Smithsonian Networks

William Courtenay's color film of the pacific campaign and Japan's downfall.

Here's the full true story of "Bloody Omaha". Thousands of soldiers were killed as soon as they stepped onto the beach, or even into the water as they waded to shore.

A caving expedition recently discovered a community of dwarf crocodiles living in the Abanda Caves, Gabon. The crocs are living in pitch darkness, hunt bats and some have bright-orange skin. Part of the original team returns to find out more about this bizarre phenomenon. It's mission impossible to access the crocs world and there's no way of knowing what they might find.

Witness a remarkable coming-of-age story as we track a young leopard's journey from rookie to royalty in South Africa's lethal Big Five landscape. When we first meet Jack, he's clumsy, fearful, and weak, but he's a fast learner - and he'll need to be. He's destined for a showdown with the area's current leopard monarch, an alpha male with a real mean streak. We follow Jack as he hones his skills and builds up muscle for the ultimate catfight. It's a battle where only the winner will walk out alive.

Down Under, just a few nights after the November full moon - when water temperature and tides are just right - one of nature's most extraordinary events explodes into life. Thousands of coral join in an elaborate mating ritual, a synchronized dance of naturally occurring phenomena that help increase the coral's odds of survival. Journey through more than 1,200 miles of Australia's treasured Great Barrier Reef to discover the secrets of the unique marine life that inhabit this dazzling spectacle, considered to be the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The 2022 film "Top Gun: Maverick" continues the adventures of the ace fighter pilot made famous by Tom Cruise. But how true to life is the fictional story to the real Naval Fighter Weapons School? TOPGUN flight instructors take us inside the most famous and prestigious training program in the sky, where only the top 5% of U.S. naval aviators are accepted. We reveal the tactics and techniques taught in the classroom and in the air. We also examine how the real Navy TOPGUN came to be, an origin story that is truly stranger than fiction.

Incredible Insects A captivating world of creepy crawlies exists all around us. And they are the biggest group of animals in the world, outnumbering humans 200 million to one. Thanks to millions of years of evolution, these invertebrates not only survive in almost every landscape known to man, but also thrive by means of fascinating, and sometimes bizarre adaptations. There's the Bombardier beetle that squirts a boiling hot liquid from its anus, the Assassin bug that turns its victims into soup, and the Parasitic wasp that lays her eggs inside her victims, until her young are ready to eat their way out. We end off with the biggest bugs on the planet: the Atlas moth with a wingspan of over 20 centimetres, the Hercules beetle that can carry 850 times its own weight, and the Giant centipede - big enough to catch flying bats from midair!

Is it possible that Ice Age people succeeded in crossing the frozen Atlantic Ocean to North America, thousands of years before the Vikings and Columbus? Two archaeologists believe so after discovering artifacts in Chesapeake Bay that bear an inexplicable resemblance to those from prehistoric Europe. Follow them as they combine old-fashioned excavations with exciting new DNA testing to prove their theory, answer their critics, and rewrite the history books.

The dry season in northern Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park is as deadly as any predator. The rains stop, the temperatures rise, and the water sources evaporate, pushing herbivores past the normal boundaries of caution and into dangerous territory. Two lion families patiently await their arrival, one, a team of rookies, the other, seasoned pros, each with one shared goal: to hunt the thirsty herds. Get a remarkable look at their daily battles for survival as we take you on an action-packed journey into one of the wildest springs in Africa

Engineer Jem Stansfield investigates how the crash test dummy has become an icon for safety. For 65 years he has been crashed, smashed and impaled, evolving from a simple military mannequin into a highly sophisticated measuring tool. Jem meets a whole range of dummies from the past, present and future at crash laboratories in Sweden, the UK and US to discover how their evolution has mirrored car safety improvements. An affectionate look at a unique feat of engineering which makes you laugh, gasp and wince all at once.

For early aviators, conquering the forces of gravity was a daunting challenge. But black aviators had an additional challenge - conquering the forces of racism. Meet the men and women who took to the skies throughout the 20th century, proving to a segregated nation that skin color doesn't determine skill level. From biplanes to commercial jets, and from barnstormers to war fighters, meet the path-breaking pilots who opened the skies for all -- and contributed in countless ways to the development of aviation.

With more than 27 years of service, the space shuttle Discovery has clocked more time in space than any other shuttle. She has flown more than 148 million miles, and has become one of the most storied spacecraft in American history. Join us as we celebrate her remarkable past and follow her final flight: to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. It's an emotionally charged mission full of logistical challenges. Discovery is a robust, but very fragile aircraft, and getting her to D.C. in one piece will require some innovative engineering.

Barack Obama launched into our national consciousness at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and ever since, he's delivered messages of patriotism, unity, and hope through the power of words. But of all the speeches he's given, six in particular may define his legacy as, in historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's words, "one of the best writers and orators in the presidency." Interviews with eminent historians and key figures in his writing process give rare insights into these iconic speeches, as well as the Obama presidency and the man himself.

Drama-led documentary following the life of Signe, an orphaned Chief's daughter, who, driven by revenge, becomes an explorer and trader in the lands of the Rus Vikings.

This nature documentary follows some of the world’s most charismatic animals as they travel to Mexico across the span of a year. Using access to some of the country’s most protected sights, the film explores the relationship between family members as they battle to survive. Mixing moments of intimacy with fast-paced action, the film captures the epic scope of Mexico’s wildlife while it seeks to explain one of the most important themes of our era: migration.

A man in Leeper, Pennsylvania receives a package that he suspects is a bomb; enter America's oldest law enforcement service, the Postal Inspection Unit.

From the desk on which Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence to Dorothy's ruby slippers, the National Museum of American History houses many of America's greatest treasures and icons. Learn the stories of how they came to be a part of the museum's collection, and meet the people who have restored some of these treasures.

6 weeks before D-Day, British, American, and Canadian soldiers took part in a dangerous rehearsal for the Normandy invasion which claimed more American lives than the attack on Utah Beach. So what happened? How many Americans died? And who is to blame?

Immerse yourself in a world of mud dwellers, algae-eaters and expert predators all fighting for survival in Florida's Indian River Lagoon.

On a daredevil quest into the eye of the storm, an intrepid group of scientists, researchers and topgun pilots: in seven planes and armed with the best high tech gadgets money can buy embark on a treacherous journey in a struggle to understand the role of thunderstorms in the global warming puzzle. In this spectacular documentary, an international force of 250 experts who comprise I.C.E. (the International Cloud Experiment) converge on Darwin, Australia, the lair of "Hector," one of the planet's largest thunderstorms. As the pilots perilously edge closer, they battle life-threatening turbulence, lightning, grapefruit-sized hail, microbursts, mysterious "gravity waves," mechanical mishaps and the scientists themselves. Tensions mount as the scientists push to solve the mysteries of the atmosphere and the pilots push back to stay alive. Is I.C.E. itself on the verge of a meltdown?