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A bizarre accident rooted in science and magic.

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He was dabbling in dark forces beyond his control.

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A disastrous threat to the top of the world.

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This is a story of ambition, tragedy, and redemption.

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And a sprawling field linked to a death-defying flight.

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The plane was shaking. You didn't know if it was going to make it.

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Sometimes the greatest secrets lie in plain sight.

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These are the mysteries of the monument.

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To Pasadena, California, the city of roses is known for its temperate climate,

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mountain views, and exquisite gardens.

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It's also home to one of the world's most celebrated sporting events,

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the Rose Bowl Football Game.

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But on the town's north side looms a massive structure with a more sinister reputation.

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It's about 250 feet wide by 100 feet tall.

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It's a giant concrete expanse in amidst this kind of bucolic landscape.

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This is Devil's Gate Dam.

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It was named after a nearby rock face that is said to resemble the profile of a horned devil.

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But according to author George Pendle, the dam is also linked to a brilliant scientist

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who led a diabolical double life.

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Some people thought he was a genius.

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Others thought he was dabbling in dark forces beyond his control.

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How is this concrete structure linked to a fiendish tale of science, secrecy, and the occult?

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June 17th, 1952, Pasadena.

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It's a calm summer afternoon on Leafy Orange Grove Avenue.

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But just after 5 p.m., the peace is suddenly shattered...

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by a deafening blast.

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There was a huge explosion and smoke in a mushroom cloud coming up above the trees.

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A crowd of concerned neighbors gathers as police cordon off one of the street's historic homes.

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The windows were blown out.

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There was a splintered word and twisted metal.

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Officers emerge from the charred house with the body of its occupant.

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37-year-old Jack Parsons.

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His shoes were shredded, his legs were bent at kind of obscene angles.

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It was a horrific sight.

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Immediately, rumors start to swirl about the cause of the deadly explosion.

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And it's reported that Parsons was involved in arcane activities.

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He was known to have loud parties in the house.

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There were bongos, there was chanting, there was all sorts of crazy stuff going on.

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One person said there was a black magic cult at this house.

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Another said they were devil worshipers.

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In fact, Jack Parsons was an active member of a black magic cabal...

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that followed the teachings of its infamous occult leader, Alistair Crowley.

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From a young age, Parsons had always been interested in the occult and in other dimensions.

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And he really believed in the idea that he could contact weird, mystical beings.

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It's said Parsons even conducted magic rituals at Devil's Gate Dam.

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Occultists consider it to be a portal to the underworld.

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And as authorities investigate Parsons' demise, they uncover a bizarre theory...

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that the fatal explosion could have been the result of a black arts ritual gone wrong.

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Many of his friends in the occult world thought that maybe he was trying to conjure a fire demon.

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And the fire demon had consumed him before disappearing.

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The police, however, pursue a more plausible explanation.

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At the scene of the accident, they find traces of a highly volatile explosive...

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called Mercury Fulminate.

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If you dropped Mercury Fulminate, it would explode all by itself.

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But why was Jack Parsons handling the unstable compound at his home?

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In fact, this was not the first time he had worked with explosives.

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Just two years earlier, he had been enjoying a celebrated career...

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as a rocket scientist.

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Jack Parsons was one of the leading lights of rocketry in the Second World War...

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and was seen as this crazy wild genius.

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During World War II, his research team had conducted covert rocketry experiments for the government...

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in the secluded shadow of Devil's Gate Dam.

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They had to do their experiments by the Devil's Gate Dam...

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because they were so dangerous.

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Every time they did an experiment, windows would shatter...

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and people would run for their lives.

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But in 1950, Parsons was accused of making off with classified documents...

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then stripped of his security clearances and fired.

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And it was then that the FBI said, this guy cannot work in rocketry ever again.

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Yet if the government had banned Parsons from working with rockets...

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why was he handling hazardous substances?

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It seems that the eccentric scientist had launched a new career.

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In Hollywood.

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At the time, movie studios were churning out films about World War II.

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And with the need to create on-screen explosions...

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pyrotechnic experts like Jack Parsons were in high demand.

