Aerial America

If you fly over the Great Plains today, giant squares of land immediately stand out. Many of these are the 160-acre plots forged out of the prairie by 19th-century pioneers, a legacy of the Homestead Act of 1862.

The Civil Rights movement was defined by seismic events that all took place in the South: the murder of Emmett Till, Rosa Parks refusing to leave her bus seat, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Selma-to-Montgomery march

Separated from their mainland cousins for 10,000 years, kodiak bears have become the largest subspecies of brown bear on Earth. Here's what it takes to feed them.

Cheyenne Bottoms is the nation's largest inland marsh, an area of over 60 square miles. It's also the favored resting spot of many species of migrating birds, from pelicans to 27 species of ducks.

From actor Paul Newman to astronaut Neil Armstrong, Ohio is home to some of the most influential and recognizable people in history.

There's something about New York City that Hollywood can't resist, since the early 1900's the city has served as the setting for thousands of films.

One of Yellowstone's most popular attractions, the Grand Prismatic Spring is home to some of the earliest forms of life on Earth.

Next to Virginia's wonder of the natural world, the 200 foot tall Natural Bridge, sits Foamhenge, a replica of Stonehenge made entirely out of styrofoam.

For many climbers, Mt. McKinley presents the alluring chance to reach the top of our continent. But the dangers involved in doing so are very real and sometimes very sudden.

In 1957, the Little Rock Nine, as they came to be known, returned to Arkansas' Little Rock Central High School day after day, facing angry crowds opposed to desegregation.

Puerto Rico's agricultural economy was once dominated by sugar plantations. Today, the same fields hold everything from corn and rice to bananas, plantains, and mangoes.

This ordinary small town holds extraordinary significance for aviation: it's home to Elvis' private jet, an airplane demolition yard, and the most famous aircraft that no one's ever seen.

From a secret underground command center carved out of the Rocky Mountains, the North American Aerospace Defense Command used to watch the skies for Soviet missiles and prepare for a nuclear attack.

Hawaii was born around 40 million years ago, from sea volcanoes and the shifting Earth.

Third generation stunt pilot and Minnesota's favorite daredevil, John Mohr, attempts astonishing aerial acrobatics in his 1943 Stearman biplane.

Growing up on the banks of the Mississippi River fueled the imagination of a young boy named Samuel Clemens. The world would later know him as Mark Twain.

Home of Amelia Earhart and the first commercially produced plane in the country, Kansas has earned its reputation as the capital of flight.

Though tragic, if it hadn't been for the Great Fire of 1871, it's unlikely Chicago would have had the opportunity to redesign the city with the modern skyline it has today.

The early 19th-century discovery of lead in Wisconsin attracted miners from Cornwall. The peculiar, makeshift dwellings they slept in gave the state its nickname.

While Thomas Edison is best-known for inventing the lightbulb, it's often forgotten that he also set up the world's first movie studio, in Fort Lee, NJ.

Where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil and where the first juke joints started playing a new kind of American music, Clarksdale is the birthplace of Delta Blues.

In the early 1980s, an Indian guru named Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh arrived in the town of Antelope, Oregon and set up a commune for his followers. It was the beginning of an extraordinary sequence of bizarre events.

Entering the Indiana State Reformatory in 1924 as a petty thief, John Dillinger left as a hardened and dangerous criminal. Countless bank robberies and prison breaks later, he soon sealed his fate as one of the nation's most notorious criminals.

Near the turn of the 20th century, Alaska lured thousands of eager prospectors in search of precious minerals to its bountiful mountains. What many found was far more treacherous.

In an unwelcome environment, building an eco-friendly house is a major challenge. But architect Mike Reynolds thinks he's found a design solution in his innovative "Earthships."

As everyone knows, Washington, D.C. is named after the first U.S. president. But do you know how he chose its location?

The waters of Lake Erie may be peaceful today, but in the early nineteenth century they were filled with battleships.

The tiny town of Forks, Washington became known for its teenage vampires thanks to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. And HBO's True Blood established Natchez, Mississippi as another vampire haven.

Unhappy wives flocked to Reno in 1931. It was easier to get divorced in Reno that anywhere else in the country - and that turned the little city into the capital of unhappy couples.

In the midst of the biggest crises of his presidency, John F. Kennedy always knew there was one place he could go to collect his thoughts alone: his decadent family summer home in Hyannis Port.

Blazing down back roads and running from the law, notorious criminals Bonnie and Clyde fled many crime scenes on these Arkansas roads.

Since hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans, groups like Brad Pitt's Make it Right Foundation and Habitat for Humanity have rebuilt the homes of thousands of residents.

Much of the water in the US comes from the Rocky Mountains, so mineral mines nearby must take extra precautions not to pollute the drinking water of milllions.

More than half a century ago, civil rights leaders Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for equality in Montgomery, inspiring a national movement through acts of nonviolence.

Pennsylvania's Amish population maintains its religious practices and austere way of life, tending some of the most productive farmland in the country.

Every year, fans make the pilgrimage to Elvis Presley's hometown to see his birthplace and parade their classic Rock and Roll cars around town.

In the wilderness of Wyoming, there's a magnificent pillar of ancient lava so unique, that even geologists are at odds on exactly how it was formed.

First conquered in 1992, the climb up the east side of a 300-foot rock pillar named "Monkey Face" has become the ultimate rock-climbing challenge.

Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch is an all inclusive film location in New Mexico.

In September of 1974, author Stephen King and his wife checked into the Stanley Hotel. During his stay there, King came up with the idea for The Shining.

Historically feared by humans, brown bears were once aggressively hunted in the contiguous U.S. Because of this, 95% of these majestic creatures live in Alaska.

Idaho has more wild and remote public lands than any state outside of Alaska. Covering 2.3 million acres, The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area stretches right across the heart of Idaho.

In 1898, the mayor of Los Angeles, Fred Eaton, came up with an audacious plan to drive up the value of local real estate. He would secretly divert the water from an entire river valley in the north to the city.

Two of the biggest pioneers in U.S. railroad history were brothers, Oakes and Oliver Ames. And while they were later found out to be criminals, a large granite pyramid would later be erected in southern Wyoming, in their honor.

As more and more settlers began to pour into California throughout the 1840s, the local Mexican authorities regarded them with suspicion. This would set off a chain of events culminating in the Bear Flag Revolt.