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.

Follow the meteoric rise of the Macedonian conqueror who seized Egypt and built an empire that stretched from Europe to Asia; find out how founding the city of Alexandria and becoming a pharaoh transformed Alexander's life before his death at age 32.

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.

The Pyramid of Khufu is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World which can still be seen in its original state.

Unlock the secrets of Newgrange, a 5,000-year-old Irish tomb aligned with the winter solstice sun; analyze DNA evidence that reveals a powerful, incestuous dynastic bloodline and suggests that this monument was built to honor a lost ruling class.

Unravel the mysterious decline of Angkor, the Khmer capital that was a marvel of urban engineering for 600 years. Hunt for secrets hidden in the mud that could explain how the population of this Cambodian imperial city vanished without a trace.

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.

Discover why the desire to capture Nazi weapon technology turns the U.S. and USSR from WW II allies into Cold War enemies; look at how the superpowers try to gain an Arctic foothold, from guerrilla warfare to intelligence schemes to nuclear arms.

An inside look at the Panavia Tornado's evolution from a Cold War low-level bomber to a high-level fighter-interceptor.

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

Discover why the desire to capture Nazi weapon technology turns the U.S. and USSR from WW II allies into Cold War enemies; look at how the superpowers try to gain an Arctic foothold, from guerrilla warfare to intelligence schemes to nuclear arms.

An inside look at the Panavia Tornado's evolution from a Cold War low-level bomber to a high-level fighter-interceptor.

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

Discover why the desire to capture Nazi weapon technology turns the U.S. and USSR from WW II allies into Cold War enemies; look at how the superpowers try to gain an Arctic foothold, from guerrilla warfare to intelligence schemes to nuclear arms.

An inside look at the Panavia Tornado's evolution from a Cold War low-level bomber to a high-level fighter-interceptor.

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.

New York's Hudson River stretches 315 miles through natural landscapes, from the Adirondack Mountains to the George Washington Bridge and Statue of Liberty.

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.

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.

New York's Hudson River stretches 315 miles through natural landscapes, from the Adirondack Mountains to the George Washington Bridge and Statue of Liberty.

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.

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.

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.

Puzzling over history-making structures and artifacts; Searching for clues about civilization's origins in Göbekli Tepe, visiting a German statue that reveals symbolic thought; witnessing the brutality of colonization in a Mexican skull tower.

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.

Re-evaluating what we know about evolution, extinction, and animals' sacred roles. Dig up a Canadian dinosaur that sparks questions about fossilization, meet a prehistoric survivor in China, and see the religious parts crocodiles played in Egypt.

Shedding light on the origins of organized warfare and the brutality it left behind; hunting for the beginnings of organized combat in Germany; finding evidence of Roman power in Denmark, and pondering the symbolic role of elite fighters.

Discover why the desire to capture Nazi weapon technology turns the U.S. and USSR from WW II allies into Cold War enemies; look at how the superpowers try to gain an Arctic foothold, from guerrilla warfare to intelligence schemes to nuclear arms.

An inside look at the Panavia Tornado's evolution from a Cold War low-level bomber to a high-level fighter-interceptor.

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

By the spring of 1945, the United States begins to take back the Philippines; on Borneo, the Australians invade Labuan; when the United States invades Okinawa, Japan makes a strong stand and launches the biggest kamikaze attacks of the war.

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

Discover the German submarines that caused havoc in the American desert, the playboy pilot they couldn't cage, and the young lovers whose escape defied all odds.

By the spring of 1945, the United States begins to take back the Philippines; on Borneo, the Australians invade Labuan; when the United States invades Okinawa, Japan makes a strong stand and launches the biggest kamikaze attacks of the war.

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

Discover the German submarines that caused havoc in the American desert, the playboy pilot they couldn't cage, and the young lovers whose escape defied all odds.

By the spring of 1945, the United States begins to take back the Philippines; on Borneo, the Australians invade Labuan; when the United States invades Okinawa, Japan makes a strong stand and launches the biggest kamikaze attacks of the war.

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

Discover the German submarines that caused havoc in the American desert, the playboy pilot they couldn't cage, and the young lovers whose escape defied all odds.

By the spring of 1945, the United States begins to take back the Philippines; on Borneo, the Australians invade Labuan; when the United States invades Okinawa, Japan makes a strong stand and launches the biggest kamikaze attacks of the war.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ramesses II reigns for 66 years and builds monuments and temples.

Delve into the history of the Fourth Dynasty monarch responsible for one of the great pyramids; examine the tyrannical reputation of this ancient leader and decipher the complex strategies he used to guide such a massive building project.

Part 5/6. Chart the turbulent reign of a brilliant strategist who allied herself with powerful Roman leaders in the hopes of saving her kingdom; examine the battle against Octavian that ended three millennia of Egyptian history and sealed Cleopatra's fate.

Part 6/6. Unearth the dramatic final days of the Twentieth Dynasty's great warrior king, Ramses III; view a rare judicial papyrus that recounts the story of an assassination plot hatched in the royal harem; see what the monarch's mummy reveals today.

By the spring of 1945, the United States begins to take back the Philippines; on Borneo, the Australians invade Labuan; when the United States invades Okinawa, Japan makes a strong stand and launches the biggest kamikaze attacks of the war.

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

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

In Chicago, twin concrete towers push the limits of high-rise design. Engineers conquer the sea to unite Sweden and Denmark. And in Sydney, Norman Foster and team take on the challenge of a new metro station that can't disrupt the busy streets above.

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.

Venturing into the deep waters of the Caribbean Sea for high stakes repairs on one of the one of the world's largest open ocean fish farm operations.

In Chicago, twin concrete towers push the limits of high-rise design. Engineers conquer the sea to unite Sweden and Denmark. And in Sydney, Norman Foster and team take on the challenge of a new metro station that can't disrupt the busy streets above.

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.