World’s Strangest

Yesterday we took an impromptu field trip to a magical place called Economy Candy on the Lower East Side. The place was packed with people, candy, and nostalgia. (In addition to the goodies below, I bought three packs of 1987 Topps baseball cards.) Here are some fun facts about candy you’ve likely handled on past [...]

Despite fears over global warming the amount of sea ice at the South Pole is breaking new records. Despite the fact that there is more ice at Antarcti…

“Mark my words: a combination airplane and motorcar is coming. You may smile, but it will come.” Auto magnate Henry Ford earned his fair share of ridicule in 1940 when he made that boisterous proclamation. The flying car may still be coming, but it’s certainly taking its sweet time. Seven decades later, there’s still no sign [...]

Small dinosaurs that lived near the south pole were able to survive through months of darkness. Scientists attempting to unravel their secrets were su…

If you stand at the South Pole and walk in any direction, you’d be walking north, wouldn’t you? So how do people in Antarctica read a map or give directions? Minnesotastan looked it up, and the answer is: they throw out the directions from the globe and make up a system. The continent is labeled [...]

Atlas Obscura is hosting the second annual International Obscura Day on April 9, 2011, in partnership with Hendrick’s Gin. This is a day set aside for “expeditions, back-room tours and hidden treasures” in places near or not-so-near. Events will take place in 61 cities (so far). Here are some of the most popular: In London Go [...]

Debate has been sparked over the nature of a plank of wood spotted on an iceberg at the South Pole. Spotted by wildlife watchers south of Commonwealth…

This weekend I’ve been sharing tasty facts about your favorite candy treats on Twitter. Here are some of the highlights: 1. Kit Kat flavors available in Japan include wine, sweet potato, wasabi, and soy sauce. * 2. A 3 Musketeers bar originally included three smaller bars: one vanilla, one chocolate and one strawberry. * 3. Chocolate magnate Milton Hershey had [...]

The south pole of Saturn’s moon Titan is shrouded in fog according to scientists, it is believed that the fog is formed from liquid evaporating fr…

This beautiful picture of Earth was taken by the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft. Rosetta is on a mission to intercept the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which will happen in 2014. The brightest part of this picture is our South Pole. Link (image credit: ESA)