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A shrine that honors a couple whose love was tested in an epic tragedy.

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It had to be terrifying with crowds of people screaming, crying.

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An iconic memorial that hosted a concert that changed the world.

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It was a groundbreaking act of bravery.

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And a desert outpost where visitors await another worldly apparition.

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They seem to be moving at rapid speeds and people just don't know what it is.

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Sometimes the greatest secrets lie in plain sight.

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These are monumental mysteries.

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In the shadow of the Medicine Bow Mountains, not far from the Colorado border,

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is the college town of Laramie, Wyoming.

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Once known for its wild west saloons and guns slinging cowboys.

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And on a windswept summit, 20 miles from town, stands a most improbable sight.

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It's about 60 feet high. It's made of granite. It is so misplaced.

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One would think that you're in the middle of ancient Egypt or Mayan Mexico,

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but here you are on the plains of Wyoming.

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This is the Ames Pyramid.

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It was originally conceived as a tribute to one of the greatest technological achievements of the 19th century.

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But as historian Phil Roberts explains,

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the individuals whose portraits grace this massive structure are hardly divine figures.

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That pyramid is a symbol of a scandal that rocked America.

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How does this stone monument represent one of the greatest frauds

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ever perpetrated against the citizens of the United States?

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Utah, 1869.

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Preparations are underway to drive a ceremonial golden spike at Promontory Summit,

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marking the completion of the nation's first transcontinental railroad.

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But on May 6th, four days before the big event,

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as two Union Pacific Railroad managers enjoy a luxurious train ride on their way to the ceremony,

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their celebratory journey is abruptly halted.

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Their train was stopped, and of course they're looking around saying,

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what's happened? We can't be there yet.

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Then a group of armed men burst into the train.

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One of the spokesmen for the group says, where is our money?

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Why haven't we been paid?

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These men are laborers for the Union Pacific Railroad,

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and they claim to be owed over $200,000 for months of unpaid wages.

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The frightened officials are taken to a telegraph office.

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They telegraphed back to the headquarters of the company quick, quick.

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Get some money out here. We want to go to the ceremony.

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After a few hours of long distance negotiations,

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company officials in Boston managed to mollify the angry workers

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with promises of fast deliveries of cash.

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Eager to put the embarrassing episode behind them,

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the company does not file charges against the kidnappers.

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Four days later, on May 10th, 1869,

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the symbolic Golden Spike is hammered,

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signifying that the epic endeavor is finally complete.

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Now the tracks met, they connected.

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In less than seven days, you could now cross the continent

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from New York all the way to the coast of California.

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But the triumphant mood is short-lived.

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Newspapers report that the members of the road crew

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are not the only laborers who haven't been paid.

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It seems the problem is endemic throughout the Union Pacific branch.

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People were beginning to ask questions.

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Well, where did all the money go?

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Finally, the deplorable situation is laid bare

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in an 1872 newspaper story, headlined The King of Frauds.

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It makes the shocking allegation that the entire railway venture

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has been financed by chicanery, bribery, and double dealing.

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Now the big question is,

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who were the people that were perpetrating this financial shenanigan?

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Who was the King of Fraud?

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The seeds of the problem began years earlier.

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1865.

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For more than 24 months,

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the eastbound Central Pacific Railroad has made modest headway across California.

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But progress on the westbound Union Pacific side is practically nonexistent.

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The directors were very skeptical about putting money into this project

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that after two years had essentially done almost nothing.

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But as the Civil War draws to a close,

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President Abraham Lincoln is anxious to jumpstart the stalled Union Pacific.

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So he turns to an influential pair of brothers from Massachusetts.

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Oaks Ames is a powerful member of the House of Representatives.

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Oliver operates the family's successful shovel business.

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Lincoln believes they are just the men to revive the project.

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Lincoln told them, you guys see it through to completion,

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because if you do, you will be remembered for all history.

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The Ames brothers take control of the Union Pacific

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and its faltering construction company,

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raising money from private investors and the government.

