Smithsonian Channel

Experts uncover the secrets of the Parthenon and of ancient Athens.

Host Mike Davidson goes to the remote Atacama Desert in Chile; at observatory ALMA he works alongside the expert team as they repair some of the world's biggest antennas.

An archaeological investigation of an ancient Scottish battlefield uncovers a vast array of ballistic weaponry; x-ray scans reveal it came from a secret weapon called a manuballista, the Roman Empire's equivalent of an assault rifle.

The day after the incident, helicopter crews brave deadly radioactive smoke to extinguish the fire raging in the reactor core; as 50,000 locals evacuate, Soviet authorities try to conceal the scale and human cost of the accident.

The scale of World War II grows as the United States joins the war; explore the operations where Allied commando troops raid the Norwegian coast.

The North American F-100 Super Saber, also known as the Hun, becomes a supersonic powerhouse after initial difficulties; it was used primarily in the Vietnam War.

There are many stories behind the 1940 Battle of Britain, like pilot Bill Millington who sacrifices himself to save civilians.

The scale of World War II grows as the United States joins the war; explore the operations where Allied commando troops raid the Norwegian coast.

The North American F-100 Super Saber, also known as the Hun, becomes a supersonic powerhouse after initial difficulties; it was used primarily in the Vietnam War.

There are many stories behind the 1940 Battle of Britain, like pilot Bill Millington who sacrifices himself to save civilians.

The scale of World War II grows as the United States joins the war; explore the operations where Allied commando troops raid the Norwegian coast.

The North American F-100 Super Saber, also known as the Hun, becomes a supersonic powerhouse after initial difficulties; it was used primarily in the Vietnam War.

The American Museum of Natural History in NYC gets a cave-like extension; an arts center inspired by migrating birds is built on a lake in China; Boston University gains a fossil-free, Jenga-like tower.

Host Mike Davidson goes to the remote Atacama Desert in Chile; at observatory ALMA he works alongside the expert team as they repair some of the world's biggest antennas.

Tackling the grade 6 rapids and untamed waters of the Buller River on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island, blessed by a Māori elder of the Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō.

Explores strongholds abandoned by their architects; a lost city in the Amazon jungle; a desert fortress made by humanity's most notorious empire; explores a city of identical castles; examines a Greek isle's bloody history from the air.

Salvor and treasure seeker Phil Risko sets out to retrieve valuable 80-year-old hardwood logs from the bottom of the sea; a multi-million dollar cruise vessel undergoes emergency repairs in Panama.

Tackling the grade 6 rapids and untamed waters of the Buller River on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island, blessed by a Māori elder of the Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō.

Explores strongholds abandoned by their architects; a lost city in the Amazon jungle; a desert fortress made by humanity's most notorious empire; explores a city of identical castles; examines a Greek isle's bloody history from the air.

The British Avro Vulcan pushes the boundaries of long-distance flying, completing one of the longest bombing raids in history during the 1982 Falklands War.

Find out how the highly adaptable Douglas DC-3 revolutionized air travel, flying farther and more safely than previous commercial aircraft; Then discover how this model reinvented itself as a cargo- and paratrooper-carrying workhorse for the Allies.

Get to know the Supermarine Spitfire, which changed the fate of an entire nation in 1940; explore this legendary fighter's superior engineering and see how its revolutionary elliptical wings helped it emerge victorious in the Battle of Britain.

Salute the Boeing 747, a massive airliner designed to carry more passengers than was ever thought possible in the 1960s. Discover the engineering innovations and the high-stakes risks it took to bring the aptly named Queen of the Skies to life.

Racing to the top with the Concorde, the world's first supersonic passenger jet.

In 1981, the F-117 Nighthawk became the world's first stealth aircraft; explore how its futuristic design made this unconventional aircraft all but invisible to radar; a decade after its inception, the Nighthawk was put to the test in the Gulf War.

