Smithsonian Channel

They are studied in school and visited by millions. They are world-renowned symbols of the nation. But they are also shrouded in misinformation, mystery, and mythology. How much is really known about America's greatest monuments?

Some used captivating style to boost diplomacy. Some offered compassionate calm in days of war. Some embraced the role they never expected to make a difference. And some seized the role they always dreamed of to blaze a trail.

The biggest movie and TV franchise of all time, Star Trek spawned more than 700 TV episodes and twelve films. Creator Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future helped inspire today's scientists to develop the first scientific principles of teleportation, the creation of artificial intelligence, androids, and more. Now, scientists, series producers, the first Trekkies, and Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, provide new insights into a show that inspired audiences...

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's story unlike any other: It has been adapted and re-invented by multiple generations and has inspired the most beloved characters and iconic pair of shoes in pop-culture history. But how did this classic tale come to be? Visit the locations that inspired Baum's Land of Oz, dig into his family's archival collection, and hear interviews with fans and historians.

How can something so beautiful be so feared? Priceless, precious, and perilous, the Hope Diamond has been a gift to the world but, some say, a curse to those who have possessed it. Explore the intrigue of one of the world's most infamous gems

In Live Free or Die Hard, a mastermind cyber-criminal holds America hostage by wreaking havoc via the Internet. It's a great thriller, but could this imagined scenario ever happen in real life? Explore how a cyber-attack on the U.S. is a real possibility, and meet the government officials and former hackers tasked with ensuring the digital space is safe.

Perhaps no Hollywood Western captured the realities of the dangerous frontier better than True Grit. Explores this time in American history and how Rooster Cogburn and Mattie's encounters with hangings, shootouts, and kidnappings would have been part and parcel with life in the Wild West.

On November 22, 2013, it will be 50 years since the death of President John F. Kennedy. It tells the story of what happened on that tragic day through the memories of people who played a part in those extraordinary events and whose lives were touched forever by what happened. Some have not spoken before. The minute-by-minute story of the death of a president is told through rarely seen film and photographs shot on the tragic day.

Against the backdrop of two ambitious projects: rebuilding the bridge and restoring the original USS Enterprise model, a who's who of astronauts, engineers, writers, innovators, as well as the series' stars come together to explore the visionary universe of Star Trek, revealing how one little television show has truly, boldly gone where no show has gone before.

No one would believe the story if it hadn't actually happened. The 1970 rescue of Apollo 13 captivated the nation and the film adaptation went on to win two Oscars. To reveal the truth, we put the big movie moments to the test. Firsthand accounts from astronauts and Mission Control staff involved in the rescue, as well as an interview with filmmaker Ron Howard, reveal the full story.