Seriously Amazing Objects

America is a land of incredible firsts.

We're gonna go up in something.

Intrepid explorers...

Indestructible icons...

And electrifying ideas.

I've always been afraid of those.

America's trailblazers changed the way we live.

You're the last survivor of the phoenix.

Right.

This is the smithsonian.

And this.

And this.

And this!

A hundred million artifacts.

Thousands of visitors a day.

And some lucky folks are about to be surprised.

Yeah!

If they can catch our eye or show what they know.

We're not going to get it.

- That was seinfeld. - Yeah, you got it.

They're going to see some seriously amazing objects.

My gosh!

Hi, I'm xavier carnegie,

And I've worked here at the smithsonian institution

For eight years.

With 19 museums,

Sometimes I feel like I need a guide to get around.

Actually I've got a question

About one of the most famous guides in history.

Let's see if I can find someone who has the answer.

All right, you guys, I have a question for you.

How do you pronounce this word here?

Sackaja-way-a?

Sackaja-wee-a.

Sackaja-way-a.

Pronounce this word.

Sa-kaga-way-a.

How did you know that was the right pronunciation?

We saw it on a tv show.

Ok,

That would be a good...

Kind of those educational shows.

That means I get to give you a surprise.

Do you guys want to see what I have for you?

Yes, we do.

Come with me.

We're going to go on an adventure, this way.

I'm taking frank and lisa to meet one of our senior curators.

Ok, well, hi.

Harry rubenstein

Is responsible for thousands of objects,

Including thomas jefferson's bible,

Abraham lincoln's top hat,

And over 20,000 political campaign buttons.

Gonna put these gloves on...

Today he's going to show them a priceless artifact,

An object that literally changed the direction of the country.

This small, little object

Is a compass,

Used during the lewis and clark expedition.

Wow.

In 1803,

Thomas jefferson dreamed of finding a waterway

Across the continent to the pacific.

Meriwether lewis, william clark,

And 31 other members of the corps of discovery

Set out to find that route.

They had no idea where they would go

Or how long it would take.

The expedition was a voyage into the unknown.

This small compass is a very rare witness

To the entire 7,689-mile journey.

So the first compass that went to the pacific and back?

Yes.

- That's really cool. - Wow.

When they got back, after almost two years,

What was important for them

Were their journals and the specimens.

And so all the scientific instruments were sold off.

And this is the only one that still survives.

Really?

Is it just me, or is it still working?

It still works.

I mean, it's a great little device.

It makes me want to go out and use a compass.

It's kind of cool.

Ok, frank, careful what you wish for.

I'm going to put frank and lisa to the test...

Lewis and clark style.

They will have to orienteer their way

Through eight acres of thick forest

With just a compass and a few waypoints to guide them.

Here's the twist:

It's girl vs. Boy,

Each with their own mini corps of discovery.

The winning team makes it out of the wilds first.

Alright, good luck, guys.

On your mark, get set, go!

- This way. - Over here. Come on.

66 degrees is down that trail.

North is the red, right?

Right here.

On may 14, 1804,

The corps set out from st. Louis.

The expedition had three boats, two horses, 15 rifles,

And this handheld compass.

There was no guarantee they would ever make it home.

Head to the tall red barn by traveling...

340 degrees north.

So far,

Our guys have been out here for less than an hour.

The expedition lived off the land

For two and a half years.

Since north is that way, 266 degrees is down that trail.

I don't see anything up there.

In this game, the boys seem to have the edge.

But lewis and clark wouldn't have made it far

Without their female guide, sacagawea.

Head to the tree stream crossing,

Traveling 230 degrees south.

We're going down that way.

Lisa and frank's teams are almost out of the woods.

Just a few more coordinates to find.

After 18 months, william clark thought his expedition

Had finally reached the pacific.

In his journal he wrote:

"ocean in view. The joy!"

I see it!

Today's teams also think the end is in sight.

Head to the campsite by traveling 50 degrees north

From the end of the zipline.

But a zipline wasn't part of the plan.

Ok, we should probably take a vote.

I'm scared of heights.

I think one of you guys should go.

I'm just gonna pin it on you.

Yeah, me, too.

You pick on the old guy, right?

Yeah!

Although lewis and clark paddled raging rapids,

Mapped new terrain,

And crossed the snow-capped rockies on foot...

Me?

I'm afraid to.

I'll do it.

They never had to do this.

Here we go.

Aaah!

Bye! Bye!

Bye!

That was awesome!

How did it look?

Awesome!

Yeah? So where are we headed now?

Down that trail?

Ok, that way.

Over the past few hours,

The teams have crossed mighty streams,

Conquered the treetops,

And navigated miles of uncharted trails.

It's a race to the finish.

Yes, we made it!

Girls! You made it!

It looks like you guys are the first ones here.

I think you are the winners!

The girls made sacagawea proud.

Gentlemen.

Gentlemen.

But everyone made it through.

Good job, guys.

What did you learn along the way?

We learned that we're pretty good

At using a map and using a compass.

Very good!

In 1806, the expedition returned to st. Louis.

They had drawn around 140 new maps,

Encountered three dozen indian tribes,

And laid claim to the oregon territory.

America was now a coast-to-coast nation,

And this small compass was there for it all.

You look at this,

And you can sort of imagine,

You know, what did it mean to go out and explore a territory

That had never been seen by anybody that you knew.

This compass embodies in many ways

This whole sort of generations,

Hundreds of years of exploration,

Into this one simple thing.

- It's gorgeous, too. - It is, isn't it?

Thankfully at least somebody had some sense

That they'd at least a small token

Of that large moment in history,

And saved this object.

It's very cool.

Lewis and clark

Discovered over 130 new animal species

On their trip west.

They encountered one that once numbered in the billions

And was extinct just a century later.

I'm going to see if anyone here can guess the species.