Smithsonian Channel Documentaries
Season 2013
The content of these documentaries are inspired by the Smithsonian Institution’s museums, research facilities and magazines – and feature original non-fiction programming that cover a wide range of historical, scientific and cultural subjects.
Where to Watch Smithsonian Channel Documentaries • Season 2013
21 Episodes
- Shackleton's Frozen Hell
E1Shackleton's Frozen HellIn 1914, the world's first trans-Antarctic expedition came to a cold stop. Trapped in ice just 60 miles from their destination, explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew found themselves in a dire situation that would play out as a two-year battle against starvation, sub-zero conditions, and the threat of being swallowed by the unforgiving Southern Ocean. Witness this incredible story of courage and survival, fueled by ship captain Frank Worsley's exceptional navigational skills, the crew's resiliency, and Shackleton's cool-headed leadership - Lincoln's Washington at War
E2Lincoln's Washington at WarWashington, D.C. in 1861. The Civil War is at the doorstep and the city is bracing for disaster. America is a country torn in two. An untested President Lincoln strives to make the nation's capital the political center of the Union, but finds he is surrounded by Southern sympathies and under constant threat of attack. See how this once sleepy small town grew into the metropolis we know today. A city cast in marble, a symbol of American liberty and a memorial to those who fought tooth and nail to preserve it. - Venom Islands
E3Venom IslandsOn a string of Southern Indonesian islands, poisonous predators lurk, each with its own toxic cocktail suited to its hunting style. Some bite. Some sting. Some strike quickly, while others deliver their own slow brand of death. Venom expert Dr. Bryan Fry is on a mission to uncover these creatures' poisonous secrets. Join him on a journey fraught with danger as he risks it all to get up close and personal with vipers, stonefish, and more. The ultimate encounter is with the beast sitting on top of the island food chain, the Komodo dragon. - Killer in the CavesE4
Killer in the CavesThere's a killer stalking the caves of North America, from New York, to Vermont and into Canada. Seemingly overnight, a disease known as white-nose syndrome is wiping out bats by the millions. In a race against time, bat expert Dr. DeeAnn Reeder and wildlife biologist Greg Turner search for the cause of and a cure for this mysterious fungus. Scientific ingenuity and groundbreaking technology may be the only hope to crack the case before an entire species is driven to extinction. - Nazi Temple of Doom
E5Nazi Temple of DoomA 23-pound, solid-gold cauldron was found at the bottom of a Bavarian lake in 2001. Thought to be a 2,000-year-old Celtic treasure, one expert valued it at 1.4 billion dollars...until it was proven to be a fake. Yet the origins of this forgery prove to be just as historically significant. Discover the astonishing secrets behind this recently found artifact. Our investigation uncovers a story of intrigue, shady deals, and a plot by Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler to create a sinister Camelot inside "The Nazi Temple of Doom," Germany's Wewelsburg Castle. - Arlington Cemetary: Call to HonorE6
Arlington Cemetary: Call to HonorEvery graveyard tells a story, but few can talk to the living like Arlington National Cemetery. Visit the final home of war heroes from the Revolutionary War to 9/11 to the current struggle in Iraq. The American flag flies at half-staff more often than not as more than twenty-seven burials take place daily. Each section of the cemetery reflects a time in history, and each stone signifies a hero. - B2: Stealth at War
E7B2: Stealth at WarThe most expensive and specialized airplane ever built, the B2 Stealth bomber carries a price tag of more than two billion dollars. Highly effective and extremely technically advanced, it has been an integral part of the Air Force arsenal for the past 20 years. From a Cold War scrap heap candidate, to the go-to bomber in the 2011 strike against Qaddafi's army in Libya, "Spirit" has seen its share of trials and triumphs. Join us as we detail how this secret weapon evolved to overcome critics, espionage, and even tragedy, to change the shape of aviation forever. - Jackie Without JackE8
Jackie Without Jack“Never, ever, publish them!” What was it Jackie Kennedy wanted to keep secret? Acclaimed director Patrick Jeudy has access to a series of conversations recorded a few months after her husband’s assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963. The young widow was then 34, and she recounts the past like a novel about her dream life with her husband John Kennedy. They are conversations about history, and about her own story – including some very intimate secrets and controversial opinions. The Lady in Pink was continually driven by a dual purpose: that of molding her own image, whilst managing that of the president. She cannot change the past, so she may as well rewrite it and start to build the legend of JFK. - 9/11: The Heartland TapesE9
