Smithsonian TV Guide — Thursday, 9 July 2026

Browse the full Smithsonian TV guide for Thursday, 9 July 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

S3 · E8 · Death and Denial True

Death and Denial

The Egyptian and U.S. governments disagree over the investigation results of Egyptian Airliner 990's 1990 crash that killed 217 people as it crashed mid-flight.

01:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S9 · E2 · Alarming Silence Documentary

Alarming Silence

A crash in a Detroit suburb left only a seriously injured 4-year-old girl alive, making it the one of the deadliest aircraft accidents in history.

02:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

Engine Gone True

Engine Gone

An engine falls off a commercial airplane for three separate crews, but with drastically different outcomes.

03:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S22 · E4 · Stealth Bomber Down True

Stealth Bomber Down

The U.S. Airforce must investigate the most expensive accident to date when a two-billion-dollar B2 Stealth bomber crashes on takeoff in Guam February 23, 2008.

04:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S22 · E9 · Turboprop Terror Documentary

Turboprop Terror

Investigators examine the crash of a turboprop after it stalls and crashes in a forest, initiating a test-flight that reveals an industry-wide issue.

05:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S11 · E5 · Munich Air Disaster Documentary

Munich Air Disaster

Slush on a runway in Munich keeps an aircraft carrying members of a football team from getting up to takeoff speed, and it crashes into a house.

Morning

06:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S12 · E8 · Focused on Failure True

Focused on Failure

All four engines of a DC-8 aircraft headed for Oregon's Portland International Airport suddenly stop working, and the pilots make an emergency landing.

07:00 1h

Combat Ships

S4 · E3 · Hidden Figures Documentary

Hidden Figures

An enslaved teenager winds up in the middle of the Seven Years' War; during World War II a Black Merchant Marine forces the Navy to integrate his ship.

08:00 1h

Combat Ships

S4 · E7 · Record Breakers Documentary

Record Breakers

Over the centuries, technological advancements have led to bigger and faster combat ships and altered maritime warfare.

09:00 1h

Combat Ships

S3 · E4 · Gulf War Warriors Documentary

Gulf War Warriors

Persian Gulf naval conflicts including Desert Storm, the Iran-Iraq War and present day.

10:00 1h

Combat Ships

S1 · E8 · The Smallest Ships Documentary

The Smallest Ships

Stories about the USS Philadelphia and the M33 gunboat are shared as an analytical look is taken at how small wartime vessels made an impact of battle.

11:00 1h

Combat Ships

S3 · E5 · Sunk Documentary

Sunk

A sunken WWI cruiser and WWII submarine are found by a series of high-tech missions.

Daytime

12:00 1h

Combat Ships

S3 · E6 · Top Guns Documentary

Top Guns

Exploring naval armaments throughout history featuring cannon armed sailing ships, to revolutionary weapons technology.

13:00 1h

Combat Ships

S4 · E1 · Courageous Captains Documentary

Courageous Captains

Four remarkable captains that have gone above and beyond the call of duty throughout naval history.

14:00 1h

Combat Ships

S3 · E8 · River Raiders Documentary

River Raiders

Examination of river warfare from the story of Harriet Tubman's victorious gunboat raid to the high-speed river Patrol Boats in Vietnam.

15:00 1h

Combat Ships

S2 · E7 · The Battle of Leyte Gulf Documentary

The Battle of Leyte Gulf

The largest naval battle in modern history, which was fought in October 1944 in the waters of the Philippine Islands, and its ships are examined.

16:00 1h

Combat Ships

S3 · E3 · The Battle of Inchon Documentary

The Battle of Inchon

The riskiest amphibious assault during the Korean War.

17:00 1h

Air Warriors

S3 · E3 · Drones True

Drones

Unmanned aircraft have been used since World War II, and they have evolved to become a powerful tool in military life for defensive and attacking maneuvers.

Evening

18:00 1h

Air Warriors

S6 · E4 · F - 22 Raptor True

F - 22 Raptor

The undetectable spy plane known as the F-22 Raptor is examined as Air Force pilots share what it's like to dominate the skies with the sneaky aircraft.

19:00 1h

Air Warriors

S6 · E7 · P-38 Lightning True

P-38 Lightning

The history behind the World War II warplane known as the P-38 Lightning is revealed as a look is taken at the pilots' struggle to learn how to fly it.

20:00 1h

Air Warriors

S1 · E2 · Apache True

Apache

The U.S. Army's AH-64 Apache attack helicopter backs up ground troops all over the world, striking with a variety of lethal weapons.

21:00 1h

Air Warriors

S11 · E5 · F-100 Super Sabre True

F-100 Super Sabre

Narrators Beau Weaver and Bob Naughton tell the story of the North American F-100 Super Sabre and how it became a sonic powerhouse after some difficulties.

22:00 1h

Air Warriors

S2 · E3 · Black Hawk True

Black Hawk

The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk became the U.S. Army's go-to helicopter for delivering troops to and from the battlefront in 1979 after years of development.

23:00 1h

Air Warriors

S11 · E8 · C-47 Skytrain True

C-47 Skytrain

The history of how the C-47 went from a passenger plane to a gunship in Vietnam.