Established in 1846 by a scientist named James Smithson, The Smithsonian is the largest museum and research complex in the world, with over 10 million visitors every year, and nearly 137 million specimens and artifacts.

In this episode we take off in a World War Two era Zero to find out why Japanese squadrons ruled the skies, and how they were defeated. We meet military and civilian amputees who have been made whole by transplantation, then dive into the trenches of World War One to reveal the story of a homing pigeon that saved American lives. We witnessthe successful test of a rocket that could take humans to Mars, then deconstruct the bad-boy image of the Harley Davidson. And finally, we meet aspiring vocalists who hope to perform the national anthem before a football game to discover why the Star Spangled Banner is so hard to sing.