IT'S HISTORY Courses

Why California's Lost Gold Rush Town Is Now Underwater

Discover how Mormon Island, a thriving Gold Rush settlement, vanished beneath Folsom Lake when California's need for flood control erased this once-prosperous mining town.

• YouTube
• 12 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Why Niagara Falls Has Massive Abandoned Tunnels Below It

Uncover the hidden industrial history beneath Niagara Falls, exploring massive abandoned tunnels that once powered North America's early hydroelectric revolution and shaped modern electricity.

• YouTube
• 20 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

New York's Lost Double-Decker Train Above the Streets

Uncover the forgotten history of New York's ambitious double-decker elevated trains and multi-level transit experiments from the early 1900s that nearly revolutionized urban transportation.

• YouTube
• 10 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

The Secret Vault Coca-Cola Left Behind in Downtown Atlanta

Uncover the century-long mystery of Coca-Cola's secret formula vault beneath Atlanta, from pharmacy experiments to FBI stings and Cold War contingency plans.

• YouTube
• 18 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Why Every Chicago Home Had a Bar in the Basement

Uncover how Chicago's immigrant saloons evolved into basement bars during Prohibition, flourished in post-war homes, and shaped the city's unique social culture before vanishing.

• YouTube
• 18 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Why New York's Trump Tower is Totally Forbidden - Public Space Turned Inaccessible

Explore how Trump Tower's construction destroyed Manhattan's elegant Bonwit Teller Building, revealing NYC's struggle between preservation, profit, and public access across decades.

• YouTube
• 25 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Why America's Secret Government Mega-Bunker is Under a Luxury Hotel

Uncover the secret Cold War bunker beneath West Virginia's Greenbrier Resort, designed to house Congress during nuclear war and hidden for over 30 years.

• YouTube
• 16 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Why There's a Hidden Station Under New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel

Uncover the secrets of Track 61, NYC's hidden rail platform beneath the Waldorf Astoria, exploring its transformation from coal transport to presidential passage and urban legend.

• YouTube
• 20 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Why Some McDonald's Are Left Abandoned

Explore the eerie world of abandoned McDonald's locations, from UFO-shaped restaurants to floating "McBarges," uncovering the strange history behind forgotten golden arches.

• YouTube
• 16 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

What's Below Chicago's Bean? The Lost Railyard

Uncover Chicago's transformation from marshland to Millennium Park, exploring hidden infrastructure beneath Cloud Gate including rail yards, tunnels, and the century-long lakefront battle.

• YouTube
• 32 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Why This Machine Crushed Coal - And People - The Huber Breaker

Uncover the haunting story of Pennsylvania's Huber Breaker, a steel giant that processed 7,000 tons of coal daily while crushing the workers and communities who depended on it.

• YouTube
• 12 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

What's Left of NYC's Hidden Mail Tubes - 27 Miles LOST

Uncover the forgotten 27-mile pneumatic mail network that moved 100,000 letters daily beneath NYC streets from 1897-1953, exploring its rise, fall, and remnants today.

• YouTube
• 14 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Why New York's Smallest Private Island Was a Secret Spy Base - Rat Island

Uncover the hidden history of Rat Island, NYC's smallest private island that served as a Revolutionary War spy base, quarantine station, and artistic retreat.

• YouTube
• 11 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Why the Last Private Subway in America Was Abandoned - Leonard's Underground Transit

Uncover the forgotten story of America's only privately-owned subway system built by Leonard's Department Store in Fort Worth, Texas, and discover why it was ultimately abandoned.

• YouTube
• 15 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

The LA Neighborhood That Fell Into the Sea - Sunken City

Uncover the tragic story of San Pedro's Point Fermin, a 1920s coastal paradise that slowly collapsed into the Pacific Ocean, leaving behind the forbidden ruins known as Sunken City.

• YouTube
• 15 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video