On May 11, 1934, a dust storm two miles high turned daylight into darkness and carried America’s soil into the Atlantic Ocean. But this wasn’t just a weather event—it was the collapse of a dangerous illusion.

Seven miles down, where sunlight never reaches and pressure can crush steel, life still finds a way. Meet the Mariana Trench—the deepest place on Earth—and the creatures, science, and protections that make it extraordinary.

The first gold rush in U.S. history began not in California, but in North Carolina—thanks to a doorstop, a 12-year-old boy, and a lucky find in a creek.