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So Parsons was using the forminative mercury...

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probably to make special effects for Hollywood films.

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In fact, investigators discovered that on the day he died...

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Parsons was working on a new movie project.

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It seems at one point the can which he was using to mix his chemicals...

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slipped out of his hand.

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The can hit the ground, the chemicals inside it ignited.

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Officials rule Parsons' death and accident...

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and close the case.

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But to this day, the controversial rocketeer...

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remains an object of fascination.

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Parsons is perhaps best known today as an occultist.

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Which I think is a bit of a shame. He was a wonderful scientist.

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You sometimes need people who are willing to believe in the unbelievable.

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That's what Parsons' story is all about.

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And the Devil's Gate Dam, where the pioneering scientist...

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carried out some of his earliest work...

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still stands as a reminder of his groundbreaking ideas...

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and his enigmatic double life.

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Rockingham County, North Carolina.

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Although this rural community lies just 30 miles from the city of Winston-Salem...

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its quiet roads and lush fields seem a world away.

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And just off Highway 65 stands a structure...

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that encapsulates historic elegance and southern charm.

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It has a dramatic brick facade...

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with two soaring columns that rise toward a pediment that frames the entrance.

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This is the Rockingham County Courthouse.

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According to author Carl Menninger...

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this century-old structure once witnessed a salacious celebrity scandal...

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that riveted the nation.

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This was a tabloid sensation.

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Two of the most famous people in America...

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involved in one of the greatest unsolved mysteries this country has ever seen.

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July 6, 1932, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

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It's just before 7 a.m.

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and Sheriff Transu Scott is responding to an urgent call...

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at the most famous address in town.

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The Reynolds Estate.

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The heir to the $40 million Reynolds tobacco fortune.

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21-year-old Smith Reynolds has reportedly taken his own life.

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Smith is dead.

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An apparent suicide.

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His hysterical widow, the famous actress Libby Holman...

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is confined to her bedroom under the care of her physician.

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While Reynolds' corpse lies on a gurney at the local hospital...

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Sheriff Scott begins piecing together the events leading up to his death.

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You can imagine how shocked Scott was.

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Here is this young millionaire...

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married to this beautiful brother.

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He's a man of his own.

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A millionaire.

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Married to this beautiful Broadway star.

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And he's committed suicide.

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The rich and charming Reynolds had swept Libby Holman off her feet.

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And after a whirlwind courtship, they were married.

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Their picture-perfect lives were the toast of the society pages.

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Sheriff Scott is informed that Libby is too distraught to talk to him.

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And in any case, she has no recollection of the events the previous night.

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Libby claims a sort of amnesia.

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She is unable to remember anything before the gunshot or after it.

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The sheriff is directed to the room of Reynolds' live-in assistant, Ab Walker...

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who was also in the mansion on the previous night.

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Ab Walker was one of Smith's closest and trusted friends.

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Walker tells Sheriff Scott that the evening began with an extravagant soiree.

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If you can imagine something out of the great Gatsby, it was like that.

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But the lavish affair was spoiled when Smith and his wife began arguing violently.

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Ab tells Scott that Libby gets drunk and she's flirting with people.

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And this enrages Smith.

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According to Walker, this wasn't the first time that the volatile tobacco air had become angry with his wife.

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So he wasn't surprised when the couple retired upstairs together after the party.

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But then, Walker tells the sheriff that just before 1 a.m., he heard something unnerving.

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A heavy thud and a loud cry from Libby.

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She's screaming that Smith has shot himself.

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Walker describes how he arrived to find Smith Reynolds lying in a pool of blood.

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He tells the sheriff that he and Libby rushed Smith to the hospital...

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where he perished hours later.

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But as he listens to Walker's account, Sheriff Scott suddenly spots something unusual in the witness's bedroom.

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Under the bed, he notices a pair of woman's slippers.

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And when he asks him about them, Ab is flustered.

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Ab Walker nervously admits that the slippers belong to Libby.

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But he can't explain why they're under his bed.

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The response immediately arouses Scott's suspicion.

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Or Ab and Libby having an affair.

