PODCAST · tv
Aerial America
by Smithsonian Channel
Grab your ticket for a scenic cross-country flight, from the mountains to the prairies, and from sea to shining sea.
Episodes
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The Law Behind the Great Plains' Giant Square Plots
If you fly over the Great Plains today, giant squares of land immediately stand out. Many of these are the 160-acre plots forged out of the prairie by 19th-century pioneers, a legacy of the Homestead Act of 1862.
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What Some of the Most Important Civil Rights Sites Look Like Today
The Civil Rights movement was defined by seismic events that all took place in the South: the murder of Emmett Till, Rosa Parks refusing to leave her bus seat, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Selma-to-Montgomery march
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How Much Salmon Can a Kodiak Bear Devour?
Separated from their mainland cousins for 10,000 years, kodiak bears have become the largest subspecies of brown bear on Earth. Here's what it takes to feed them.
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Half of All North American Shorebirds Use This Rest Stop
Cheyenne Bottoms is the nation's largest inland marsh, an area of over 60 square miles. It's also the favored resting spot of many species of migrating birds, from pelicans to 27 species of ducks.
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Ohio Natives Who Went on to Make History
From actor Paul Newman to astronaut Neil Armstrong, Ohio is home to some of the most influential and recognizable people in history.
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Why Filmmakers Love New York City
There's something about New York City that Hollywood can't resist, since the early 1900's the city has served as the setting for thousands of films.
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One of Nature's Most Amazing Sights
One of Yellowstone's most popular attractions, the Grand Prismatic Spring is home to some of the earliest forms of life on Earth.
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Natural and Unnatural Wonders of Virginia
Next to Virginia's wonder of the natural world, the 200 foot tall Natural Bridge, sits Foamhenge, a replica of Stonehenge made entirely out of styrofoam.
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The Influential Decision of the Little Rock Nine
In 1957, the Little Rock Nine, as they came to be known, returned to Arkansas' Little Rock Central High School day after day, facing angry crowds opposed to desegregation.
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Puerto Rico's #1 Crop Isn't Sugar, But It's Still Sweet
Puerto Rico's agricultural economy was once dominated by sugar plantations. Today, the same fields hold everything from corn and rice to bananas, plantains, and mangoes.
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Roswell's Bizarre Aircraft Boneyard
This ordinary small town holds extraordinary significance for aviation: it's home to Elvis' private jet, an airplane demolition yard, and the most famous aircraft that no one's ever seen.
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One of America's Most Legendary Military Command Centers
From a secret underground command center carved out of the Rocky Mountains, the North American Aerospace Defense Command used to watch the skies for Soviet missiles and prepare for a nuclear attack.
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The Volcanoes of Hawaii
Hawaii was born around 40 million years ago, from sea volcanoes and the shifting Earth.
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You Probably Don't Want Your Airline Pilot to Try This
Third generation stunt pilot and Minnesota's favorite daredevil, John Mohr, attempts astonishing aerial acrobatics in his 1943 Stearman biplane.
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This is How Mark Twain Got His Pen Name
Growing up on the banks of the Mississippi River fueled the imagination of a young boy named Samuel Clemens. The world would later know him as Mark Twain.
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Why Amelia Earhart's Memorial Is Best Seen from the Air
Home of Amelia Earhart and the first commercially produced plane in the country, Kansas has earned its reputation as the capital of flight.
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How the Great Fire of 1871 Actually Benefitted Chicago
Though tragic, if it hadn't been for the Great Fire of 1871, it's unlikely Chicago would have had the opportunity to redesign the city with the modern skyline it has today.
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Why Is Wisconsin Called the Badger State?
The early 19th-century discovery of lead in Wisconsin attracted miners from Cornwall. The peculiar, makeshift dwellings they slept in gave the state its nickname.
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How a Room in New Jersey Gave Us the Film Industry
While Thomas Edison is best-known for inventing the lightbulb, it's often forgotten that he also set up the world's first movie studio, in Fort Lee, NJ.
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Where to Sell Your Soul for the Delta Blues
Where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil and where the first juke joints started playing a new kind of American music, Clarksdale is the birthplace of Delta Blues.
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How the Rajneesh Cult Overran This Oregon Town
In the early 1980s, an Indian guru named Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh arrived in the town of Antelope, Oregon and set up a commune for his followers. It was the beginning of an extraordinary sequence of bizarre events.
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How John Dillinger Went from Pesky Thief to Public Enemy No. 1
Entering the Indiana State Reformatory in 1924 as a petty thief, John Dillinger left as a hardened and dangerous criminal. Countless bank robberies and prison breaks later, he soon sealed his fate as one of the nation's most notorious criminals.
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How the Alaska Gold Rush Turned Out to Be a Hoax
Near the turn of the 20th century, Alaska lured thousands of eager prospectors in search of precious minerals to its bountiful mountains. What many found was far more treacherous.
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The Reason Why DC Is Between Maryland and Virginia
As everyone knows, Washington, D.C. is named after the first U.S. president. But do you know how he chose its location?
