Across the planet, every animal--predator or prey--has survival advantages honed by millions of years of evolution. Watch some of nature's most accomplished survivors as they put their talents to the test, with their very lives at stake.
On April 23, 1945, the U.S. Navy warship USS Eagle 56 exploded off the coast of Portland, Maine due to a malfunction of the ship's boilers...or so the official report said. A civilian-led dive expedition attempts to discover the lost wreckage and find out what really happened, uncovering fresh clues, startling eyewitness accounts, and a possible cover-up.
Enter a world filled with the most spectacular freaks of nature on the planet. Here you will find a weird and wonderful collection of leaping spiders, snot-casting fish, blood-sucking bats, flesh-boring bugs, and other bizarre creatures occupying our land, sea, and sky. Join us as we celebrate oddities of all shapes, sizes, and species, giving an up-close view of them in their natural habitat, and revealing how these misfits of nature have developed their strange adaptations over tens of millions of years.
Primates, like lemurs, baboons, and monkeys, are our closest living relatives, making them a source of endless human fascination. See their adaptability and resilience in action through their daily quests for food and shelter.
The amazing thing about nature is the number of ways it continues to surprise us - and in the case of these unique creatures, it appears we're barely scratching the surface. Spend some time in the company of nature's evolutionary mavericks.
Once completed, HMS Queen Elizabeth will be the United Kingdom's largest warship, longer than three football fields and taller than Niagara Falls. But right now, she's months away from being seaworthy and battle ready.
There's no better way to take in Greece's great diversity, natural beauty, and mythic grandeur than to experience it from a god's-eye-view. This exhilarating aerial tour whisks you away on a four-part, cross-country journey above the heart of Athens, over the timeless, contrasting Aegean archipelago, and across eastern islands of mesmerizing beauty and priceless heritage. Along with the physical splendors, we also explore the human stories of the people who embody the ingenuity, resilience, and vibrant spirit of this remarkable country.
Smithsonian Channel's Sound Revolution is a documentary television series hosted by award-winning actor Morgan Freeman. Documentary footage, expert interviews and musical performances trace the origins of be-bop, jazz, rock 'n' roll and soul music, all emanating from “ground zero” – Clarksdale, Mississippi – and the Mississippi Delta. Each hour-long program is filled with recent performances, largely from the Montreux Jazz Festival, featuring performances by: B.B. King, Ike Tuner, Buddy Guy, Etta James, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Robert Cray, Miles Davis, The Neville Brothers and many others. The show premiered November 2008 on Smithsonian Networks.
As the deadliest war in history draws to an end, the bloodshed is far from over. For ten soldiers and civilians caught in this theatre of war's final act, the last days of World War II would change their lives forever. Witness the stories of the courageous men and women whose sacrifice and survival, triumph and tragedy provide unique insight into some of the most terrifying days in history. Their firsthand accounts will take you into Hitler's Bunker, to the scene of Mussolini's capture and murder, and to the horrific discovery of the Nazi's most ghastly secret.
They provide shade in blistering heat, shelter to animals in desperate need, and feasts when the rest of the region has dried up. They are the miracle trees of the African savannas, giving predators and herbivores the tools to stay alive in some of the harshest environments on Earth. Join us as we take a look at the sausage tree of Zambia, the marula of the Manyeleti, and the camelthorn of the Kalahari, each tree uniquely evolved to adapt to Africa's extremes, and each one an integral part of the lives of the inhabitants.
New technology and the opening of previously closed societies are ushering in a golden age of archaeology, uncovering the secrets of some of history's most famous empires. Smithsonian Channel has gained access to some remarkable discoveries, and will reveal new insights in a major new programming block: BEHIND THE LOST EMPIRES. The block features specials on the lost city of Pompeii, a recently discovered Roman gladiator school in the heart of Europe, China's Han Dynasty and its infamous female Emperor Wu, and Burma, the world's first golden civilization.
Africa's diverse terrain is as awesome as it is deadly. With scalding volcanic fields, scorched-earth deserts, and violent waterways, discover what lives in some of the world's most inhospitable places and see how these species have adapted to thrive where others would perish.
The evolutionary journey of life on Earth spans millions of years - and the results are as diverse as they are jaw-dropping. Travel through time as we explore the amazing adaptations that help certain species excel within their environments.
Across land, sea, and air, they carry the most massive, fragile, and expensive cargoes on the planet to destinations hundreds, even thousands, of miles away. Follow the teams of engineers tasked with planning and executing the world's most nail-biting moves. Through each daring and dangerous relocation and amidst tough conditions and tight deadlines, these heavy haulers must overcome incredible challenges to get their colossal cargoes to their new homes.
"Boomtowners" plunges into a modern-day "gold rush" that's attracting thousands of people from all over the country to the Bakken, a region of North Dakota. An oil boom has turned the area into the epicenter of a white-hot industrial revolution, but a rise in jobs has also led to a surge in population and living costs. Experience this phenomenon first-hand through the eyes of newcomers and longtime residents trying to make a living there in this groundbreaking new docu-series about tapping into the American dream.
It begins at Minnesota's Lake Itasca and ends in the Gulf of Mexico. From top to bottom, the mighty Mississippi River is a 2,300-mile marvel and America's lifeline to the world. Follow the river as it carves its path from the northern headwaters to the nation's heartland to the southern bayou. Discover how the Mississippi operates as an engine of commerce, and see how its creatures thrive in and above its rushing waters and along its lush, green banks.