Jim Kitchen dreamt of becoming an astronaut as a child. While in college in the 1980s, he worked selling low-orbit space travel, despite constant ribbing from his friends about the then far-off idea. And when he married his wife, he asked for a prenup with the sole stipulation that he be allowed to go to […]
It seems unlikely that a humble grilled cheese could be worth over a quarter of a million dollars, but one sandwich that Irene Demas cooked up in the 1970s really was — though in quite a roundabout way. This epic fable of food, art, and fate began in Canada at an Ontario restaurant called The […]
Up, up, and away! If you’re yearning to hop aboard a hot air balloon but are too nervous to throw caution to the wind and take off, Dutch chef Angélique Schmeinck has something to sweeten the deal — literally. On CuliAir Skydining, the world’s first hot air balloon restaurant, you can enjoy a three-course meal […]
For 15 years, Mexico-born artist Charlo Walterbach worked as a graphic designer, creating branding systems and websites for companies, and only painting for himself in his free time. He had chosen a stable career path and was succeeding in it, but something kept knocking around in the back of his mind: He couldn’t stop thinking […]
In 1921, Bessie Coleman became the first Black woman to earn a pilot’s license. And now, over 100 years later, American Airlines has honored her achievement with a historic flight from Dallas, Texas, to Phoenix, Arizona, run by an all-Black, all-female crew. Aboard the flight was Coleman’s great-niece, Gigi Coleman, president of the Bessie Coleman […]
Hike down the 7.5-mile South Kaibab Trail to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, or raft there via the Colorado River, and you’ll be met with an oasis of sorts: a unique resort called the Phantom Ranch. This year, the national park’s historic accommodations turn 100 years old. “The Ranch is a veritable pastoral gem […]
Nearly three years after the devastating fire at Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral, reconstruction efforts have led to some extraordinary discoveries. As the restoration team was checking the stability of the ground before installing new scaffolding this past March, they stumbled upon several ancient tombs and a lead sarcophagus that likely date back to the 14th […]
Homeowners are often surprised by the hidden costs that can surface during home renovation projects. But for one lucky English couple, ripping out their kitchen flooring revealed an unexpected bounty instead. In July of 2019, an unidentified couple living in Ellerby, a small village in North Yorkshire, embarked upon what they assumed would be a […]
“For the first time I sometimes don’t know what to do,” Father John Molyneux, pastor of the Mission San Gabriel parish in Southern California, recalled after the 251-year-old mission was found ablaze on July 11, 2020. The San Gabriel Fire Department responded to the “significant fire structure” before dawn, which was classified as a four-alarm […]
Kelly Lyndgaard is open about the fact that she once thought people struggling with addiction were irresponsible or simply making poor choices. But today, the former executive is their champion, having built a thriving business and a strong community with the goal of helping women put — and keep — the pieces of their lives […]
Archeologists are making headway in the study of ancient toys, a long overlooked focus in the field — one that has them asking deeper questions about children’s play in early civilizations. Archaeologists have long studied ancient artifacts, religious motifs, and burial grounds to better understand history, and have made immense progress in the last century […]
If you had a hammer, you could hammer in the morning, as the old song goes. But what would you do if you had 10,000 hammers? You’d open a hammer museum, of course. At least, that’s what collector Dave Pahl did in his tiny town of Haines, Alaska. Small and unassuming — aside from the […]