Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 21, 2026, 3:22 a.m.

It is hard for most to imagine a time when there were not concrete and asphalt roads to travel on. In Early America, horses and wagons traveled on roads made of dirt, gravel, crushed stone, and eventually brick.

These materials created problems for travelers, and required innovation. George W.

Bartholomew, founder of Buckeye Portland Cement Company, knew there was a better way for road surfaces. Concrete was called "artificial stone" in the 19th century and was considered a modern mixture not yet used to pave streets.

Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 21, 2026, 3:22 a.m.

The Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, which opened its doors in 2005, features exhibits that include fascinating artifacts, some of which date back to air travel’s earliest days: The first hot air balloon flight and the first gas balloon flight both took place in Paris in 1783. Few, if any, museums start with an accidental death.

Yet two such tragedies make up the first entries in the timeline of this Albuquerque museum, a center dedicated to exploration through ballooning. But rest assured, a visit to this museum is truly an uplifting experience.

Two renowned Albuquerque balloonists, Maxie Anderson and Ben Abruzzo, completed the first nonstop transatlantic gas balloon flight in 1978. Tragically, Anderson was killed in a balloon accident in Germany five years later.

Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 21, 2026, 3:22 a.m.

The Bauvais-Amoureux House is the kind of architectural oddball Atlas Obscura readers secretly (loudly) root for: a 1792 French colonial home built poteaux-en-terre —“posts in the earth”—meaning its vertical log walls are literally structural and planted like stubborn teeth in the soil. It’s a survivor from a town that had to move and rebuild after the Flood of 1785, and it sits near le Grand Champ—among the nation’s oldest continuously worked farmland—like it’s keeping watch over the old field still.

Even in a country stuffed with “historic homes,” this one hits different: only five poteaux-en-terre houses are known to remain in the United States, and three of them are right here in Sainte Geneviève.

Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 21, 2026, 3:22 a.m.

Waitzstraße, located in western Hamburg’s upscale Othmarschen district, seems at first a peaceful, leafy street. This one-way stretch, with a strict 6 mph (10 km/h) speed limit and cautious drivers, should be a safe environment.

Yet, for two decades, an uncanny number of vehicles, about 30, have collided with the windows of shops, cafés, banks, and hair salons. The media call it Germany’s most accident-prone shopping street, while locals joke the frequent slapstick mishaps are a curse.

In 2015, the city installed heavy concrete blocks to prevent crashes. Despite their solidity, these barriers failed to stop cars from hitting storefronts; some even pushed blocks into windows, causing more damage.

Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 21, 2026, 3:22 a.m.

Come for the criminal; stay for the POTUS! Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901) was the 23rd President of the United States (POTUS) and grandson of 9th POTUS William Henry Harrison.

His tombstone says he was a “lawyer and publicist.” He was also a grizzled war veteran, ending up as Brigadier General of the US Army. He then became an Indiana state senator, then POTUS, being preceded and succeeded by Grover Cleveland.

Feel free to look him up and see how busy and popular he was as president. While he was running for a second term in 1892, his dear wife Caroline died in the White House of tuberculosis.

IKEA Hackers • Jan. 21, 2026, 3:22 a.m.

Now and then, a DIY comes along that makes you do a double-take. Don’t get me wrong.

We’ve seen some absolutely amazing IKEA hacks. But my first thought when I saw these stunning built-ins from Becky Johnson (@DIYWithBecky) was, “No way!” But sure enough, this talented hacker created a wonderfully sophisticated statement wall using assorted IKEA pieces.

Becky was determined to add storage to their living room, which was overflowing with crafts, toys, and games. She also wanted a safe […] The post This Arched Bookcase Hack Looks Like $20K Built-Ins!

Home Designing • Jan. 21, 2026, 3:22 a.m.

The Soft Curve Suite is a modern open-plan apartment in Italy (2025) by GUR Studio, where curved walls and oak paneling shape a warm, minimalist interior.

Ideal Home • Jan. 21, 2026, 3:22 a.m.

Add some luxury to your bedroom on a budget

Ideal Home • Jan. 21, 2026, 3:22 a.m.

Google's new feature allows you to customise your search results to see more of the websites you love

Core77 - Blog • Jan. 21, 2026, 3:22 a.m.

Now making the rounds on social media, racking up hundreds of thousands of "likes," is this false claim: "Local authorities in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula have declared a state of emergency after an exceptionally severe snowstorm buried neighbourhoods, triggered rooftop avalanches, and caused fatalities. Snow accumulation ranged from 3 to 12 metres, engulfing buildings, blocking roads, and covering vehicles and entrances, with some residential areas nearly buried under towering snowdrifts." The claim was accompanied by AI-generated images: Folks, 12 meters is nearly 40 feet.

What's shown in the photo is drifts well over a hundred feet. In fact, seven feet of snow fell on the city.

While that's not nothing— two people did in fact die —it's not even close to the claims and images above.

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