TV Schedule for Smithsonian Channel USA HD

How Did They Build That? High Waters & Harsh Winds

Defy gravity in an Amsterdam high-rise that hangs 164 feet above the water; marvel at three interconnected towers in Chicago that have a road running through them; examine the revolutionary framework of Paris' controversial Pompidou Centre.

How Did They Build That? Speedcore & Steambend

Peek inside a cloud-inspired library in Canada that's built over a live railway; see how clever engineering helped a huge Seattle skyscraper go up without harming its iconic neighbour, then cross an Australian bridge that floats above a busy river.

How Did They Build That? Heights & Balance

A 1.2-million-square-foot office building balances precariously on a 39-foot wide base in Chicago; a building named Pterodactyl lands on top of a Los Angeles parking garage; the world's longest suspension footbridge.

How Did They Build That? Subways & Sightlines

A sculptural high-rise with rippling balconies breaks the mold in Chicago; Mammoth machines bore 26 miles of tunnels for an underground railroad beneath London's city streets.

How Did They Build That? Biomes & Rebuilds

A London railway station; giant Singapore biodomes; eye-catching hospital in Las Vegas.

How Did They Fix That? Reef Rescue

Mike in northeastern Australia, goes on and under the water, into labs and onto construction projects working with specialized teams; they tackle the challenge of saving dying coral on the Great Barrier Reef.

How Did They Fix That? Tunnel Vision

Mike joins crews as they build the world's longest railway tunnel in the Alps, fixing gridlock through the infamous Brenner Pass by drilling, blasting and digging their way through the mountains.

How Did They Fix That? For-Everglades

Mike works with the Army Corps of Engineers on a massive project to restore essential flow of fresh water to the Florida Everglades; he also joins scientists, python hunters and the Miccosukee Tribe to eliminate invasive species in these wetlands.

How Did They Fix That? Aquarius Reef Base

Diving into retrofits on the world's only underwater habitat, where NASA astronauts train for space missions; Mike joins a crack repair team who breathe new life into this oceanic environment after a global pandemic shut it down.

How Did They Fix That? US Navy Hovercraft Overhaul

Mike joins the Assault Craft Unit 5, the U.S. Navy's team for Landing Craft Air Cushions (LCACs); LCACs carry heavy vehicles and troops onto beaches; Mike helps fly & fix an overhauled LCAC during a U.S. Marines beach assault training mission.

How Did They Fix That? Sealing Nevada's Abandoned Mines

Nevada has over 40,000 abandoned mines posing dangers; Mike joins contractors for a week to secure five sites; alongside biologists, they explore and document wildlife; reaching these isolated mines requires barges, helicopters and bulldozers.

How Did They Fix That? Afterburn

In Southern California, crews rebuild after the 2025 wildfires, cutting firebreaks, repairing emergency water systems, hardening roads and power lines, and building fire-resistant homes before the next firestorm.

Ice Airport Alaska Bear Knuckle Flight

Fish and Wildlife aviators battle Arctic conditions to track down a polar bear population, a bush pilot races fading daylight to save a business, Anchorage field crews battle to clear an icy runway, and CBP officers investigate.

Air Disasters Mountain Impact

Following three horrifying crashes, investigators uncover fatal flaws in the very operations designed to prevent aircraft from flying into mountains.

Air Disasters Soccer Tragedy

A plane carrying a Brazilian soccer team crashes just ten miles from the airport in 2016.

Air Disasters Explosive Clues

A look at three commercial planes that became targets over the Sinai Desert, the Sea of Japan and Ukraine.

Air Disasters Pushed to the Limit

SilkAir Flight 185 crashes into the Musi River in Indonesia after abruptly diving from its cruise altitude.

Air Disasters Hero Pilots

Three flights headed for disaster are saved at the last moment by heroes in the cockpit.

Air Disasters Fatal Distraction

Pilots of Eastern Airline Flight 401 try to determine why both landing-gear lights do not function on an L-1011, tragically distracting them.

Air Disasters Deadly Inclination

An Alitalia airliner crashes into a forested hillside just a few miles from a Zurich runway.

Air Disasters High Rise Catastrophe

A large cargo jet slices into an apartment complex in Amsterdam and reveals a potentially lethal problem threatening every 747 in the sky.

Combat Ships Sunk

New high-tech investigations uncover what sunk a World War I cruiser, a World War II submarine, a British destroyer from the Falklands War, and more.

Combat Ships Top Guns

A look at how navy weapons have evolved over the centuries, from cannons to gun turrets to nuclear missiles and beyond.

Combat Ships Courageous Captains

Exploring maritime heroes who left their mark on history through their bravery and skill, including Larry Chambers, Ernest Evans, and Robert Smalls.