12 Postcards From When NYC Was the Skyscraper Capital of the World

12 Postcards From When NYC Was the Skyscraper Capital of the World

New York City was a different place in the 1940s. It was a time before video billboards and LED lights, and skyscrapers were still a source of city-wide awe and pride. Everyone who lived in this glamorous city (and everyone who visited) wanted to show those architectural marvels off—and postcards were a perfect medium.

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Modern Day China Painted By North Korean Propaganda Artists

Modern Day China Painted By North Korean Propaganda Artists

At first glance, The Beautiful Future—a series of paintings made in Pyongyang, North Korea—looks like standard propaganda fare: Happy citizens, lush farmlands, and bustling industry. Except something’s amiss: In the background of each painting stands an iconic piece of Beijing architecture—from the CCTV building to the Olympic Water Cube.

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A Photographic Tour of Russia’s Disappearing Soviet-Era Cinemas

A Photographic Tour of Russia's Disappearing Soviet-Era Cinemas

The phenomenon of the multiplex cinema goes back decades in America, but in Russia, the verdict is still out. Some residents aren’t happy about watching the grand—though often decaying—movie theaters of their youth traded for bland 32-screen mega theaters.

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One Photographer’s Three Year Tour of NYC’s Best Rooftops

One Photographer's Three Year Tour of NYC's Best Rooftops

Even if you’ve lived in New York for decades, gaining access to a rooftop you’ve never explored can still be surprisingly fun: The burst of wind, the sound of traffic, and an entirely new vantage point on a city you’d think you’d be sick of after so many years. That’s the basic concept behind Stories Above New York, a visual archive of New York’s rooftop views that’s three years in the making.

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31 Levitating Vehicles From the Dawn of the Hovercraft

31 Levitating Vehicles From the Dawn of the Hovercraft

Hovercrafts are truly amazing vehicles: Whether on land, water, mud or ice, these air-cushioned craft rule the unpaved wilderness. And they were born from a wildly optimistic and experimental era of engineering—as reflected by these incredible early prototypes and designs.

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These 250-Year-Old Charts and Graphs Were the Very First Infographics

These 250-Year-Old Charts and Graphs Were the Very First Infographics

The Enlightenment gave us many foundational ideas: Gravity! Democracy! Infographics! Wait, what? Yep. One of the age’s lesser-known byproducts was the niche field of "graphical statistics," aka data visualization. And it’s made more of an impact on our world that you might imagine.

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These 230-Year-Old Charts and Graphs Were the Very First Infographics

These 230-Year-Old Charts and Graphs Were the Very First Infographics

The Enlightenment gave us many foundational ideas: Gravity! Democracy! Infographics! Wait, what? Yep. One of the age’s lesser-known byproducts was the niche field of "graphical statistics," aka data visualization. And it’s made more of an impact on our world that you might imagine.

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Huge Machines Hurl Artificial Storms Deep Inside This NASA Hangar

Huge Machines Hurl Artificial Storms Deep Inside This NASA Hangar

The colossal wind tunnels at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, have been used for decades not only to test the aerodynamism of planes, but also to subject submarines to simulations of turbulence and drag in aquatic environments.

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Art Wars: 12 Stormtrooper Helmets Get Hilarious High-Art Makeovers

Art Wars: 12 Stormtrooper Helmets Get Hilarious High-Art Makeovers

In a film packed with great costume and set design (Leia’s buns! The AT-ATs! Tauntaun guts!), the Stormtroopers’ glistening white exoskeletons are among the most memorable details from Star Wars. Which is what makes Art Wars a lot of fun: As part of a show at London mega-gallery Saatchi, 19 artists were given a trooper helmet and told to go wild.

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11 of the Weirdest Sites on the Internet

11 of the Weirdest Sites on the Internet

The internet is a wondrous place, but for every fantastic website out there, it seems like there are two weird ones. We asked you, dear readers, what some of the strangest sites you’ve ever seen were, and here’s what you dug up, you freaks.

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