1

Bodie, California

Image: Michael & Diane Weidner

This former gold-mining hub in the Sierra Nevada once boasted nearly 10,000 residents, dozens of saloons, and a reputation for being one of the wildest towns in the West. Today, it's preserved in a state of "arrested decay," meaning the buildings are maintained exactly as they were found, complete with dishes still on tables and goods still on store shelves .

The California State Parks system manages Bodie, which means it's well-maintained but authentically eerie. About 200 buildings still stand, including a church, schoolhouse, and that infamous red-light district (though considerably quieter now).

2

Jerome, Arizona

Image: Strange Happenings

Perched impossibly on Cleopatra Hill in central Arizona, Jerome has pulled off the ultimate comeback story. This former copper mining town was literally sliding down the mountain in the 1950s, but instead of becoming a pile of rubble at the bottom, it reinvented itself as an artist colony and tourist destination. Today, it's one of the few ghost towns where you can actually spend the night, grab dinner, and browse art galleries .

The town's steep streets are lined with buildings that seem to defy gravity, and many claim the place is seriously haunted: the Jerome Grand Hotel, a former hospital, supposedly has particularly active spirits. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, you'll definitely believe in the impressive engineering it took to build a town on a 30-degree slope.

3

Rhyolite, Nevada

Image: Dino Reichmuth

In 1905, this place exploded from nothing to a town of 5,000 people in just two years, complete with electric lights, a stock exchange, and even an opera house. Then the financial panic of 1907 hit, the mines proved less profitable than hoped, and by 1916, the lights went out for good.

What makes Rhyolite especially photogenic are the ruins themselves—massive concrete structures and the famous Bottle House, built entirely from beer and liquor bottles . The three-story bank building and the remnants of the jail are particularly impressive, showing just how convinced everyone was that this town would last forever.

4

St. Elmo, Colorado

Image: Arturo Rivera

Tucked in the Sawatch Range at 10,000 feet, St. Elmo is Colorado's best-preserved ghost town and one of the most visited. Founded in 1880 as a mining and rail hub, it once had a population of 2,000 people and all the amenities a Victorian-era miner could want.

What really sets St. Elmo apart is accessibility and atmosphere. It's an easy drive from nearby towns, and during the summer months, a few seasonal residents actually run the general store, selling snacks and souvenirs .

5

Bannack, Montana

Image: Donald Merrill

Montana's first territorial capital, Bannack, sprang up in 1862 after gold was discovered in Grasshopper Creek. Within a year, it had 3,000 residents and a serious problem with road agents (fancy term for bandits). The town's sheriff, Henry Plummer, turned out to be secretly leading the gang of robbers—one of the West's great scandals. After Plummer was hanged by vigilantes in 1864, Bannack settled down, but eventually, the gold ran out, and so did the people. The last residents left in the 1970s.

Now a well-preserved state park, Bannack features over 60 structures you can explore, including the hotel, church, schoolhouse, and Plummer's old jail . They even host a popular "Bannack Days" event each July with period costumes, demonstrations, and activities.

6

Grafton, Utah

Image: Arturo Rivera

This tiny Mormon settlement near Zion National Park has been featured in dozens of movies and commercials, most famously in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Founded in 1859, Grafton struggled with flooding from the Virgin River, conflicts with Native Americans, and general isolation. By 1944, the last resident had left, but unlike many ghost towns, Grafton's buildings were later restored and maintained by preservation groups.

Today, only a handful of structures remain—a schoolhouse, a church, and a few cabins—but they're set against absolutely spectacular red rock canyon scenery . The Grafton Cemetery, still maintained by descendants, sits on a hill with jaw-dropping views. It's free to visit, though donations are encouraged for preservation efforts.

7

Terlingua, Texas

Image: Glen Carrie

Once a thriving mercury mining town with 2,000 residents, it collapsed in the 1940s when the mines closed. Today, it's home to about 60 full-time residents, plus a rotating cast of artists, wanderers, and people who just couldn't handle civilization anymore.

The original townsite features impressive ruins of the Chisos Mining Company headquarters, a crumbling movie theater, and a cemetery with elaborate Mexican grave decorations . But the real attraction is the eccentric present-day community that's grown up around the ruins. You can stay in unique lodgings, eat at the famous Starlight Theatre, and experience some of the darkest night skies in the continental US.

