At the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a simple cloth badge recalls an ambitious teenager's science experiment that endangered an entire town. The World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis, Missouri is home to a hand-carved chess set that was once used in a crucial match at the height of the 20th century's most dramatic political standoff. And at the University of New Mexico's Museum of Southwestern Biology, a number of eerie animal specimens once incited deadly panic throughout the region.

Don investigates a postal box that embarked on a gravity-defying journey, a traditional Viking vessel that sailed into the annals of modern history on an intrepid sea voyage, and a handmade talisman that weaves a tale of terror and courage on the American frontier.