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Ab Walker denies the suggestion outright.

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But when the sheriff speaks to the rest of Reynolds' staff, he hears a very different story.

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It seems that the millionaire's jealousy the previous night was sparked by the sight of his wife kissing Ab Walker.

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So clearly, something was amiss.

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To Sheriff Scott, the answer seems clear.

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With Smith dead, Libby stood to inherit millions of dollars.

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And would be free to pursue a romance with Ab Walker.

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Sheriff Scott finally begins to think that Smith was murdered.

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On August 4th, Ab Walker and Libby Holman are indicted on charges of first-degree murder.

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The penalty if they're found guilty, the electric chair.

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It's 1932 in North Carolina.

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Sheriff Tran Sue Scott is investigating the apparent suicide of a wealthy tobacco heir named Smith Reynolds.

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But when he discovers that the dead man's wife may have been having an affair with their handsome assistant,

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he begins to wonder, was Smith Reynolds smoked?

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On August 8th, 1932, Libby and Ab Walker were killed.

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On August 8th, 1932, Libby enters the Rockingham County Courthouse,

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wearing a bizarre black turban and widow's veil.

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What no one knows is she is about to deliver a bombshell.

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Libby's lawyers tell the judge that they wish to post bail because Libby should not be in jail in her delicate condition.

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It seems that Libby Holman is pregnant.

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The judge grants her request for bail and sets a trial date for November 21st.

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But then, another twist to this tale leaves the courtroom reeling.

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The family of Smith Reynolds does something completely unexpected.

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They send a letter to the state requesting that all of the charges in Smith's debt be dropped.

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Libby's day in court never materializes.

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Though the Reynolds family doesn't explain their change of heart,

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many speculate they simply couldn't bear the shame of the scandal

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and wanted to put the sordid affair behind them.

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As for Libby Holman, she gives birth to a baby boy, Christopher Smith Reynolds, in January 1933.

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Although she escapes prosecution, she lives under a cloud of suspicion for the rest of her life.

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And today, this historic courthouse still stands as a reminder of a tobacco heirs untimely death

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and an infamous trial that went up in smoke.

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San Francisco, California, the city's three most popular sites are among its most iconic,

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the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, and Alcatraz Island.

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But along the bay's scenic waterfront lies a lesser-known attraction with a surprising past.

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It's 127 acres of beachfront bluff and tidal marsh.

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It's got wild birds, beautiful trees, gorgeous views of the water.

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But because of its natural beauty, it's hard to believe that just until recently, it was all cement.

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This is Chrissy Field.

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This pristine state park was once a military airstrip.

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And as writer Richard CORE knows, in its early days, it witnessed the launch of a death-defying quest.

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This is an epic tale of survival that changed aviation history forever.

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1925, San Francisco.

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It's been 22 years since the Wright brothers made their pioneering flight.

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And the U.S. Navy believes aviation can play a crucial role in protecting American waters.

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One of the most ardent supporters of this idea is 44-year-old Commander John Rogers.

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Rogers was passionate about aviation.

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We thought that they could protect the coast by using airplanes and aerial technology.

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And we wanted to pioneer a new front, the air branch of the Navy.

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Yet many Americans remain wary of this new fangled mode of transport.

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So to showcase the potential of planes to the public,

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Rogers will take part in an unprecedented feat, a 2100-mile non-stop flight

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to one of the most remote places on Earth, Hawaii.

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This was the first attempted trans-Pacific flight from mainland U.S. to Hawaii at that time.

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It had never been done before.

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For the demonstration, Rogers will fly a newly developed seaplane called the PN-9.

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The PN-9 was a prototype flying pontoon.

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It was made to be light to carry as much fuel as possible for the entire flight without refueling.

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And even part of the wing structure was made out of fabric to keep it very light.

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On August 31st, crowds lined the San Francisco shore to watch Rogers and his four-man crew

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prepare for the historic flight and take off from Crissy Field.

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Crowd goes wild as the plane lifts off and sails out the bay.

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It was an exciting moment for everybody.