8

Garnet, Montana

Image: Natalie Nicks

Located deep in Montana's mountains about 35 miles from Missoula, this gold mining town boomed in the 1890s with about 1,000 residents. The last 11 miles are on a rough dirt road that's impassable in winter, but that difficulty is exactly why Garnet remains so well-preserved and authentic. Casual tourists don't make the trek, which means you'll likely share the site with only serious ghost town enthusiasts.

About 30 buildings still stand, including the surprisingly intact Kelly's Saloon, complete with bar and furnishings . The Bureau of Land Management maintains the site and even offers rustic cabin rentals if you want to spend the night.

9

Centralia, Pennsylvania

Image: Megs Harrison

This isn't a Wild West mining town—it's a modern ghost town with an underground coal fire that's been burning since 1962 and could continue for another 250 years. At its peak, Centralia had over 1,000 residents. Today, fewer than five people remain in what's become one of America's most surreal abandoned places. The fire releases toxic gases through cracks in the ground, and the heat has buckled roads into impossible angles.

The most famous feature is the graffiti-covered section of abandoned Route 61, where smoke sometimes rises through cracks in the pavement . Most buildings have been demolished, but the street grid remains, marked by empty lots and crumbling foundations. It inspired the video game and film "Silent Hill," and it's easy to see why—the place feels genuinely otherworldly. Technically, Centralia is off-limits, and Pennsylvania has tried to discourage visitors due to safety concerns about the underground fire.

10

Calico, California

Image: Volodymyr Hotsyk

Founded in 1881 after a major silver strike, it boomed to 1,200 residents before the silver price crash killed it in the 1890s. Unlike other ghost towns on this list, Calico was reconstructed and restored as a theme-park-style attraction in the 1950s by Walter Knott.

Today, Calico is a San Bernardino County park with restored buildings, shops, restaurants, and even staged gunfights on weekends . You can tour a genuine silver mine, pan for "gold" (spoiler: you'll find some), and ride a narrow-gauge railroad. About half the buildings are original, and half are reconstructions, giving you the ghost town experience without the sadness of actual decay.

1

The Everest

Image: Martin Jernberg

James Whittaker made history as the first American to achieve one of the most difficult things in the world.

In 1963 , Whittaker, then 34 years old , became the first American to reach the summit of the highest mountain on the planet, Mount Everest , as part of the American Mount Everest Expedition led by Norman Dyhrenfurth.

Facing challenging weather and low temperatures, Seattle-born Whittaker conquered the summit of the Himalayan giant, which stands at 29,035 feet high! Can you picture yourself on such an expedition?

2

The astronauts

Image: NASA

The 1960s definitely transformed history, marking a period when humanity first traveled into outer space. The first American to reach space was Alan Shepard on May 5, 1961 . After a successful flight of 15 minutes and 22 seconds, Shepard's spacecraft splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean. Shepard didn’t complete an orbit of Earth on that trip, but John Glenn arrived and became the first American to orbit our planet on February 20, 1962 .

Of course, these amazing achievements were necessary for Neil Armstrong to take his historic step onto the lunar surface on July 20, 1969 , becoming the first American -and the very first human- to do so.

Want to know who was the first American woman in space ? The title went to Sally Ride , who reached outer space in 1983 .

3

The Skyscraper

Image: Pedro Lastra

Yes, skyscrapers dominate the skyline of many cities in our country today. However, there was a time when there were none. And the title of America's first skyscraper went to the Home Insurance Building in Chicago.

Designed by architect William Le Baron Jenney and completed in 1885 , it was the first to use a structural steel frame. Although iconic and unique in its time, it was demolished in 1931 to build what is now the Bank of America Building.

4

The Nobel

Image: caleb weiner

You'll be happy to know that the first Nobel Prize won by an American was in the Peace category. It was awarded to none other than Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 for his role and contribution to ending the Russo-Japanese War.

Roosevelt stood out precisely for inviting representatives from Russia and Japan to a peace conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1905. Of course, the task was not an easy one, but Teddy was determined. His efforts ended in a historic peace agreement known worldwide as The Treaty of Portsmouth.

5

The flight

Image: History in HD

The Wright brothers ' story is one of the most famous. Coming from Dayton, Ohio , these two brothers are credited with inventing the first powered airplane and making the world's first successful flight with it.

But which of them was the first American to fly? Well, it seems Wilbur Wright, the older of the two, gave the honor to his younger brother. So, it was Orville who made history as the first to pilot the successful aircraft.

Orville piloted the first sustained flight of a powered aircraft in December 1903 near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina . His flight lasted 12 seconds and flew a distance of 120 feet. True pioneers!

