This blue is both protective talisman and source of suffering

The last Blockbuster, a missing grave, and the Salmon Street devil. Email not displaying correctly? View in your browser. January 17, 2020 ‘Haint Blue’ In the Lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia, the color "haint blue" had the power to protect enslaved Africans and their descendants from evil spirits. But it was also the source of their unspeakable suffering. Read More → Bend, Oregon The Last Blockbuster In 2004, Blockbuster Video had over 9,000 locations across the United States. But now, there’s just one left in the entire world. Read more → Missing Grave In 2016, Margaret Corbin’s grave was dug up for the second time since her death in 1800. The plot was quickly cordoned off, her monument was wrapped in tarp, and rumors started to spread about the resting place of this Revolutionary War veteran—that is, if it even was her resting place. Read more → Essex, England Witch Hunt Memorial Centuries after a wave of suspicion and superstition surrounding witches led to the executions of thousands, the victims of Great Britain's greatest hysteria are finally being remembered. Read more → COPENHAGEN, DENMARK Salmon Street Devil This may look like an ordinary street in Copenhagen, but many Danes know it thanks to the common phrase “The devil is loose on Salmon Street,” which is inspired by a legendary visit from the devil himself in 1826. Read more → Sold: Olympic Proposal In 1892, Pierre de Coubertin proposed the return of the Olympic Games, after a 1,500-year hiatus. The manuscript of his 14-page speech is now the world’s most expensive piece of sports memorabilia. Read more → From the archives Life Before Chernobyl In the early hours of April 26, 1986, a nuclear accident took place during a safety test at the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station near the city of Pripyat, in what was then the Soviet Republic of Ukraine. In this excerpt adapted from Adam Higginbotham’s new book, Midnight in Chernobyl, civic leaders and others begin to realize the gravity of the situation. Read more → Peraleda de la Mata, Spain Megalithic Wonder The remains of this 7,000-year-old monument consisting of around 100 standing stones reemerges from the Valdecañas Reservoir in times of drought. Read more → Visit AtlasObscura.com · View in Browser · Unsubscribe · See All Newsletters 61 Greenpoint Ave #622, Brooklyn, NY 11222