Bōsai Musen: Japan’s 5 PM Chime

Jun 16, 2020

The loudspeaker of Japan’s national disaster warning system in Owkudani Hakone, Japan. Photo: WAN CHEUK NANG/Shutterstock.com For those ...

Dürer's Rhinoceros: A 16th-Century Viral Fake

Jun 16, 2020

Five hundred years ago, Europe saw its first rhinoceros in more than a thousand years. The animal was fairly common during Roman times see...

The Cobbled Hell of Trouée d'Arenberg

Jun 13, 2020

The famous cobblestone road through the forest of Saint-Amand-Wallers, in France. Photo: Radu Razvan/Shutterstock.com The forest of Sain...

Monte Stella: Milan’s Rubble Mountain

Jun 12, 2020

The city of Milan is as flat as a pancake, save for a little bump in the northwest called Monte Stella. In the vast expanse of Po valley, ...

The Healing Soil of Boho

Jun 11, 2020

In the Boho highlands of West Fermanagh Scarplands in Northern Ireland, there is a longstanding belief that the soil from the local churchya...

The World’s Largest Brick Bridge

Jun 10, 2020

Before the age of steel and concrete, bricks and stones were the only two materials available to architects and bridge designers hoping to s...

A 16th Century Math Book With Pop-Up Models

Jun 9, 2020

Euclid’s Elements , first published in 300 BC, was one of the most important and influential textbooks ever written in the history of scie...

Alexis St. Martin: The Man With A Hole In His Stomach

Jun 8, 2020

By the early 19th century, physicians had a clear understanding of the human anatomy (from dissecting cadavers) but knowledge about the role...

Vladimir Petrovich Demikhov’s Two-Headed Dog

Jun 5, 2020

In 1955, at a meeting of the Moscow Surgical Society, a sensational exhibit was presented to the assembled guests. On the platform close t...

Llívia: A Curious Spanish Enclave in France

Jun 3, 2020

A welcome sign on the road to Llívia, a landlock state of Spain inside France. Photo: LMspencer/Shutterstock.com Deep in the Pyrenees, s...