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The Unexpected End to this Lake Erie Battle
The waters of Lake Erie may be peaceful today, but in the early nineteenth century they were filled with battleships.
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Where to Find Vampires in America
The tiny town of Forks, Washington became known for its teenage vampires thanks to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. And HBO's True Blood established Natchez, Mississippi as another vampire haven.
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Vegas Might Be for Weddings, But Reno is For Divorce
Unhappy wives flocked to Reno in 1931. It was easier to get divorced in Reno that anywhere else in the country - and that turned the little city into the capital of unhappy couples.
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The One Place JFK Felt He Could Be Alone
In the midst of the biggest crises of his presidency, John F. Kennedy always knew there was one place he could go to collect his thoughts alone: his decadent family summer home in Hyannis Port.
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A Look at Bonnie and Clyde's Escape Route
Blazing down back roads and running from the law, notorious criminals Bonnie and Clyde fled many crime scenes on these Arkansas roads.
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Restoring the Musical City of New Orleans After Katrina
Since hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans, groups like Brad Pitt's Make it Right Foundation and Habitat for Humanity have rebuilt the homes of thousands of residents.
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The Importance of the Continental Divide
Much of the water in the US comes from the Rocky Mountains, so mineral mines nearby must take extra precautions not to pollute the drinking water of milllions.
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This is Where Rosa Parks Changed History
More than half a century ago, civil rights leaders Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for equality in Montgomery, inspiring a national movement through acts of nonviolence.
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Pennsylvania's Amish Country
Pennsylvania's Amish population maintains its religious practices and austere way of life, tending some of the most productive farmland in the country.
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This is Where Elvis Bought His First Guitar
Every year, fans make the pilgrimage to Elvis Presley's hometown to see his birthplace and parade their classic Rock and Roll cars around town.
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The Spectacular Draw of Devils Tower National Monument
In the wilderness of Wyoming, there's a magnificent pillar of ancient lava so unique, that even geologists are at odds on exactly how it was formed.
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Why the Film Industry Is So Attracted to Bonanza Creek
Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch is an all inclusive film location in New Mexico.
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Stephen King's Spooky Stay at the Stanley Hotel
In September of 1974, author Stephen King and his wife checked into the Stanley Hotel. During his stay there, King came up with the idea for The Shining.
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These Gentle Giants Would Rather Be Left Alone
Historically feared by humans, brown bears were once aggressively hunted in the contiguous U.S. Because of this, 95% of these majestic creatures live in Alaska.
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If You're an Adventurer, Idaho Is the State for You
Idaho has more wild and remote public lands than any state outside of Alaska. Covering 2.3 million acres, The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area stretches right across the heart of Idaho.
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The Insanely Ambitious and Corrupt Plot to Grow L.A.
In 1898, the mayor of Los Angeles, Fred Eaton, came up with an audacious plan to drive up the value of local real estate. He would secretly divert the water from an entire river valley in the north to the city.
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Why There's a Pyramid in Wyoming Dedicated to Crooks
Two of the biggest pioneers in U.S. railroad history were brothers, Oakes and Oliver Ames. And while they were later found out to be criminals, a large granite pyramid would later be erected in southern Wyoming, in their honor.
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These Orange Groves Are a Feast for the Eyes
Nearly a third of world's orange juice comes from Florida's expansive orange groves and successful processing plants.
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The First Women to Complete the Oregon Trail
In 1836, Narcissa Whitman and her husband Marcus joined a group of missionaries traveling west along the Oregon Trail. It was the first time a woman--or a wagon--had ever attempted the trip.
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Tour Nike's Oregon Headquarters from the Air
In 1971, Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight launched their own sportswear company, Nike, named after the Greek god of victory.
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You Can Test Out Life on Mars In This State
Soaring over Utah, it's easy to imagine that you've left Earth and have stepped onto another planet.
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Jefferson's Monticello
With gardens, skylights, and the famous dome room, Jefferson designed his home to be more than a place to live; it was his architectural legacy.
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The World's First Camels Roamed... South Dakota?
The Badlands of South Dakota are filled with the fossils of fascinating and surprising prehistoric animals: saber-toothed cats, large-headed pigs, and even the first camels.
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Florida's Forgotten Coast
The white beaches on the Florida Panhandle make up what's known as Florida's forgotten coast; its sandy beaches and natural beauty have remained trapped in time.
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Inside the Pig War of 1859
In 1859, when an American farmer shot a pig on an island that both Britain and America claimed, a twelve-year-long standoff known as the Pig War began.
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Why an Infamous Fight Over $1.75 Led to a Bloody Family Feud
Kentucky's State Penitentiary has been serving up justice since 1889 - a time when family feuds, like the legendary Hatfield-McCoy feuds, were settled with violence and blood.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Aerial America have?
Aerial America currently has 221 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Aerial America about?
Grab your ticket for a scenic cross-country flight, from the mountains to the prairies, and from sea to shining sea.
How often does Aerial America release new episodes?
Aerial America publishes regularly with 221 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Aerial America?
You can listen to Aerial America on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Aerial America?
Aerial America is created and hosted by Smithsonian Channel.
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