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By 1866, they have 8,000 laborers working on the railroad.

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But when the line reaches southwest Wyoming, funds are running short once again.

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So in order to avoid further delays,

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the managers convince the men to accept a difficult proposal.

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They will defer all wages until funds are available.

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What the workers didn't realize is that much of the money that was coming in was being stolen.

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In fact, Oaks and Oliver Ames have their fingers in the till at every step.

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Unbeknownst to the laborers, the brothers have been using funds meant for construction

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to line the pockets of their fellow executives and friends in Congress.

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By the time the Golden Spike is hammered into place,

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a $16 million project has cost taxpayers more than $65 million.

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The end result of the scam was that the directors and the ownership made millions.

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The workers made hardly anything at all.

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After the outrageous scheme hits the newspapers in 1872, a federal investigation is launched.

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The main focus fell on both Ames brothers

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and it was Oaks and Oliver Ames who bore the brunt of the public's corn.

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Oaks Ames is censured by Congress and retires from his seat in disgrace.

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Within a few years of the scandal, both brothers are dead.

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Abraham Lincoln's death in 1865 spared him the fate of seeing his dream of a railroad from coast to coast

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devolve into a feast of greed and corruption.

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But in 1875, the board of directors of the Union Pacific commissions this unusual monument

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at the highest point along the Transcontinental Railroad

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as a tribute to the brilliant technological achievement of the project.

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But today, this strange pyramid on the plains of Wyoming also stands as a reminder of a scandal-plagued endeavor

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planned in part by two wealthy men but carried out on the backs of thousands of exploited workers.

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New York City, tucked away from the bustle of Manhattan's Upper West Side, is a small residential park

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and a statue of an elegant figure who has an extraordinary story to tell.

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She is made of bronze. She's dressed in Grecian clothing and she has a contemplative look on her face.

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And yet, according to historian Lisa Santandria, behind this solitary monument is an epic tale of love and sacrifice

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that played out amidst one of the most infamous disasters the world has ever known.

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The statue commemorates one of the greatest love stories and greatest tragedies in 20th century American history.

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Who is this woman? And what chilling chain of events does the statue commemorate?

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New York City, the 1870s.

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A young German-Jewish immigrant named Isidor Strauss marries his true love.

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A beautiful young woman named Ida Blune.

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Isidor is a very ambitious young man and this ambition started from a young age.

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Ida is smart, she's charming. They're truly a devoted couple.

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Isidor works in the family business, selling household goods in Lower Manhattan.

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In the years that follow, the operation grows into a world-renowned department store known by the iconic name Macy's.

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In 1902, he relocates Macy's to Herald Square.

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This is the same location that exists today. It's become known worldwide.

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In 1912, after enjoying over 40 years of wetted bliss, the aging couple decides to take a romantic vacation to the French Riviera.

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Isidor and Ida have love, respect and success, but things are about to take a catastrophic turn.

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As they prepare for the return voyage to New York, their plans hit a snag.

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When the ship that they're scheduled to return on is delayed, Isidor makes a fateful decision and books passage on a different ship.

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And that ship was the RMS Titanic.

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On April 10th, Isidor and Ida prepare to board the glorious vessel for its maiden voyage from the port of Southampton, England.

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From the port, you can imagine Isidor looking up at this magnificent ship, which was four blocks long and 11 stories high.

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They spend their first days on the Titanic, strolling the decks and basking in the opulent splendor of the ship.

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On the evening of April 14th, they enjoy a grand 10-course meal in the first-class dining room, and Ida admires the lavish gifts that Isidor bought for her in Paris.

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But just a few hours later, something goes dreadfully wrong.

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The Titanic strikes an iceberg.

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And as the mighty ship founders, Isidor and Ida make their way to the deck.

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It had to be terrifying being on that deck with crowds of people screaming, crying, the dark of night, knowing and feeling the ship just sinking slowly into the water.

