Take a Peek Into the Future’s Present With Our Live Coverage of Smithsonian’s Two-Day Festival

One highly influential ancient Middle Eastern civilization established some of the essential systems we still use today. Think you know which it is?

Who Decided to Put 60 Seconds in a Minute? (2:33)

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)

In 1992, Christopher McCandless set off to test if he could survive alone in the wilds of Alaska. It didn't go as planned.

What Happened to Chris McCandless? (3:38)

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)