Smithsonian Channel

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.

The most-produced bomber in US history, used during World War II by every branch of the American military, as well as by the Royal Air Force.

Scan the heavens for revolutionary aerial threats and combat tactics. Learn how the first ballistic missile struck London without warning, follow elite teams hunting mobile rocket launchers in Iraq, and watch US pilots train against real Soviet MiGs.

A mass uprising that shows the world the truth about the Nazis' secret Sobibor death camp; learn how the Davao Dozen break out of a harsh Japanese penal colony and explore how two plucky German pilots plot to get out of Britain.

With thousands of German soldiers trapped in the Falaise Pocket, a small Canadian tank squadron tries to close off the escape route.

A high-profile murder case in Brazil during the 1970s captures the world's attention and leads to a national scandal.

A mass uprising that shows the world the truth about the Nazis' secret Sobibor death camp; learn how the Davao Dozen break out of a harsh Japanese penal colony and explore how two plucky German pilots plot to get out of Britain.

With thousands of German soldiers trapped in the Falaise Pocket, a small Canadian tank squadron tries to close off the escape route.

A high-profile murder case in Brazil during the 1970s captures the world's attention and leads to a national scandal.

A mass uprising that shows the world the truth about the Nazis' secret Sobibor death camp; learn how the Davao Dozen break out of a harsh Japanese penal colony and explore how two plucky German pilots plot to get out of Britain.

With thousands of German soldiers trapped in the Falaise Pocket, a small Canadian tank squadron tries to close off the escape route.

Come across a set of disturbingly familiar stone monoliths in Colombia, then explore a lost city in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta; puzzle over an ancient ruin in Corinth, Greece, and explore an old structure on a Maltese island.

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 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.

Unlock an abandoned site on a remote Antarctic isle and check out mysterious shapes in the Finnish snow. Puzzle over an inexplicable monolith in the far reaches of Norway, then get shocked by a blood-red frozen waterfall at the bottom of the world.

In rough water, salvors scramble to retrieve a cruise ship's anchor lost at sea; teams hope to salvage cherished floating homes damaged by hurricane Sandy.

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.

Unlock an abandoned site on a remote Antarctic isle and check out mysterious shapes in the Finnish snow. Puzzle over an inexplicable monolith in the far reaches of Norway, then get shocked by a blood-red frozen waterfall at the bottom of the world.

For more than 25 years, the shuttle was our ticket to space and our laboratory in orbit.

Paid programming.

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.

A mass uprising that shows the world the truth about the Nazis' secret Sobibor death camp; learn how the Davao Dozen break out of a harsh Japanese penal colony and explore how two plucky German pilots plot to get out of Britain.

With thousands of German soldiers trapped in the Falaise Pocket, a small Canadian tank squadron tries to close off the escape route.

A high-profile murder case in Brazil during the 1970s captures the world's attention and leads to a national scandal.

A mass uprising that shows the world the truth about the Nazis' secret Sobibor death camp; learn how the Davao Dozen break out of a harsh Japanese penal colony and explore how two plucky German pilots plot to get out of Britain.

With thousands of German soldiers trapped in the Falaise Pocket, a small Canadian tank squadron tries to close off the escape route.

A high-profile murder case in Brazil during the 1970s captures the world's attention and leads to a national scandal.

A dazzling new 1400 foot tapering skyscraper is built right next to New York's Grand Central. A curving wine museum requires ingenious engineering in Bordeaux, France. And possibly the world's most glamorous parking garage.

Mike joins crews as they build the world's longest railway tunnel in the Alps, fixing gridlock through the infamous Brenner Pass by drilling, blasting and digging their way through the mountains.

Going behind the scenes with the Panama Canal Railway; big track repairs, massive machines, and unrelenting deadlines.

A dazzling new 1400 foot tapering skyscraper is built right next to New York's Grand Central. A curving wine museum requires ingenious engineering in Bordeaux, France. And possibly the world's most glamorous parking garage.

Mike joins crews as they build the world's longest railway tunnel in the Alps, fixing gridlock through the infamous Brenner Pass by drilling, blasting and digging their way through the mountains.

Going behind the scenes with the Panama Canal Railway; big track repairs, massive machines, and unrelenting deadlines.

A dazzling new 1400 foot tapering skyscraper is built right next to New York's Grand Central. A curving wine museum requires ingenious engineering in Bordeaux, France. And possibly the world's most glamorous parking garage.

Mike joins crews as they build the world's longest railway tunnel in the Alps, fixing gridlock through the infamous Brenner Pass by drilling, blasting and digging their way through the mountains.

Unlock an abandoned site on a remote Antarctic isle and check out mysterious shapes in the Finnish snow. Puzzle over an inexplicable monolith in the far reaches of Norway, then get shocked by a blood-red frozen waterfall at the bottom of the world.

In rough water, salvors scramble to retrieve a cruise ship's anchor lost at sea; teams hope to salvage cherished floating homes damaged by hurricane Sandy.

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

The view from above reveals baffling behavior from one of the ocean's fastest fish; whales with a strange, aquatic accessorizing habit; a confounding congregation of sharks down under; a perplexing collection of circles decorating the seabed.

