Sarah Laskow

2 months ago | atlasobscura.com | Sara Mellas |Sarah Laskow |Reina A.E. Gattuso |Natasha Frost

Often considered one of the oldest professions—dating back to at least 2400 BC in Mesopotamia—sex work has taken many forms throughout history. Ancient Rome held festivals revolving around sex work, many American cities once had red-light districts, and waitresses in frontier towns often walked a fine line between service and sex. From late April to early May, Ancient Rome held an annual festival full of flowers and sex.

Jan 30, 2025 | atlasobscura.com | Matthew Blitz |Sarah Laskow |Elizabeth Harper |Esther Inglis-Arkell

In the 2024 film Conclave, which received eight Oscar nominations including Best Picture, the process of selecting a new pope reveals skeletons in each candidate’s closet. Although the story is fictional, the real-life papacy has had no shortage of secrets and scandals over the centuries. Here are seven of Atlas Obscura’s favorite tales of wild, shocking, or just plain peculiar goings-on behind the Vatican’s walls.

Jan 17, 2025 | atlasobscura.com | Anika Burgess |Michael Waters |Sarah Laskow |Jessie Guy-Ryan

Presidential pageantry has always been a part of American politics, from the grandeur of Inauguration Day to campaign-trail theatrics to victory celebrations. Through the years, presidents have shown an affinity for flair—whether it’s cheesy campaign logos, over-the-top merchandise, photoshopped portraits, or massive inaugural parade floats. In these five stories, we explore how presidents spare no expense when it comes to making an impression.

Aug 22, 2024 | theatlantic.com | Sarah Laskow

This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present and surface delightful treasures. Sign up here. On Labor Day weekend, more people are driving, which means more people are speeding. More people are drinking, too, so more people end up in fatal crashes than on an average day in the United States. In a way, these deaths are strange.

Jun 14, 2024 | atlasobscura.com | Dan Nosowitz |Eric Grundhauser |Reina A.E. Gattuso |Sarah Laskow

Flags are one of those things most people don’t think much about—except, of course, for vexillologists, who study flag design—but maybe they should. Flags tell fascinating stories. From the Atlas Obscura archives: the weird tales behind some of the world’s most unusual and ugly, protected, and reviled national symbols. Plus a few tips for designing your own. You might be able to tell where in the world you are by what happens if you set a flag ablaze.