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With the hulking behemoth slowly sinking, Isidor and Ida are about to face a dilemma that will seal their fate forever.

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It's 1912, the North Atlantic.

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At 11.40 p.m. on April 14th, the RMS Titanic hits an iceberg and begins to take on water.

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Among the desperate throng waiting for lifeboats is a wealthy New York couple, Isidor and Ida Strauss, returning home from a European vacation.

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So will this pair make it home alive?

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According to the rules of the sea, women and children are to be loaded onto the lifeboats first.

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Ida is offered a place in a lifeboat, but when she learns that her beloved Isidor will not be able to join her, she makes a fateful decision.

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She has spent the last 40 years of her life with this man and she refuses to get on that boat.

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With that, the couple calmly accepts their fate.

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And as the great ship sinks beneath the waves, the Strausses are last seen together on the Titanic's deck.

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The last time they were seen, they were arm in arm staring out over the water.

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In the early morning of April 15th, 1912, the news breaks that more than 1,500 people have died in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.

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Among them are Isidor and Ida Strauss.

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But it seems the memory of their love is destined to endure.

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Three years after the sinking of the Titanic, this patch of land on West End Avenue is renamed Strauss Park for the couple, who had lived just a block away.

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Their legacy is carried on by Macy's, the grieving employees and the family members of the family.

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And this bronze statue of a reclining figure, known simply as memory, remains as a solemn tribute to a couple who were inseparable in both life and death.

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Though best known for its world-class wines, Napa County, California is also home to a stunning natural treasure.

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Lake Beriesa, one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the state, and just off the reservoir's western shore, is a tiny piece of land that is a hidden gem for lovers of the great outdoors.

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It's a very bucolic setting, the water sparkles surrounded by nature.

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Yet the beauty of this rustic spot belies its chilling nickname. Locals call it Zodiac Island, a testament to the terrible deeds that were committed here by an enigmatic individual who has never been caught.

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The very twisted, deviant individual strangely remained a mystery to authorities for decades.

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So what dark secrets does this idyllic island harbor?

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September 27th, 1969, Lake Beriesa, California.

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A fisherman is enjoying a quiet afternoon along the water when he suddenly hears a blood-curdling scream pierce the air.

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Rushing towards the cries, he comes across a horrific sight.

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A young man and woman lying on the ground with their hands bound, apparent victims of a vicious attack.

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They had been brutally stabbed multiple times.

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In spite of their wounds, both victims are still alive and, though barely conscious, are able to describe the assailant.

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He was allegedly wearing a black executioner's hood, and on his chest was this odd symbol, a circle with a cross in the middle.

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The young man survives the attack, but the woman later passes away.

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In their search for evidence, police uncover a crucial clue, scrawled on the victim's car door.

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It is that same unusual symbol that the attacker had on his chest.

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Immediately, police recognize the sinister sign.

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It's the calling card of a maniacal murderer who has terrorized the region for nine months.

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During the summer of 1969, San Francisco area newspapers received a series of anonymous letters,

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in which the sender proudly took credit for a spring of unsolved slayings.

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He calls himself the Zodiac.

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And each of his letters ends with a mysterious cipher of characters and astrological symbols.

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And when partially decoded by experts who identify key patterns, it reveals a disturbing message.

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He claims he's going to keep on killing, and he also says he intends to use his victims as slaves in the afterlife.

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Yet one crucial piece of the puzzle remains stubbornly beyond the reach of any cryptographer.

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Everything is deciphered except the last 18 letters, which is supposed to reveal his identity.

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Following the attack at Lake Beriesa, the killer remains elusive for years.

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And it isn't until two decades later that detectives finally pursue a promising lead.

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1991.

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Police focus on a 57-year-old former schoolteacher named Arthur Lee Allen,

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based on what seems to be credible and troubling information from Allen's friend.

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The man said he was hunting with a friend who spoke about fantasizing about killing couples.

