Smithsonian Channel Movies

A documentary on the dark and brutal side of the Samurai warrior clans featuring the life of peasant Masa who is pressganged into the ruthless world o...

Caroline Sturdy Colls, a world leader in the forensic investigation of Nazi crime scenes, is chasing clues to an unsolved case: a concentration camp t...

The iconic design of the Boeing 747 has endured for over 5 decades, but the end of production is looming. In this documentary special we follow the bu...

For 20-year-old Madison Stewart, nothing feels safer or more natural than diving straight into shark-infested waters. Since childhood, growing up by t...

In 1914, the world's first trans-Antarctic expedition came to a cold stop. Trapped in ice just 60 miles from their destination, explorer Ernest Shackl...

Bees are one of the most important species on the planet. A look at the trials and tribulations of two particular honeybees over two years from birth...

Washington, 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 Preside...

Going from 0 to 150 mph in three seconds, withstanding three Gs of force, and taking off from what's often called "the most dangerous place on the pla...

At first glance, the Hudson appears to be just another industrial river. Tree-lined riverbanks are interspersed between cultivated land, bridges, ship...

The 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 unwittin...

For thousands of years, the Great Plains were home to countless numbers of American bison, but in the late 1800s, the number of bison dropped from nea...

The Color of Care chronicles how people of color suffer from systemically substandard healthcare in the United States, with a pressing focus on how th...

We all know the main story of Abraham Lincoln's death, how he was killed, where it took place, and who pulled the trigger. But what exactly happened d...

The sinking of the Lusitania and the impact it had in determining the fate of World War I is widely known. But few know the stories of the passengers...

On November 13, 1974, police discovered six members of the De Feo family: father, mother and four of their five children shot dead, at 112 Ocean Avenu...

In life, Marilyn Monroe captivated millions across the globe. In death, her mesmerizing spell only grew in size and scope. More than half a century af...

Follow the dramas of mustangs, elephant seals, and other wildlife taking place in California’s reserves and sanctuaries.