read into a one-of-a-kind, compact travel journal. Book artist and educator Bel Mills will walk you through the process from start to finish—beginning with an overview of the book upcycling process, cutting and stitching, all the way through to creating a final button closure to keep your journal secure. ENROLL TODAY →