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And the guy happens to have a watch with that zodiac symbol that was found at the crime scene.

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Detectives learn that Allen lives near the scene of two of the zodiac attacks.

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But in August of 1992, Allen passes away from kidney failure.

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Though the case remains open, many authorities rest easy, convinced they had finally identified their man.

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But in 2002, with the advent of new DNA testing techniques, there is a shocking turn of events.

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When saliva samples extracted from stamps on the zodiac letters are sent to the lab.

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As it turns out, the DNA on the letters and the stamp do not match Arthur Lee Allen.

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So if Arthur Lee Allen wasn't the zodiac killer, who was?

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It's the late 1960s.

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A serial murderer known as the Zodiac Killer has been terrorizing Northern California and taunting authorities with a chain of letters boasting he'll never be caught.

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Then, decades later in 1991, police close in on a suspect, a schoolteacher named Arthur Lee Allen.

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But then, DNA evidence indicates that Allen is not the man.

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So will this elusive murderer ever be apprehended?

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The case frustrates investigators for another decade.

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But in 2012, a retired California highway patrolman named Lyndon Lafferty claims that he has identified the man behind the vicious murders.

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Lafferty says that by applying obscure coding formulas, he has finally cracked the remaining 18 letters of the cipher.

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Lyndon Lafferty was an Air Force code breaker during the Korean War, and Lyndon says that he used his skills to come up with the killer's name.

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Identifying him only by a pseudonym, George Russell Tucker.

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Lafferty claims the suspect is a Northern California man. He had spotted near the scene of one of the attacks.

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Lyndon says that when he was on patrol one time, he saw the man pull up at a rest stop and immediately recognized him from the sketch of the Zodiac killer that all police had.

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And after investigating his background, he says that the suspect was motivated to kill by a jealous rage.

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According to Lyndon, his wife had had an affair with a superior court judge.

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The court judge apparently set him off, and Lyndon said that ultimately resulted in this killing spree, and that with his codes, ciphers, and letters, he was trying to prove to the world that he was a better, smarter, craftier man than the authorities.

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Yet the FBI deems this information insufficient to consider this man an official suspect. And little other information is released.

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While the FBI finds Lyndon's code cracking interesting and perhaps credible, they say it's not enough to solve the case.

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And today, despite a decades-long hunt, the Zodiac killer, who is blamed for at least five murders, has never been found.

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And for those who are familiar with this shocking saga, the enchanting spot known as Zodiac Island is an eerie reminder of the notorious criminal who terrorized Northern California.

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Washington, D.C. The two-mile-long National Mall is lined with world-class memorials and museums.

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And on the far western end of this magnificent corridor is a colossal neoclassical structure.

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It's about a hundred feet tall and a hundred and ninety feet long, and in the center of it is this wonderful seated figure.

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This is the Lincoln Memorial, a triumphant tribute to President Abraham Lincoln, and a backdrop for some of the most transcendent moments in civil rights history.

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But before Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic march in 1963, a lesser-known moment cemented this monument's status as a universal symbol of freedom.

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It was a groundbreaking act of bravery that really did set the stage for those that followed.

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What trailblazing and courageous act occurred here, and how did it change the world in one bold stroke?

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1939, Washington, D.C.

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42-year-old African-American contralto Marion Anderson is one of the preeminent classical vocalists in the world.

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She's performed for crowds from Paris to Copenhagen, yet there's still one audience that doesn't know the full power of her voice.

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She was not allowed to perform in front of integrated audiences in America.

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Eager to secure his client a domestic stage that will bring her the acclaim she deserves, Anderson's agent Saul Hurac sets his sights on the capitol's largest concert venue, Constitution Hall.

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It was a 4,000-seat venue. It was the size that he needed and the prestige that he was looking for as well.

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Yet when Hurac examines the contract used by the hall, he discovers there's a problem.

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It says specifically that the hall is to be used for white artists only.

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And the manager says that there will be no Negro singing in Constitution Hall as long as he is manager.

