The Century of Flight

The Real History of Science Fiction

The series heads to the very frontiers of space and science to produce the definitive television history of science fiction, told through its impact on cinema, television and literature, with the help of filmmakers, writers, actors, and graphic artists. Each episode will explore one of the enduring themes of science fiction: time travel; the exploration of space; robots and artificial intelligence; and aliens.

History 101

Infographics and archival footage deliver bite-size history lessons on scientific breakthroughs, social movements and world-changing discoveries.

Biography

Biography is a documentary television series. It was originally a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace. The A&E Network later re-ran it and has produced new episodes since 1987. The older version featured historical figures such as Helen Keller and Mark Twain, or long-dead entertainment figures such as Will Rogers or John Barrymore. The A&E series has placed the emphasis on such people as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Plácido Domingo, Freddie Mercury, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Eric Clapton, Pope John Paul II, Gene Tierney, Selena, Diego Rivera, Mao Zedong and Queen Elizabeth II, and fictional characters like The Phantom, Superman, Hamlet, Betty Boop, and Santa Claus. The program ended up profiling enough figures that in 1999, A&E spun it off into an entire network, The Biography Channel.

Eli Roth's History of Horror

An in-depth look at the history and pop cultural significance of horror films.

30 for 30

30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This currently includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011–2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website. The series has also expanded to include Soccer Stories, which aired in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and audio podcasts. This entry refers to the main Volumes of the series presented by ESPN

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

A worldwide guided tour of the greatest movies ever made and the story of international cinema through the history of cinematic innovation.

Top Gear

Motoring programme featuring reviews of and reports about cars of all types.

American Masters

American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.

American Experience

TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

How Do They Do It?

An insider's look at the engineering and scientific miracles behind the things that form the modern world.

Clifford the Big Red Dog

The adventures of a larger-than-life red dog on Bridwell Island.

Prehistoric Planet

Experience the wonders of our world like never before in this epic series from Jon Favreau and the producers of Planet Earth. Travel back 66 million years to when majestic dinosaurs and extraordinary creatures roamed the lands, seas, and skies.

Superpowered: The DC Story

This docuseries takes an unprecedented look at the enduring and influential legacy of DC, allowing fans to rediscover the universe of characters, as well as the iconic comic book company’s origins, its evolution and its nearly nine-decade cultural impact across every artistic medium.

Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers

This docuseries captures the remarkable rise and unprecedented success of one of the most dominant and iconic franchises in professional sports. Featuring exclusive access to the Buss Family and probing, revealing interviews with players, coaches, and front office execs, this series chronicles this extraordinary story from the inside – told only by the people who lived it.

MegaStructures

MegaStructures is a documentary television series appearing on the National Geographic Channel in the United States and the United Kingdom, Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, France 5 in France, and 7mate in Australia. Each episode is an educational look of varying depth into the construction, operation, and staffing of various structures or construction projects, but not ordinary construction products. Generally containing interviews with designers and project managers, it presents the problems of construction and the methodology or techniques used to overcome obstacles. In some cases this involved the development of new materials or products that are now in general use within the construction industry. MegaStructures focuses on constructions that are extreme; in the sense that they are the biggest, tallest, longest, or deepest in the world. Alternatively, a project may appear if it had an element of novelty or are a world first. This type of project is known as a Megaproject.

Doctor Who Confidential

Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly television episode on BBC One. The running time of the first two series was 30 minutes, being extended to 45 minutes in the third. BBC Three also broadcast a cut-down edition of the programme, lasting 15 minutes, shown after the repeats on Sundays and Fridays and after the weekday evening repeats of earlier seasons.

The New York Times Presents

A series of standalone documentaries powered by the unparalleled journalism and insight of The New York Times, bringing viewers close to the essential stories of our time.

The Men Who Built America

Influential builders, dreamers and believers whose feats transformed the United States, a nation decaying from the inside after the Civil War, into the greatest economic and technological superpower the world had ever seen. The Men Who Built America is the story of a nation at the crossroads and of the people who catapulted it to prosperity.

Baseball

The history of the sport of baseball in America, told through archival photos, film footage, and the words of those who contributed to the game in each era. Writers, historians, players, baseball personnel, and fans review key events and the significance of the game in America's history.

Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On

Porn has gone mainstream; the question is, can we handle it? This exploration of the intersection of sex and technology is told through the stories of the people whose lives are defined by the current explosion of internet porn-whether they're creating it, consuming it, or both.

Behind The Wings

Want to learn something new and have a little fun along the way? Join curator Matthew Burchette as he goes behind the scenes to explore some of history’s most iconic aerospace treasures.

AFP: American Fighter Pilot

AFP: American Fighter Pilot is a reality series broadcast briefly on CBS in 2002. It followed three Air Force officers as they trained to become pilots of F-15 fighter jets at Tyndall Air Force Base outside of Panama City, Florida. The series included footage of their experiences in the air, as well as interactions with their families and instructors. Directors Tony Scott and Ridley Scott were co-executive producers. Unsuccessful in the ratings, the series was cancelled after two episodes.

The Jumbo Jet: 50 Years in the Sky

Based on archival footage, appreciates engineering genius and celebrates the long-term survival of the ‘jumbo jet’.

