January 30, 2023

NEW OBSESSION, JUST DROPPED  A Pink Fairy Armadillo  The pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus), looks like it could have scurried straight out of the illuminated pages of a medieval bestiary. The animal’s shell, paws, and tail are a vibrant bubblegum pink that contrasts with its silky, milk-white fur and black eyes. It’s the smallest of all armadillo species, and is found only in Argentina, in a broad swathe of sunbaked scrubland that stretches from the foothills of the Andes to the coastal province of Buenos Aires. And that… is about all we know of these wondrous animals.  READ MORE → YOU’VE GOT MAIL America’s Only Floating Post Office Beyond the train tracks on the edge of Detroit, in the water that separates the United States from Canada, Captain Sam Buchanan is in a 45-foot tugboat named the J.W. Westcott II, heading towards a freighter to engage in a delicate, centuries-old aquatic dance. But Buchanan is no ordinary riverboat operator: He’s captain of the world’s only floating post office, one that delivers mail to ships at sea. For over 140 years, this method has not changed. READ MORE → LA MAISON NATALE Birthplace of Joan of Arc Joan of Arc, or Jeanne d’Arc in French, was born circa 1412 in the small village of Domrémy, known today as Domrémy-la-Pucelle in honor of Joan’s nickname la Pucelle d’Orléans (the Maid of Orléans). The village lies at the base of a wooded hill, with the Meuse River flowing quietly nearby, part of the Grand Est region of northeastern France. Her childhood home still stands in excellent condition in the center of town. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES Making Miniature Furniture Making miniatures is no small feat; crafting tiny worlds from scratch is both an art and a science, and it draws from a long history of reflecting realities and generating new ones. In this workshop designed for beginners, join Amanda Kelly of Panda Miniatures to learn how to create realistic, textured miniature furniture from scratch. There are no prerequisites to take this course; miniature makers of all levels are welcome! ENROLL NOW → GASTRO OBSCURA A Time Traveler Party Stephen Hawking was a giant of theoretical physics, cosmology, and pop culture. Though affected by a degenerative disease that had doctors predicting an early death, Hawking instead lived to research the creation of the universe and its possible end. Those who met him testified to his charisma and sense of humor. So it was a little unusual that when he threw a party in 2009, not a single guest attended, though it’s perhaps expected since the party was actually an experiment on the possibility of time travel. (Invitations were sent only after the party was over.) READ MORE → MEXICO Pulque People living in present-day Mexico have used Mayahuel’s blood, which they call aguamiel(“honey water”), for thousands of years. Fermenting and distilling the agave plant’s core yields tequila or mezcal, while fermenting the sap produces the lesser-known drink pulque. The milky beverage contains only 2–8 percent alcohol, but don’t be fooled. Donnie Masterson, an expert in Mexican cuisine, says pulque doesn’t get you drunk, but then “you get up to leave and realize your legs don’t really work right. Your mind is completely clear, but your body doesn’t work.” READ MORE → THE ATLAS OBSCURA PODCAST Empress Anna’s Ice Palace In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit Empress Anna’s Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was the site of an incredibly strange wedding between the disgraced noble-turned-jester, Prince Mikhail Golitsyn, and a Kalmyk woman, Avdotia Buzheninova. Was it a cruel joke? A strategic power move? Or something else? FASCINATING STATUES 8 Gargoyles and Grotesques “Gargoyles” have been used as far back as ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as decorative water spouts designed to shift rainfall away from buildings and fancifully down to ground. It was in medieval Europe that they picked up the name (from the French gargouille, or “waterspout”) and began to resemble the ones we’re familiar with today, many of which are actually “grotesques”—similarly iconic uglies, but ones placed for more purely cosmetic purposes. From the dark lord Vader to a bat-like vampiric rabbit, here are eight unusual gargoyles and grotesques around the world. READ MORE → PARIS, FRANCE Water Tank Beneath Palais Garnier THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA IS HERE… Inside a water tank. Supposedly. Beneath the Opera House, Palais Garnier, there sits a water tank, and some folks say that once a man lived there who had no face. The tank, which has been referred to as a lake and a lagoon, inspired Gaston Leroux, a crime reporter and theater and opera critic, to use it as a setting in his classic novel The Phantom of the Opera. Today, firefighters use the tank to practice swimming in the dark. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA TRIPS Exploring Ancient Egypt Egypt’s archaeological treasures have delighted and mystified visitors for thousands of years. Join us in the new year as we follow in the footsteps of explorers and royalty and experience the thrill of discovery while exploring the Great Pyramids of Giza, traversing the Avenue of the Sphinxes, and marveling at the Tomb of Tutankhamun. BOOK NOW →