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Undaunted by the rejection, Anderson's agent teams up with the civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

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Together, they put forward a bold idea. If Anderson can't sing inside the hall, then why not find a suitable outdoor venue?

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They suggested that perhaps the Lincoln Memorial might be an ideal spot.

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There would be unlimited space and African Americans and whites could come and hear her together.

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But since the memorial is a federal monument, Hurac and the NAACP must first secure permission from President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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And with racial tensions running high across the nation, the president worries that the performance might trigger a wave of hate and violence.

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Several years earlier, a massive Ku Klux Klan march on the National Mall had set off a storm of brutal anger.

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Roosevelt was not sure exactly what would happen when a black woman was allowed to sing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

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Would there be hate groups? Would Anderson be safe?

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Will Marion Anderson be allowed to sing at the memorial? And if so, at what cost?

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It's 1939, Washington, D.C.

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African American opera star Marion Anderson has been banned from giving a concert at the prestigious Constitution Hall simply because of the color of her skin.

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So the NAACP makes an audacious suggestion as she performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial instead.

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Now President Roosevelt is concerned that the event could become a flashpoint for racial tensions.

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So what's it going to take for this show to go on?

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Despite the risks, President Roosevelt believes the event could ultimately help unite the country.

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Roosevelt was aware of how important this was politically and decides to go ahead and support Anderson.

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But the singer, already on edge from the controversy, is shaken.

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And just before the big event, she tells her agent she wants to back out.

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But they encouraged her and told her that she needed to do it.

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And she recognized that she was becoming a symbol for her people's struggle.

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Easter Sunday, April 9th, 1939.

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75,000 people gather at the Lincoln Memorial to hear Marion Anderson sing.

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And watching over the throngs are hundreds of police officers bracing for a potentially violent clash.

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There were numbers of protesters who did not want Anderson to sing.

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And with her heart pounding, Anderson steps up to the podium and begins to sing.

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When she got to the phrase, sweet land of liberty.

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And everyone in attendance must have realized how ironic that was.

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Because she had not been able to do so in Constitution Hall.

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Marion Anderson has given the performance of her life.

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One that ushers in a sea change in the opportunities afforded an African-American artist.

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After the concert, she's invited to other venues that had been denied access to her earlier, including Constitution Hall.

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In the years following Anderson's groundbreaking concert, the Lincoln Memorial hosts dozens of historic civil rights marches and rallies.

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And today, the Lincoln Memorial still stands as a reminder of the heroes who fought for the rights of all Americans.

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With their voices singing out for freedom.

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Founded by the Spanish in 1565, St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the U.S.

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An overlooking Matanzas Bay is the town's most historic landmark.

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A sprawling 17th century structure.

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It's a polygon shaped fort.

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It's about 30 feet high.

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And it was designed to keep people out and keep people in.

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This is the Castillo de San Marcos, North America's oldest masonry fort.

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And while these walls have seen their fair share of battles, it's said that this was also the scene of another sort of encounter.

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A secret romance, tainted by jealousy, betrayal and mystery.

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So what is hidden behind the walls of this once impenetrable fortress?

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July 1784, St. Augustine.

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Colonel Garcia Marti has arrived to take his post as the new commanding officer of the Castillo de San Marcos.

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And at his side is his strikingly beautiful wife, Dolores.

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Dolores Marti was a young, raven-haired beauty with flashing eyes, a ready smile.

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It's said that the effervescent woman is disappointed by her new life in the isolated outpost.

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It was hot, it was muggy, it was dirty, and she hated the idea of being in this swamp.

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As the story goes, one evening, while Colonel Marti is touring the Castillo with Dolores,

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they run into the Colonel's charming assistant, Captain Manuel Abella.

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Abella was dashing, he was handsome, and he was really good with the ladies.

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And a few weeks later, it's said that while pouring over maps with Captain Abella,

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Colonel Marti suddenly catches a familiar aroma on his assistant.

