Smithsonian Channel

Uncovering the design and engineering secrets behind the Grand Canyon Skywalk, the Audain Museum and more.

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.

Deploy futuristic lidar technology to map the Amber Road, an ancient trade network linking the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. Follow researchers as they retrace the route and reshape our understanding of historical trade and cultural exchange.

Learning how displaced artifacts spark fresh investigations and rewrite timelines; unearthing a forgotten tragedy in a remote mountain lake in India, checking out footprints that change human migration stories; reopening an ancient cold case.

Revisit the crimes of Jack the Ripper as investigators try to ID his first victim; chase the Mad Gasser, who terrorized an Illinois town in 1944, then hunt for the Servant Girl Annihilator, a killer who stalked Austin, Texas, in the darkness.

Deploy futuristic lidar technology to map the Amber Road, an ancient trade network linking the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. Follow researchers as they retrace the route and reshape our understanding of historical trade and cultural exchange.

Learning how displaced artifacts spark fresh investigations and rewrite timelines; unearthing a forgotten tragedy in a remote mountain lake in India, checking out footprints that change human migration stories; reopening an ancient cold case.

Revisit the crimes of Jack the Ripper as investigators try to ID his first victim; chase the Mad Gasser, who terrorized an Illinois town in 1944, then hunt for the Servant Girl Annihilator, a killer who stalked Austin, Texas, in the darkness.

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

The overlooked underdog of British fighter planes; fast and versatile, the dogfighter doubled as a bomber and ground support aircraft in every theatre of WWII.

Join intense manhunts for the world's most wanted terrorists and outlaws. Investigate the covert raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, trace the tragic trap set for a dissident journalist, and track a notorious arms dealer nabbed in a huge DEA sting.

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

The overlooked underdog of British fighter planes; fast and versatile, the dogfighter doubled as a bomber and ground support aircraft in every theatre of WWII.

Join intense manhunts for the world's most wanted terrorists and outlaws. Investigate the covert raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, trace the tragic trap set for a dissident journalist, and track a notorious arms dealer nabbed in a huge DEA sting.

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

Exploring some of the most cavernous places on the planet, including an expansive Siberian crater with no explainable origin, Greenland's bizarre black holes, an ancient forbidden well in the Yemeni desert, and a voluminous void in Antarctica.

Salvaging a 50-foot motor yacht in Islamorada, Fla.; a 44-foot launch hung up on a dam on the Mississippi River; repairing a major storm gate in the British Isles.

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.

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.

A perfect circle carved around an ancient peak; a scary phenomenon in the Pacific; strange shapes in a Middle Eastern desert; a formation below the ocean's surface.

Jeremy Birch takes on a salvage to raise a vessel with a concrete hull; it's been in the Fraser River for a month, collecting silt and mud, adding 30 tons to its deadweight.

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.

A perfect circle carved around an ancient peak; a scary phenomenon in the Pacific; strange shapes in a Middle Eastern desert; a formation below the ocean's surface.

Using computer simulations, it is possible to fly over other worlds and see how galaxies interact.

Paid programming.

Examining the chilling precision of three high-profile assassinations, uncovering the technology behind a bladed missile, investigating a deadly car bomb in the American capital and reviewing CCTV footage of a nerve agent attack in a crowded airport.

Reliving the daring 17-minute hostage rescue at the Iranian Embassy in London that was caught on live TV; learning how US teams ran deniable missions in Southeast Asia, then seeing the global threat of a Russian nuclear cruise missile with limitless range.

Witnessing the fierce urban combat of the Battle of Mogadishu after a quick mission spirals out of control; exploring the fallout from a downed Cold War spy plane; cheering on the commandos who crippled the Nazi atomic program in a daring raid.

Examining the chilling precision of three high-profile assassinations, uncovering the technology behind a bladed missile, investigating a deadly car bomb in the American capital and reviewing CCTV footage of a nerve agent attack in a crowded airport.