During World War II, the B-17 became a formidable fortress of the skies; uncover the technological and strategic innovations that made the B-17 a key to D-Day success, and later, Allied victory.

The North American F-100 Super Saber, also known as the Hun, becomes a supersonic powerhouse after initial difficulties; it was used primarily in the Vietnam War.

There are many stories behind the 1940 Battle of Britain, like pilot Bill Millington who sacrifices himself to save civilians.

Allies slug it out on the island of Peleliu in a campaign to pave the way for Gen. MacArthur's return to the Philippines; footage shows troops enduring the muddy muck in the Philippines; Japan unveils a devastating new tactic, the kamikaze.

Germany's selection of strange bedfellows in the form of despots and dictators comes back to haunt them.

Track German tank commander Georg Gaertner, vanishes from a U.S. POW camp and eludes the FBI for 40 years; learn how two escaped Auschwitz prisoners help save countless lives and how Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann is finally brought to justice.

Allies slug it out on the island of Peleliu in a campaign to pave the way for Gen. MacArthur's return to the Philippines; footage shows troops enduring the muddy muck in the Philippines; Japan unveils a devastating new tactic, the kamikaze.

Germany's selection of strange bedfellows in the form of despots and dictators comes back to haunt them.

Track German tank commander Georg Gaertner, vanishes from a U.S. POW camp and eludes the FBI for 40 years; learn how two escaped Auschwitz prisoners help save countless lives and how Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann is finally brought to justice.

Allies slug it out on the island of Peleliu in a campaign to pave the way for Gen. MacArthur's return to the Philippines; footage shows troops enduring the muddy muck in the Philippines; Japan unveils a devastating new tactic, the kamikaze.

Germany's selection of strange bedfellows in the form of despots and dictators comes back to haunt them.

Track German tank commander Georg Gaertner, vanishes from a U.S. POW camp and eludes the FBI for 40 years; learn how two escaped Auschwitz prisoners help save countless lives and how Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann is finally brought to justice.

Explores strongholds abandoned by their architects; a lost city in the Amazon jungle; a desert fortress made by humanity's most notorious empire; explores a city of identical castles; examines a Greek isle's bloody history from the air.

The St. Lawrence River is one that forged North America, allowing ships to traverse the continent; the adventure begins in Canada's first capital city of Kingston and near Canada's second-largest city of Montreal.

Peek at landmarks in places where they shouldn't be; wing your way over an imperial pyramid in the Netherlands, a metal sphere in remote Russia, a lion shape carved into an English hillside and a bare swath cut through an Austrian forest.

Responding to an emergency call, Northstar marine sets out to salvage a sunken tug in the Delaware Bay; following the devastation caused by Hurricane Sally, Capt. Chris Ward and his crew work to salvage sunken sailboats and wrecked powerboats.

The St. Lawrence River is one that forged North America, allowing ships to traverse the continent; the adventure begins in Canada's first capital city of Kingston and near Canada's second-largest city of Montreal.

Peek at landmarks in places where they shouldn't be; wing your way over an imperial pyramid in the Netherlands, a metal sphere in remote Russia, a lion shape carved into an English hillside and a bare swath cut through an Austrian forest.

Exploring maritime heroes who left their mark on history through their bravery and skill, including Larry Chambers, Ernest Evans, and Robert Smalls.

Recounting some of maritime warfare's explosions, from world wars and Vietnam to the nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll.

Stories of historic Black struggle for equality in maritime combat; an enslaved powder boy who served during the French and Indian War; a Civil War gunner; the first African American to command a vessel with a fully integrated crew: Hugh Mulzac.

A comprehensive look at the naval battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942 and the heroic efforts of U.S. sailors who held off powerful Imperial Navy.

A look at how technological advances over the centuries have transformed maritime warfare.

A look at how maritime task forces and the Coast Guard are keeping commercial vessels and US shores safe from pirates and drug smugglers.

