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10 Incredible Long-Reads That’ll Transport You to Another Time and Place

There’s nothing like getting lost in a fascinating story—and now is a better time than any to dive into another world.

Mary O'Regan

Read when you’ve got time to spare.

There’s nothing like getting lost in a fascinating story—and now is a better time than any to dive into another world. From the gripping account of a 64-year-old woman who swam from Florida to Cuba to the mysterious life of a hermit who lived in the woods undisturbed for 30 years—you won’t be able to put these articles down.

The Strange & Curious Tale of the Last True Hermit

For nearly thirty years, a phantom haunted the woods of Central Maine. Until one day, the hermit came out of the forest.

Bellagio Bandit: How One Man Robbed Vegas’ Biggest Casino and Almost Got Away

Tony Carleo stole $1 million in chips – then checked himself into the casino’s hotel to live like a king.

Framed: A Mystery in Six Parts

She was the PTA mom everyone knew. Who would want to harm her?

How I Became A Minor Celebrity In China (After My Stolen Phone Ended Up There)

This really weird thing happened to me. Then it got even weirder. Then it turned insane. Do I have a story for you.

We’re All In This Together

Tell your fellow Americans that you plan to cross the United States by train, and their reactions will range from amusement at your spellbinding eccentricity to naked horror.

Jerry and Marge Go Large

Gaming the lottery seemed as good a retirement plan as any.

In Search of the Heart of the Online Cat-Industrial Complex

If you want to know why the Internet chose cats, you must go to Japan.

The Case of the Stolen Ruby Slippers

How a big crime in a small town produced a whodunit as gripping and colorful as “The Wizard of Oz” itself.

Breaking the Waves

In her sixties, a swimmer revives an old dream: to swim from Florida to Cuba—111 miles—no matter how many curious sharks and stinging jellyfish get in her way.

The Man Who Walked Backward

When the Great Depression put Plennie Wingo’s Texas cafe out of business, he tried to find fame and fortune by embarking on an audacious trip around the world on foot. In reverse.