Why were medieval Europeans so obsessed with long, pointy shoes?

Ottoman janissaries, neon motel signs, and Solomon's temple. Email not displaying correctly? View in your browser. May 24, 2019 Pointy Medieval Shoes Perhaps one of the silliest and most fascinating trends in medieval fashion were long, carrot-shaped shoes that tapered to impish tips, some as long as five inches beyond the toe. For the glitterati of medieval Europe, poulaines were less a fad than a status symbol. Read More → Ottoman Janissaries In the early 19th century, Sultan Selim III wanted to modernize the Ottoman Empire's military. To do it, he had to get rid of the janissaries, a centuries-old class of soldiers. In their usual form of protest, the janissaries publicly overturned their giant cooking pots, amounting to a declaration of mutiny. Read more → Neon Motel Signs Bright, buzzing neon motel signs have become as synonymous with Las Vegas as gambling, magic shows, and sin. Photographer Fred Sigman has been mesmerized by the signs since the summer of 1968, and his new book captures their flickers of life. Read more → Atlas Obscura Community Most of the recipe titles are crime puns and there are little interludes with characters from the series. It’s delightful. —lampbane Join this conversation → Buxton, England Solomon’s Temple Built atop the site of a Bronze Age burial mound in 1896, Solomon’s Temple is a 20-foot-tall, two-story folly that casts a watchful eye over the spa town of Buxton, the highest market town in England. Read more → Metten, Germany Baroque Library An 8th-century Bavarian monastery is home to an exquisite Baroque-era library. Read more → Food & Drink 'Fiji Asparagus' Duruka slightly resembles the head of a white asparagus spear, but the similarity ends there. The crumbly flower of a sugarcane-like plant, this sweet treat has a flavor that some liken to corn. Read more → Sponsored by Discover Los Angeles L.A.’s Arts District A mural turned global phenomenon, a “micro-amusement park,” and reminders of Los Angeles’s legendary punk scene await in the city’s legendary Downtown Arts District. Read more → Visit AtlasObscura.com · View in Browser · Unsubscribe · See All Newsletters 61 Greenpoint Ave #622, Brooklyn, NY 11222