This three-part documentary series tells the story of a great milestone in aviation history: the 1935 crossing of the Pacific Ocean by a Pan American Airways flying boat known as the China Clipper. The series recounts the development of this technological innovation – led by Pan Am’s chief executive Juan Trippe, pilot Charles Lindbergh, airplane engineer Igor Sikorsky and radio engineer Hugo Leuteritz – through dramatic re-enactments, interviews with historians, and archival photographs, film and newsreel clips.

More than 2,000 years ago, the thriving city of Petra rose up in the bone-dry desert of what is now Jordan. An oasis of culture and abundance, the city was built by wealthy merchants who carved spectacular temple-tombs into its cliffs, raised a monumental Great Temple and devised an ingenious system that channeled water to vineyards, bathhouses, fountains and pools. But following a catastrophic earthquake and a slump in its desert trade routes, Petra’s unique culture faded and was lost to most of the world for nearly 1,000 years. Now, in a daring experiment, an archaeologist and sculptors team up to carve an iconic temple-tomb to find out how the ancient people of Petra built their city of stone.

Just as writing changed the course of human history, the evolution of paper and printing revolutionized the spread of information. The printing press kicked off the Industrial Revolution that fast-tracked us to the current digital age. But as the 4,000-year-old tradition of penmanship falls out of favor, should we consider what might be lost in this pursuit of ever more efficient communication?

Where would we be without the world’s alphabets? Writing has played a vital role in the expansion and domination of cultures throughout history. But researchers are only now uncovering the origin story to our own alphabet, which may have gotten its beginnings in a turquoise mine 4,000 years ago. From the shape of the letter A to the role of writing in trade and storytelling, discover how the written word shaped civilization itself.

Join Kathy Mattea, Trisha Yearwood, Wynonna Judd and more as they pay tribute to the legends who inspired them. Enjoy this intimate look at iconic female artists and their timeless music.

In this three-part special, explore the document that governs those who govern us, delving into past, present and future struggles for liberty through the lens of the U.S. Constitution. Constitutional expert Douglas H. Ginsburg, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, reveals his perspectives as well as those of historically disadvantaged Americans, direct descendants of those involved in pivotal civil rights cases, historians, business owners, judges and other Americans.

Explore how the royal family has shaped their image with photography, from Queen Victoria, Princess Diana to Prince Harry. From official portraits to tabloid snapshots, the camera has been the Crown’s confidante, messenger — and nemesis.

In JANE AUSTEN: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, host Lucy Worsley traces novelist Jane Austen’s life and career as she explores the homes and holiday apartments Austen lived and stayed. The “Pride and Prejudice” author used houses and property as central themes in her work, and was very much influenced by where she lived.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores America’s changing racial landscape-celebrating how far we have come toward equality and asking why we still have so far to go. Features conversations with Attorney General Eric Holder, activist DeRay Mckesson and television producer Shonda Rhimes.

Beatrix Farrand was responsible for some of the most celebrated gardens in the United States and helped create a distinctive American voice in landscape architecture.