The Atlas Obscura Podcast

In the 1980s, a team of Soviet scientists dug a hole in the Earth’s crust so deep that they reached Hell… complete with high temperatures, unexplained happenings, and even the tortured screams of damned souls. At least, that’s what a popular urban legend at the time claimed. Dylan and producer Amanda McGowan explore the origins of this legend – and the real-life scientific quest that inspired it.  We don’t know what the Kola Borehole really sounds like, but Dutch sound artist Lotte Geeven has recorded the sound of another super deep hole (in Germany). Not quite horror movie screams, but pretty cool! Ready to go down the Kola superdeep rabbit hole? Some more links:“The deepest hole we have ever dug” (via the BBC) “Inside the deepest artificial hole on Earth” (via Orion magazine)Snopes debunks the “Well to Hell” mythOn the US side of things: “How an ill-fated undersea adventure in the 1960s changed the way scientists see the Earth” (via Vox) Some updates on the “digging to the center of the Earth” front: “Scientists drill deeper into Earth’s mantle than ever before” (via Smithsonian) 

Listener stories about traveling abroad for the first time – from a trip to Germany in 2020, to a chalet in Switzerland in 1986, to a trip to Iran just before the Shah revolution. Plus, we want to hear your stories of traveling with a significant other for the first time. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave us a message telling us your story. Or better yet, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

The Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri was founded by zoologist and wildlife TV host Marlin Perkins and was home to an extraordinary wolf who gives us hope for the future of wolf survival. 

Zach Stafford found great career success at a very young age – he’s a writer, producer, and co-host of the news & culture podcast Vibe Check. His intense work schedule has taken him all over America, and each of the cities and towns he found himself in has shaped him in some way. And through it all, Zach has been searching for a very specific feeling.

In the year 1329, a woman named Christine Carpenter was enclosed in a tiny cell in the walls of a church in Shere, England. She was expected to spend the rest of her life praying in almost complete isolation. But the reason we know her name is that she did something very unusual – she broke out.Learn more about our guest Professor Diane Watt’s work about the lives of medieval women in England, and about St. James’s Church in Shere.  

Dylan and producer Gabby Gladney dive into the colorful world of art cars, from Houston’s epic parades to DIY creations in Minneapolis. Then, Dylan talks to his own father about the multiple art cars they’ve had over the years. 

Writer Joshua Rigsby takes a very strange journey into the birthplace of Cabbage Patch Kids. After he returns, he can never look at the dolls the same way again.  Read Joshua’s essay about his trip to BabyLand General Hospital, and check out his bookstore, Pretty Good Books.

We’re (almost) back! And we want to hear your New Year’s travel resolutions. Send a voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com. Or, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message.

For a brief period the small frontier city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota drew in socialites and celebrities who were desperate to end their marriages.

Ultimate slow travel adventurer (and friend of the show) Bernie Harberts returns to tell us what happened when he spent months floating alone at sea. Bernie is also an author and filmmaker. You can read more about Bernie's travels at his website www.riverearth.com.

The 1980s birthed a gleaming creature that spread its wings of scrap wood and glass over the intersection of two iconic Brooklyn, NY neighborhoods for thirty years. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/broken-angel

On the tiny Kinmen Island, a bow-tie-shape strip of land between China and Taiwan, sits a giant weaponized wall of sound that still stands--and still broadcasts--today.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/beishan-broadcast-station-art

This garden in Lynchburg, Virginia is the key to unlocking the writing and mind of Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer.

Just a little check in. Plus: We want to hear your stories of traveling with a significant other for the first time – the good, the bad, and the strange.You can send an email or voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com. Or, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message.

A listener in Lawrence, Kansas takes us on his journey of discovering the secrets of his hometown.

Dylan sits down with guest Blake Pfeil about what inspired him to begin exploring abandoned spots, what those spaces have taught him about escapism, sobriety and the sometimes blurry line between real and unreal that he finds there. MORE: Blake is an artist and adventurer. He’s also the creator and host of the podcast “Abandoned: All-American Ruins.” Check it out here.

We visit a park in Palo Alto, California, home of the world’s most famous donkey. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-donkeys-of-barron-park-palo-alto-california

An industrial water tank-turned-concert hall in the high deserts of Colorado is nothing less than a sonic wonder of the world. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-tank-rangely-colora

These documents highlight the intellectual legacy of an ancient civilization based in Timbuktu, Mali.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/timbuktu-manuscripts-mali

A small bit of news, and a request. To ask Dylan your question, send an email or voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com. Or, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message.