Permanent Spot for Genome Video

Just outside North Carolina's Outer Banks is Roanoke Island, the scene of one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in U.S. history: the disappearance of an entire colony of English settlers.

The Colonial Settlement That Vanished Into Thin Air (2:10)

It's commonly known that a single asteroid set off the dinosaurs' extinction. Even more destructive than its impact was the chain of events it set into motion.

How a Single Asteroid Wiped Dinosaurs Off This Planet (1:14)

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)