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
Feb 23, 2023 • 17min
Thomas Merton's Hermitage
This little house in New Haven, Kentucky is where Thomas Merton aka profit-poet aka the rebel monk tried to get away from the world.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/thomas-mertons-hermitage
Feb 22, 2023 • 14min
Jadeite Cabbage
This tiny stone cabbage has a big backstory stretching from the rich, treasure-laden halls of Beijing’s Forbidden City...through a harrowing wartime escape...to its prized place at the National palace museum in Taipei, Taiwan.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jade-cabbage
Feb 21, 2023 • 16min
Newtown Creek Nature Walk
One man in Brooklyn, New York - armed with a homemade boat and an artistic vision - helped transform one of the most polluted industrial waterways in the US.To listen to the Newtown Creek Audio Guide: http://www.newtowncreekfieldguide.com/READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/newtown-creek-nature-walk
Feb 20, 2023 • 17min
The Gankutsu Hotel
Chiseled out of a stone cliff, one farmer's unfinished art project in Yoshimi, Japan lies in ruins. And an architect and a photographer are working to keep his legacy alive.Email us about buying a copy of Arai-san and Karasaki-san’s photobook at hello@atlasobscura.com READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gankutsu-hotel
Feb 17, 2023 • 15min
Classic: Floating Freedom School
As part of Black History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including the history of this paddleboat that gave some Black children a place to learn even when they were denied formal education on land.
Feb 16, 2023 • 12min
Cactoblastis Memorial Cairn
This site in Boonarga, Australia honors the cactoblastis - a humble moth that traveled across the globe, and became the hero of a continent. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cactoblastis-memorial-cairn
Feb 15, 2023 • 17min
Pushkin’s Duel
The story of how famous Russian author Alexander Pushkin once faced a duel by The Black River on the outskirts of St. Petersburg features high drama, society scandals, a weird foot joke, and pistols at dusk.
Feb 14, 2023 • 17min
Valentine's Day Classic: Chopin’s Heart
For Valentine's Day, the Atlas team would like to bring you this tale of the heart….literally. The Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, Poland is the final resting place of famed composer Frédéric Chopin’s heart - smuggled there by Chopin’s sister after his death. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/chopin-s-heart
Feb 13, 2023 • 13min
The Henry Miller Memorial Library
This site is “not a Library where you can borrow books” nor “a memorial with dusty relics” but still aims to honor the spirit of American author Henry Miller. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/henry-miller-memorial-library
Feb 10, 2023 • 17min
Black History Month Classic: Louis Armstrong Museum
As part of Black History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this journey to famed Jazz musician Louis Armstrong’s House in Corona, Queens in New York. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/louis-armstrong-house
