World’s First Printed Atlas Auctioned at 3.9 Million

by Adrienne Wilson on

As much as I like maps, especially antique maps, globes, atlases and such, I don’t know if I’d be willing to burn 3.9 million dollars on one. Okay, I’m lying through my teeth. I’d splurge only if I had an extra 60 mil tucked away in the bank, but who gives a hoot what I have, don’t have or what like to have? According to this Playfuls.com piece the world’s first printed atlas dating back to 1477 was auctioned off in London today for 2.1 million pounds (3.9 million bucks). To be more exact it is a 1477 edition of Claudius Ptolemaeus landmark atlas and went to the smart looking fellow in black. I mean it went to London dealer Bernard Shapero on behalf of a private collector.

Lucky chap.

World’s Tallest Tree

by Erik Olsen on

Wouldn’t you have thought that news about the World’s Tallest Tree would be totally old? I mean, wouldn’t scientists, or tree huggers or tree measurers for that matter already be certain which tree is the tallest? How can this be new news? Well apparently it is. Apparently some guy climbed up to the top of a giant redwood in Redwood National Park and discovered that the tree was, in fact, taller than they (that is, scientists and tree measurers) thought. The tree is named Hyperion and stands 379.1 feet tall, one foot taller than previously thought.

(Aside: what if the rain just washed away a foot of dirt at the base of the tree. Would that make it taller?)

The guy who did the measuring is named Steve Sillett, and he is a forestry professor at Humboldt State University, where he also smokes a lot of pot and comes up with grand ideas like “hey, let’s go measure that tree! (just kidding…I made that up). Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool that a) they didn’t already know for sure where the tallest tree was and 2) that it turns out to be in California as opposed to China or Siberia or some such place. (Another aside: if I was the Governator, I’d totally make this a photo opp)

Nazi Club Med

by Neil Woodburn on

Even the Nazis, after a hard day of blitzkrieging, needed a place to vacation.

With this in mind, Hitler commissioned a holiday retreat to be built for members of the Third Reich on the (former) East German island of Rügen.

Like so many of the Fuehrer’s little projects, this one was also never completed; RAF carpet-bombings have a way of doing that.

But now, after standing empty since the fall of the Berlin Wall, investors have purchased the site and plan to renovate it as a holiday destination for the 21st century.

Ulrich Busch, the main investor in the project, promises to acknowledge its history in a tasteful way during reconstruction. “We want holidaymakers to be able to learn about the past,” he told the press. Busch’s father spent time imprisoned by the SS so any pro-Nazi accusations that would normally be leveled at anyone trying to resurrect this site have been very few.

Controversy over such projects is common in Germany. Last summer we reported about the Hitler Hotel in the Bavarian Alps which recently opened. Neo-Nazis have kept their distance, however, probably because they’ve been unable to afford the expensive room rates. Let’s hope the same holds true for the project in Rügen.

Ice Cream Capital of the World

by Adrienne Wilson on



One of the joys of a well constructed road trip is that it isn’t as well constructed as you would have liked to it to have been, but it is here where fluke accidents occur. Some may call it a glitch in the matrix, but I say it is ice cream heaven on Earth. We didn’t anticipate going there because we never knew of its existence, but along a long stretch of Iowa highway rests a small quiet kind of town named Le Mars which has been proclaimed ICE CREAM CAPITAL OF THE WORLD! I shouted at my pal to pump the brakes and hook a quick left into the parking lot. My senses went into hyper-active mode and my emotions felt tangled. I was beyond feeling overjoyed, but in slight panic that we could have missed this lotus land for ice cream lovers. Once inside I felt my feet lift from the ground as I whiffed and followed the sweet scents from the various ice creams, frozen yogurt and waffle cones. As much as I LOVE ice cream I’m a fairly boring person when it comes to flavors. My personal favorites being natural vanilla, French vanilla, butter pecan and strawberry, I tend to stray from anything too exotic or containing explosive peanut butter filled chocolate bunnies. But that’s just me.

I ordered a cup of the homemade vanilla which wasn’t too bad on the pocket book ($2.19) and my companion had a strawberry cheesecake frozen yogurt on a waffle cone. Considering how incredibly warm it was in Iowa at this time of year (86 degrees) we decided to take our delicious desserts outside to bask in the afternoon sun. We walked around the big white Blue Bunny truck and stole a peek inside the museum which was closing in five minutes. Had we known about the place we might have been able to plan ahead and take a tour of the place, but once we finished our cones we were back on the open road and ready for the next big little secret spot to jump out at us.

Wonder why Le Mars is considered the Ice Cream Capital of the World? I did too, so before hitting the gas I asked and was told Le Mars is known for housing the largest family-owned ice cream production in the world. Owned by the Well’s family who still resides in Le Mars, Iowa it has little to do with taste or varieties, although they do have 37 different flavors. Find out more about Le Mars from their Visitor Guide and plan your own trip into the town.