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The Atlantic

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An American magazine founded in 1857, covering politics, culture, and ideas.
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William Langewiesche: The Sinking of the Estonia
One of the worst maritime disasters in European history took place in 1994. It remains very much in the public eye. On a stormy night on the Baltic Sea, more than 850 people lost their lives when a luxurious ferry sank below the waves. From a mass of material, including official and unofficial reports and survivor testimony, our correspondent has distilled an account of the <em>Estonia</em>’s last moments—part of his continuing coverage for the magazine of anarchy on the high seas.
William Langewiesche: The Sinking of the Estonia
What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane
What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane
9.3(3)
The Demon Next Door
The Demon Next Door
9.0(1)
The End of Reading Is Here
The End of Reading Is Here
9.0(2)
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William Langewiesche: The Sinking of the Estonia
William Langewiesche: The Sinking of the Estonia
One of the worst maritime disasters in European history took place in 1994. It remains very much in the public eye. On a stormy night on the Baltic Sea, more than 850 people lost their lives when a luxurious ferry sank below the waves. From a mass of material, including official and unofficial reports and survivor testimony, our correspondent has distilled an account of the <em>Estonia</em>’s last moments—part of his continuing coverage for the magazine of anarchy on the high seas.
William Langewiesche·Investigative Journalism·2004
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What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane
What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane
Five years ago, the flight vanished into the Indian Ocean. Officials on land know more about why than they dare to say.
William Langewiesche·Investigative Journalism·2019
9.3(3)
The Demon Next Door
The Demon Next Door
A growing number of charismatic Christians see themselves as waging a spiritual battle against the forces of Satan. Sometimes those forces are right across the street.
Stephanie McCrummen·Religion·2026
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The End of Reading Is Here
The End of Reading Is Here
Optimists once believed that universal literacy was inevitable. Now it seems that the age of reading might be a short anomaly in human history.
Rose Horowitch·History·2026
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I Thought My Mother Was an Only Child. I Was Wrong.
I Thought My Mother Was an Only Child. I Was Wrong.
I thought my mother was an only child. I was wrong.
Jennifer Senior·Personal·2023
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The People Who Prioritize a Friendship Over Romance
The People Who Prioritize a Friendship Over Romance
“Our boyfriends, our significant others, and our husbands are supposed to be No. 1. Our worlds are backward.”
Rhaina Cohen·Personal·2020
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The Lazarus File
The Lazarus File
In 1986, a young nurse named Sherri Rasmussen was murdered in Los Angeles. Police pinned down no suspects, and the case gradually went cold. It took 23 years—and revolutionary breakthroughs in forensic science­—before LAPD detectives could finally assemble the pieces of the puzzle. When they did, they found themselves facing one of the unlikeliest murder suspects in the city’s history.
Matthew McGough·Crime·2011
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I Was Kidnapped by Idiots
I Was Kidnapped by Idiots
An academic trip to Iraq unexpectedly turned into an immersive field study on the ways authoritarian regimes use brutality.
Elizabeth Tsurkov·Human Rights·2026
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When Following the Rules Leads to Disaster
When Following the Rules Leads to Disaster
A supreme-court decision helped cause the Ceuta disaster.
Graeme Wood·Politics·2026
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You Have No Idea How Hard It Is to Be a Reenactor
You Have No Idea How Hard It Is to Be a Reenactor
Benedict Arnold’s boot wouldn’t come off, and other hardships from my weekend in the Revolutionary War.
Caity Weaver·History·2025
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What Happened to Joe Nathan James?
What Happened to Joe Nathan James?
What did the state of Alabama do to Joe Nathan James in the three hours before his execution?
Elizabeth Bruenig·Crime·2022
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The Failed Execution of a Prisoner on Death Row
The Failed Execution of a Prisoner on Death Row
What happened when Alabama tried and failed to kill Alan Eugene Miller
Elizabeth Bruenig·Crime·2022
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Alabama’s History of Violence
Alabama’s History of Violence
Why does Alabama keep botching executions?
Elizabeth Bruenig·Crime·2022
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The Inmate Who Advocated for His Own Execution
The Inmate Who Advocated for His Own Execution
How a Mississippi inmate became an advocate for his own execution
Elizabeth Bruenig·Crime·2022
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What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind
What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind
Grief, conspiracy theories, and one family’s search for meaning in the two decades since 9/11
Jennifer Senior·Personal·2021
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Pleistocene Park
Pleistocene Park
A father and son in Siberia are attempting to restore the mammoth steppe — an ancient grassland ecosystem that once covered the Arctic and could, if revived, slow the thawing of permafrost.
Ross Andersen·Science·2017
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The Handicapped
The Handicapped
A young man with a severe physical disability reflects on how deformity shapes personality — and why those society marginalizes develop a peculiar insight into human nature.
Anonymous·Personal·1911
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What Is It About Ranch Dressing?
What Is It About Ranch Dressing?
Ranch dressing has become, deservedly or not, a face of the nation during the World Cup.
Ellen Cushing·Food·2026
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All the Cool Kids Are Birding
All the Cool Kids Are Birding
A younger crowd is flocking to a hobby once dominated by retirees—and transforming it along the way.
Rachel Gutman-Wei·Nature·2026
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The Cities That Said Yes to Drugs
The Cities That Said Yes to Drugs
Policies that gave addicts clean needles and places to use drugs were intended to reduce harm. They created a “zombie apocalypse.”
Michael Powell·Culture·2026
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