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As the PN-9 soars over the Pacific,

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Commander Rogers makes regular progress reports to the Navy by radio.

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All goes according to plan, the trip should take them 28 hours to complete the 2100-mile journey.

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All is well as the crew passes the 800-mile mark and the 1000-mile mark.

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But 1200 miles into the journey, things start to go awry.

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Rogers reports that despite their huge gas tank, they were running dangerously low on fuel.

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Strong headwinds have caused the plane to consume fuel at a much faster rate than expected.

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Hundreds of miles from their destination, the gas tank runs empty.

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The crew prepares for an emergency water landing.

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As the plane's going down, Rogers was nervous because the plane was shaking.

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Mayday, mayday!

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He didn't know if it was going to make it.

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Mayday, mayday!

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September, 1925.

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After a Navy seaplane runs out of fuel somewhere over the Pacific Ocean,

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the crew is left with only one option.

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They must attempt an emergency water landing.

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But will they survive this dire dilemma?

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The radio transmission cuts out as the PN-9 splashes down in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

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Miraculously, the men are unharmed.

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But with their radio damaged and no rescue in sight, Rogers makes a critical decision.

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We're going to sail there.

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You could not fly the plane.

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He was going to sail the plane.

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He instructs his men to use fabric from the wings to create sails.

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The crew also improvises an ingenious way to steer the craft.

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Rogers and his crew use some of the floorboards off the plane to devise a rudder system so that they can navigate.

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The group sails their makeshift vessel in what they believe is the direction of Hawaii.

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But as hours turn into days with no land in sight, the men can only hope they will be spotted by rescuers.

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It was becoming very clear that the chances of survival were slim to none.

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Back at headquarters, the U.S. Navy has been overseeing a massive rescue effort.

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But after scouring hundreds of miles of open sea for nine days, the plane is nowhere in sight.

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Finally, the Navy calls off the search and the missing men are presumed dead.

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It appears as if Rogers and his crew has completely disappeared.

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But the very next day, the Navy receives a stunning report.

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A submarine on a routine patrol around Kauai spots the PN-9 almost 500 miles away from its last transmission.

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The sailors on the sub approach the downed plane and see something amazing.

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Rogers and the crew are alive.

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This was a marvel.

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It's hard to believe that they could have survived that journey that long.

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Although the men of the PN-9 fell short of their goal, their flight of 1992 miles sets a world record for sea planes.

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The momentous journey also demonstrates the great potential of aviation.

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Because of the journey of the PN-9, Congress rewards the Navy with a thousand more planes and allows them to continue developing their aeronautical branch.

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In 1926, Commander Rogers, lauded for his leadership, is made assistant chief of naval aeronautics.

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And today, the vast expanse of Chrissy Field sits in silent tribute to these heroic men who took to the skies and against all odds landed in the history books.

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Known as the city of Seven Hills, Worcester, Massachusetts is home to nine colleges and universities.

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It also boasts such architectural highlights as the music venue Mechanics Hall and a medieval style castle known as Bankcroft Tower.

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But within the confines of the historic Notre Dame Cemetery stands a small and deceptively simple monument that is easily overlooked.

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It's in the section where the monuments are very organized, very regimented. They're all looking like soldiers in a row.

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And it's made of black granite which has been polished.

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The name on this headstone is unfamiliar to most. But according to historian Bill Wallace, the man commemorated here created something extraordinary that took the world by storm.

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He had no idea that what he created would become one of the most recognizable icons in history.

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1963, Worcester.

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An insurance company called State Mutual has just undergone a merger with a rival company. And office morale is at an all-time low.

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It was a great deal of a parent concern about what your responsibility was and how your life was changing as an employee of these companies.

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Concerned that the gloomy mood will damage their business, management decides to launch a campaign to boost morale.

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So the vice president boasted his marketing person and says we need to get people to cheer up and go to smile on their faces around here.

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After some brainstorming, the two colleagues agree they need a cheerful image that can be distributed on buttons, cards and posters.

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And they know the perfect man for the job.

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Graphic designer and local resident, Harvey Ball.

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Harvey Ball was the typical commercial artist. He was the person you hire on an hourly basis to do your job.

