Want to see fewer ads? .A sickly, oil-spattered crab.In This Storyhe even saw the seafloor. It was 2017 and he had come down with a virus on a month-long research cruise; he was recuperating in his room to avoid infecting his colleagues at the Louisiana University Marine Consortium (LUMCON). From 6,000 feet below, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was transmitting a live feed of the site of the Deepwater Horizon accident—the first images of it taken since 2010. Releasing some four million barrels of oil over 87 days, it was the largest accidental marine oil spill ever recorded, a seething,...…Want to see fewer ads? .A sickly, oil-spattered crab.In This Storyhe even saw the seafloor. It was 2017 and he had come down with a virus on a month-long research cruise; he was recuperating in his room to avoid infecting his colleagues at the Louisiana University Marine Consortium (LUMCON). From 6,000 feet below, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was transmitting a live feed of the site of the Deepwater Horizon accident—the first images of it taken since 2010. Releasing some four million barrels of oil over 87 days, it was the largest accidental marine oil spill ever recorded, a seething,...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .Top Places in Virginiabeloved pony in children’s literature is preserved in more than just books and movies. The body of the real-life Misty of Chincoteague is displayed for all to see. Her pinto coat still looks fluffy and shiny, and her lifeless eyes still hold hints of the sweetness that endeared her to children around the world.Marguerite Henry was inspired to write her book Misty of Chincoteague while spending a summer on the titular island in 1946. Henry was there to witness the annual pony swim and auction. This long-time tradition involved “Saltwater Cowboys”...…Want to see fewer ads? .Top Places in Virginiabeloved pony in children’s literature is preserved in more than just books and movies. The body of the real-life Misty of Chincoteague is displayed for all to see. Her pinto coat still looks fluffy and shiny, and her lifeless eyes still hold hints of the sweetness that endeared her to children around the world.Marguerite Henry was inspired to write her book Misty of Chincoteague while spending a summer on the titular island in 1946. Henry was there to witness the annual pony swim and auction. This long-time tradition involved “Saltwater Cowboys”...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .A rare hello!In This Storyup in the San Francisco Bay area, Greg Pauly sometimes found himself running an accidental rehabilitation center for wayward reptiles out of his parents’ house. One neighbor wasn’t particularly sold on the squamates that lived around her yard, he recalls, but her cats, Crackers, Peepers, and Stinkers, kept intercepting them and delivering them to her. Pauly remembers that she paid him a dollar to take the unwelcome gifts off her hands, so he adopted the “three-legged, no tail” lizards as pets.These maimed reptiles were , roughly eight inches...…Want to see fewer ads? .A rare hello!In This Storyup in the San Francisco Bay area, Greg Pauly sometimes found himself running an accidental rehabilitation center for wayward reptiles out of his parents’ house. One neighbor wasn’t particularly sold on the squamates that lived around her yard, he recalls, but her cats, Crackers, Peepers, and Stinkers, kept intercepting them and delivering them to her. Pauly remembers that she paid him a dollar to take the unwelcome gifts off her hands, so he adopted the “three-legged, no tail” lizards as pets.These maimed reptiles were , roughly eight inches...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .Traditional makers still forage for sassafras leaves to make filé.In This Storya gumbo that makes your neighbors jealous is in Kisatchie National Forest. At least, that’s what John Oswald Colson and Dustin Fuqua might tell you. Every summer, Colson and Fuqua make their way through the longleaf pines of Central Louisiana until they find a wispy, unassuming tree with mitten-shaped leaves low enough to pick. This is the sassafras tree, and the highly coveted, gumbo-elevating herb made from its dried and pulverized leaves is called filé.Colson, who is officially...…Want to see fewer ads? .Traditional makers still forage for sassafras leaves to make filé.In This Storya gumbo that makes your neighbors jealous is in Kisatchie National Forest. At least, that’s what John Oswald Colson and Dustin Fuqua might tell you. Every summer, Colson and Fuqua make their way through the longleaf pines of Central Louisiana until they find a wispy, unassuming tree with mitten-shaped leaves low enough to pick. This is the sassafras tree, and the highly coveted, gumbo-elevating herb made from its dried and pulverized leaves is called filé.Colson, who is officially...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .Top Places in Flagstaffat 9:01 am, TWA Flight 2 took off from Los Angeles International Airport flying to Kansas City. Three minutes later, United Airlines Flight 718 also took off from Los Angeles headed for Chicago. The two flights would become tragically entwined over the Grand Canyon about an hour and a half later.Shortly after takeoff, the pilot of the TWA plane requested to change his altitude from 19,000 to 21,000 feet to avoid storm clouds. At the time, commercial flights had no direct contact with air traffic controllers after their takeoff, so messages had...…Want to see fewer ads? .Top Places in Flagstaffat 9:01 am, TWA Flight 2 took off from Los Angeles International Airport flying to Kansas City. Three minutes later, United Airlines Flight 718 also took off from Los Angeles headed for Chicago. The two flights would become tragically entwined over the Grand Canyon about an hour and a half later.Shortly after takeoff, the pilot of the TWA plane requested to change his altitude from 19,000 to 21,000 feet to avoid storm clouds. At the time, commercial flights had no direct contact with air traffic controllers after their takeoff, so messages had...