Smithsonian Channel

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.

Examine how German soldiers used an erotic painting and other decoys to distract their captors as they tunnelled out of Island Farm POW camp in Wales; see how American bombardiers were smuggled out of Russia, and study a wartime Trojan Horse plot.

A platoon of American Buffalo Soldiers exceeds all expectations to advance on a Nazi-occupied castle in the foothills of Northern Italy.

When an infant is discovered dead in the River Thames, police uncover a dark underworld, where society's most vulnerable are being exploited.

Examine how German soldiers used an erotic painting and other decoys to distract their captors as they tunnelled out of Island Farm POW camp in Wales; see how American bombardiers were smuggled out of Russia, and study a wartime Trojan Horse plot.

A platoon of American Buffalo Soldiers exceeds all expectations to advance on a Nazi-occupied castle in the foothills of Northern Italy.

When an infant is discovered dead in the River Thames, police uncover a dark underworld, where society's most vulnerable are being exploited.

Exploring the engineering and architectural masterpieces like The Copper in Manhattan to Gardens By the Bay in Singapore.

Mike in northeastern Australia, goes on and under the water, into labs and onto construction projects working with specialized teams; they tackle the challenge of saving dying coral on the Great Barrier Reef.

A mission to haul hefty cargo across Switzerland to the Netherlands, going through four countries with critical repairs at every turn.

Exploring the engineering and architectural masterpieces like The Copper in Manhattan to Gardens By the Bay in Singapore.

Mike in northeastern Australia, goes on and under the water, into labs and onto construction projects working with specialized teams; they tackle the challenge of saving dying coral on the Great Barrier Reef.

A mission to haul hefty cargo across Switzerland to the Netherlands, going through four countries with critical repairs at every turn.

Exploring the engineering and architectural masterpieces like The Copper in Manhattan to Gardens By the Bay in Singapore.

Mike in northeastern Australia, goes on and under the water, into labs and onto construction projects working with specialized teams; they tackle the challenge of saving dying coral on the Great Barrier Reef.

Bill Nighy narrates a trip along the River Po, traveling across northern Italy from the snow-capped Alps to the delta where it meets the Adriatic 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.

Bill Nighy leads a magical journey in the Norfolk Broads along England's holiday river, the River Bure; discovering a watery world where both wildlife and recreation go hand in hand.

Get petrified by cryptic rock structures normally hidden from view; look inside curious dwellings in the Peruvian Andes; visit a sacred monolith in Wyoming's Black Hills; haunt a Turkish stone village; spot an immovable waterfall in Mexico.

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.

Bill Nighy leads a magical journey in the Norfolk Broads along England's holiday river, the River Bure; discovering a watery world where both wildlife and recreation go hand in hand.

Get petrified by cryptic rock structures normally hidden from view; look inside curious dwellings in the Peruvian Andes; visit a sacred monolith in Wyoming's Black Hills; haunt a Turkish stone village; spot an immovable waterfall in Mexico.

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.

Explore three discoveries that change what we know about magic and superstition; delve into a Polish vampire grave, open a UK witch bottle used to ward off evil, and see if alien-like skulls in Mexico were shaped by humans or otherworldly beings.

Exhume chilling insights into ancient rituals, legendary warriors, and brutal deaths; investigate dozens of children's skeletons in Peru, find out if Amazon warriors once lived in Russia, and see what a UK cave full of butchered remains reveals.

Exploring the engineering and architectural masterpieces like The Copper in Manhattan to Gardens By the Bay in Singapore.

Mike in northeastern Australia, goes on and under the water, into labs and onto construction projects working with specialized teams; they tackle the challenge of saving dying coral on the Great Barrier Reef.

A mission to haul hefty cargo across Switzerland to the Netherlands, going through four countries with critical repairs at every turn.

Exploring the engineering and architectural masterpieces like The Copper in Manhattan to Gardens By the Bay in Singapore.

Mike in northeastern Australia, goes on and under the water, into labs and onto construction projects working with specialized teams; they tackle the challenge of saving dying coral on the Great Barrier Reef.

