May 23, 2022

DISAPPEARING LANDSCAPES  ‘See Rock City’  What did people do before viral advertising campaigns on the Internet? They met customers where they were—and in the mid-twentieth century, that place was billboards scattered along the American road. Among the most memorable billboards in the country in that era were those painted on the sides and roofs of barns through the South directing drivers to “See Rock City.” The Rock City barns became almost as famous as the unusual landmark itself, but due to a variety of factors from natural disasters and age to legislation and a lack of skilled sign painters, these slices of Americana are now at risk of disappearing entirely.  READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA Carbon Neutral Coffee It looks like a scene out of the Pirates of the Caribbean. This is De Gallant, a ship that’s carrying sacks stuffed with coffee beans, cacao, and cane sugar. Why not put those products on a cargo ship, you ask, isn’t it faster and more cost-effective rather than relying on old-fashioned sails? Great question! This old form of shipping relies mostly on wind power—aside from the occasional engine used to navigate into and out of a harbor. Sure, journeys are slower and less predictable, but the pay-off are products that are as close to carbon-neutral as can be, as cargo ships are responsible for a host of environmental issues. READ MORE → DENVER, COLORADO Big Blue Bear Don’t freak out if you’re walking through the convention center in downtown Denver and see a giant blue bear. It means no harm. Made of about 4,000 tiny triangles, the 40-foot bear towers over passersby, and the blue is said to represent the Colorado sky. Beary, beary good. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES | STARTS 5/24 Creating Crossword Puzzles Join crossword creators Natan Last and Brooke Husic for a behind-the-scenes, step-by-step look at how a themed, American-style puzzle goes from a collection of concepts to its final presentation. Together as a class, we’ll co-create a crossword of our own that will be published on Atlas Obscura that you can send around to your family and friends. ENROLL TODAY → COIN CONTROVERSY Who Designed the American Dime? When was the last time you looked—really looked—at a dime? It is the smallest coin in U.S. circulation, so it takes a keen eye to see the very subtle “JS” just beneath Franklin D. Roosevelt’s truncated neck. These are the initials of John Sinnock, the U.S. Mint’s Chief Engraver from 1925 to 1947, who is credited with sculpting the profile of the 32nd president. However, institutions such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum—and even Roosevelt’s son—credit another sculptor with inspiring the design: Selma Burke, the illustrious Harlem Renaissance sculptor. So where is credit due? The answer is … complicated. READ MORE → DUNDEE, SCOTLAND Tay Bridge Memorial Dundee, Scotland’s fourth-largest city, was at one time one of the richest boroughs in all of Europe. It’s located along the shores of the country’s largest river, the Firth of Tay. Spanning this waterway for over two miles is the Tay Railway Bridge, once one of the longest railway bridges in the world. On December 28th, 1879, the central span collapsed due to gale-force winds, creating one of the nation’s worst engineering accidents. These memorials are dedicated in remembrance of the victims of the event. READ MORE → FREE MEMBERS-ONLY EVENT Inside An Animatronics Factory For nearly half a century, the talented engineers and artisans at Garner Holt Productions have used cutting-edge technology and unbound creativity to breathe life into more animatronic figures than any other company in history. Now, we get to step inside their workshop to see how the magic is made. In this virtual tour, we'll get a taste of each step that goes into building a hi-tech animatronic figure. RSVP TODAY → FUSION FOOD HISTORY What the Heck is Crab Rangoon Anyway? Have you ever wondered about the marvel that is crab rangoon? It consists of cream cheese, is sometimes sweetened, usually has very small bits of imitation crab stuffed into a wonton wrapper and deep-fried, and is served with a syrupy, neon sweet-and-sour dipping sauce. It is, essentially, deep-fried cheesecake with fake crab in it—as sweet as any dessert, but served as an appetizer. It has a Burmese name, is served in a theoretically Chinese restaurant, and its main component was invented in New York in the late 19th century. What the heck is crab rangoon, and how did it happen? READ MORE → SUDBURY, MASSACHUSETTS Wayside Inn In 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published a collection of poems that included a description of a historic tavern “built in the old Colonial day, when men lived in a grander way.” The collection, titled Tales of a Wayside Inn, is named for a real place located along Old Boston Post Road in a scenic and picturesque area of Sudbury, Massachusetts. READ MORE → SPONSORED BY TRAVEL NEVADA Lehman Caves Enter the caves, brave traveler, and you’ll step into a dazzling and seemingly endless array of stalactites, stalagmites, and helictites. The cave—celebrating its 100th anniversary this year—is home to an ecosystem containing more than 300 rare rock and shield formations, as well as a number of small bugs and animals, including multiple species of bat, spiders, and a pseudoscorpion that is endemic to the Great Basin National Park cave system. READ MORE →