Shaka Stories

[Transcript] Giant kelp is a kind of seaweed. Now, kelp can stretch more than a hundred feet from the rocky seafloor up to the ocean surface. And just like a forest on land, the kelp shelters an incredible variety of life.  Rockfish and perch weave through the fonds, finding food and protection. Down at the bottom, abalone and sea urchin graze, slowly working away at the kelp roots. Crabs and sea...

[Transcript] In the United States, perhaps no stretch of highway is as storied as Big Sur. So, what exactly is that story? Well, depending on who you ask, Big Sur's southernmost point is somewhere around Cambria, San Simeon, or even Morro Bay. There's no official start or end point, but generally people think it starts around here and ends at Monterey.  Now, wherever you consider its bou...

[Transcript] Picture California in 1849. With the Mexican-American war over, California exchanged hands from Mexico to the U.S. And at the same time, the gold rush had brought tens of thousands of newcomers, mostly Anglo-Americans. For the Spanish-speaking families who had lived here for generations, known as Californios, their world was changing fast.  And that was especially true for a man named...

[Transcript] Sometimes, when I'm in German Village, I feel that if I listen closely, I can almost hear the echoes of the old world. The rhythmic clatter of horse-drawn wagons on brick streets. The hum of neighbors speaking German and English drifting from open windows. And in the evenings, piano or fiddle music spilling out of a tavern, blending with the hiss of coal stoves and the barking of...

[Transcript] Personally, I think the size of the memorial is fitting for a man who spent his life contemplating the mysteries of the universe and left us with such a big legacy. And unlike most monuments in Washington, DC, this one actively invites you to climb on up there, take a seat and commune with the genius. So this tribute to Einstein was unveiled on April 22nd, 1979 on what would have been...

[Transcript] Now, when you hear FDR, what comes to mind? The Great Depression, the New Deal, World War II. Well, one of FDR's biggest flexes, as the kids say, is that he's the only president in history to serve four terms in office. And he's also the reason the Constitution now limits presidential terms. Let's go back to the very beginning of American democracy, George Washingt...

[Transcript] This is a living archive that preserves the American story in all of its forms. People often ask, can you check out books from the Library of Congress? And the answer is no, nothing leaves the building. Members of Congress and a few top officials can have materials brought to them, but for everyone else, the collections stay right here. The Library of Congress was the idea of the Foun...

[Transcript] The Polynesian sport of surfing is thousands of years old. It was introduced to Western audiences here in California in the late 1800s, but the person most responsible for growing surfing culture in California came a bit later. His name was Duke Kahanamoku. Duke was born in 1890 in Honolulu. He was a native Hawaiian, a natural athlete, and as a kid he spent a lot of time out in the wa...

[Transcript] Pismo Beach usually has one of the largest concentrations of butterflies of any of the groves across California. And here's an interesting tidbit. The monarchs that migrate here have never been here before. You see, like most insects, monarchs have very short lifespans. So, the butterflies that show up every winter are actually four generations removed from last year's winte...

[Transcript] By the middle of the American Civil War, in 1863, the Union Army was beginning to run low on soldiers. And so, President Abraham Lincoln called for the creation of black regiments. And one of the first states to do so was Massachusetts, establishing the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment.  Although the men serving in the 54th were black, the officers were still white. But...

[Transcript] Are you facing the old Custom House? You should see a wide staircase and a columned entrance. This building dates back to 1819 and once housed offices for the U.S. Custom Service collectors and other officials. Ship captains would come here to pay their duties on the goods they imported. That money went to support and run the federal government. If the front doors are open, you can cl...

[Transcript]  In 1881, a Chicago-based businessman named Francis Beidler and his friend B.F. Ferguson formed the Santee River Cypress Lumber Company. Their goal was pretty straightforward but bold, harvest the vast old-growth cypress forests of the Congaree floodplain and supply the booming cities of America with its prized rot-resistant wood. Beidler and Ferguson saw a good opportunity here and t...

