Mysteries at the Museum

Host Don Wildman studies the inspiration behind a famous play, examine a strange device, and visit a Renaissance sculpture.

Host Don Wildman examines a bird specimen, tiny camera, and popularity of poker.

The underground gallery at the West 14th Street subway stop in New York City boasts a whimsical sculpture of an alligator emerging from a manhole. Although this work of art is fantastical, it depicts a monster that may have been lurking in the city sewers. Amongst the San Diego Automotive Museum's collection of iconic cars is a one-of-a-kind souped up automobile. Its custom modifications greased the wheel for an incredible and record-breaking journey. Paul Revere is remembered by history for his famous Midnight Ride. But an 18th Century advertisement at the Boston Athenaeum speaks to a seldom told chapter in the life of the American patriot - one that saw him practicing a very unusual trade.

Among the many artifacts in the the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago, Illinois is a multi-chambered glass device invented by famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, who hoped to cure a relative of a grave heart condition. At the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, is a historic collection of automobiles and other national treasures. But among this Americana is a set of items that were involved in one of the famed industrialist's most audacious gambles -- a venture in the Brazilian rainforest that ended in destruction and financial loss. And the Harvard University campus boasts a natural history collection with 21 million animal specimens: the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Hidden in its storage area is a rare creature: the preserved body of an Indian forest owlet. Once thought to be extinct, this bird served as evidence in a bizarre case of deception that rewrote 20th century ornithology - not once, but twice.

A precious metal that cured alcoholism; disgruntled spouses in Reno; the mystery around a president's untimely death.

Examining a plane; Beethoven's metronome; a musical instrument.

A forged European painting; eight tiny boxes that looked like coffins; a mysterious rubber block washed up on the beach.

Inspecting a presidential paperweight, jewelry and a wartime cage.

Inspecting a police notebook, an old microphone and an iconic sign.