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The Colonel smelled this sweet, fragrant scent of orange blossom, his wife's signature perfume.

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Could his wife and second in command be having an affair?

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Soon after the Colonel's suspicions are aroused, Abella mysteriously vanishes.

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When he failed to show up at the fort for two or three days, people began wondering where he was.

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When asked, Colonel Marti announces that he has sent the officer on a special mission to Cuba.

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But Abella isn't the only one missing.

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Some of the ladies in town eventually noticed that Dolores hadn't been around, and they all wondered where she was.

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And Marti has an explanation for that too.

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He simply replied that she had gotten ill and he had sent her to Mexico to live with her aunt.

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Yet as weeks and then months go by without the return of Dolores or Captain Abella, many grow suspicious.

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People started wondering why both Captain Abella and Dolores disappeared, so the rumors started flying.

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What is the truth behind the strange and sudden disappearance of the Colonel's wife and his young captain?

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It's the late 18th century.

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According to legend, when Spanish commander, Colonel Garcia Marti, assumed his post in Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, he brought along his beautiful wife, Dolores.

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But it wasn't long before rumors began to circulate that she was having an affair with her husband's dashing assistant, Captain Manuel Abella.

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Then one day, Dolores and Abella suddenly disappeared.

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So what happened to the two alleged lovers?

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In the weeks before they vanished, Dolores and Captain Abella were allegedly seen meeting secretly outside the fort.

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And as rumors about a possible love affair spread, the news may have found its way to the Colonel.

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That he might very well have flown into a rage and had her murdered.

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But there's no physical evidence to support such an extreme and sinister theory.

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And because the Colonel rules the fort with an iron fist, no one dares to question his explanation.

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Because the Colonel outranked everybody in the fort and because he had such a hair-trigger temper, nobody would have said anything that would have set him off.

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And as the years pass, memories of Dolores and the Captain fade into history.

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And it seems the mystery of their disappearance will remain unsolved forever.

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Until a half-century later.

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July 1833, Castillo de San Marcos.

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Spain has ceded Florida to the United States as part of a treaty.

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And with it, this old Spanish fortification.

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And an American engineer named Lieutenant Steve Tuttle is overseeing repairs to the newly acquired structure.

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And one day, while inspecting the dungeon, he notices that one of its walls appears to be hollow.

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It banged against the wall and realized that there was a fake wall.

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Removing a brick to see if anything is hidden behind the partition, Tuttle comes across a shockingly grisly sight.

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He saw two skeletons hanging from the wall.

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It's said that as the officer examines the bones, he notices something quite extraordinary.

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He and his men were overpowered by a rush of orange blossoms.

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Senora Martí's signature perfume.

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So could these be the skeletons of the disappeared Captain Abela and Senora Martí?

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There are those who speculate that the Colonel, after learning of the pair's alleged affair,

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imprisoned them in the subterranean room, closed it up and left them to wither away.

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But there is no way to prove this theory.

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And there never will be. The bones were never scientifically tested and have long since been discarded.

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In 1833, when Lieutenant Tuttle found these bones, there was no way to do any DNA testing to identify them.

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And now the bones are gone and we will never know who they belong to.

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And the Castillo will never give up its secret.

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To this day, visitors to the fort claim that the faint smell of orange blossoms still fills the air.

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And while it may be from the flora that surrounds the Castillo de San Marcos,

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some believe it's the lingering scent of a star-crossed couple whose fate was sealed within this impenetrable fortress.

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In the high plains of the Chihuahuan Desert is Marfa, Texas, a tiny community that is home to a thriving art scene.

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But the area's best known attraction is a solitary structure on the outskirts of town.

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There is a cylindrical shaped hollow building made of a beautiful terracotta color.

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And it has by nocler's mouth the shape of a tree.

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According to physicist Deborah Berabiches, this building was constructed to shed light on an illuminating spectacle that has drawn visitors to the region for decades.

