logo
episode-header-image
Today
18m 3s

Our Favorite Things: World’s Oldest Edib...

SiriusXM and Atlas Obscura
About this episode

Atlas Obscura’s resident food and death reporter Sam O’Brien takes us to Smithfield, Virginia, where we meet a 120-year-old ham, and the people who love it.

 

All week, we’re featuring the stories behind a few of our favorite things – from ancient hams to mummified fingers. Want to tell us about your own favorite unusual object? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com. We may air your story on a future episode!

Up next
Yesterday
Our Favorite Objects: The Thousand-Year Rose (Classic)
We visit the world’s oldest rose, which is so tough that it survived being bombed in World War II. All week, we’re featuring the stories behind a few of our favorite things – from ancient hams to mummified fingers. Want to tell us about your own favorite unusual object? Give us a ... Show More
11m 1s
Aug 26
Our Favorite Objects: The Spritz Cookie Gravestone (Classic)
We explore the unexpected combination of recipes and graves through the story of Naomi Odessa Miller Dawson’s spritz cookies.All week, we’re featuring the stories behind a few of our favorite things – from ancient hams to mummified fingers. Want to tell us about your own favorite ... Show More
14m 24s
Aug 25
Our Favorite Objects: Galileo's Middle Finger (Classic)
Dylan goes on a journey to examine the preserved middle finger of astronomer, physicist, and engineer Galileo Galilei.All week, we’re featuring the stories behind a few of our favorite things – from ancient hams to mummified fingers. Want to tell us about your own favorite unusua ... Show More
16m 48s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 11
Roman Mars's Guide to San Francisco
In this bonus episode, an offbeat walking tour through San Francisco uncovers hidden rooftop parks, a leaning skyscraper scandal, a vanished statue, and the graceful brilliance of the Golden Gate Bridge.This episode is sponsored by GetYourGuide. Discover and book experiences for ... Show More
30m 18s
Mar 2025
ENCORE: Rock Climbers Abducted | Breaking Free | 4
When the Americans finally act out and decide to fight for their lives, they’re left alone in an inhospitable mountain rage full of rebel militants and a trigger happy army. Far more than just a rescue mission, the climbers have to cross miles of treacherous terrain in the black ... Show More
44m 5s
Jul 22
The Creek
When a devoted family man and avid hunter disappears while tracking deer in the Sierra National Forest, there are few clues as to what happened to him. Then, when his vehicle surfaces, investigators are faced with even more frustrating questions. If you have any information about ... Show More
38m 29s
Aug 23
Selects: The Flannen Isles Mystery
In December 1900 three lighthouse keepers vanished without a trace from a deserted island in Scotland. To this day no one knows exactly what happened to them. Find out all about this strange situation in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
50m 7s
Sep 2016
#76 Lost in a Cab
Liz lost her camera in a cab, so she went to the New York City Taxi website to submit it to their lost and found database. At least, that's what she thought she did. Alex investigates and finds a big business behind the success of a suspicious little website. Further Reading If y ... Show More
40m 37s
Mar 2025
The Art of Exploration — Why We Seek New Challenges and Search Out the Unknown
The human urge to explore has taken us to every corner of the planet. From the highest peaks to far-flung islands to even the deepest dimensions of an idea, our species has an innate drive to venture into the unknown.But what exactly drives this need to explore? Is it genetic, co ... Show More
54m 17s
Nov 2014
Maps
Aleks Krotoski examines what digital mapping has meant for our understanding of the world. Are we always aware of the decisions that make them look the way they do? Traditionally of course maps are as "authored" as anything else. As Simon Garfield writer of On the Map: Why the wo ... Show More
28m 32s
Jan 2025
How Pokemon Go and augmented reality are transforming how we’ll navigate the world w/ Niantic's Brian McClendon
Whether you’re trying to find your way around a new city or just looking for a place to eat, it’s become second nature to many people to turn to Google Maps to get us from point A to point B. On the last episode of this season of The TED AI Show, we’re chatting with Keyhole (now ... Show More
1h 9m
Feb 2025
Snoop and Sniffy International: Escape from San Fur-cisco
From the zigzagged Lombard Street to the shores of Alcatraz Island, Snoop and Sniffy take on San Francisco, helping to track down a wayward gull who has stolen a special dog agency book. 
18m 32s
May 2023
Brian Egg // 309
In 2018, a San Francisco man was found dismembered in a fish tank inside his own home. After strange reports from the neighbors, investigators began searching for the culprit of his grisly murder. But with multiple calls to 911, and a large gap of time before the investigation be ... Show More
44m 19s