Crews work around the clock to build the world's largest underwater concrete bed to salvage the Costa Concordia; operating in secrecy, teams work under high security to repair one of the world's most iconic cruise liners.

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

The view from above reveals baffling behavior from one of the ocean's fastest fish; whales with a strange, aquatic accessorizing habit; a confounding congregation of sharks down under; a perplexing collection of circles decorating the seabed.

Crews work around the clock to build the world's largest underwater concrete bed to salvage the Costa Concordia; operating in secrecy, teams work under high security to repair one of the world's most iconic cruise liners.

At Monster Jam, custom-built monster trucks roll, flip, and fly through the air. With the metal-bending beating these trucks endure, teams of specialized mechanics race against the clock to repair these engineering marvels in time for the next event.

Mike is in Iceland, where teams harness the power of volcanos to keep the geothermal energy flowing; they battle harsh weather to maintain and upgrade giant power systems, fixing miles of steam pipes, and bringing a dead well back to life.

A dazzling new 1400 foot tapering skyscraper is built right next to New York's Grand Central. A curving wine museum requires ingenious engineering in Bordeaux, France. And possibly the world's most glamorous parking garage.

Mike joins crews as they build the world's longest railway tunnel in the Alps, fixing gridlock through the infamous Brenner Pass by drilling, blasting and digging their way through the mountains.

Going behind the scenes with the Panama Canal Railway; big track repairs, massive machines, and unrelenting deadlines.

A dazzling new 1400 foot tapering skyscraper is built right next to New York's Grand Central. A curving wine museum requires ingenious engineering in Bordeaux, France. And possibly the world's most glamorous parking garage.

Mike joins crews as they build the world's longest railway tunnel in the Alps, fixing gridlock through the infamous Brenner Pass by drilling, blasting and digging their way through the mountains.

Going behind the scenes with the Panama Canal Railway; big track repairs, massive machines, and unrelenting deadlines.

Race to resupply farmers after Mount Spurr starts to rumble; the Anchorage International operations team handles two emergency landings; answering the call when a family asks for help getting to a vital school basketball game.

A journey across Central Italy from the air reveals the ancient Rome, the bloody medieval battles of Tuscany and the colossal marble quarries of Carrara.

Race to resupply farmers after Mount Spurr starts to rumble; the Anchorage International operations team handles two emergency landings; answering the call when a family asks for help getting to a vital school basketball game.

A journey across Central Italy from the air reveals the ancient Rome, the bloody medieval battles of Tuscany and the colossal marble quarries of Carrara.

Race to resupply farmers after Mount Spurr starts to rumble; the Anchorage International operations team handles two emergency landings; answering the call when a family asks for help getting to a vital school basketball game.

At Monster Jam, custom-built monster trucks roll, flip, and fly through the air. With the metal-bending beating these trucks endure, teams of specialized mechanics race against the clock to repair these engineering marvels in time for the next event.

Mike is in Iceland, where teams harness the power of volcanos to keep the geothermal energy flowing; they battle harsh weather to maintain and upgrade giant power systems, fixing miles of steam pipes, and bringing a dead well back to life.

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.

The view from above reveals a derelict complex of pod-like structures with seemingly alien origins; a bewildering concrete construction in the mountains of Bosnia; a puzzling collection of out of place shapes discarded in the wilds of Greenland.

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.

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.

The view from above reveals a derelict complex of pod-like structures with seemingly alien origins; a bewildering concrete construction in the mountains of Bosnia; a puzzling collection of out of place shapes discarded in the wilds of Greenland.

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.

In Florida, Mike tackles one of the dangerous jobs on the planet, commercial diving; he helps a specialized team keep waterways safe; fixing construction site leaks and removing dangerous structures, all while hurricane season is in full swing.

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.

Race to resupply farmers after Mount Spurr starts to rumble; the Anchorage International operations team handles two emergency landings; answering the call when a family asks for help getting to a vital school basketball game.

A journey across Central Italy from the air reveals the ancient Rome, the bloody medieval battles of Tuscany and the colossal marble quarries of Carrara.

Race to resupply farmers after Mount Spurr starts to rumble; the Anchorage International operations team handles two emergency landings; answering the call when a family asks for help getting to a vital school basketball game.

A journey across Central Italy from the air reveals the ancient Rome, the bloody medieval battles of Tuscany and the colossal marble quarries of Carrara.

Travel to North Africa and see how tank crews struggled to maintain the upper hand under Germany's Rommel and England's Montgomery. Then watch the newly developed German Panther tank take part in one of humanity's biggest armoured clashes at Kursk.

A look at Naval warfare's fastest combat ships and how the advantage of speed determined the outcome of some of the great seas battles of the last 150 years.

Dictators often attempt to expand their jurisdiction beyond the borders of their country; this usually means armed invasion and the death of large numbers of soldiers and civilians.

Travel to North Africa and see how tank crews struggled to maintain the upper hand under Germany's Rommel and England's Montgomery. Then watch the newly developed German Panther tank take part in one of humanity's biggest armoured clashes at Kursk.

A look at Naval warfare's fastest combat ships and how the advantage of speed determined the outcome of some of the great seas battles of the last 150 years.