September 12, 2022

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA  The Queen's Letter  Located at the famous Queen Victoria Building in the center of Sydney, visitors will find in a corner, behind glass, a letter written by Queen Elizabeth II in 1986. It’s said that the letter includes a personal message to the people of Sydney—but we don’t really know, as the letter was sealed by the queen and is not designated to be open until the year 2085.  READ MORE → PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER Saving Shattered Ancient Glass Artifacts On August 4, 2020, the capital city of Lebanon was rocked by a devastating explosion of ammonium nitrate at the Port of Beirut. The catastrophic event caused an estimated 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries, and billions of dollars in property damages. At the Archeological Museum at the American University of Beirut (AUB), 72 of the ancient glass vessels on display lay shattered on its gallery floor. Only two of the fragile artifacts made it out intact. A team of more than a dozen international institutions and a group of volunteers set out to repair the country’s shattered history, one glass fragment at a time. READ MORE → MAKING SENSE OF SCENTS In Search of Ambergris For well over a thousand years, ambergris, a key component in classic perfumery, has been called such things as the “universal cordial,” “the dearest and most valuable commodity in France,” and “the odor of sanctity.” It is highly prized, and highly priced. But for years, it was one of the world’s most intoxicating mysteries; no one even knew where this rare waxy substance came from. Turns out it’s a highly prized slurry of squid beaks and whale feces. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES | STARTS TOMORROW Learn the Secrets of Trees In this course, get to know the woody giants around you, from learning basic botany and tree identification to performing your own fieldwork. We'll cover trees’ evolutionary history, plant families, communication, and botanical function as well as how to engage with tree-filled spaces in an enriched way. ENROLL NOW → DEEP DIVES The Life of a Saturation Diver Shannon Hovey works in one of the least known, most dangerous, and, frankly, most bizarre professions on Earth. He is a saturation diver, who can go to the seabed to perform the delicate maneuvers required to put together, maintain, and disassemble offshore wells, rigs, and pipelines. It’s one of the world’s most hazardous jobs, and is quite literally known for its intense pressure. READ MORE → ALACANT, SPAIN Alicante Zero Level Why is height in Spain measured with respect to the sea level in Alicante? When the altimetric survey of Spain was projected at the end of the 19th century, the measurements confirmed that the difference in sea level between low tide and high tide was the smallest on the Alicante coast. After years of observing the sea level in Alicante, the zero level was set, serving as an origin to calculate all the other levels of the country. READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA Tough-Time Dishes At the height of the pandemic, many home chefs were looking for ways to use every last bit of what was in their cupboard or refrigerator. History to the rescue: there are examples everywhere of cooks getting creative in times of hardship. From the crispy burger born during the Great Depression to the simple delights of “desperation pies,” here are seven delicious dishes born from tough times that you can make at home. Most involve ingredients that you can find in your kitchen. READ MORE → NINE LIVES, LONG LIVES Feline Longevity Anyone who’s met Jake Perry will tell you—first and foremost, he’s a cat man. Perry’s cats broke the Guinness World Record for oldest cat. Twice, actually. About a third of his cats, Perry says, lived to be at least 30 years old—about twice the average feline life span. Now, toward the end of his own life, he believes he’s discovered the secret to feline longevity. READ MORE → CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA Venetian Pool The largest freshwater swimming pool in the U.S., the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables is a one-of-a-kind water feature that is emptied and refilled every day during the summer just to keep the waters fresh and clean. It’s the only swimming pool to be protected by the National Register of Historic Places, making it a site that should run swimmingly for years to come. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA TRIPS Barcelona, Behind the Scenes There’s lots to see in Barcelona, but on this trip, we’ll peel back the layers and dive into a bevy of unusual experiences, visiting marvelous locations such as a Baroque anatomical amphitheater, a former Masonic Temple, and a subterranean bomb shelter. Whether it will be your first time in Barcelona or your fifth, this adventure is an extraordinary immersive opportunity. BOOK NOW →