An ocean in the making, in the Ethiopian desert.

An Ethiopian "Jerusalem" featuring a church hewn out of a single rock.

A diorama of the Civil War, fought by cats.

Where the oil industry began.

Memorializing an American tragedy of massive proportions.

A preserved 18th century homestead in Western Pennsylvania marks the spot where the Whiskey Rebellion began.

Yo, Adrian!

World's first "penitentiary," meant to be humane, drove men insane.

The Grand Ole Opry's big voice came from a small home in rural Virginia where she was eventually buried.

The resting place of a Civil War celebrity's amputated limb.

This surprising gem is a world-class archeological museum hidden at the University of Chicago.

A historic cemetery filled with quirky faux wood art and unique tombstones.

America's post-nuclear-attack chambers of Congress.

The language and heritage of a nearly forgotten culture can still be explored in this Southern enclave.

The secret room where early Bolsheviks cranked out propaganda fliers on a smuggled printing press.

This architecturally eclectic fortress witnessed centuries of bloody turmoil, including the massacre of its ruling clan.

A museum glorifying the life of Stalin, located in the city of his birth.

Fortified homes of highland warriors that are still in use today.

The Battle of Atlanta in 360 degrees, featuring a corpse that bears a striking resemblance to Clark Gable.

These ancient ritual mounds are our best window into the culture of the ancient Mississippians.

Tour the sci-fi-esque reality of governmental disease management.

This two-room shotgun shack in Tupelo is the birthplace of a King.

William Faulkner kept his beloved estate wild and untamed.

Built by prisoners of war, the largest small-scale model ever built includes eight miles of tiny streams that now sit abandoned.