You can no longer find the village of Fredericksburgh, NY on any maps. It disappeared 200 years ago. And yet, for three months in 1778, George Washington and his generals developed strategic military plans there during the Revolutionary War, and the infamous Culper Spy Ring was also formally kicked off.

The creator of the Indy 500 car race, bicyclists, and an Army convoy led by Dwight Eisenhower all had a hand in pushing development of the first road to connect America’s east and west coasts. The Lincoln Highway was built nearly 50 years after the country had been connected via the transcontinental railroad. Here’s the magical story of opening up automobile traffic across a 3,000 mile landscape.

2.3 million gallons of molasses were in a 5-story high tank in Boston’s north end. On a cold winter day in 1919, the tank collapsed, sending a 30-foot-high wave of molasses throughout an entire neighborhood killing 21 and injuring 150. The disaster led to the first class-action lawsuit in U.S. history. And, the smell of molasses lingered for decades.

The famous French General Rochambeau, who helped the Patriots win the Revolutionary War, was arrested after he had helped us win our independence. This incredible story has escaped most history books. The story is also remarkable because it helped save Rochambeau’s life when he returned to France.

Could you imagine skydiving with your parachute open and then grabbing the cords to the chute, pulling a machete from your pocket, and severing all the cords, resulting in you “free falling” through the air? The aeronaut daredevil featured in this episode did this routinely 100 years ago at carnivals. The “highest flyer on earth” rode a rudimentary hot air balloon 10,000 feet in the air, and then jumped

French aristocrat Lafayette was a teenager when he came to the U.S. to help the Patriots win the Revolutionary War. He pinned Cornwallis in Yorktown until Washington and Rochambeau arrived for the final encounter. He pulled off one of the greatest escapes in military history, after being completely surrounded. He used his influence with France’s king to speed up support to the Patriot cause. He’s the only foreigner whose portrait hangs in the U.S. Capitol.

What do all of these inventions have in common: The erector set, fire sprinkler, the frisbee, the hamburger, the lollipop, intravenous chemotherapy, and the stone crusher that literally paved the way for asphalt highways? They were all invented in just one city and they all have very interesting back stories about how they came to be.

Ham radio. It's been around for 125 years, but most people know nothing about it. When disaster strikes, knocking out phones and the internet, ham radio still works. There are a million operators nationwide available to help transmit information during crises. Other times, they communicate around the globe, sometimes with Morse Code, and can even speak with astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Milton Hershey never finished 4th grade. Yet, he built such a successful business that 80 years after his death his trust is still financing a wide array of charitable enterprises, with billions in surplus. Even Hershey, PA is named after him. Hershey started in caramels, but felt they were a fad and switched to chocolate. All his accomplishments, however, were almost cut short by the Titanic disaster.

We speak with a bridge painter on the George Washington Bridge. What’s it like to maintain the historic structure, sometimes dangling 600 feet above the Hudson River. Even hearing about the “fear of heights test” he had to take will send shivers down your spine.