Smithsonian Channel TV Episodes

What was Edison's controversial role in the invention of the electric chair? What's the little-known link between the Civil War and the Ouija board, or stockings and roller coasters? And how did an...

They were four inventors who had extraordinary vision, and their innovations would change the way we looked at the world and the universe beyond it. In this episode, we show how a patent office wor...

In September 1991, two hikers exploring the Ötztal Alps discovered a corpse buried in the ice. When rescue teams collected the evidence, it became clear that these were not the unfortunate remains ...

From St. Louis's Gateway Arch to Kansas City's Liberty Memorial, from the Mighty Mississippi to the Big Muddy, and Mark Twain to Bonnie and Clyde, the Show Me State has plenty to show off. This aer...

The investigation into the life and death of a 2,400-year-old mummy, found in a peat field near the center of Ireland, is underway. But for every answer unearthed, new questions arise. Who was he? ...

Was he a mythic gunslinging outlaw or a destitute thieving loner? No one knows the true story of Sylvester, the petrified cowboy that now resides at a curiosity shop in Seattle. But one thing is fo...

It's given us American icons as notorious as Al Capone and as heroic as Abraham Lincoln. It's where endless rows of corn blanket the fields and towering buildings touch the sky. The state of Illino...

From St. Louis's Gateway Arch to Kansas City's Liberty Memorial, from the Mighty Mississippi to the Big Muddy, and Mark Twain to Bonnie and Clyde, the Show Me State has plenty to show off. This aer...

Financial woes are hitting the Boomtowners hard, leading to major decisions that could have life-altering effects. For Chris, the CEO of Liberty, a downturn in oil prices leads to a risky gamble th...

Soar beyond Iowa's rows of crops, towering silos, and old farmhouses and discover a state where promise and opportunity stretch as far as its endless skies. This aerial tour celebrates such landmar...

There's no such thing as "routine" when you live in the Bakken, where the work, the towns, and the people are constantly changing and not always for the better. Sidney police officer Alex and his d...

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines and prepare to be whisked away over Indiana's famous racetrack and the Golden Dome, vast cornfields and large quarries, and bustling metropolises and a city...

The world's most advanced drilling rig is ready to go, but before Doug can put it to work, he has to get his newly assembled all-star team to work together first. Things aren't working so well for ...

New Jersey is one of America's 13 original states, and one of its most fascinating. It's where the nation's first industrial city was built, where some of Hollywood's biggest studios began, and whe...

When one of Liberty Oil's sites creates problems for a well nearby, the work stops and the frustration, and costs, begin to mount. Equally frustrated are Ben and Phoebe as they search for available...

It's a state ruled by beer and dairy, a place full of wild, scenic beauty and bustling urban landscapes. This is Wisconsin, and this aerial tour celebrates the unique brew of dazzling landscapes, r...

Pressure is the name of the game in the Bakken and everyone's feeling it in more ways than one. In the oilfields, mechanical issues have brought work to a grinding halt and Justin and other crew le...

A mirror, some lion urine, and two-dimensional cutouts of prey are used to put teams of lions and hyenas to the test.

Washington, DC, does not boast towering buildings, but its skyline still inspires awe through its history, purpose, and what happens inside its walls. Explore the Nation's Capital from above as we ...

Meet some of the men and women from across America who have left their old lives behind for new opportunities in the oil-rich Bakken. The transition hasn't been easy. Follow trucker Ben Moorhead, w...

Unravel the mysteries of spotted hyena and lion behavior in the first of a series of social intelligence tests.

It's another busy week at The Way We Wore when two of Hollywood's top costume designers drop by in search of 1970s frocks for upcoming projects, including a television series from Martin Scorsese. ...

The Way We Wore attracts a wide variety of shoppers, each on a quest for the perfect vintage dress. Very often, that quest is a race against time and it's up to Doris and her team to save the day. ...

Vintage clothing boutique owner Doris Raymond and her store manager Sarah race to Chicago after receiving a hot tip from an estate liquidator. A Dior model has left behind a treasure trove of rarel...

As other cruise ships head for the Caribbean in late autumn, Marco Polo, the Grande Dame of the Baltic, keeps her cool up north, and that's just how her passengers like it. They've paid to see Old ...

Stella Australis is part luxury liner and part expedition ship, whisking passengers to the most remote areas of South America for one-of-a-kind encounters. Join the adventure as she visits sub-pola...