[Transcript] So, are you standing in front of the witch house? It's the dark house right on the corner of Essex and North. It looks pretty good for being over 400 years old, right? The old black-timbered witch house, which has a foundation dating all the way back to 1620, holds a special connection to the Salem witch trials. Let me tell you about it on the other side of the house, which has a...

[Transcript] All right, do you have a place to sit or perhaps lean against? We're just one block away from the former home of Bridget Bishop. She lived just down Washington Street from here. We'll pass by her place later. Bridget was accused of witchcraft by some of the young girls in April of 1692. Bridget may have been targeted because, again, she lived outside conventional social circ...

[Transcript] Welcome to the Granary Burying Ground. If it's open, let's wander into the cemetery. But please, no leaning or sitting on the gravestones.  And they also ask that you keep off the grass. If the gates aren't open, you can still take a peek through the iron posts. So maybe the first thing you saw was the big gravestone in the middle that says Franklin.  That is the final...

[Transcript] So, anyone up for a little ghost story? And just a disclaimer, this story might not be suitable for young children, so earmuffs, kids. Now, there's a pretty good chance that you're listening to this track while waiting for Old Faithful to put on a show. When you got to the viewing area, you drove past that impressive Old Faithful Inn, right? The Old Faithful Inn that you see...

[Transcript] When you’re in Puna, it’s a must that you visit the Mackenzie State Park Area. This is kind of a remote and peaceful place with tall ironwood trees that line the road. But don’t get fooled by this serene appearance. This park actually has a pretty spooky history! Continue reading, and let me tell you some creepy legends about this place.  The first story starts with the creation of th...

 20-year-old Jennie Wade was the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg. The home where she died is preserved as the Jennie Wade House Museum, and it’s possible that Jennie’s spirit never left. Visitors and guides tell of cold spots, doors opening on their own, and even the scent of fresh bread drifting through empty rooms. 

[Transcript] Alrighty, we'll stick around the visitor center a few more minutes before we get moving, and I'll share what triggered the witch trials. It would take much longer than the length of this tour to share every detail about this historic tragedy, but I'll do my best to summarize the facts as we go along. I'll introduce you to some of the people involved and share the m...

[Transcript] Okay, folks, allow me to set the scene with an excerpt from one of my favorite childhood books. His stories were what frightened people most of all, dreadful stories they were about hanging and walking the plank and storms at sea and the dry Tortugas and wild deeds and places on the Spanish Main. Can anyone name the book? If you said Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, you&apos...

Deep beneath the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, crews toiled in brutal, suffocating conditions to carve out one of the most ambitious engineering projects of its time—the Gunnison Tunnel. In this tense episode, we follow Foreman Grasser on what begins as a routine morning shift in the dark, sweltering depths. But when the tunnel’s ceiling gives way without warning, the day turns into a fight for su...

 At Great Sand Dunes National Park, life fights for every drop of water and breath of air. In this episode, we explore the shifting sands where prairie sunflowers, morning glories, and resilient grasses cling to survival, while lizards and tiger beetles battle the heat and each other in a race for life. From blazing midday temperatures to sudden summer storms, discover how this ever-changing deser...

[Transcript] Are you looking at the prairie? So what do you see out there? In the heart of the windswept plains lies one of the most iconic and important inhabitants of the prairie, the prairie dog. Welcome to lifestyles of the small, black-tailed and furry. Sorry, that was my very bad Robin Leach impression.  That one's going out to all my fellow Gen Xers out there. The prairie dog wakes up...

John was born free in Richmond, Virginia, and he moved to Boston in the 1840s. Here he became a barber, a community activist, and even a state legislator. He lived in this house from 1878 to 1893, but one of the most interesting stories of his life happened much earlier. You see, decades before, his barbershop was much more than a business. It was a center of abolitionist activity. John J. Smith w...