Allies slug it out on the island of Peleliu in a campaign to pave the way for Gen. MacArthur's return to the Philippines; footage shows troops enduring the muddy muck in the Philippines; Japan unveils a devastating new tactic, the kamikaze.

Germany's selection of strange bedfellows in the form of despots and dictators comes back to haunt them.

Take a look at some of the escapes that took place during World War II.

Witnessing amazing buildings, bridges, lifts and other structures that pushed structural concrete engineering to the edge.

In Southern California, crews rebuild after the 2025 wildfires, cutting firebreaks, repairing emergency water systems, hardening roads and power lines and building fire-resistant homes before the next firestorm.

Going on a journey across Lithuania on big trains packed to the brim as massive ships wait to collect their bounty and take it across the ocean.

Witnessing amazing buildings, bridges, lifts and other structures that pushed structural concrete engineering to the edge.

In Southern California, crews rebuild after the 2025 wildfires, cutting firebreaks, repairing emergency water systems, hardening roads and power lines and building fire-resistant homes before the next firestorm.

Going on a journey across Lithuania on big trains packed to the brim as massive ships wait to collect their bounty and take it across the ocean.

Witnessing amazing buildings, bridges, lifts and other structures that pushed structural concrete engineering to the edge.

In Southern California, crews rebuild after the 2025 wildfires, cutting firebreaks, repairing emergency water systems, hardening roads and power lines and building fire-resistant homes before the next firestorm.

The St. Lawrence River is one that forged North America, allowing ships to traverse the continent; the adventure begins in Canada's first capital city of Kingston and near Canada's second-largest city of Montreal.

Peek at landmarks in places where they shouldn't be; wing your way over an imperial pyramid in the Netherlands, a metal sphere in remote Russia, a lion shape carved into an English hillside and a bare swath cut through an Austrian forest.

Navigating the historic Potomac River from West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay, passing through Washington, D.C. and the national monuments and ending at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate.

Confront objects that make no sense; spot a spinning island in an Argentinian marsh, a colossal triangle stuck in the Arizona desert, mysterious multicolored pools across northern Ethiopia and a huge human figure hidden in the Australian outback.

A mysterious object is raised from the depths of the ocean; a stranded speedboat; an elite crew works to salvage America's biggest shipwreck before hurricane season.

Navigating the historic Potomac River from West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay, passing through Washington, D.C. and the national monuments and ending at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate.

Confront objects that make no sense; spot a spinning island in an Argentinian marsh, a colossal triangle stuck in the Arizona desert, mysterious multicolored pools across northern Ethiopia and a huge human figure hidden in the Australian outback.

A mysterious object is raised from the depths of the ocean; a stranded speedboat; an elite crew works to salvage America's biggest shipwreck before hurricane season.

The crew of the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier prepares to give air support to ground troops battling ISIS in Iraq.

A behind-the-scenes look at the operations of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier; the dedicated sailors who keep it running at maximum efficiency.

From the USS Langley to the high-tech floating airports; the history of the aircraft carrier and how its air wing operates.

A behind-the-scenes look at how the U.S. Navy's radically redesigned Ford-class aircraft carrier was built.

A look at life in the Pacific before, during, and after the attack on Pearl Harbor, presented through home movies and combat footage.

Months after the Pearl Harbor attack, shock waves reverberate in every corner of the Pacific; Americans deploy to stem the enemy's advance; after culture clashes, Allied forces later bond over efforts to thwart Japan's move to control New Guinea.

In 1943, the United States engages in a new series of island-hopping invasions; the first stop is the Tarawa Atoll, where troops embark upon the largest amphibious invasion ever staged in the Pacific to fight one of the costliest battles of the war.

By the summer of 1944, the United States is gaining the upper hand in the Pacific War with better training, troop numbers and supply lines; it aims for the heart of Japan's inner defense ring, engaging in a naval battle for Saipan in the Marianas.

