The Atlas Obscura Podcast
SiriusXM and Atlas Obscura
An audio guide to the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Co-founder Dylan Thuras and a neighborhood of Atlas Obscura reporters explore a new wonder every day, Monday through Thursday. In under 15 minutes, they’ll take you to an incredible place, and along the way, you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Our theme and end credit music is composed by Sam Tyndall.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 30, 2023 • 18min
Museum of Quackery and Medical Fraud (Classic)
We visit what might be the world’s largest collection of fraudulent, nefarious, or otherwise ineffectual medical machinery -- and meet the founder who brought it all together. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museum-quackery
Jun 29, 2023 • 13min
No Taste Like Home
Asheville is a well-known foodie destination. In this ep we hear about a group that takes visitors into the wild – to learn all about North Carolina’s incredible biodiversity and to enjoy the foods that grow all around them. This episode is coproduced with Explore Asheville.LEARN MORE about No Taste Like Home here. And find more cool things to do when you visit Asheville here.
Jun 28, 2023 • 15min
We Heart Disasters… with John Marr
Host Dylan Thuras meets a teenage hero: author John Marr, who created the infamous Murder Can Be Fun zine and chronicled tales of unusual amusement park ride deaths and other odd disastersREAD MORE: You can see back issues of MCBF here.
Jun 27, 2023 • 18min
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
Created by a volcanic eruption in 2015, this island in the South Pacific no longer exists… but we chat with a person who got to see it before it disappeared.LEARN MORE about Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai in this Reuters article and see it in the Atlas here
Jun 26, 2023 • 20min
The Italian War on Pasta
Gastro Obscura Writer Sam Lin-Sommer tells us the story of the fascist war on pasta and its surprisingly delicious legacy.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/italian-futurist-pasta
Jun 23, 2023 • 15min
Bone Wars
You’ve probably heard about the Gold Rush. But what about the bone rush of the 1870s? Hear the story of a bitter rivalry between two paleontologists – and how this epic feud unearthed an epic amount of fossils we still admire today.
Jun 22, 2023 • 9min
The Hand Collection
You can learn a lot about a person from their hands. In this episode, we hear the story of a doctor who made it possible for us to hold onto the stories of presidents, astronauts, musicians, artists and more… through bronze molds of their hands. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/adrian-e-flatt-m-d-hand-collection
Jun 21, 2023 • 16min
Secret Places with Ashley Ray
Podcaster, TV critic and comedian Ashley Ray has more than a soft spot for her Midwest hometown. Hear why she thinks it may just be the best kept secret. HEAR MORE FROM OUR GUEST: Ashley has her own podcast all about TV and culture. Check it out here: https://www.stitcher.com/show/tv-i-say-w-ashley-ray
Jun 20, 2023 • 12min
Flavor Graveyard
Behind the Ben & Jerry's factory in Vermont sits a very peculiar graveyard... one dedicated to dearly departed ice cream flavors.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ben-jerry-s-flavor-graveyard
Jun 19, 2023 • 16min
Josephine Baker’s Chateau (Classic)
Writer and travel educator Tracey Friley tells the story of the glamorous life of entertainer, French Resistance agent, and civil rights activist, Josephine Baker and the pilgrimages women still make to her chateau.Learn more: www.traceyfrileytravel.com
