Smithsonian TV Guide — Thursday, 25 June 2026

Browse the full Smithsonian TV guide for Thursday, 25 June 2026. 24 programmes listed , including 6 tonight. US listings updated daily — scroll down to tonight's highlights or use the day tabs above to browse the weekly schedule.

Early Morning

00:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E5 · Eleven Deadly Seconds Documentary

Eleven Deadly Seconds

Experts examine the tragic crash of China Airlines Flight 676 hinges on 11 baffling seconds when neither pilot controls the airplane.

01:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E6 · Fight for Survival Documentary

Fight for Survival

With flames emerging through the cockpit floor, the pilots of Pilgrim Airlines flight 458 manage a heroic landing on a frozen Rhode Island reservoir.

02:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E7 · Pitch Battle Documentary

Pitch Battle

After Colgan Air 9446 crashes off Cape Cod, investigators must determine what brought down a widely-used commuter aircraft in under three minutes.

03:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S21 · E10 · Deadly Delivery True

Deadly Delivery

Facing poor visibility, a cargo flight is on final approach to an Alabama airport when it hits a grove of trees and crashes.

04:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S5 · E3 · Behind Closed Doors Documentary

Behind Closed Doors

In 1972 a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 flying from Detroit to Buffalo, N.Y. loses a cargo door and decompresses; two years later another DC-10 has the same problem.

05:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S3 · E9 · Runaway Train True

Runaway Train

A calculation error leaves the crew of a freight train unaware of its true weight and leads them to underestimate the amount of braking force it needs.

Morning

06:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E9 · Lost Star Footballer Documentary

Lost Star Footballer

A plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala vanishes over the English Channel, but questions are raised when investigators find the wreckage.

07:00 1h

Combat Ships

S1 · E5 · Torpedo Boats Documentary

Torpedo Boats

The history of self-propelled torpedoes is shared as old ship designs are examined to see how the Navy accompanied the additional weapon.

08:00 1h

Combat Ships

S2 · E5 · Secrets of the Sea Documentary

Secrets of the Sea

A close look is taken at the sinking of the Lusitania, the war games of Gilbert Roberts, and the Pentagon's capture of a sunken Soviet nuclear submarine.

09:00 1h

Combat Ships

S3 · E2 · The Battle of Trafalgar Documentary

The Battle of Trafalgar

The Battle of Trafalgar, one of the greatest battles in naval history, includes nimble frigates and large ships like the HMS Victory.

10:00 1h

Combat Ships

S1 · E9 · Secrets and Lies Documentary

Secrets and Lies

A world of deception and double-dealing unfolds as an analytical look is taken at the ways Britain's Royal Navy out-witted German U-boats.

11:00 1h

Combat Ships

S2 · E6 · Galleons and Privateers Documentary

Galleons and Privateers

A look is taken galleons, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers, and privateers, private ships with a government commission.

Daytime

12:00 1h

Combat Ships

S3 · E7 · The Fast and Furious Documentary

The Fast and Furious

Featuring the revolutionary steam turbines, discover how speed has been used to give the advantage to ships and smaller vessels in naval battles.

13:00 1h

Combat Ships

S2 · E3 · Doomed Vessels Documentary

Doomed Vessels

An examination of vessels doomed by human errors, including the Vasa, a 17th century combat ship that sank on its maiden voyage, is conducted.

14:00 1h

Combat Ships

S1 · E2 · Metal War Ships Documentary

Metal War Ships

Designers use archival footage, detailed interviews and explore surviving ships to explain the evolution of ironclad vessels and their role in history.

15:00 1h

Combat Ships

S1 · E1 · War Beneath the Waves Documentary

War Beneath the Waves

In-depth interviews with crewmembers and never-before-seen archival footage detail the development and evolution of submarines through history.

16:00 1h

Combat Ships

S1 · E7 · Cold War Warriors Documentary

Cold War Warriors

The submarines and warships that undertook operations in Soviet waters, Cuba and Vietnam during the Cold War are examined in great detail.

17:00 1h

Air Warriors

S1 · E3 · Osprey True

Osprey

The U.S. Marines' V-22 Osprey can convert from helicopter to airplane and back again, and it has proved itself in dangerous missions and humanitarian rescues.

Evening

18:00 1h

Air Warriors

S1 · E1 · F-15 True

F-15

The F-15 Eagle fighter jet has been flown by the U.S. Air Force since 1976, and it is still undefeated in air-to-air combat 35 years after its first kill.

19:00 1h

Air Warriors

S1 · E2 · Tornado True

Tornado

The Cold War-era Panavia Tornado bomber's development and history.

20:00 1h

Air Warriors

S10 · E1 · Lancaster True

Lancaster

The flying machine that ultimately helped secure victory for the Allied Forces, with almost perfect symmetry it's equipped to cause damage and destruction.

21:00 1h

Air Warriors

S7 · E4 · F-18 True

F-18

An in-depth discussion on the F-18 shows how the U.S. Navy's dual-role aircraft has commanded both the air and the battlefields for over 30 years.

22:00 1h

Air Warriors

S5 · E1 · Harrier True

Harrier

The Harrier combines the landing capabilities of a helicopter with the speed and power of a jet fighter, but it still is an occasional object of controversy.

23:00 1h

Air Warriors

S11 · E10 · AH-1 Cobra True

AH-1 Cobra

Narrators Beau Weaver and Bob Naughton explain how the need for a helicopter that could defend itself led to the creation of the AH-1 Cobra.