The Oldest Restaurant in Kabul: Where Tradition Trumps Rockets
A look at the recent history of Kabul through the story of an enduringly popular restaurant.
Did Jesus Have a Wife?
A hotly contested papyrus that refers to Jesus’ wife sent shockwaves through academic circles when it was discovered. Questions rapidly arose as to its authenticity, and investigations ended up in some very unexpected places. http://www.bit.ly/atlantic-jesus
The Baby in the Plastic Bag
A man is walking by a graveyard in Oslo and hears a wail. It is a newborn baby, abandoned with only a plastic bag for protection, and close to death. This is the remarkable story of what happened next.
The Thieves Who Steal Sunken Warships, Right Down to the Bolts
A piece looking at the thieves illegally salvaging sunken battleships.
The Mysterious Madame Giselle
A story about friendship and trust, told through a case of high society fraud allegedly perpetrated by a woman who claimed to be the Egyptian President’s secret wife, an ex-wife of Hugo Chavez, and a mentor to Ivanka Trump.
Skin in the Game
Like many popular video games the multiplayer first person shooter Counter-Strike is (very) big business, for star player and publisher alike. Less common is a secondary market for in game modifications that has developed into a minimally regulated multi-billion dollar gambling network.
Take Nothing, Leave Nothing
The author tells the story of how he came to receive a lifetime ban from the remote island of Tristan da Cunha, and reflects on the nature of tourism.
Is This Story Real?
This piece examines a memoir written by a former waiter at Paris’ celebrated Brasserie Lipp. In the manuscript, this unassuming man describes the horror of the Holocaust and deeds of extraordinary derring-do including infiltrating the SS, joining resistance groups, and hunting Nazis after the war whilst serving as a member of the French Foreign Legion. It’s far from clear whether large parts of the story are true or not, but perhaps that’s not the point.
Lost At Sea
The story of a couple who were on an American commercial ship sunk by a German U-Boat early in the war.
Peter Popoff, the Born-Again Scoundrel
A look at the empire of a successfully returned 1980s televangelist, who gives supporters his “miracle spring water”.