214 Items Tagged

Exploration

A New and Correct Map of AMERICA (London, 1752).

For Hundreds of Years, People Thought California Was an Island

Dozens of maps show cartography's most persistent mistake.

Frank Jacobs, Big Think February 16, 2024

The "Point Reyes", a vessel known locally as the Inverness Shipwreck in Tomales Bay north of San Francisco.

Wonder Is Everywhere: The Cosmic Dust Curator, a Secret Ancient Forest, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.

April White January 19, 2024

Sudbury, Massachusetts

Goodnow Kayak

The Inuit kayak from Robert Peary's 1896 expedition to Greenland is now on display at a local library.

Bristol, England

John Cabot's Whalebone

A 15th-century whalebone is tucked away in an unassuming corner of this medieval church.

The parasitic plant <em>Sapria himalayana</em>, also known as the jeweled corpse flower, was one of several rare species found in the Siang Valley by ATREE botanists.

The Biodiversity of India's Siang Valley Rediscovered After an Infamous Colonial Expedition

A red velvet worm, jeweled corpse flower, and other rare species were found while retracing the route of the bloody 1911-12 Abor Expedition.

Deepa Padmanaban December 12, 2023

A painting depicting an Order of Good Cheer banquet procession.

Before Thanksgiving, There Were the Feasts of 'The Order of the Good Cheer'

North America's first culinary social club was born in the 17th-century Canadian frontier.

Laura Kiniry November 21, 2023

Bismarck, North Dakota

Keelboat Park

This municipal park along the Missouri River honors the galley central to the Lewis & Clark Expedition with a replica ship and sculptures.

Podcast: Our Travel Expectations

From visiting Petra in flip flops to getting nauseous at the Grand Canyon.

The Podcast Team October 11, 2023

In 1938, Elzada Clover (first row, second from left) and Lois Jotter (first row, second from right) were the first non-Indigenous women to raft the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

The Historic Grand Canyon Adventure Two Women Had For Science

Botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter braved rapids and steep cliffs to catalog numerous plant species.

Sarah Durn May 29, 2023

Podcast: Moose Boulder

How far would you go to find the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake in the United States?

The Podcast Team April 27, 2023

The Boiling River, or <em>Shanay-timpishka</em>, in Peru was long thought to be a myth.

10 of Our Absolute Favorite Atlas Obscura Podcast Episodes

Wait'll you hear these wonders of audio storytelling.

April White April 12, 2023

An all-women team of aquanauts was a novelty in 1970. Pictured from left to right: Ann Hartline, Sylvia Earle, Renate True, Alina Szmant, and Peggy Lucas Bond.

The Forgotten Women Aquanauts of the 1970s

These scientists spent weeks underwater doing research—and convincing NASA women could also go into space.

Amy Crawford March 24, 2023

8 Stories of Women Making History Right Now

This Women's History Month, we celebrate women doing extraordinary things all over the world.

April White March 17, 2023

objects of intrigue

The Intrepid, Furry Explorers Who Mapped Antarctica

Peek inside the "employment records" of Great Britain’s sled dogs.

Andrew Avery January 19, 2023

Stockholm, Sweden

Vega Monument

Celebrating the Swedish ship used in the first Arctic expedition to navigate through the Northeast Passage.

Millaa Millaa Falls

Millaa Millaa, Australia

Millaa Millaa Waterfall

The name for this waterfall was derived from the Aboriginal word used to describe a rainforest vine.

George Bass Expedition Memorial

Bass, Australia

George Bass Expedition Memorial

Dedicated to a surgeon who made several natural discoveries across Australia.

Remembering the 'Ice Widows' of a Doomed Antarctic Expedition

For more than a century, their stories were ignored—until now.

Sarah Durn September 15, 2022