America’s first banned book really ticked off the Plymouth Puritans

An ancient Himalayan forest, Asheville's Craggy Gardens, and a matchmaker for plants. Email not displaying correctly? View in your browser. November 05, 2019 America’s First Banned Book Published in 1637, Thomas Morton's New English Canaan mounted a harsh and heretical critique of Puritan customs and power structures. The tell-all book went far beyond what most New English settlers could accept. So the Puritans banned it—making it likely the first book explicitly banned in what is now the United States. Read More → An Ancient Himalayan Forest According to a new study on sediments in the Bay of Bengal, a coniferous forest in the Himalayas was uprooted by some catastrophic natural event approximately 50,000 years ago and traveled miles down a mountainside where it then slid to the bottom of the ocean in a matter of weeks. Read more → Atlas Obscura Trips Just Announced: Sustainable Design in Puerto Rico Join us on a five-day trip to Puerto Rico next April where we’ll get an up-close look at some of the country’s many sustainable art communities, immersing ourselves in the island’s ever-evolving art, culture, and cuisine. We’ll focus on the cutting-edge as well as deeply rooted traditions, from innovative biotecture to centuries-old dance. Learn more → ISTANBUL, TURKEY Tünel This short railway has served Istanbul’s residents and visitors since the late-19th century. It is the oldest existing underground train in continental Europe, and the second-oldest in the world after the London Underground. Read more → Sponsored by Mitsubishi Motors Asheville's Hidden Craggy Gardens Just north of Asheville, North Carolina, is the Blue Ridge Parkway, a winding mountain road that’s considered one of the nation's most scenic drives. Taking travelers through the Great Craggy Mountains, its best views are seen by making a short trip up the rhododendron-lined Craggy Pinnacle Trail. Watch Now → A Matchmaker for Plants After discovering low pollen counts in Hawai‘i's endangered ‘ōlulu plant, a botanist hatched a plan that could make plant populations more genetically robust. She's working with a team of scientists on a gene bank, or “plant studbook,” that might help botanic gardens bring rare breeds back from the brink. Read more → OAXACA, MEXICO Post Mortem Chapel Hidden within Oaxaca’s General Cemetery are the remains of the Post Mortem Chapel. The structure was commissioned in 1835, but because of ongoing political conflicts, it was never finished. Read more → Visit AtlasObscura.com · View in Browser · Unsubscribe · See All Newsletters 61 Greenpoint Ave #622, Brooklyn, NY 11222