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Ball, who owns a small one-man shop on Main Street, accepts the commission.

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As he searches his mind for a symbol that will put a smile on the faces of downbeat employees, he wonders if simplicity might be the key.

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He takes a piece of yellow paper, makes two eyes, one was slightly longer than the other one, then he drew the mouth. The job is done.

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When Ball presents his design to management, it's so simple, so childlike, they're taken aback.

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But they soon come around, paying Ball $45 for his design. The company orders 100 buttons for their agents to wear and to hand out to clients.

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It appears on January 3rd of 1964 in their newsletter where they announce that Smiley Face is the center of this happiness campaign.

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Within weeks, the Smiley Face campaign has spread throughout the company. And so popular are the pins that management is soon reordering them by the thousands.

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The employees enjoyed having their buttons. They would get them for their kids' scout groups, that they would give them to their friends. It was very much a part of their lives.

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But that's not the end of the story.

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No, it could end with a babe, but what happened next?

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It's the late 1960s in Worcester, Massachusetts. When graphic artist Harvey Ball comes up with a Smiley Face symbol to boost morale at an insurance company, the people of Worcester love it.

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But little does he know, his simple yellow sketch is about to take on a life of its own.

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What began as an internal campaign to lift employee morale has spread far beyond the company. Soon, the Smiley will become more popular than either Harvey Ball or State Mutual could ever have imagined.

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1970, Philadelphia. Bernard and Murray Spain, two brothers who own a novelty company, are looking for a way to boost sales when they stumble across one of Harvey Ball's buttons.

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Realizing the vast potential of the simple design, the Spain brothers trademark their own version of the face by adding a simple phrase, have a nice day.

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It's a time when many Americans could really use a lift. The nation is undergoing a period of tremendous social change and political unrest.

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In 1970, America is torn by the realities of the war in Vietnam, the implications of the Cold War. There is great uncertainty, but there's also a mood of change.

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The simple image of the Smiley Face resonates with the American public, and it starts to appear as a fashion accessory across the country.

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Smiley Face is a basic symbol that everyone shares. It's about being happy, which is what everyone wants after years of turmoil.

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By the end of 1971, the Spain brothers have sold an estimated 50 million buttons.

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But back in Worcester, Harvey Ball never makes another penny on the Smiley Face. Beyond the original $45 he was paid, neither he nor State Mutual trademarked the simple design.

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But for Ball, it was never just about the money.

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Harvey Ball had a certain amount of pride that he had created Smiley Face, but was well known for saying, when people would ask him if he made a lot of money off of him, Smiley Face, I can only eat one steak at a time.

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Ball's creation goes on to become an indelible cultural icon worldwide.

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Smiley Face is everywhere. We all need to smile. We all need to be happy, and this is a common symbol that requires no interpretation.

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And this grave serves as a cheerful memorial to the inventive artist whose design changed the face of pop culture and pinned smiles on millions of people throughout the world.

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The Himalayas in South Central Asia span some 1500 miles and five countries.

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Considered to be the world's greatest mountain range, it is home to the planet's highest peaks.

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But among these snow-clad monoliths, one silhouette stands apart.

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It's this tall, jagged formation that rises out of the other mountains. It's cold and it's desolate and intimidating. The terrain is extreme. But for some, it's the most exciting place on Earth.

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This is Mount Everest. At more than 29,000 feet, it is the highest place on Earth.

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And reaching its summit is perhaps the most glorious achievement for any mountaineer.

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But according to journalist Stephanie Jackenfall, this marvel of nature was recently at the center of one of the most devastating disasters in mountaineering history.

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This is a story of ambition, tragedy and redemption that really struck at the heart of the mountaineering community.

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What is the truth behind the notorious 1996 summit attempt that left the climbing world divided?

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May 1996, not Everest.

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Its spring climbing season and Everest Base Camp is buzzing with activity.

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Among those planning to reach the summit are two rival expeditions, adventure consultants and mountain madness.

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Led by expert mountaineers, each team has equipped its climbers with essential gear, including harnesses, helmets and life-sustaining oxygen tanks.

