In the McCarthy Era, to Be Black Was to Be Red
The Marxist sympathies of Black radical leaders like Paul Robeson, Alice Childress, and Lorraine Hansberry made them targets for the FBI.
New York City Bans Foie Gras
The practice of eating fatty goose livers dates back to at least 2500 BCE. Is there a humane way to produce it?
Math, Virginity Tests, and Pad Thai
Well-researched stories from Atlas Obscura, The Atlantic, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
The Decline of the Vegas Wedding
The Little White Wedding Chapel's changing fortunes are emblematic of the state of matrimony and romance.
The Origins of the Police
Sir Robert Peel is popularly credited with the formation of the first modern municipal police force. But the Thames River Police did it first.
Should I Kill Spiders in My Home?
An entomologist explains why not to.
The 1918 Parade That Spread Death in Philadelphia
In six weeks, 12,000 were dead of influenza.
The Real Joy of Mock Food
"Wow, this really kind of tastes like turkey.”
The Cartoonishly Giant Antlers of the Irish Elk
The mystery of the Irisk Elk's giant antlers attracted the attention of famous evolutionary biologist Steven Jay Gould.
The Man Whose Face Got Stuck Like That
No one could have predicted Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s turn to the bizarre.