During World War II, the B-17 became a formidable fortress of the skies; uncover the technological and strategic innovations that made the B-17 a key to D-Day success, and later, Allied victory.

Fish and Wildlife aviators battle Arctic conditions to track down a polar bear population; a bush pilot races fading daylight to save a business; Anchorage field crews battle to clear an icy runway; CBP officers investigate suspicious cargo.

Western Mexico reveals the country's most iconic images; from the birthplace of tequila and mariachi to the world's busiest border; golden sands border the aquarium of the world while volcanic craters mirror lunar landscapes.

During World War II, the B-17 became a formidable fortress of the skies; uncover the technological and strategic innovations that made the B-17 a key to D-Day success, and later, Allied victory.

Fish and Wildlife aviators battle Arctic conditions to track down a polar bear population; a bush pilot races fading daylight to save a business; Anchorage field crews battle to clear an icy runway; CBP officers investigate suspicious cargo.

Western Mexico reveals the country's most iconic images; from the birthplace of tequila and mariachi to the world's busiest border; golden sands border the aquarium of the world while volcanic craters mirror lunar landscapes.

During World War II, the B-17 became a formidable fortress of the skies; uncover the technological and strategic innovations that made the B-17 a key to D-Day success, and later, Allied victory.

Fish and Wildlife aviators battle Arctic conditions to track down a polar bear population; a bush pilot races fading daylight to save a business; Anchorage field crews battle to clear an icy runway; CBP officers investigate suspicious cargo.

Celebrating one of humanities biggest engineering achievements, the International Space Station, a meteor proof lab bigger than a football field, constructed by astronauts traveling 250 miles above us at 17,500 miles an hour.

Diving into retrofits on the world's only underwater habitat, where NASA astronauts train for space missions; Mike joins a crack repair team who breathe new life into this oceanic environment after a global pandemic shut it down.

A journey down one of the wild rivers in the world, the Yukon; the unusual trip starts in an aircraft piloted by a painter and the odyssey ends with a visit to a graveyard of disintegrating rear-wheel steamers.

Take a deep dive into watery enigmas; glide over a sunken Italian city; a unique underwater cemetery in the Florida Keys; a yellow brick road to nowhere in the depths of the North Pacific; puzzling rocky constructions off the coast of Australia.

A salvage maestro returns to raise more valuable tropical hardwood trying not to wreck his own boat in the process; the multimillion dollar operation to salvage America's biggest shipwreck.

A journey down one of the wild rivers in the world, the Yukon; the unusual trip starts in an aircraft piloted by a painter and the odyssey ends with a visit to a graveyard of disintegrating rear-wheel steamers.

Take a deep dive into watery enigmas; glide over a sunken Italian city; a unique underwater cemetery in the Florida Keys; a yellow brick road to nowhere in the depths of the North Pacific; puzzling rocky constructions off the coast of Australia.

A salvage maestro returns to raise more valuable tropical hardwood trying not to wreck his own boat in the process; the multimillion dollar operation to salvage America's biggest shipwreck.

Germany's selection of strange bedfellows in the form of despots and dictators comes back to haunt them.

As German resources began to run thin as the War progressed, Hitler and Goebbels promoted Wonder Weapons as a way to pave a new path towards victory.

How Hitler's heavy narcotic use played a role in his murderous regime, as well as fueled an already delusional character.

The Nazis appeared to work together from a distance, but behind the scenes it was different with nepotism, corruption and fear running rampant.

In pursuit of their Aryan dream, the Nazis were encumbered by an ideological war from within that would undermine their ability to succeed in World War II.

Early victories in World War II injected Hitler with a precipitous sense of over-confidence that was eventually tested and proven vulnerable.

Look at the opening acts of WW II as the Soviets launch their Winter War in Finland; see why the global media focused on the grim, snowy fighting while the Axis turned its eyes toward neighboring Norway and the rich mineral wealth of the north.

