French explorer Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville plants a flag in a swamp and dares it to become one of the greatest cities in the world. Against all odds, it works.

France secretly hands Louisiana over to Spain. The locals revolt and kick out the first Spanish governor. Spain sends a second one with a much bigger army.

A fire breaks out on Good Friday and destroys nearly the entire city. Six years later, on December 8, 1794, a second fire finishes the job. The Spanish rebuild it in their own style, which is why the "French Quarter" actually looks Spanish. The iron balconies, courtyards, and stucco walls? All Spanish.

Napoleon sells the entire Louisiana territory to the United States for about $15 million. The Louisiana Purchase doubles the size of the young country overnight, and New Orleans becomes its crown jewel.

Andrew Jackson teams up with a pirate named Jean Lafitte to defeat the British at the Battle of New Orleans. Lafitte then goes right back to pirating.

Creole pharmacist Antoine Peychaud starts mixing brandy and his secret bitters for friends at his Royal Street apothecary. The Sazerac cocktail is born, and New Orleans never looks back.

Cotton and sugar money make New Orleans one of the wealthiest cities in America. American newcomers, unwelcome in the Creole French Quarter, build their own stunning neighborhood upriver: the Garden District.

The Mistick Krewe of Comus stages the first organized Mardi Gras parade, transforming a rowdy street celebration into the spectacular tradition of floats, krewes, and throws that defines the city to this day.

Storyville, the city's infamous red-light district, opens and becomes a hotbed for early jazz musicians. The genre grows out of brass band traditions, blues, and the vibrant musical culture of neighborhoods like Tremé, and New Orleans becomes the birthplace of America's most original art form.

Preservation Hall opens its doors in the French Quarter, ensuring that traditional New Orleans jazz will never die.

After 300 years of revolutions, pirates, and jazz legends, New Orleans takes on its next great challenge — the wedding of Brittany and Corey...and you're all invited.