March 24, 2023

ARCHAEOLOGY  The Artifacts Shedding New Light  In 1931, author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurtson wrote about Hoodoo, a set of traditions created by enslaved Africans in North America, with roots in indigenous West African religion. These practices were fundamental to the way the enslaved people defined their relationship to the world, to life, to death, and to each other. Since the 1980s, archaeologists have made connections between these traditions and the material evidence they uncovered at former plantation sites, including the birthplace of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Unearthed in 2022, these artifacts shed light on the complex spiritual lives of the 40 or so people enslaved here, and a new perspective on where Tubman was raised. READ MORE →   BEIRUT, LEBANON Brotherly Spite House A sliver-thin house in Beirut, built in 1954, is the ultimate display of how deep sibling annoyance can go. Known as The Grudge, or Al Ba’sa in Arabic, the house is just a bit over 13 feet at its widest point, and just around 2 feet at its narrowest. Believe it or not, it’s habitable. READ MORE →   GASTRO OBSCURA Mole Sauce Secrets Set up a word association game in which you tell Americans the word mole, the Mexican sauce, and it’s pretty likely that the response will be “chocolate.” But in fact, most moles do not contain chocolate, and either way, chocolate is certainly not an element that makes a mole a mole. Looking more deeply into this sauce reveals that its history and impact are as complicated as a 35-ingredient mole poblano. READ MORE →   SPONSORED BY THE NORTHERN TERRITORY Explore the Colors of the Outback Australia's Northern Territory is six times larger than Britain and is renowned for its vast Outback, natural wonders, Aboriginal culture, wildlife, picturesque scenery, adventurous activities, and friendly locals. See all the Northern Territory has to offer, in every color imaginable. Seek different out here. LEARN MORE →   FOLKLORE Hellhound or Devil Dog? English folklore is full of stories about a supernatural dog, known as Black Shuck, that prowled the countryside around Suffolk’s Leiston Abbey about 500 years ago. So when an archaeology group unearthed the bones of a gigantic dog from a shallow grave in the abbey ruins, many speculated that these large canine remains could be connected. But of course, it’s not quite that straightforward. READ MORE →   MANHATTAN, NEW YORK Mei Li Wah Since the 1960s, this unassuming bakery has been churning out fresh, piping-hot sweet and savory buns. Time hasn’t dulled the taste of these buns; a considerable line still snakes from the front door down Bayard Street. Don’t miss out on the baked roast pork buns, which come handsomely burnished and stuffed with meltingly tender char siu. READ MORE →   ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES Designing Soft Circuits & E-Textiles Life is full of sensory information—of light, sound, and motion that can be captured with sensors and converted into digital data, fodder for tiny computers known as microcontrollers. In this exploratory seminar taught by interdisciplinary artist, educator, and tinkerer Linh My Truong, we’ll explore how to embed these circuits into wearable and soft objects in pursuit of crafting pieces ranging from elaborate LED cosplay outfits to midi controllers made of fabric. STARTS MONDAY — ENROLL NOW →   THAT’S THE HOLE (IN ONE) STORY The “Mini-Golf Capital of the World” South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach may be the golf capital of the world, but it’s also the self-proclaimed mini-golf capital of the world. There are more mini-golf courses per square mile than in any other city in the United States, with a few key players trying to get it into the Olympics—big dreams for a diminutive version of “real golf.” How did we get here? READ MORE →   TALLINN, ESTONIA Kissing Hill It isn’t clear if this park, also known as Viru Gate Park, is called “Kissing Hill” because of the two life-sized sculptures of embracing nude couples that now adorn the park or whether the sculptures were commissioned because the park had already established its name. Either way, the romance is palpable. READ MORE →