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When you're up past 20,000 feet, the air gets thinner, so it's hard to breathe. You can die up there.

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So a lot of climbers have to carry these bottles of supplemental oxygen to keep ascending the mountain.

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On the morning of May 6th, both teams leave Base Camp for the arduous trip to the peak.

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The weather is clear and the climbers count on summiting Everest within a week.

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But five days later, the world wakes up to devastating news.

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A ferocious blizzard has slammed into Mount Everest, killing an unprecedented number of climbers.

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Eight people died on the mountain that day. This is the worst disaster to strike Mount Everest and made headlines around the world.

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In the wake of the tragedy, the press clamors to uncover exactly what happened.

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Among the first survivors to step forward with an account is 42-year-old journalist John Krakauer, a climber with the adventure consultants team.

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John Krakauer is on assignment to write a story about his experience and he witnessed what went on firsthand.

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In a published account, Krakauer explains that he had reached the summit and was descending the mountain when the storm hit.

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Members of the two rival teams tried to scramble to safety as quickly as they could.

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So when the blizzard hit, suddenly there was some complete chaos.

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Slowed down by the storm, some of them ran out of oxygen and succumbed to exposure.

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But Krakauer has an even more startling revelation.

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He suggests that some of the victims could have been saved, were it not for the reckless actions of a Russian guide named Anatoly Bukriev.

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Anatoly Bukriev was a guide for the other team, the mountain madness team.

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Krakauer claims Bukriev tried to show off by climbing Everest without any oxygen tanks.

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He believes this act of bravado left the guide unable to help the clients when the blizzard struck.

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Instead, the journalist claims Bukriev abandoned the climbers and bolted down the mountain.

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Krakauer feels that had Bukriev used supplemental oxygen, he could have stayed on the summit and he could have saved more lives.

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He really painted Bukriev as the villain and it just shredded his reputation.

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The journalist eventually expands the article into the best-selling book, Into Thin Air.

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It becomes the definitive version of the 1996 disaster.

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But then, one year later, in 1997, Anatoly Bukriev publishes his own account of that tragic day.

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And his book, The Climb, offers a very different version of events.

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He feels like Krakauer's account told the wrong story.

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It's 1997. Journalist John Krakauer has published a best-selling account of a storm that killed eight climbers on Mount Everest a year earlier.

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Krakauer argues that lives could have been saved had it not been for the reckless actions of Expedition Guide Anatoly Bukriev.

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But then, Bukriev publishes his own very different version of events.

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In his book, The Villafied Guide Anatoly Bukriev explains his decision to forego oxygen tanks was not an act of bravado.

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Rather, it was an exercise in safety.

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Bukriev had trained his body to ascend without supplemental air, so he would never need to worry about running out of oxygen.

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With supplemental oxygen, you're going higher than your body would naturally allow it to go.

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And so, Bukriev feels that it gives your body a false sense of security.

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If you were to run out of it, then you'll die up there.

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In fact, Bukriev explains, without the extra weight of the tanks, he could better respond to his client's needs.

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He claims that when the storm hit, he left not to save himself, but to retrieve equipment for those who were stranded.

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After Bukriev got into camp, he actually turned around and went right back up and brought up extra oxygen to help out.

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In fact, Bukriev's actions saved three climbers on the mountain.

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Following the release of his book, other climbers who were on Everest that fateful day soon come forward to back Bukriev's story.

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And the Russian mountaineer receives the American Alpine Club's highest honor for his heroic deeds.

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So Bukriev's book ultimately saved his reputation and gave people a whole new perspective.

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The controversy surrounding the 1996 Everest disaster continues to divide the mountaineering community to this day.

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But all climbers of Everest can agree on one thing.

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The magnificent ascent to the rooftop of the world remains one of the planet's most treacherous journeys.

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In upstate New York is the historic town of Seneca Falls, once a prosperous industrial hub.

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Today, the region is celebrated for its fine wines.

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But overlooking the Seneca River is a monument that reflects what this city may be most famous for.

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It's made of bronze. The statue shows three women meeting.