Reliving the daring 17-minute hostage rescue at the Iranian Embassy in London that was caught on live TV; learning how US teams ran deniable missions in Southeast Asia, then seeing the global threat of a Russian nuclear cruise missile with limitless range.

Witnessing the fierce urban combat of the Battle of Mogadishu after a quick mission spirals out of control; exploring the fallout from a downed Cold War spy plane; cheering on the commandos who crippled the Nazi atomic program in a daring raid.

The overlooked underdog of British fighter planes; fast and versatile, the dogfighter doubled as a bomber and ground support aircraft in every theatre of WWII.

Join intense manhunts for the world's most wanted terrorists and outlaws. Investigate the covert raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, trace the tragic trap set for a dissident journalist, and track a notorious arms dealer nabbed in a huge DEA sting.

Relive the Flight of the Crow, a trek across Nazi-occupied Europe; find out how two Austrian mountaineers hiked their way out of the Himalayas, then learn why 378 Japanese POWs risked it all in Australia's bloody Cowra Breakout.

Five months after D-Day, the ground war finally arrives on German soil as British soldiers attack in the shadow of Hitler's infamous Siegfried Line.

While Nazi Germany attempts to cover up the brutal murders of a serial killer, a brilliant detective uses early forensic methods to bring him to justice.

Relive the Flight of the Crow, a trek across Nazi-occupied Europe; find out how two Austrian mountaineers hiked their way out of the Himalayas, then learn why 378 Japanese POWs risked it all in Australia's bloody Cowra Breakout.

Five months after D-Day, the ground war finally arrives on German soil as British soldiers attack in the shadow of Hitler's infamous Siegfried Line.

While Nazi Germany attempts to cover up the brutal murders of a serial killer, a brilliant detective uses early forensic methods to bring him to justice.

Relive the Flight of the Crow, a trek across Nazi-occupied Europe; find out how two Austrian mountaineers hiked their way out of the Himalayas, then learn why 378 Japanese POWs risked it all in Australia's bloody Cowra Breakout.

A perfect circle carved around an ancient peak; a scary phenomenon in the Pacific; strange shapes in a Middle Eastern desert; a formation below the ocean's surface.

Jeremy Birch takes on a salvage to raise a vessel with a concrete hull; it's been in the Fraser River for a month, collecting silt and mud, adding 30 tons to its deadweight.

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.

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.

Decoding the secrets of long-lost human settlements; scrutinizing a mysterious Norwegian mound, a prehistoric stone circle on the banks of the Tagus River, a lost city in the cradle of civilization and bizarre rock shapes.

Chris Ward sets out with Josh Moreira and Ward's younger brother to salvage a light aircraft that's sitting on the seabed; Jeremy Birch braves the arctic conditions to salvage two vessels that have fallen prey to the crushing ice conditions.

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.

Decoding the secrets of long-lost human settlements; scrutinizing a mysterious Norwegian mound, a prehistoric stone circle on the banks of the Tagus River, a lost city in the cradle of civilization and bizarre rock shapes.

The second-largest planet is also a mini-solar system with 60 moons and those crazy rings.

Paid programming.

Exploring behind-the-scenes of design and construction of revolutionary buildings in Spain, New York and a university campus in Florida.

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.

Relive the Flight of the Crow, a trek across Nazi-occupied Europe; find out how two Austrian mountaineers hiked their way out of the Himalayas, then learn why 378 Japanese POWs risked it all in Australia's bloody Cowra Breakout.

Five months after D-Day, the ground war finally arrives on German soil as British soldiers attack in the shadow of Hitler's infamous Siegfried Line.

While Nazi Germany attempts to cover up the brutal murders of a serial killer, a brilliant detective uses early forensic methods to bring him to justice.

Relive the Flight of the Crow, a trek across Nazi-occupied Europe; find out how two Austrian mountaineers hiked their way out of the Himalayas, then learn why 378 Japanese POWs risked it all in Australia's bloody Cowra Breakout.

