On August 8, 1908, at a racetrack outside Paris, Wilbur Wright executed what was, for him, a routine flight: a smooth take-off banking into a couple of tight circles, ending in a perfect landing. The flight took less than two minutes, but it left spectators awestruck. While the combined talents of Wilbur and Orville Wright had produced the first plane capable of controlled flight , their distrust of others had almost cost them the credit for their invention. Now, having proved to the public that they had mastered the sky, the reserved brothers from the small town of Dayton, Ohio, became world celebrities.
As the Space Race ensues, seven pilots set off on a path to become the first American astronauts to ...
One of the most popular rockers of the 1950s and early 60s, Fats Domino and his record sales were ri...
Cold War Roadshow tells the story of one of the most bizarre episodes in the annals of modern histor...
Go higher, faster and farther with the Smithsonian as they explore the dreams of flight.
Charles Lindbergh struggles to finance and design an airplane that will make his 1927 New York to Pa...
This documentary follows various migratory bird species on their long journeys from their summer hom...
Unaccompanied by narration or interviews, contemporary imagery drawn from science fiction films, gov...
Doomed attempt to get to California in 1846. More than just a riveting tale of death, endurance and ...
In the spring of 1927, after weeks of incessant rains, the Mississippi River went on a rampage from ...
On February 1, 1913, more than 150,000 people eagerly rushed to Grand Central Terminal to gaze at Ne...
Influenza 1918 is the story of the worst epidemic the United States has ever known. Before it was ov...
After Phyllis discovers that her daughter Cecilia can read, she’s torn between abiding to her slave ...
American Experience celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Founded by R...
The remarkable story of Earl Silas Tupper, an ambitious but reclusive small-town inventor, and Brown...
Take a technological thrill ride The Magic of Flight takes you on a technological thrill ride faster...
In the mid 1800s, New York City was one of the most crowded places on earth. The congested streets a...
A documentary that explores the range of experiences lived by transgender Americans.
Meet Brian Boland—the beloved, eccentric hot air balloonist and artist from the rural Upper Valley o...
It starts with a live radio broadcast from the Bikini Atoll a few days before it is annihilated by a...