The German war industry urgently needs more iron; Hitler has his eye on the Norwegian coast and especially on the harbor of Narvik, through which iron ore is shipped from Sweden.

A member of the Osage Nation investigates the series of murders and unexplained deaths that struck the oil-rich tribe in the 1920s.

Taking a deeper look at the Aztec religion and ritual human sacrifice; tapping into the profound spiritual logic that led priests to offer blood and human hearts in exchange for protection from the gods, who could destroy the universe at any moment.

Tease out the common denominators that lead to tyranny; map the rise of some of the 20th century's dictators and discover how they seized power, exploited governing systems and gutted existing power structures to gain total control.

A member of the Osage Nation investigates the series of murders and unexplained deaths that struck the oil-rich tribe in the 1920s.

Taking a deeper look at the Aztec religion and ritual human sacrifice; tapping into the profound spiritual logic that led priests to offer blood and human hearts in exchange for protection from the gods, who could destroy the universe at any moment.

Tease out the common denominators that lead to tyranny; map the rise of some of the 20th century's dictators and discover how they seized power, exploited governing systems and gutted existing power structures to gain total control.

A member of the Osage Nation investigates the series of murders and unexplained deaths that struck the oil-rich tribe in the 1920s.

Taking a deeper look at the Aztec religion and ritual human sacrifice; tapping into the profound spiritual logic that led priests to offer blood and human hearts in exchange for protection from the gods, who could destroy the universe at any moment.

Paying tribute to the brave, gravity-defying design of the U.S. National Medal of Honor Museum; traveling to Singapore for a look at a leaning tower of gambling, then exploring a New York City office building that lets the sun shine through.

Mike joins the U.S. Marines' Heavy Haulers helicopter squadron and gets inside their battle to keep a fleet of souped-up Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion choppers flying as they prepare for intense war games in the desert and mountains.

Meandering through the black waters of a primordial river immortalized in a folk song.

Psychedelic swirls in the Utah wastelands; a bizarre configuration of circles in the Sahara; hidden lines with the help of a drone; a remote polka-dot lake in Canada.

The team must remove thousands of wrecked cars from the hull before it becomes an environmental disaster; repairing a vessel before the waters of the River Solent flood the hull.

Meandering through the black waters of a primordial river immortalized in a folk song.

Psychedelic swirls in the Utah wastelands; a bizarre configuration of circles in the Sahara; hidden lines with the help of a drone; a remote polka-dot lake in Canada.

The team must remove thousands of wrecked cars from the hull before it becomes an environmental disaster; repairing a vessel before the waters of the River Solent flood the hull.

First-hand accounts, recreations and expert interviews of the battle of Dunkirk, and how soldiers were trapped on the French beach by German forces.

First-hand accounts, re-creations and expert interviews of D-Day in 1944, where the Allied Forces of Britain, America, Canada and France attacked German forces on the coast of Normandy, France.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor triggers the U.S. entering WWII; we reveal the secret stories behind the battle such as that of Dorie Miller.

There are many stories behind the 1940 Battle of Britain, like pilot Bill Millington who sacrifices himself to save civilians.

The tales behind the Blitz; the employment of German speaking radio controllers to confuse Luftwaffe pilots; the French spy who helped the RAF.

Exploring the many battles fought out on the banks of the Rhine in 1944 and the secrets behind the lines of the battleground.

Investigate the costs of Hitler's Soviet invasion, which aims to give the Nazis control over a key nickel mine and a transportation hub; seeing how this summer battle turns into a bitter winter war as the Allies tighten their grip on the Arctic.

The scale of World War II grows as the United States joins the war; explore the operations where Allied commando troops raid the Norwegian coast.

The horrifying remains of the 3,000-year-old Screaming Mummy have haunted Egyptologists for decades; a team of experts reexamines the evidence, revealing an epic conspiracy to murder a king and a punishment intended to curse a soul for eternity.

