On the windswept Dakota plains there is a memorial to circus workers who were struck down by lightning.

This enthusiast-led facility is the only museum in the country dedicated to the preservation of weather artifacts.

Kwanu'sila the Thunderbird has been silently watching over Chicago for more than 100 years (kind of).

A hot dog stand where the heads are just as hot as the dogs.

A goddess-topped water fountain in Chicago was created thanks to the dreams of a thirsty newsboy.

The palatial McDonald's that inspired Wesley Willis.

The iconic Chicago sculpture hides a beautiful and easily overlooked plaque on the backside.

Illegal drag racing two stories beneath Chicago’s streets.

This memorial plaque remembers a strangely shallow maritime disaster known as "Chicago's Titanic."

One of the largest pieces of scientific equipment ever carried on a NASA space shuttle sits in a Chicago alley.

The original Garfield station is the oldest station facility on the "L", with the station house dating from 1892.

A hidden oasis just north of Chicago's Chinatown.

A spectacular remnant of an Adler and Sullivan masterpiece that was destroyed in 1972.

One of the few remaining relics of the meatpacking hub that made Chicago the "hog butcher to the world."

The last masonry skyscraper ever built reveals a transitional moment in architectural history.

The metal bird, nicknamed "Sandy," stands nearly 40 feet tall and is an homage to the birds that migrate through North Dakota every year.

A Beaux-Arts triumph rises from decades of decay to become the heart of a new innovation district.

This modest post office sits on the site of H.H. Holmes' famous murder castle.

Inside, ancient treasures. Outside, modern contradictions.

This $3 million model train takes you through Chicago, Seattle, and the thousands of miles in between.

The unluckiest U-boat in the entire German fleet is now on display in a Chicago museum.

This Minnesota town celebrated the state's 100-year anniversary by creating a massive ode to nature's smartest bird.

First planned industrial community in the United States.

The 80-foot tire that looms over Michigan's I-94 was once a Ferris wheel in the New York World Fair.