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An age-old phenomena that has been experienced by thousands of people.

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So what is this structure?

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And how is it linked to a permanent structure?

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It's a structure that is built by a man who has been a part of the Chihuahuan Desert.

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So what is this structure?

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And how is it linked to a perplexing enigma in the vast arid desert?

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As the story goes, one night outside of Marfa, Texas, a man is trying to find his way back to his car when he notices a strange glow on the horizon.

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He sees this basketball-sized light start wavering.

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So thinking it was a town, he just started following the light.

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Before he knows it, the man spots his vehicle directly ahead.

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And no sooner does he enter his car when the mysterious light disappears.

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So he thought this light had benevolent properties and it guided him finally to his car.

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And the man isn't alone.

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For over a century, countless others have reported a similar phenomenon in the area near Marfa.

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Ranchers, Native American people have attributed a saving property to these lights.

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And the description of the lights is almost always the same.

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They seem to be moving at rapid speeds and they pop up out of nowhere and people just don't know what it is.

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Some believe the lights are linked to the nearby Marfa Army airfield.

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Where during World War II, it said that pilots conducted experiments with top-secret equipment.

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And people thought this sophisticated new technology somehow projected these lights onto the atmosphere.

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Shortly after the end of the Second World War, the base shut its doors.

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But the sightings did not cease.

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People continue to experience these mysterious Marfa lights.

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And because there seems to be no earthly explanation, some begin to believe that these optical effects are linked to some kind of extraterrestrial force.

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Are these UFOs? These lights from another world?

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By the turn of the 21st century, interest in this strange phenomenon reaches a fever pitch.

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And in 2001, the city constructs a viewing platform to accommodate the thousands who come hoping to spot the so-called Marfa lights.

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Among them, a group of intrepid physics students who, in 2004, heads for the observation post determined to solve this baffling problem.

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This is a very interesting enigma, once and for all.

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The students bring lasers and cameras, all sorts of cutting-edge equipment, to systematically study what's going on with these Marfa lights.

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Will the students be able to provide a scientific reason for this mystery? Or will they find an otherworldly explanation?

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For generations, residents of the West Texas town of Marfa have reported seeing a bizarre set of lights in the desert that appear out of nowhere and then vanish just as suddenly.

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But in 2004, a group of students camps out in a bid to determine the true source of these bewildering lights.

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Whether they can illuminate this mystery remains to be seen.

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The students barely have to wait before the lights appear, allowing them to measure their speed, size and distance.

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They also monitor other activity in the surrounding area, including the traffic on nearby US Highway 67.

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And upon examining their results, the students discover the frequency of the lights seems to correlate exactly with the incidence of passing cars.

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Yet there's a glaring problem with this explanation.

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It doesn't explain all the reports that came way before cars with other artificial man-made lights.

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So what then could account for the pulsating orbs in the sky?

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Many believe that the answer actually lies in the weather, since the Marfa basin is home to a unique atmospheric phenomenon.

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It's surrounded by mountains, so as the temperature plunges at night from very hot air during the day, all that cold air gets trapped.

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So we have cold air at the bottom and hot air at the top.

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This temperature inversion can create optical illusions in the sky.

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Light travels a lot faster through hot air than through cold air, which is a lot denser.

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So as it hits the interface with the warmer air on top, light bends and creates a mirage.

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This would explain why over the past century, lights created in one part of the desert from a train, lantern or even a campfire could appear to come from a different place altogether.

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So any light source could be creating this bending of the light.

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Still, while the mystery of the Marfa lights may not ever be fully illuminated beyond a shadow of a doubt, one thing is certain.

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The fascination with this age-old phenomenon endures.

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And to this day, thousands still continue to descend upon this lonely desert post,

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hoping to catch a glimpse of the mystifying orbs in the sky.

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From a scandal-ridden railroad to a cryptic killer, an ill-fated fortress to a courageous contralto.

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I'm Don Wildman and these are Monumental Mysteries.