April 03, 2023

SHE WAS THERE  The “Huk Amazons”  The Huk Rebellion was a guerilla campaign that began shortly before World War II and lasted into the 1950s. The Huks were the first major military and political organization in the Philippines that sought to recruit women, who in fact made up a significant portion of the rebellion. We sat down with historian Vina Lanzona to uncover the stories of female Huk leaders, commanders, soldiers, spies, and other women involved in the movement.  READ MORE →   UNUSUAL MAPS The Trees That Escaped Destruction The red and white pines of the “Lost Forty” in Minnesota are part of the largest single surviving patch of old-growth forest in the state. They tower a hundred feet above the forest floor—a ceiling as high as in prehistory. They’ve so far escaped the logger’s ax—and it’s all thanks to a surveying error. READ MORE →   MONTERREY, MEXICO Librería CONARTE What’s the buzziest place to be these days? We found a good candidate. The hexagonal, lattice structure of the bookstore’s walls, along with tricks of perspective, depth, and color, help create an immersive space for reading. Time to (honey)comb through the shelves. READ MORE →   ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES The Monuments Men and Women How did the millions of cultural objects stolen by the Nazis during WWII return to their rightful owners once the conflict was over, and who’s continuing the search for lost art today? Join Anna Bottinelli, president of the Monuments Men and Women Foundation, to learn about the Monuments Men and Women of WWII, a group of scholars-turned-soldiers who volunteered during the most destructive war in history to preserve our shared cultural heritage. ENROLL NOW →   STRANGE DOCUMENTS A 500-Year-Old Mystery Manuscript It all began, as good mysteries do, at a secondhand bookshop in Warrnambool, Australia. A customer approached a bookseller with a piece of parchment that had been found in an old copy of Alice in Wonderland, and which bore handwriting that didn’t look quite like English. Further investigations revealed that the document had come from the 16th century, more than 200 years before the British arrived in Australia. How’d it end up halfway around the globe? READ MORE →   BEINE, FRANCE Corkscrew and Vineyard Museum Nestled in the heart of wine country in Chablis, France, lies a rather unusual homage to viticulture. Alain Geoffray, owner of the sprawling Geoffray wine estate, has amassed a collection of more than 4,900 corkscrews and more than 4,000 items related to wine making, all of which are on display in an small museum. READ MORE →   GASTRO OBSCURA Sour Orange Pie As anyone who’s visited Florida knows, their sweet calling card is Key lime pie. But Key lime’s cousin—sour orange pie—is not nearly as famous in the Sunshine State. And yet, their recipes are almost identical. The story of how one pie was catapulted into the spotlight, while another remained an obscure, though beloved, regional specialty is one of misadventures, clever marketing, and a fruit’s inability to shake its bitter reputation. READ MORE →   LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS Ponyhenge On a small slice of wide-open pasture in the town of Lincoln, Massachusetts, broken-down rocking horses, plastic ponies and other assorted horse toys have been holding court. As if by magic, ponies have been proliferating along this winding country road, resulting in the peculiar “Ponyhenge.” READ MORE →