Your Weekly Escape: The birth of the Illuminati

Plus: The mystery of the crystal skulls; rum and the American Revolution; a hidden fault zone  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌    ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  

 

THE LEGEND OF THE CRYSTAL SKULLS VIEW ONLINE

THE LEGEND OF THE CRYSTAL SKULLS

Your Weekly Escape

Extraordinary people, discoveries, and places

IMAGE COURTESY LEEMAGE/PRISMA The true story of the man who started the Illuminati The 18th-century German thinker Adam Weishaupt would have been stunned if he had known his ideas would one day fuel global conspiracy theories—and his compatriots would have been equally stunned to discover that this outwardly respectable professor was a dangerous enemy of the state. SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY AFP/GETTY IMAGES The legend of the crystal skulls Believed by some to originate in ancient Mesoamerica, they have been a source of mystery and controversy for decades. The handful of known skulls have defied even the most advanced scientific efforts to determine who made them, when, and most puzzling, how. SUPERNATURAL THEORIES

PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANS LANTING, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTIVE A mysterious tectonic fault zone was found lurking off the coast of California The never-before-seen cluster of faults, reported in 2019, show that even in one of the most seismically studied corners of the planet, fault maps of the ocean floor contain gaping holes. MORE SEISMIC SURPRISES?

ILLUSTRATION BY MAURICIO ANTÓN The iconic saber-tooth cat may have been very different than we thought Researchers studying these prehistoric terrors have long pictured them as lion-like hunters. But an analysis of hundreds of teeth pulled from the La Brea tar pits in California are painting a very different picture of Smilodon fatalis. WHAT WE KNOW

INTERNET ARCHIVE BOOK IMAGES, CREATIVE COMMONS How rum (may have) helped fueled a revolution On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere—who gets a lot of credit for his famous midnight ride thanks to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow—is said to have paused in Medford, Massachusetts, at the house of Isaac Hall. His mission? Not only to warn of the approaching British, but likely, to toss back a slug or two of rum. READ ON

Among Benjamin Franklin's 228 synonyms for drunk, published in 1737 in the Pennsylvania Gazette, was 'Been to Barbados.' Rebecca Rupp, writer FROM: How rum (may have) helped fueled a revolution

PHOTOGRAPH BY SPENCER LOWELL The robot revolution has arrived Machines perform a huge variety of tasks: They shelve goods, patrol borders, cut lettuce, pick apples and even raspberries. They arrange flowers, perform religious ceremonies, and do stand-up comedy. Now what? SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY SCOTT HOTALING The way these biological oddballs survive should be impossible Glacier ice worms—distant relatives of earthworms—thrive at freezing temperatures and exhibit other mysterious traits. Scientists have discovered some of the worms' tricks, noting that understanding them is surprisingly relevant—and urgent. HOW THEY DO IT

OTHER GREAT READS The Earth 'blobs' no one understands (BBC)  ›› Uncovering the secrets of a forgotten Viking town (Atlas Obscura)  ››

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