How to Build

Britain's iconic and 'secretive' engineering companies reveal how they build the world's most amazing machines. The first part of the series "How to build a nuclear submarine" a documentary following the construction of the Astute nuclear submarine. The second part of the series "How to build a jumbo jet engine", the story of the thousands of people who design, build and test engines at Rolls-Royce’s manufacturing plants in Derby and across the UK, making Rolls-Royce a central part of life for the people of places like Derby. The third and final part of the series "How to build Britain's secret engineers" when the documentary team follows workers at a leading British company on a global journey, as they reveal a handful of their secretive projects including getting Chinook helicopters ready for front line service.

Air Australia

Australia's aviation history is a saga of daring feats, can-do attitude, pig-headed visionaries, iron-fisted politicians and warring pilots; of humble beginnings and mega deals.

The Bomber: Terror of WWII

Terror of the World: The story of a deadly war that intertwines Germany, Poland, Japan, Italy and Spain, and the remorseless development of weapons and bombers.

Planes That Changed the World

This new series features the fascinating stories of three of the most important commercial aircraft ever to take to the skies.

First Flights with Neil Armstrong

NASA Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong adds to his long list of space flight & aviation accomplishments as he takes the controls of a variety of flying machines. Each episode blends historic footage, interviews, and flying. Armstrong takes you on an exhilarating adventure through time.

The Arrow

The story of the people building the AVRO Arrow, an advanced jet fighter-interceptor designed to defend Canada's vast territory during the Cold War. Though the jet was an engineering marvel, cost over-runs, U.S. government pressure from the military industrial complex, and the election of the Progressive Conservative Diefenbaker government, stopped the jet just as it was getting off the ground.

City in the Sky

Dallas Campbell and Dr Hannah Fry investigate what it takes to get a million people and their luggage off the ground and up in the air. From building the world's biggest passenger plane to navigating through the busiest airport on the planet, to the perils of getting airborne in the coldest city on earth - Dallas and Hannah go to extremes to get under the skin of the remarkable story of departure. You will never look at flying in the same way again.

Concorde: The Untold Story

CONCORDE: THE UNTOLD STORY is a two-episode documentary that goes inside the race to build the first supersonic airliner at the height of the Cold War, with Europe's Concorde racing against the Soviet TU144 and the American Boeing 2707. The two-parter unearths a tale of espionage and national prestige as the British and French battled their counterparts, while examining the technical challenges in the battle for supersonic passenger jet supremacy. They all ultimately end in failure.

History of Aviation

From the first men in their flying machines to World War One, from the first Atlantic crossing to the supersonic era, this is the story of the most daredevil challenges the world has ever known, braved by the men and women who wrote the history of human flight.

Skies Above Britain

A look at the unseen side of aviation. With unprecedented access to the world of air traffic control, the series puts the spotlight on the hidden army of controllers whose job it is to keep our skies safe.

Great Planes

Alaska Aircrash Investigations

Ride along with the NTSB and its inter-agency partners as they work together towards determining the probable cause of aircraft accidents. These NTSB investigations provide a window into the integral role of air travel in Alaskan life, while raising awareness that might prevent future accidents.

Great Planes

In 1903, not only did the Wright brothers ’plane soar, but a young man named William Boeing stepped out of the Yale University gates. 13 years later, using wood, canvas and wire, the first "Boeing model", the B&W, was born. Boeing has since grown into a huge company and developed countless models, including the 1957-92 passenger jet, the 707. Later, we learn about the Constellation designed by Lockheed in the early 1940s. The fuselage of the machine evokes the graceful form of a dolphin, no wonder that with its beauty it also won the title of "Queen of Heaven". The C-69 was the first model to cross non-stop America, covering the Los Angeles-Washington DC distance in record time of 7 hours and 3 minutes. Connies were used for both military and civilian purposes until the early 1960s. This and many more stories are recounted here in Great Planes.

Flying Through Time

Discover the excitement of flying as we reveal the most remarkable aircraft ever built and the aeronautical advancements that shaped flying history in Flying Through Time. Audiences will marvel at historic airships, be wowed by war planes and delight at luxury jetliners.

Warplane

The warplane has evolved over nearly a century to become what it is today, in 2004. This series is the story of how, through life-and-death necessity, invention, ingenuity and sheer hard work that warplane technology evolved. The Warplane series is not a history of every military plane but rather a look at the major stepping stones that advanced military aviation.

100 Years Ago: From Berlin to the World

A century ago, the world experienced a revolution in mobility. Cities like Berlin grew rapidly, with the Graf Zeppelin soaring over the city in 1928, sparking excitement for airship travel. These majestic airships made ocean crossings faster and more luxurious, and even enabled polar expeditions. At the same time, automobiles and motorcycles became staples for many, although streets became congested. Women like Amelia Earhart and Elly Beinhorn broke barriers in aviation, inspiring new possibilities for both genders in the field of technology. While air travel grew in popularity, trains remained the main long-distance transport. The era also saw an explosion of new mobility options, with faster, cheaper ways to travel across the globe, making the world seem smaller and more connected. However, this golden age of mobility would be cut short by the outbreak of World War II.

21st Century Jet: The Building of the 777

The Boeing Company develops their most technically advanced aircraft: the 777. From corporate conference rooms to factory floors, its extensive testing and first commercial flight, more than 10,000 people were involved in the creation of the new plane, assembled with parts from all over the world.