Off the Beaten Path

In 1828, John Jacob Astor built a trading post on the Missouri River. Business was so profitable that it only took four decades for Astor to become America's first multimillionaire.

America's First Multimillionaire (2:49)

Prepare to be amazed.

Ask Smithsonian: What’s a Stone Baby? (1:07)

The superheros creator, William Moulton Marston, was a Harvard-trained psychologist and inventor and infused his daily life into the comic book.

The Origin Story of Wonder Woman (4:36)

Green tree vipers can kill in the dark. With special heat-sensing abilities, they can find prey that's all but invisible.

A Pit Viper's Sixth Sense (2:03)