6

The University

Image: Somesh Kesarla Suresh

388 years is a really long time, right? Well, that's the amount of time that has passed since the first university was founded in the territory of what would eventually become the United States of America.

We are talking about the prestigious Harvard University , born in 1636 in what was then the Massachusetts Bay Colony , with the aim of training clergy. Originally called "New College," the institution was later renamed Harvard College in honor of John Harvard , its first major benefactor.

7

The baseball team

Image: Caitlin Conner

Whether you prefer football, ice hockey, baseball, or basketball, it's undeniable that these four sports best represent our nation.

But only one has earned the title of "America's pastime." Of course, we're talking about baseball . One of the most popular sports today, it was also the earliest to establish a professional team.

The Cincinnati Red Stockings , established in 1869 , were the first professional baseball team in our country. When all the teams were still amateur, the Red Stockings became the first team with paid players, leading the way for the rest of the teams and for the eventual establishment of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in 1871.

8

The Flag

Image: Samuel Branch

Every independent country needs a flag to symbolize its identity and ideals. The US flag , in particular, has gone through a series of changes that show the nation's journey through history. First hoisted by George Washington on January 1, 1776 , at Prospect Hill in Somerville, Massachusetts , our first National Flag was born during the years of the Revolution .

Known as the "Continental Colors," this unofficial flag was adopted in 1775 as a symbol of the Continental Army . Its design had 13 red and white stripes , symbolizing the 13 original colonies, and the Union Jack in the upper left corner.

As the Revolutionary War progressed, the Continental Congress considered a series of changes to our flag to better represent the united colonies and their desire for independence. Thus came the "Stars and Stripes" new design on June 14, 1777 , which replaced the Union Jack with 13 white stars, initially often arranged in a circle.

9

The Oscar

Image: Mirko Fabian

If you are a movie enthusiast , this fact is probably already in your memory. And if you're not, it's still a good fact worth knowing.

The first Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929 , and featured nominations for classic films like The Racket and Seventh Heaven , both released in 1927.

But the movie that stole the show was Wings , also from 1927 , directed by William A. Wellman and starring Clara Bow, Charles Rogers, and Richard Arlen. This silent film about WWI was the very first to win the category then known as "Outstanding Picture," which today we call "Best Picture." It was notable for its realistic aerial battles and special effects of excellent quality for its time. If you haven't seen it yet, this is your cue to do so!

10

The National Park

Image: Austin Farrington

From expansive deserts to dense forests, and from delightful beaches to impressive mountains, our country's landscapes and biodiversity are truly amazing.

Many of these natural sites have earned the title of National Parks , which guarantees their protection and conservation for the joy of locals and tourists. And while today we have many national parks to visit, there was once a first.

The very first was the great Yellowstone National Park , designated by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872 . Located in the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, this natural site set a precedent for the conservation of our land's natural areas. Have you already visited it?

1

The Great Gatsby , F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)

Image: Girl with red hat

Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the most iconic authors of the so-called "Lost Generation", The Great Gatsby portrays the dark side of the American dream . The protagonist, the mysterious and apparently frivolous millionaire Jay Gatsby, is obsessed with winning back a woman he loved in his youth. Set in the Jazz Age, Fitzgerald’s book raises the contradictions between the power of money and the most intimate individual aspirations.

Published in 1925, The Great Gatsby is one of the greatest masterpieces of American fiction . Since then, it has sold millions of copies all over the world, has had numerous theatrical and film adaptations, and was chosen as the best American novel of the 20th century on several occasions.

2

The Sound and the Fury , William Faulkner (1929)

Image: Brandi Redd

Published in 1929, The Sound and the Fury is William Faulkner's fourth novel and is considered the greatest opus of this Nobel Laureate . It chronicles the decadence of the Compsons, an aristocratic family in the American South, their secrets, and the relationships of love and hate that sustain and destroy them.

The Sound and the Fury is a profound and heartbreaking exploration of decay, despair, and loss . Faulkner's innovative narrative technique, while challenging, allows for an intimate and visceral portrayal of the characters. The novel also addresses issues of race, gender, and class with admirable narrative prowess.

3

The Old Man and the Sea , Ernest Hemingway (1952)

Image: MonicaVolpin

The Old Man and the Sea was the last novel published by Ernest Hemingway during his lifetime. For it, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 and it undoubtedly contributed to the Nobel Prize for Literature he was awarded in 1954.

The novel tells the story of Santiago, an old and experienced fisherman who embarks on a grueling three-day battle when he finally manages to catch a huge marlin. The Old Man and the Sea is considered one of the masterpieces of universal literature that has captivated readers around the world for decades . Its message about perseverance, dignity, and the search for life’s meaning is still relevant today. The novel is a must-read for anyone interested in literature and human nature.

