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In this 1625 painting entitled 'The Merry Student,' Dutch artist Gerard van Honthorst shows a young man singing a lively ballad.
music

Shakespeare, Kings, and Commoners All Loved These Hit English Ballads

Move aside Taylor Swift. In the 17th century, these songs were the pop music anthems of their day.
Indi Bains August 28, 2024
Cointe Observatory
Liège, Belgium

Cointe Observatory

This Belgian observatory bears a striking resemblance to Futurama's Planet Express building.
A huge crowd enjoying "base-ball" in May of 1886.
baseball

Before ‘Fans,’ There Were ‘Kranks,’ ‘Longhairs,’ and ‘Lions’

How do fandoms gain their names?
Elizabeth Minkel May 30, 2024
Fairmount, Indiana

The James Dean Museum and Garfield Museum

Two Indiana icons are honored at this tiny museum, which features the world's largest collection of James Dean memorabilia.
Chester, Illinois

Popeye Museum and Spinach Can Collectibles

A museum and gift shop in a small Illinois town commemorates the work of E.C. Segar and the local figures on whom he based his characters.
List

18 Places to Experience Star Wars in Real Life

See the sand dunes of Tatooine and the jungles of Yavin 4 without leaving the planet.
Michelle Cassidy April 26, 2024
Rockheim
Trondheim, Norway

Rockheim

A museum dedicated to Norwegian music, old and new alike.
"Total Eclipse of the Heart," remains the top guilty pleasure people like to belt out in the privacy of their own homes, according to a poll.
music

'Total Eclipse of the Heart' Was Almost a Meat Loaf Song

Bonnie Tyler’s classic rock epic nearly got the ‘Bat Out of Hell’ treatment.
Natalie Zarrelli March 11, 2024
Butterfingers Binding's latest project is a collaboration between three or four makers, and a gift for a friend. It is mostly made form reclaimed materials.
books

The Emerging Art of 'Fanbinding'

Fanfiction enthusiasts are learning “1,000 hobbies in a trench coat” to make gorgeous physical artifacts of their passions.
Elizabeth Minkel March 1, 2024
A illustration depicts the Hopkinsville Goblins incident from 1955, when a group claims they were assaulted by aliens of some sort.
aliens

The Long, Surprising Legacy of the Hopkinsville Goblins

Or, why families under siege make for great movies.
Colin Dickey February 8, 2024
HMS <em>Terror</em>, depicted here in an anonymous drawing, and HMS <em>Erebus</em> were locked in ice for over a year. All hands were lost.
ships

'Terror Camp' Could Be a Glimpse of the Future of Fandom and Scholarship

“It’s academia that feels criminally fun!”
Elizabeth Minkel January 30, 2024
Dover, New Hampshire

Birthplace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Where Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created their "heroes in a half shell" and founded Mirage Studios.
art

Podcast: A Gaga Tour of the Town

A guide to where to go in New York City—if you want to understand a certain iconic pop star.
The Podcast Team November 20, 2023
museums

The World’s Only Ventriloquism Museum is in Northern Kentucky

Vent Haven is a must-see for lovers of oddity museums, quirky collections, or off-the-beaten-path places.
A short sequence from the opening of <em>Late Night Horror</em>.
horror

The Twisty Tale of the BBC Show Supposedly So Terrifying That It Was Destroyed

"Late Night Horror" was weird, innovative, and—mostly—will never be seen again.
Pat Cassels October 16, 2023
Osby, Sweden

'Apan och Kaninen' ('Bunny and Monkey')

These massive animal sculptures were constructed as part of a reality TV show challenge.
Migné-Auxances, France

Musee Chez Manuel

Open since 1977, this small museum is filled with a lifetime of finds from a tireless traveler and collector.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach Pinball Museum

If it wasn’t for a real estate agent with a penchant for old-school arcades, this hands-on collection of nostalgic flipper machines might never exist.