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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
Premontre Monastery Church of Zsámbék in Zsámbék,...
Twenty miles to the west of Budapest, the remains of a 13th-century monastic church sit on top of a hill in the small Hungarian town of Zsámbék. Construction of the church began in 1220 and was completed some 30 years later by the middle of the century. Descendants of a French knight, Ainordi (Aynard) de Champagne, originally funded the building of the Premonstratensian church. Founded in 1120, Premonstratensian monks believed in living a severely austere lifestyle.  In 1241, Mongols...

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National Weather Museum in Norman, Oklahoma
Whether it’s the latest natural disaster or just awkward small talk at the water cooler, weather is the start of many a conversation. And if you want to discuss meteorology history in detail, there’s no better town to visit than Norman, Oklahoma, the home of the National Weather Museum & Science Center. First things first, it’s important to note that the National Weather Museum is unaffiliated with the National Weather Center. It’s easy to make that mistake, given that...

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Shima Spain Village in Shima, Japan
In the rural Japanese countryside on the coast of the Mie Prefecture hides a quirky ode to Spain. Called Shima Spain Village, or Parque España, this complete themed entertainment experience mixes faithful recreations of actual castles, statues, and Spanish landmarks with whimsical rides, parades, and a unique cast of original animal characters. If you can’t make it the 7,000 miles from Japan to Europe, Parque España’s Santa Cruz Street looks like a scenic walk through Spain‘s Andalusia, and the...

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Old Zoo Nature Trails in Cisco, Texas
The Cisco Zoo opened in the 1920s, to the delight of residents in rural central Texas. Situated in the shadow of a dam, this small zoo offered visitors a chance to see flamingos, monkeys, bears, and many other animals. Although its selection of animals would have been quotidian by modern standards, the Cisco Zoo was a thrilling experience to visitors.  The fun came to a grinding halt when the menagerie became a murder mystery. A bear was poisoned in...

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Grande Albergo Ausonia & Hungaria in Lido,...
Tucked away on the seven-mile barrier island known as the Lido, an astounding hotel sits just outside of Venice. Designed by architect Nicholo Piamonte, the hotel was built in 1907 and welcomed celebrities and royals from all over Europe. Originally called the Hungaria Palace Hotel, the height of Hungarian society frequented the accommodation. Visitors traveled to Lido using railroads and ferry routes that connected the vast Astro-Hungarian Empire. Ceramist Luigi Fabris and his young apprentice Doro Sebellin from Bassano...

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Wonder Is Everywhere: Viking Hoaxes, a Secret...
Wonder is everywhere. That’s why, every other week, Atlas Obscura drags you down some of the rabbit holes we encounter as we search for our unusual stories. We highlight surprising finds, great writing, and inspiring stories from some of our favorite publications. The U.S. Tried to Build a Secret City Under Greenland’s Ice by George Bass, Washington Post In the late 1950s, in the midst of the Cold War, the U.S. Army launched Project Iceworm, a top-secret plan to...

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Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 2
Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, journalist and author Doug Preston continues to guide us through the rumors and conspiracy theories that swirled around the Dyatlov Pass Incident, when nine people died mysteriously in the Ural Mountains of the Soviet Union in 1959. Just a few years ago, the case was apparently solved—though many don’t accept the explanation. If you want to learn more,...

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Hierophany and Hedge in Covington, Kentucky
Square in the middle of an otherwise unassuming street in Covington, this magic shop is not what might typically come to mind. Hierophany and Hedge does not peddle tricks or pranks—they’re purveyors of the peculiar and the impossible. Here you will find herbs and aromatics for your potions, cards and runes for reading your fate, and a grand selection of grimoires to guide you through whatever worlds you wish to travel. The shop’s keepers, Augur and Coil, are both masters...

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Mummified Baboons in Egypt Point to a...
In Ancient Egypt, people spoke of a land called Punt. It was supposedly a place of bounty, where you could get leopard skins, gold, or ostrich feathers. It was said pharaohs traveled there on ships and brought back live animals and even entire trees. But no one knows exactly where Punt was. Now, a mummified baboon may hold some hints. “Since the beginning of the pharaonic era, we have records that talk about the trip to Punt and the...

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Momo Monument in Hanover, Germany
Momo has been patiently waiting for company in the square since her installation in 2007. The character was brought to life by author Michael Ende, and the sculpture was created by Ulrike Enders, a sculptor who has been based in Hanover since 1972. Published in 1973, the novel Momo focuses on the story of a remarkable young girl who possessed an extraordinary gift: the art of listening and helping people. (The book’s full title in German is Momo oder Die seltsame Geschichte...

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Mighty Samson of the Cimarron in Liberal,...
The Samson of the Cimarron is a majestically named railroad bridge that stands tall over the Cimarron River crossing in southwestern Kansas along  U.S. Highway 54. When it was completed in 1939, it solved more than a half-century of headaches, including bridge collapses, train wrecks, and the disappearance of an American city. The Rock Island Railroad came to Seward County in 1888, connecting southwest Kansas to the rest of the country. Towns sprang up all around the state, from...

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Cameron Corner in Cameron Corner, Australia
In this remote part of Australia, you can find the official survey marker that indicated the meeting place of three Australian states: Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia. The marker was placed in September 1880, and is named for surveyor John Brewer Cameron, who spent two years marking the border between New South Wales and Queensland. As of the 2016 census, the town of Cameron Corner had a population of five people. This location is a good place to appreciate the...

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El Santuario de los Pobladores in Antonito,...
A small group of passionate church members have created a not-so-small miracle in the tiny, unincorporated town of Conejos, Colorado. Starting in 2008, Ronald Rael, an architect and artist who teaches at the University of California, Berkeley, started the design of the labyrinth. Rael was born in Conejos and remains connected to his Southern Colorado community. Alfonso Abeyta and a small team of volunteers from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, the oldest church in Colorado, turned some 32,000 handmade adobe bricks into...

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The Traveler in Orlando, Florida
American artist Duane Hanson died in 1996, but was renowned for his creations of hyper-realistic statues depicting everyday people. Hanson would make casts of real people in polyester resins with fiberglass, and then spend endless house painting the figures with extreme detail. Orlando International Airport’s “The Traveler” is one of two depictions of a sleeping traveler by the artist, who created a similar stature two years later. The second, however, is a little less airport appropriate attire, sporting nothing...

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Stockport Air Raid Shelters in Stockport, Cheshire
Leading up to World War II, many cities and towns across the United Kingdom prepared air raid shelters to protect their citizens in case of attacks by the German Luftwaffe. This included the town of Stockport, which is located in northwest England, just south of Manchester. The Stockport air raid shelters were carved directly into the sandstone cliffs surrounding the industrial town, making them one of the most notable World War II purpose-built public air raid shelters still in...

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