4

In Cold Blood , Truman Capote (1965)

Image: Brandi Redd

On November 15, 1959, in a small Kansas town called Holcomb, the four members of the Clutter family, a married couple and their two teenage children, were savagely murdered by Dick Hickcock and Perry Smith.

Based on these gruesome events, the American novelist Truman Capote managed to turn around his career as a storyteller by writing In Cold Blood , the novel that definitively established him as one of the great authors of twentieth-century American literature. This book catapulted him as the pioneer of the New Journalism literary movement , a non-fiction genre that became popular in the 1960s for narrating stories based on real events.

5

The Catcher in the Rye , J. D. Salinger (1951)

Image: Gratisography

The Catcher in the Rye , written by the great J. D. Salinger, is a contemporary novel that has become a classic of modern literature. At the time of its publication in 1951, it provoked numerous controversies for its provocative language and its unabashed portrayal of teenage struggles, such as sexuality, the loss of innocence, and the transition to adulthood.

The Catcher in the Rye could be framed within the Bildungsroman —a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist. It follows Holden Caulfield, a teenager who, after being expelled from school, gets lost in New York trying to find his way in the world. The novel is rich in symbolism and themes , and the literary style and narrative technique are unique and exceptional.

6

American Pastoral , Philip Roth (1997)

Image: Arno Senoner

Published in 1997, American Pastoral is the novel that earned Philip Roth the Pulitzer Prize and is the first in the well-known "American Trilogy", a series of novels narrated by Nathan Zuckerman, the author's alter ego. With the Vietnam War as a backdrop, this book is a lucid tale that questions American values during the end of the happy sixties.

In American Pastoral we find Roth at his best: deep, intense, incisive, magnificent . His ability to build a universe of complex characters and dig into their psychologies is astounding and overwhelming. Few writers have managed to capture the contradictions of American society as he has done.

7

Beloved , Toni Morrison (1987)

Image: Artis Kančs

Beloved , published in 1987 by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, takes place in the aftermath of the American Civil War . The novel tells the story of an African-American slave, Margaret Garner, who escapes from Kentucky to Ohio, a free state.

Magic realism runs throughout the entire book and manifests through the ghostly presence of Beloved's character. Morrison uses this technique to explore collective memory and the persistence of the past . The novel is considered a masterpiece of contemporary literature and has been acclaimed for its innovative writing style and its exploration of sensitive subjects such as slavery, freedom, identity, and memory.

8

On the Road , Jack Kerouac (1957)

Image: Daria Kraplak

On the Road is a semi-autobiographical novel in which Jack Kerouac recounts a series of trips he made across the United States and Mexico with his friend Neal Cassady. Inspired by his passion for jazz, Kerouac developed the idea of a book that would be a great improvised prose solo . He wrote it on his typewriter on a long, single roll of paper in just three weeks.

A cornerstone of the so-called "Beat Generation," On the Road was published in September 1957, after 6 years of delay due to the publisher's reservations about the explicit contents. At the time, this emblematic book had a major impact, especially on the younger readers of the 60s. Today, On the Road is still considered one of the great American novels of the 20th century for capturing the rebellious spirit of an entire generation.

9

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter , Carson McCullers (1940)

Image: Faith Enck

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is a literary masterpiece that continues to resonate in the hearts of readers, even though it was published more than 60 years ago. Set in a small southern town, it tells the story of a group of people who have in common the rejection of a society that ignores them.

This is Carson McCullers' first novel, written when she was only twenty-three years old. She masterfully captures the essence of loneliness and the search for human connection in a way that transcends time. With a moving narrative and unforgettable characters, the novel has received critical acclaim and has earned a prominent place in literary history.

10

The Grapes of Wrath , John Steinbeck (1939)

Image: Sonder Quest

We couldn't leave The Grapes of Wrath, 1940 Pulitzer Prize winner , out of this list. In this harrowing book, Nobel laureate John Steinbeck narrates the difficult journey of a family of farmers who, beset by hunger and misery, leave the fields of Oklahoma to reach the golden shores of California, the promised land.

First published in 1939, The Grapes of Wrath is a seminal work in American literature that explores the conflict between the rich and the poor and reflects the horrors of the Great Depression with sensitivity and sharp insight. Steinbeck's chronicle of the shameful mistreatment of 1930s families is perhaps the most "American" of all American classics.