Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

Joined: Nov 21, 2012

Linda Rodriguez McRobbie is an American writer and journalist living in London, England. She covers the stranger things, from surprising and unique conditions of memory to stories of alien abduction, DIY DNA labs to junk science laws, the ethics of pet ownership to whether invasive species are really so bad after all. Her work regularly appears in the Boston Globe Ideas section, The Guardian, Atlas Obscura, Smithsonian Magazine, and more.

Handwritten love letters are underrated.

Dear Valentine: A Brief History of Great Love Letters

Queen Marie Antoinette in 1787 with Marie Thérèse, Louis Charles, and Louis Joseph.

The Royal Rundown on Marie Antoinette's Children

8 Historical Methods of Detecting Pregnancy

Clementine Paddleford: The Badass Lady Pilot Who Revolutionized the Art of Food Writing

The Statue of Liberty Arrived 130 Years Ago Today

The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York on June 17, 1885.

15 Fast Facts About the London Tube

A vasectomy kit, a harpoon gun, false teeth, and six full-sized mannequins are just a few of the many strange things that passengers have left behind.

A Brief History of Swedish Fish

The friendly Swedish Fish are a staple of the U.S. candy scene, a denizen of nearly every movie theater counter and convenience store. But where did they come from? And why fish? Why not Swedish Reindeer? Or Geese? There isn't a lot of research on Swedish

By Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann - SMB Digital, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

5 Forgotten Fairy Tales From the Brothers Grimm

Here are some of the more bizarre Grimm tales that didn’t quite merit the Disney treatment.

7 People Who Hated Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Despite how beloved Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' is, there have been plenty of people who hated it.

Rose Totino, Patron Genius of Frozen Pizza

Say a thanks for Rose. Frozen pizza used to taste terrible. Then this sweetly badass nonna fixed it.

15 Shimmering Questions About Glitter, Answered

Where does glitter come from? Why does it exist? And how in the name of all that is good can you get it off the upholstery?

6 Creative Ways Countries Have Tried to Up Their Birth Rates

How do you make people make more people?

The Surprisingly Cool History of Ice

Until two centuries ago, ice was just an unfortunate side effect of winter. But in the early 1800s, one man saw dollar signs in frozen ponds.

30 of the Best Parents in Literature

A lot of books deal with a parent’s complete unsuitability for the role. But there are good fictional moms and dads out there!

9 Historical Methods for Determining the Sex of an Unborn Baby

Before modern technology could tell expectant parents the sex of their child, how did you tell whether you were carrying a boy or a girl? And even more important, could you choose which?

A Brief History of Snow Globes

When a surgeon came to Erwin Perzy for help, it wasn't because he wanted a tiny globe he could shake.