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .Alien at Chapelle de Bethlehem.In This StoryFascinating ghouls of another era, gargoyles emerged around the 13th century in European architecture with a vast array of form and function. At first, they were designed as an indispensable engineering trick. Projected from roofs at parapet level, the strange leaning creatures created a siphon for rainwater to protect the walls of the edifice. They evolved to become “grotesques, ” ornamental elements with a specific symbolic charge. With their demonic grins and anthropomorphic shapes, gargoyles and grotesques were used to...…Want to see fewer ads? .Alien at Chapelle de Bethlehem.In This StoryFascinating ghouls of another era, gargoyles emerged around the 13th century in European architecture with a vast array of form and function. At first, they were designed as an indispensable engineering trick. Projected from roofs at parapet level, the strange leaning creatures created a siphon for rainwater to protect the walls of the edifice. They evolved to become “grotesques, ” ornamental elements with a specific symbolic charge. With their demonic grins and anthropomorphic shapes, gargoyles and grotesques were used to...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .An Alaskan miner bakes a loaf, likely of sourdough, in 1898.In This StoryTalkeetna Roadhouse 25 years ago, she was given three things: the deed, a set of keys, and a sourdough starter that the previous owner said dated back to 1902.The year-round population of Talkeetna, Alaska, hovers around 900 people, but in a normal year, Costello’s crew churns out hundreds of pounds of dense sourdough hotcakes per day, each dappled with a cosmos of mixed berries or chocolate chips and hanging over the side of the plate. They’re enormous, and enormously popular, with tourists,...…Want to see fewer ads? .An Alaskan miner bakes a loaf, likely of sourdough, in 1898.In This StoryTalkeetna Roadhouse 25 years ago, she was given three things: the deed, a set of keys, and a sourdough starter that the previous owner said dated back to 1902.The year-round population of Talkeetna, Alaska, hovers around 900 people, but in a normal year, Costello’s crew churns out hundreds of pounds of dense sourdough hotcakes per day, each dappled with a cosmos of mixed berries or chocolate chips and hanging over the side of the plate. They’re enormous, and enormously popular, with tourists,...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .In This StoryListen and subscribe on , , , and all major podcast apps.we visit a graveyard in the “Granite Capital of the World” that pays tribute to the stone cutters and artisans who are buried amongst the sculptures they created.Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an incredible site, and along the way you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Join us daily, Monday through Thursday, to explore a new wonder with cofounder Dylan Thuras and a neighborhood of...…Want to see fewer ads? .In This StoryListen and subscribe on , , , and all major podcast apps.we visit a graveyard in the “Granite Capital of the World” that pays tribute to the stone cutters and artisans who are buried amongst the sculptures they created.Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an incredible site, and along the way you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Join us daily, Monday through Thursday, to explore a new wonder with cofounder Dylan Thuras and a neighborhood of...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .Say hello to the sour orange pie.In This Storyknows, the state’s sweet calling card is Key lime pie. But Key lime’s cousin—sour orange pie—is not nearly as famous in the Sunshine State. And yet, their recipes are almost identical. Both have a graham-cracker crust topped with a tangy, condensed milk–based custard. The only real difference is the fruit that’s supplying each pie’s signature flavor. The story of how one pie was catapulted into the spotlight, while another remained an obscure, though beloved, regional specialty is one of misadventures, clever marketing,...…Want to see fewer ads? .Say hello to the sour orange pie.In This Storyknows, the state’s sweet calling card is Key lime pie. But Key lime’s cousin—sour orange pie—is not nearly as famous in the Sunshine State. And yet, their recipes are almost identical. Both have a graham-cracker crust topped with a tangy, condensed milk–based custard. The only real difference is the fruit that’s supplying each pie’s signature flavor. The story of how one pie was catapulted into the spotlight, while another remained an obscure, though beloved, regional specialty is one of misadventures, clever marketing,...WW…

Want to see fewer ads? .An image taken in 2008, about a decade into the concerted effort to revive the Thames, declared "biologically dead" half a century earlier.In This StoryThis piece was originally published in and appears here as part of our collaboration.the Industrial Revolution, London’s River Thames was both a hub of trade and transport and a dumping ground for human excretion and industrial waste. The cradle of England’s industrial heritage was quickly becoming a glorified sewer. The stench was so unbearable during the sweltering summer of 1858 that it forced some government...…Want to see fewer ads? .An image taken in 2008, about a decade into the concerted effort to revive the Thames, declared "biologically dead" half a century earlier.In This StoryThis piece was originally published in and appears here as part of our collaboration.the Industrial Revolution, London’s River Thames was both a hub of trade and transport and a dumping ground for human excretion and industrial waste. The cradle of England’s industrial heritage was quickly becoming a glorified sewer. The stench was so unbearable during the sweltering summer of 1858 that it forced some government...WW…