Erin Blakemore

Erin Blakemore

 

Erin Blakemore is a Boulder, Colorado-based journalist. Her work has appeared in publications like The Washington Post, TIME, mental_floss, Popular Science and JSTOR Daily. Learn more at erinblakemore.com.

This Mockumentary Explains the Appeal of Skateboarding to Scared Parents

“The Devil’s Toy” looks “an epidemic from which no one was secure”: having fun on skateboards

Hitler's signature on one of his watercolors.

Did an Auction of Hitler’s Art Go Too Far?

A collection of Hitler’s paintings just sold for $450,000

People Used to Wear Dunce Caps to Shower

“Extinguisher caps” were nineteenth-century shower caps

Little Havana, Miami, Florida.

These Are the Most Threatened Historical Places in America

The Grand Canyon, The Factory and the A.G. Gaston Motel are just a few of the 11 names on the list

In Sweden the Blood Bank Will Text You When Your Blood is Used

Stockholm’s blood bank uses text messages and Facebook posts to remind donors to give again

In Egypt, There Was Once a Tomb Full of Eight Million Dog Mummies

Devotees of the Ancient Egyptian deity Anubis buried dogs at the necropolis of Saqqara

How Elephant Poop is Helping Nab Ivory Poachers

Scientists match DNA in seized tusks to elephant dung to map where poaching is taking place

70-Year-Old Tree Cut Down in NYC Will be Cloned and Planted Again

Residents of Astoria, Queens asked an arborist for help when a beloved neighborhood tree got the ax

Straights and flushes are terrible hands in "Kansas City Lowball," which a poker player unexpectedly found himself playing at the World Series of Poker

A Poker Contender Entered the Wrong Tournament (and Won Anyway)

Christian Pham overcomes an embarrassing mistake to take home some big money

These tags were used to identify slaves before emancipation

Juneteenth Didn’t Stop the Enslavement of Black People in Houston

The delayed enforcement of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation still didn’t bring freedom to many black Texans

Napoleon in battle, presumably craving rotisserie chicken

Napoleon Had a Thing for Rotisserie Chicken

The military powerhouse ate chicken dinners 24/7 — even as his army starved

Every Year, Norway Hosts an Oil Cleanup Drill

The annual release of offshore oil is no accident — it’s a chance to train, test, and prepare for the possibility of a catastrophic oil spill

The first $10 Federal Reserve Note featured Andrew Jackson.

Andrew Jackson Wasn't Always on the $20 Bill

The controversial president's face has only been on $20 bills since 1928

Etsy Won’t Let Witches Sell Spells

The craft site’s ban on metaphysical services stirs up a cauldron of controversy

Michigan Owns 1,500 Shipwrecks

Divers, historians and state officials team up to preserve the state’s underwater heritage

Could the Sounds of Cod Having Sex Save a Species (and an Economy)?

Spying on “spawning haystacks” is helping fishermen make more money and biologists preserve a floundering fish population

Los Alamos’s “Atomic Secretary” Was Never Told What the Manhattan Project Was For

Dorothy McKibbin coordinated entry of all people and property to the Los Alamos site

In California, Smart Water Meters Tattle on Wasteful Ways

The internet-connected meters provide nearly real-time feedback on water use

Afghan men stand near the ruins of the ancient Buddhas of Bamiyan.

Destroyed Buddha Statues Are Coming Back to Life in Afghanistan as Beautiful 3D Projections

3D light projections recreate a pair of statues destroyed by the Taliban

Lions and Tigers are on the Loose After Floods in Tibilisi, Georgia

Wild animals escaped a Tibilisi, Georgia zoo when their enclosures were destroyed

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