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
May 16, 2023 • 18min
Voynich Manuscript
One of the oldest books in the world is also the most misunderstood. A medievalist tells us about the Voynich, which is in the collection of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/beinecke-rare-book-manuscript-library
May 15, 2023 • 10min
Big Bertha Drum (Classic)
She’s about 8 feet wide and 500 pounds. And her history spans all the way from the stockyards of Chicago... to a nuclear test during the Manhattan Project...to a stadium at the University of Texas at Austin. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/big-bertha-drum
May 12, 2023 • 16min
Kilwa Kisiwani (Classic)
We dig through more than 1,000 years of dirt, history, colonialism, and myth on the Swahili Coast.Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kilwa-kisiwani-ruins
May 11, 2023 • 17min
Butter Sculptures
Where can you find the smoothest, most scrumptious edible art? If you ask our host, Dylan, it’s in the Minnesota State Fair butter sculpture room. He’s joined in this episode by Gastro Obscura writer Sam O’Brien, who got the scoop on the yummy centerpieces.
May 10, 2023 • 16min
Close to the Edge
We all dream of the perfect vacation when everything goes right. This episode is about the opposite. Hear stories of people having near death travel experiences.TELL US YOUR STORY: We want to hear your stories too! Give us a call at (315) 992-7902, and leave a message telling us your name, and about your own near-death travel experience. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com. Looking forward to hearing from you.
May 9, 2023 • 14min
Iowa Remnant Prairies
Elusive patches of land in America’s Midwest can show us what the environment was like 150 years ago and tell us about the future.
May 8, 2023 • 11min
National Poo Museum
We spend time with the world’s foremost poo enthusiasts, who operate a museum in England where poo is elegant, elevated and celebrated.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/national-poo-museum
May 5, 2023 • 13min
Mississippi River Basin Model (Classic)
A walk through this scale model has you feeling like a giant, and striding from Baton Rouge to Omaha in an hour. LEARN MORE about the model and the group trying to revive it, here: https://friendsofmrbm.org/
May 4, 2023 • 13min
The Nutmobile
The next time you go out on a road trip, keep your eyes peeled for a peanut-shaped car that got its start as an advertising play during the Great Depression
May 3, 2023 • 8min
Okomfo Anokye’s Sword
Nestled in a hospital courtyard in Kumasi, Ghana, you’ll find the strength of the Asante people: the sword of Okomfo Anokye, planted in the ground over 300 years ago. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sword-of-okomfo-anokye