There's a reason Doris Raymond's vintage clothing boutique is in Los Angeles. Not only is it home to the biggest celebrities, stylists, and costume designers, but it's also the place where fashion ...

It's supposed to be a simple in-flight test for one of the world's most popular passenger planes, but something has gone terribly wrong. During one maneuver the XL Airways Germany Airbus A320 sudde...

At 122,000 gross tons, Celebrity Solstice puts the "mighty" in Mighty Cruise Ships. She carries 1,255 crewmembers and close to 3,000 passengers during her summer journeys along Australia's northern...

Concerned that her vintage boutique shop may be seen as too high-end, Doris Raymond decides to rebrand the store's website to attract a newer and more youthful clientele. Challenges arise, and the ...

Italy is stunned when Itavia Flight 870 plunges into the Mediterranean Sea, killing everyone aboard...but there are more shocks to come. A mysterious call to an Italian journalist claims the disast...

When it comes to exploring the heart of Asia's most exotic locales, Azamara Journey is in a class of her own. She reaches destinations big cruise ships cannot, navigating through narrow, winding ri...

Hollywood's hectic awards season has just ended and the feathers, fringe, and sequins have barely settled. But for intrepid vintage hunter Doris Raymond, the work has just begun. Vintage fashions a...

They're called hurricane hunters, research scientists who head straight into killer storms to collect valuable data that will ultimately save lives. In 1989, however, it's the scientists' own lives...

Chart an escape to paradise aboard MS Paul Gauguin, the only vessel that sails year-round to the most remote islands of French Polynesia. On this 14-day voyage, the waters come in a dozen shades of...

She's a new ship voyaging to new destinations on waters that today's mega-cruise ships simply cannot navigate. Set sail aboard Le Soleal on a 14-day voyage through one of the largest archipelagos o...

On a Monday morning in November 2001, a passenger plane slams into a neighborhood in Queens, NY. A community, still in shock over the events of 9/11, is plunged back into panic and chaos. Was it an...

Washington's National Airport and Air Florida made national news in the winter of 1982 when Flight 90 plunged into the Potomac River just after takeoff. News cameras at the scene captured the horro...

Huddie Ledbetter was born into poverty, battled racism, and did time, but in spite of his early hardships, or perhaps because of them, he became one of the great musicians of the 20th century. We t...

A flap malfunction. Cell phone interference. A language barrier. A drug-impaired pilot. Something forced Crossair Flight 498 to crash quickly after takeoff, but what? Examiners at the Swiss Aircraf...

Hit the icy seas aboard heavy lift transport vessel Avataq on her treacherous but vital 2,200-mile lifeline mission to the near-Arctic town of Kuujjuaq. It's one of only three trips this super-size...

Just moments after taking off from Los Angeles International Airport, Hughes Airwest Flight 706 suddenly disappears from radar. Soon after, the military reports that an F-4 Phantom fighter jet is a...

What caused BEA Flight 548 to suddenly drop from the sky and crash to Earth, killing all 118 people aboard? When weather and engine failure are ruled out, examiners from Britain's Accidents Investi...

Ibn Battuta is one of the world's most powerful dredgers, built to tear through ocean floors to clear the way for today's largest ships. She's three years into one of the biggest dredging projects ...

Wind Star Cruises promises the adventure of a lifetime to all who cast off aboard its luxury yacht Wind Surf. She's the largest sailing ship in the cruise world, but her passenger capacity is relat...

Three times the size of the Titanic, the mega cruise ship Norwegian Breakaway is the largest vessel ever to call New York City home. And the challenges involved in her construction were equally mas...

More than a luxury hotel at sea, Norwegian Breakaway is a floating city, with a whopping 29 restaurants, 22 bars and lounges, a Vegas-style casino, and a full-scale theater that is bigger than some...

Over three months, cable layer Stemat Spirit will connect a wind farm in the Irish Sea to people's homes and businesses in Northwest England, but the job is proving to be a treacherous one. The Iri...

It's the early 20th century, about forty years after American heiresses first streamed overseas to trade cash for British titles, and England finds itself undergoing seismic political changes. The ...

In the late 1800s, Wall Street gamblers and buccaneering industrialists gained vast fortunes in New York, but couldn't gain the acceptance of the social elite, the Knickerbockers. Not to be denied,...