History

🔗 Atlas Obscura is a unique guide to extraordinary places, cultures, and phenomena from around the globe. Founded in 2009 by travel enthusiasts, it was created to build a knowledge base of places and stories overlooked by traditional travel guides. Today, the site contains thousands of entries contributed by travelers, historians, researchers, and enthusiasts. The platform features an interactive map that allows users to explore geographical and cultural curiosities anywhere in the world. Descriptions cover natural phenomena – such as unique geological formations and rare plant species – as well as man-made wonders, including forgotten buildings, abandoned sites, quirky museums, and unusual art installations. ...

🔗 The Public Domain Review is an online archive and magazine dedicated to works that have entered the public domain – from rare illustrations and maps, to forgotten literary texts, films, photographs, and audio recordings. Founded in 2011, the project is run by a non-profit organization with the mission of preserving, digitizing, and promoting cultural resources free from copyright restrictions. The site combines the role of an archive with that of a content curator. The featured works are carefully described, often enriched with historical, artistic, and cultural context. Visitors will find both classic pieces by renowned artists and entirely forgotten works by anonymous creators. ...

🔗 Musicmap is an extraordinary web project that charts the full evolution of modern popular music. Part encyclopedia, part timeline, part interactive network – it invites you to explore over a century of sonic development through structure, style, and cultural influence. The project is the work of Kwinten Crauwels, a Belgian engineer who spent over ten years meticulously researching and building this map. It’s not backed by any major label or academic institution – instead, it’s a deeply personal yet public open-access knowledge system. ...

Futility Closet is a delightful trove of curious historical episodes, logical puzzles, and forgotten oddities. Run by Greg Ross, the blog has for years served as a destination for the intellectually curious. Its posts are short, precise, and often unexpectedly profound – covering strange inventions, brilliant hoaxes, language trivia, and puzzling paradoxes. The site also includes an extensive archive of podcast episodes, in which Greg and his wife Shelley explore remarkable real-life stories. A must-visit for lovers of logic, weird history, and brainy entertainment. ...

Damn Interesting is a long-running publication dedicated to sharing strange-but-true tales from history, science, and technology. Founded by Alan Bellows in 2005, it features meticulously researched stories that dive into forgotten disasters, ingenious inventions, covert operations, and astonishing real-life twists. More than a blog, it’s a library of compelling nonfiction that feels like reading a novel. The site also offers a podcast that brings some of the most compelling stories to audio format. A must-read for lovers of obscure knowledge and expertly told narratives. ...