The Smithsonian Network

We go behind the scenes and into the minds of artists as they capture, commemorate, and, at times, condemn our presidents.

Enter the harsh and unforgiving Kalahari and follow a lion pride attempt to save their threatened bloodline.

In 1960, a lone assassin planned a deadly attempt on the life of President-Elect John F Kennedy. With a Buick packed with dynamite, nothing was going to stop Kennedy's Suicide Bomber.

Documentary which follows crocodile expert Brad Bestelink on a quest to dive with crocodiles without a cage or any other protection.

In November 19, 1946, a U.S. military transport plane goes out of control while flying over the Swiss Alps and crashes high in the mountains. Miraculously, all 12 passengers and crew survive the accident, but their safety is anything but assured. The aircraft has flown miles off course, and its position is unknown. Food supplies are low, the temperature is dropping, and their radio battery is running out of juice. Time is quickly running out. The fate of the survivors will depend on one man, one plane, and one inspired idea.

A high-tech autopsy on a Nile crocodile unlocks secrets behind its hunting prowess.

Ascension Island, a remote Mid-Atlantic outpost famous for its big game fishing, is under siege. Tiger sharks, hammerheads, even great whites, lured here every year by the bountiful reefs, are displaying aggressive behavior, culminating in the island's first shark attacks in its history. Join us as we dive into the mystery behind the altered behavior of these hungry predators, and explore whether efforts to bring this delicate ecosystem back into balance is a case of too little, too late.

A visually stunning portrait of one of nature's most agile and fearsome predators, the Goshawk. This secretive bird of prey can be hard to see in the UK, but reigns supreme in Korea's mountains.

Even 2,000 years after his death, General Hannibal's battle strategies are still studied today. But of all his military feats, perhaps his greatest was leading his massive Carthaginian army of men and three-dozen elephants across the Alps and into the heartland of Rome in 218 B.C. Until now, the route they took has been a matter of dispute, but thanks to modern-day technology, geomorphologist Bill Mahaney and microbiologist Chris Allen believe they've accurately traced this ancient journey.

This is the story of a cheetah born into the Linyanti cheetah coalition. He is the runt of the litter and will have to fight hard for every scrap of food and attention to survive.

Herman Melville's epic ocean adventure "Moby Dick" is an American masterpiece. But was this stirring tale of violence and revenge simply an allegory, or were there real giants of the deep deliberately attacking whaling ships? With the help of centuries old witness accounts and modern day science, we explain how the legend of the great white whale came to be. Then we determine if the multiple sperm whale assaults on ships in the 19th century were indeed premeditated and coordinated.

A documentary which follows two lion brothers as they become rulers of a pride in Botswana after a battle for dominance.

When Mount Vesuvius obliterated the city of Pompeii in 79 A.D., it preserved the bodies of about 2,000 victims, freezing them in their final moments. But who were these fated ancient Romans? To find out, forensic scientists will take CT scans and digital X-rays to reveal who these people were and how they lived before the eruption 1,700 years ago. Meanwhile, a team of architects and archaeologists will conduct traditional digs and use modern 3D mapping to reveal new evidence and dispel old myths about this doomed city.

The drama documentary tells the real life story of Samurai woman Takeko Nakano who in 1868 fights for her clans' independence in a final battle that marks the end of the Samurai era.

It lasted only one day on a small piece of land, but the impact the Battle of Waterloo had on history is massive and far-reaching. This is the definitive account of the fight that ended Napoleon's rule as emperor and altered the destinies of France, Europe, and the world. Based on testimonies of those involved, we reveal the tactical decisions and human dramas that transpired on both sides of the battle to give you an unprecedented look of one of history's most epic conflicts.

In China's Valley of the Kings, there stands a tall, carved stone. It honors the resting place of a woman named Wu Zetian, who rose from concubine to become China's only female emperor. For more than a millennia, history claimed she killed her own children, held power through a ruthless rule of terror, and brought China to the edge of ruin. But are any of these claims true? Join the investigation as we revisit old evidence and reveal new truths, using artifacts and forensic tools to tell the true story of China's Emperor of Evil.

Before he wrote the book that revolutionized the way people understood evolution, a young Charles Darwin found himself, by chance, on a strange sea voyage. This is the story of the HMS Beagle, which traveled from Great Britain to survey South America's coastline, but also became part of its Captain Fitzroy's flawed social experiment. It's a tale of bold exploration, tragic miscalculation, the death of a civilization, and the birth of Darwinism.

China, as we know it today, would not exist without the Han Dynasty. About two millenniums ago, its emperors ruled for over 400 years, and yet, few visible remains of this period exist above ground. Underground, however, it's a different story. Join a team of archaeologists as they enter the royal tombs of three emperors spanning the reign of the Han Dynasty. By excavating these sites, they hope to further our knowledge of their wealth, their beliefs, their quest for immortality, and how their culture and philosophy shaped modern China.

In the far reaches of the North, wolf and bear come head to head. Winter has been long. The melting ice reveal scattered carcasses in the Swamp: a feast worth fighting for. The bears must fatten up before Winter comes again, the wolves must strengthen their pack. The Swamp has been their battleground for decades, who will rule the North?