A mission to haul hefty cargo across Switzerland to the Netherlands, going through four countries with critical repairs at every turn.

Soar over the frozen Bering Sea as a heavy-hauling helicopter makes its way to a tiny island just 2.4 miles from Russia; prepare for a medevac mission with the Arctic Angels and listen in as a veteran bush pilot tests his grandson's flying skills.

Viewing Southern Italy from the air; Greek temples on the Mediterranean; cities that just seem to float above the sea; one of the most powerful volcanoes on Earth.

Soar over the frozen Bering Sea as a heavy-hauling helicopter makes its way to a tiny island just 2.4 miles from Russia; prepare for a medevac mission with the Arctic Angels and listen in as a veteran bush pilot tests his grandson's flying skills.

Viewing Southern Italy from the air; Greek temples on the Mediterranean; cities that just seem to float above the sea; one of the most powerful volcanoes on Earth.

Soar over the frozen Bering Sea as a heavy-hauling helicopter makes its way to a tiny island just 2.4 miles from Russia; prepare for a medevac mission with the Arctic Angels and listen in as a veteran bush pilot tests his grandson's flying skills.

Get petrified by cryptic rock structures normally hidden from view; look inside curious dwellings in the Peruvian Andes; visit a sacred monolith in Wyoming's Black Hills; haunt a Turkish stone village; spot an immovable waterfall in Mexico.

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.

Traveling the Dordogne River via traditional boats through the green heart of southwest France; drinking wine and hunting for truffles; riding a luxury cruiser to a lighthouse built for a king.

Witness animal spectacles from high above the Earth; watch a whirling herd of northern nomads; see undersea behemoths show off in the Pacific shallows; track a U.S. porcine stampede; confront top ocean predators on the Florida coast.

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.

Traveling the Dordogne River via traditional boats through the green heart of southwest France; drinking wine and hunting for truffles; riding a luxury cruiser to a lighthouse built for a king.

Witness animal spectacles from high above the Earth; watch a whirling herd of northern nomads; see undersea behemoths show off in the Pacific shallows; track a U.S. porcine stampede; confront top ocean predators on the Florida coast.

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.

Challenge long-held beliefs about Viking leadership, weaponry, and brutality; inspect a warriors tomb full of clues in Sweden, a sword of unparalleled quality in Norway, and a pile of headless skeletons in the UK that reveal unimaginable violence.

Discovering shocking truths about religious rituals, sacred symbols, and spiritual traditions; learning the brutal truth about execution rites in Roman England, looking at shark bones in a Peruvian temple; unearthing a silver amulet in Germany.

Soar over the frozen Bering Sea as a heavy-hauling helicopter makes its way to a tiny island just 2.4 miles from Russia; prepare for a medevac mission with the Arctic Angels and listen in as a veteran bush pilot tests his grandson's flying skills.

Viewing Southern Italy from the air; Greek temples on the Mediterranean; cities that just seem to float above the sea; one of the most powerful volcanoes on Earth.

Soar over the frozen Bering Sea as a heavy-hauling helicopter makes its way to a tiny island just 2.4 miles from Russia; prepare for a medevac mission with the Arctic Angels and listen in as a veteran bush pilot tests his grandson's flying skills.

Viewing Southern Italy from the air; Greek temples on the Mediterranean; cities that just seem to float above the sea; one of the most powerful volcanoes on Earth.

Look back at the wartime manufacturing boom, when countries across the world leveraged their industrial might to churn out the perfect tank. Marvel at the most iconic models, including the Soviet T-34, American M4 Sherman, and German Tiger I.

A look at how navy weapons have evolved over the centuries, from cannons to gun turrets to nuclear missiles and beyond.

Dictators are characterized as charismatic, narcissistic and sadistic, but most of all by their thirst for power; once in power, holding on to it requires negotiation, coercion and force.

Look back at the wartime manufacturing boom, when countries across the world leveraged their industrial might to churn out the perfect tank. Marvel at the most iconic models, including the Soviet T-34, American M4 Sherman, and German Tiger I.