9/11: The Heartland TapesAcross America, the morning of September 11, 2001 began routinely, with news and radio broadcasts sharing local human interest stories and traffic reports. But by 9 a.m., the day's narrative had taken a tragic turn. Most of us are familiar with the national news coverage of 9/11, but the local reporting from TV and radio affiliates across the nation was no less important and no less compelling. This is an account of the tragedy as it unfolded, and as it aired in American cities large and small, told without narration or interviews. - Samurai Headhunters
E10Samurai HeadhuntersSince the eighth century, the Samurai have held a special place in Japanese history and culture. But over the years, legend has obscured the truth about how these elite knights actually lived, loved, fought, and died. Using rare 16th century war documents, we tell the story of a Samurai coming of age during that time. Witness his rise from peasant boy to foot soldier to ruthless warrior, all brought to life through stunning re-enactments and expert testimony from Japanese and martial arts historians. - The Teacher Who Defied Hitler
E12The Teacher Who Defied Hitler1934. Berlin. The Nazi party is on the rise, and so are violent acts against Jews. Anti-Semitism has become a state doctrine and racism has replaced education, profoundly affecting the most vulnerable members of the Jewish community: the children. But one woman dared to stand up to hatred and to Adolf Hitler's totalitarian regime. Witness the story of Leonore Goldschmidt, a fired teacher who found a loophole in Nazi law and opened the Goldschmidt School, a sanctuary for hundreds of Jewish youths, an oasis in the heart of hell. - Kennedys Suicide BomberE13
Kennedys Suicide BomberBefore Lee Harvey Oswald gunned down a president and stunned the world, another lone assassin had plans of his own to kill JFK. His weapon of choice was not a rifle, but a Buick 8, packed with dynamite and primed for detonation. Discover the story of Richard Pavlick as we go inside the mind of a madman. See what happens when we conduct a test to see if the car bomb would have worked, and the impact it might have had on history if President Kennedy had died three years before November 22, 1963 - The Day Kennedy Died
E14The Day Kennedy DiedThe doctor who tried to save him. The Secret Service agent who was seconds too late. The man wrongly accused of his murder. And the woman who unwittingly sheltered an assassin. The death of JFK has inspired thousands of books and debates over the last 50 years, but the stories of the people there on that day have gone largely untold...until now. Experience November 22, 1963 as it has never been presented before, in this minute-by-minute account of that day, narrated by Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey, and brought to life through rarely seen footage and rarely heard testimonies. - The Vaccine According to Bill Gates
E15The Vaccine According to Bill GatesTo combat the devastating toll of malaria - which leads to 250 million cases and nearly one million deaths per year - scientists all over the world have been working for over 50 years to develop a vaccine. But the malarial parasite is of a formidable and elusive complexity. Today however, three main candidate vaccines are competing to be the world’s first malaria vaccine. Among them, the vaccine developed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in partnership with the global company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is nearing approval for widespread use. Its code name: RTS,S. The clinical trials are immense: more than 15 000 children tested in 7 African countries. But the RTS,S is also at the heart of a fierce political and scientific debate, fueled by researchers from rival teams who are critical of the molecule selected. They predict it will be inefficient in the short- or mediumterm and suspect that GSK and Bill Gates, who invested USD 500 million, are lobbying for their vaccine to be the first on the market regardless of its efficacy. From the plateaux of the Dogon country to the bush of Burkina Faso and laboratories in Europe, like in a scientific thriller, we will follow the fascinating chronicles of the development of this first vaccine and the polemics it will provoke in the months to come. - Diving with the CoelacanthE16
Diving with the Coelacanth120 metres down off the wild coast of South Africa lives an animal once thought to have been extinct for 65 million years - the Coelacanth, locally known as Gombessa. A dinosaur fish, a living fossil, that remains the only link connecting fish to terrestrial tetrapods: its fins contain the beginning of reptile and mammal leg bones! Join a team of underwater explorers who film these legendary fish like never before. - Lockerbie bombingE17
Lockerbie bombingOn a December night in 1988, just days before Christmas, one of the worst air disasters in history occurred over Scotland. Pan Am Flight 103, carrying 259 passengers and crew, exploded at 31,000 feet. It fell to Earth in large, fiery sections across the sleepy, hillside town of Lockerbie. Witness the aftermath of a tragedy that shocked the world and changed a small town forever. Watch rare footage, much of which has never been broadcast before, and hear stories from those who were there and those whose lives were forever torn apart.
