Molly Hermann

Today, it seems incredible that just a century ago, American women had no voice in democracy. Just as remarkable is that it took over 70 years of campaigns, marches, hunger strikes, and arrests to pass the constitutional amendment guaranteeing them the right to vote. Witness the decades-long fight for suffrage by heroic women who fought to claim their rights as citizens, told through rarely seen footage, expert opinions, and dozens of historic objects from the Smithsonian Institution. The legacy of their quest continues to shape our democracy.

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A comprehensive look at the events leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn as well as the myths and legends it spawned, and its impact on history.

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The story of Pocahontas has been passed down through the centuries. Her relationship with John Smith has been characterized as a romance that united two cultures and created lasting peace. However, the life of this American Indian princess was anything but a fairytale. Join us as we look beyond the fiction and reveal the real story of Pocahontas, a tale of kidnapping, conflict, starvation, ocean journeys, and the future of an entire civilization.

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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 during the last day of his life? Relive April 14, 1865, as we track the hours of the day that shocked the world, following both assassin and victim on separate paths that would ultimately converge at the Presidential Box at Ford's Theatre. We'll also look at the objects, like Lincoln's hat and John Wilkes Booth's gun, that witnessed the crime that changed the course of American history forever.

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"The Star-Spangled Banner" is known by all, treasured for its powerful melody and stirring lyrics. And yet, only about 40% of U.S. citizens know all the words. And even fewer know their meaning. Join us as we travel back to 1814, when Washington D.C. was under British attack during the "Second War of Independence," and the very bricks and mortar of American democracy were reduced to smoking rubble. We examine the battle that inspired witness Francis Scott Key to immortalize its final moments, then reveal how his poem transformed into an anthem.

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Take a journey back in time and immerse yourself in a 150-year-old battle that nearly split our nation in two. This three-part series explores famous and little known aspects of the Civil War, from the perspectives of the Union, the Confederacy and the millions of enslaved people struggling for freedom. Hosted by Ashley Judd, Trace Adkins, and Dennis Haysbert, all of whom had ancestors greatly affected by the war, this series delivers fresh insights and untold tales, brought to life through dramatic recreations and the Smithsonian Institution's vast collection of artifacts.

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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 President Lincoln strives to make the nation's capital the political center of the Union, but finds he is surrounded by Southern sympathies and under constant threat of attack. See how this once sleepy small town grew into the metropolis we know today. A city cast in marble, a symbol of American liberty and a memorial to those who fought tooth and nail to preserve it.

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Tim Laman a photographer for National Geographic and ornithologist Ed Scholes have been traveling to some of the most remote jungles the world has to offer in search of observing and photographing all 39 species of tropical bird. This particular group of birds are entitled as the “Birds of Paradise” and can be found in some of the last truly wild locations of New Guinea.

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How do you grasp an event as enormous as September 11? At the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, you start small: A briefcase, a Blackberry, a victim's sweatshirt, and a hero's nametag. Simple objects that tell personal stories, recounted in the donors' own words. Stories from New York, the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA remind us that the legacy of 9/11 is not fear -- it's friendship, courage, and ordinary people pushed by extraordinary circumstances.

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Travel special that explores New York City as it is depicted in Marvel Comics, from Spiderman to Daredevil to The Fantastic Four.

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Host Molly Hermann reveals the lack of science behind some of the most well-known crime scene investigation tools, and tells the stories of the wrongfully convicted who went to prison for years.

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ONE PILL CAN KILL is a warning about the increasing dangers of deadly fentanyl aimed at an audience of middle and high school students in West Virginia, a state with the most significant substance abuse issues in the country. Hosted by former WVU basketball star Meg Bulger, the film features actual students who share experiences and ask questions. Meg ventures out to get answers for them - to a DEA Chemist, a family who lost a child to fentanyl, police officers who bust drug dealers, EMT’s who respond to overdoses, and a convicted drug dealer in prison - the kids learn that all it takes is one fatal dose.

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Host Molly Hermann reveals the lack of science behind some of the most well-known crime scene investigation tools, and tells the stories of the wrongfully convicted who went to prison for years.

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A comprehensive look at the events leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn as well as the myths and legends it spawned, and its impact on history.

Open details →

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 during the last day of his life? Relive April 14, 1865, as we track the hours of the day that shocked the world, following both assassin and victim on separate paths that would ultimately converge at the Presidential Box at Ford's Theatre. We'll also look at the objects, like Lincoln's hat and John Wilkes Booth's gun, that witnessed the crime that changed the course of American history forever.

Open details →