Archaeologists uncover the extraordinary legacy of Alexander the Great.

The horrifying remains of the 3,000-year-old Screaming Mummy have haunted Egyptologists for decades; a team of experts reexamines the evidence, revealing an epic conspiracy to murder a king and a punishment intended to curse a soul for eternity.

Archaeologists uncover the extraordinary legacy of Alexander the Great.

The horrifying remains of the 3,000-year-old Screaming Mummy have haunted Egyptologists for decades; a team of experts reexamines the evidence, revealing an epic conspiracy to murder a king and a punishment intended to curse a soul for eternity.

Peek inside a cloud-inspired library in Canada that's built over a live railway; see how clever engineering helped a huge Seattle skyscraper go up without harming its iconic neighbour, then cross an Australian bridge that floats above a busy river.

Mike Davidson goes on a cross-country road trip to help the Well Done Foundation; they work to find and cap some of the estimated 2 million leaking, toxic abandoned oil and gas wells scattered throughout the U.S.

A journey on Scotland's River Spey, traveling from its source in the Highlands, winding by boat through the mountains to where the river meets the North Sea.

Learning why an important urban center is sinking toward oblivion; soaring over sprawling ruins buried under Saharan sands; learning the modern secret of an ancient fortress; eyeing a ghost town on the edge of the Gobi.

Salvage crews work to install the world's largest environmental protection barrier; flying into a highly volatile region, crews battle pirates, tornadoes, and riots to salvage a wrecked cargo ship.

A journey on Scotland's River Spey, traveling from its source in the Highlands, winding by boat through the mountains to where the river meets the North Sea.

Learning why an important urban center is sinking toward oblivion; soaring over sprawling ruins buried under Saharan sands; learning the modern secret of an ancient fortress; eyeing a ghost town on the edge of the Gobi.

Salvage crews work to install the world's largest environmental protection barrier; flying into a highly volatile region, crews battle pirates, tornadoes, and riots to salvage a wrecked cargo ship.

Exploring maritime heroes who left their mark on history through their bravery and skill, including Larry Chambers, Ernest Evans, and Robert Smalls.

Recounting some of maritime warfare's explosions, from world wars and Vietnam to the nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll.

Stories of historic Black struggle for equality in maritime combat; an enslaved powder boy who served during the French and Indian War; a Civil War gunner; the first African American to command a vessel with a fully integrated crew: Hugh Mulzac.

A comprehensive look at the naval battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942 and the heroic efforts of U.S. sailors who held off powerful Imperial Navy.

A look at how technological advances over the centuries have transformed maritime warfare.

A look at how maritime task forces and the Coast Guard are keeping commercial vessels and US shores safe from pirates and drug smugglers.

A look at how technological advances over the centuries have led to bigger and faster combat ships and transformed maritime warfare.

Examining some of maritime history's most effective lightning strikes; how the French frigate Nivôse set a trap to lure Somali pirates; how the HMS Illustrious captured a well-defended Mediterranean harbor in WWII; a surprise attack on Tokyo in 1942.

Examine a unique silver scroll found in a collapsed Umayyad-period house in Jerash, Jordan; watch an advanced CT scanner penetrate its lead casing, revealing mysterious grooves and an enigmatic message that suggests it may be a protective amulet.

The discovery of a submerged, 9,000-year-old stone circle may reveal the mysterious origins of Stonehenge.

In the weeks following the meltdown, workers battle lethal radiation to clear debris and construct a protective tomb around the destroyed reactor; amid speculation, Soviet scientists reveal what they can about the cause of the catastrophe.

Examine a unique silver scroll found in a collapsed Umayyad-period house in Jerash, Jordan; watch an advanced CT scanner penetrate its lead casing, revealing mysterious grooves and an enigmatic message that suggests it may be a protective amulet.

The discovery of a submerged, 9,000-year-old stone circle may reveal the mysterious origins of Stonehenge.