Five months after D-Day, the ground war finally arrives on German soil as British soldiers attack in the shadow of Hitler's infamous Siegfried Line.

While Nazi Germany attempts to cover up the brutal murders of a serial killer, a brilliant detective uses early forensic methods to bring him to justice.

Exploring the design and engineering stories behind D.C.'s Museum of African American History, the Montreal Tower and the Equinor building in Oslo.

In the Alps of Switzerland, Mike helps an elite team install a new cable (rope) system on an iconic mountain gondola line, helps fix the world's steepest cogwheel railway track and explores mountaintop family farms only accessible.

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.

Exploring the design and engineering stories behind D.C.'s Museum of African American History, the Montreal Tower and the Equinor building in Oslo.

In the Alps of Switzerland, Mike helps an elite team install a new cable (rope) system on an iconic mountain gondola line, helps fix the world's steepest cogwheel railway track and explores mountaintop family farms only accessible.

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.

Exploring the design and engineering stories behind D.C.'s Museum of African American History, the Montreal Tower and the Equinor building in Oslo.

Decoding the secrets of long-lost human settlements; scrutinizing a mysterious Norwegian mound, a prehistoric stone circle on the banks of the Tagus River, a lost city in the cradle of civilization and bizarre rock shapes.

Chris Ward sets out with Josh Moreira and Ward's younger brother to salvage a light aircraft that's sitting on the seabed; Jeremy Birch braves the arctic conditions to salvage two vessels that have fallen prey to the crushing ice conditions.

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.

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

Zoom in on some otherworldly sights; spot a giant glacier on the Red Planet, let the milky seas off the coast of Java bathe your vision, ponder a huge hexagon floating above Saturn and take a spin around a doughnut-shaped lake in Saskatchewan.

Bundles of cedar wood tree trunks are smashed apart, releasing thousands of logs on the shoreline; Jeremy and his crew must work fast to recover the cargo.

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

Zoom in on some otherworldly sights; spot a giant glacier on the Red Planet, let the milky seas off the coast of Java bathe your vision, ponder a huge hexagon floating above Saturn and take a spin around a doughnut-shaped lake in Saskatchewan.

Bundles of cedar wood tree trunks are smashed apart, releasing thousands of logs on the shoreline; Jeremy and his crew must work fast to recover the cargo.

Navigating the narrow, deep fjords that lead to Narvik, Norway, where German and British forces faced off in April 1940; repeated torpedo failures threatened to sink the mission and leave Hitler's invading troops exposed and vulnerable.

Learning why a clash over Nazi ideology wrecked a bright U-boat commander's career.

Exploring the design and engineering stories behind D.C.'s Museum of African American History, the Montreal Tower and the Equinor building in Oslo.

In the Alps of Switzerland, Mike helps an elite team install a new cable (rope) system on an iconic mountain gondola line, helps fix the world's steepest cogwheel railway track and explores mountaintop family farms only accessible.

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.

Exploring the design and engineering stories behind D.C.'s Museum of African American History, the Montreal Tower and the Equinor building in Oslo.

In the Alps of Switzerland, Mike helps an elite team install a new cable (rope) system on an iconic mountain gondola line, helps fix the world's steepest cogwheel railway track and explores mountaintop family farms only accessible.

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.

A wolverine overcomes first-time flyer's nerves to travel to a new home. A helicopter pilot hunts for a showstopping ice cave. An 80-year-old cargo plane flies into the Arctic, and a wall of arctic fog threatens the airport wit.

The islands of Italy come in all shapes and sizes; they are home to volcanoes, ancient civilizations and some of the bluest waters on Earth.

A wolverine overcomes first-time flyer's nerves to travel to a new home. A helicopter pilot hunts for a showstopping ice cave. An 80-year-old cargo plane flies into the Arctic, and a wall of arctic fog threatens the airport wit.