A look at how navy weapons have evolved over the centuries, from cannons to gun turrets to nuclear missiles and beyond.

Dictators are characterized as charismatic, narcissistic and sadistic, but most of all by their thirst for power; once in power, holding on to it requires negotiation, coercion and force.

Look back at the wartime manufacturing boom, when countries across the world leveraged their industrial might to churn out the perfect tank. Marvel at the most iconic models, including the Soviet T-34, American M4 Sherman, and German Tiger I.

A look at how navy weapons have evolved over the centuries, from cannons to gun turrets to nuclear missiles and beyond.

Witness animal spectacles from high above the Earth; watch a whirling herd of northern nomads; see undersea behemoths show off in the Pacific shallows; track a U.S. porcine stampede; confront top ocean predators on the Florida coast.

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.

Rumoured to be the cleanest river in Europe, few dispute it's the coldest; cascading down from the Dinaric Alps in Serbia, it soon crosses the border into Bosnia-Herzegovina, where marine biologist and fisherman Sanel Riđanović casts for salmon.

Get a bird's-eye view of a mysterious explosion in China and a quickly melting glacier on Earth's iciest continent; investigate an orange haze enveloping the Big Apple, then float over a toxic, too-hot-to-handle lake in New Zealand.

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.

Rumoured to be the cleanest river in Europe, few dispute it's the coldest; cascading down from the Dinaric Alps in Serbia, it soon crosses the border into Bosnia-Herzegovina, where marine biologist and fisherman Sanel Riđanović casts for salmon.

Get a bird's-eye view of a mysterious explosion in China and a quickly melting glacier on Earth's iciest continent; investigate an orange haze enveloping the Big Apple, then float over a toxic, too-hot-to-handle lake in New Zealand.

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.

Rethink what it's known about death and preservation; see why Denmark's perfectly preserved Tollund Man raises questions, observe Portuguese bodies that rewrite history, and uncover the mystery of Scotland's Frankenstein mummies.

Open burial sites filled with secrets. Find powerful artifacts in a French rulers tomb, see what a tomb adorned with conch shells says about sacred ceremonies, and expose complex beliefs about animals and the afterlife in an Egyptian zoo graveyard.

Look back at the wartime manufacturing boom, when countries across the world leveraged their industrial might to churn out the perfect tank. Marvel at the most iconic models, including the Soviet T-34, American M4 Sherman, and German Tiger I.

A look at how navy weapons have evolved over the centuries, from cannons to gun turrets to nuclear missiles and beyond.

Dictators are characterized as charismatic, narcissistic and sadistic, but most of all by their thirst for power; once in power, holding on to it requires negotiation, coercion and force.

Look back at the wartime manufacturing boom, when countries across the world leveraged their industrial might to churn out the perfect tank. Marvel at the most iconic models, including the Soviet T-34, American M4 Sherman, and German Tiger I.

A look at how navy weapons have evolved over the centuries, from cannons to gun turrets to nuclear missiles and beyond.

Dictators are characterized as charismatic, narcissistic and sadistic, but most of all by their thirst for power; once in power, holding on to it requires negotiation, coercion and force.

Engineers grapple with an apartment building, ripped apart by a man-made canyon; the Gateway Arch takes shape in St. Louis; an unpromising plot in Copenhagen, Denmark, is transformed by a gleaming new triangular office.

Takes an unprecedented look inside the secret chambers of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing, and see what they reveal about the pyramid's origins.

Part 2/6. Uncover the secrets of the Old Kingdom ruler who revolutionized architecture alongside his vizier, Imhotep; piece together the mysterious life of the very first king to build a step pyramid in the heart of a grandiose and complex burial site.

Engineers grapple with an apartment building, ripped apart by a man-made canyon; the Gateway Arch takes shape in St. Louis; an unpromising plot in Copenhagen, Denmark, is transformed by a gleaming new triangular office.

Takes an unprecedented look inside the secret chambers of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing, and see what they reveal about the pyramid's origins.