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While the woman on the left is wearing an outfit completely typical of 1850s women's fashion, the women on the right are wearing something much more unusual.

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The garments these women are wearing were the seeds of a revolution that would transform the nation.

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These clothes ignited a controversy that would reshape American society.

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Winter, 1851.

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A rapidly growing population is turning Seneca Falls into the unlikely birthplace of a new social movement, women's rights.

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And one of the leading activists in town is 33-year-old Amelia Bloomer.

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Amelia is the publisher and editor of the first newspaper in America for women by women called The Lily.

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Bloomer, a feminist pioneer, is frustrated with the fact that she is a woman who is not a woman.

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She is frustrated that women are still denied the right to vote, own property or divorce.

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So while men occupy these positions of power, women lacked confidence to really have any significant part in American public life.

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And Bloomer believes that one facet of society that serves to keep women in their lowly position is fashion.

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Women's fashion in their 1850s is very much about femininity and curves.

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Women would wear these incredibly tightly laced corsets and they'd layer petticoats one on top of the other underneath their gowns.

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These garments meant to exaggerate a woman's natural hourglass figure, physically prevented them from doing the same things as men.

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An average outfit could weigh from 15 to 20 pounds and you really couldn't perform any kind of physical activity or exert yourself.

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Your breathing was restricted, you were likely in pain.

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For Amelia, these clothes are representative of women's oppressed position within society.

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But one day, she sees a friend wearing an unusual outfit, unlike anything she's ever seen.

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Her friend is wearing Turkish style pants. This is completely shocking.

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This is completely against every established rule for women's decorum and gentility in public.

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As she watches her friend, Amelia has an idea.

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She immediately notices that she can undertake many different daily tasks with much more ease.

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Amelia realizes her friend's pants can help women achieve independence and equality.

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So she shares the idea with feminists around the country by publishing the design in a newspaper.

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She really hoped that this would be a stepping stone to greater legal freedoms for women.

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To Amelia's delight, the article causes a sensation.

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Amelia was inundated with letters from women all over the country who wanted to know where they could buy a pattern to make the look for themselves.

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As word of the avant-garde creation spreads, Amelia's last name becomes synonymous with the garment.

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Bloomers.

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But when women around the country begin sporting the design in public, they're in for a surprise.

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Women had never worn anything like this before and they didn't know what to expect.

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It's 1851 in Seneca Falls, New York.

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Newspaper editor Amelia Bloomer has just presented a radical new style of clothing for women, dubbed Bloomers.

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She hopes that if women ditch their courses and don these pants,

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it will send a message that they mean to be liberated from the oppressive constraints of a male-dominated society.

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But what will the public think?

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When Amelia and others step out onto the streets in their billowy pants,

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the reaction from both men and some women is overwhelmingly negative.

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Have you no decency? But you've gone to church that way.

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They were being yelled at, they were being called unattractive, they were accused of trying to dress like men and act like men.

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In the press, the pantaloons and their wearers are mercilessly lampooned.

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Bloomers failed to catch on with Main Street America.

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Four years later, Amelia Bloomer stops publishing The Lily, but continues her work on behalf of women's rights until her death in 1894.

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As it turns out, she was three decades ahead of her time.

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In the 1890s, we see the rise of what's known as America's new woman.

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This is a new ideal in American femininity, where women are athletic there, beginning to take on more prominent public roles.

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The 19th century's last decade sees middle-class women increasingly venture outside the home as volunteers, as temperance advocates,

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as charities.

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Young women in particular rediscover Amelia's ideas about fashion and adopt bloomers as a symbol of their liberation.

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Once women started wearing trousers, it was really just a short step to greater political and economic freedom

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and the opportunity to work and be present in many other areas of American society.

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And today, in Seneca Falls, the legacy of feminism is celebrated by the bronze figure of Amelia Bloomer,

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wearing the iconic garment that inspired women to demand control over their wardrobe and ultimately, their lives.

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From a shadowy scientist to a suspicious star, a tragic climb to a courageous flight.

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I'm Don Wilder and these are the Mysteries at the Monument.