Spirit of St. Louis

“Seriously Amazing Objects: Seeking Fortune” 

Premieres Monday, December 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT

Smithsonian Channel viewers go to new heights for an unusual perspective of the famous “Spirit of St. Louis” plane. An enthusiast of the American West encounters the tiny object that started the entire California Gold Rush. One of the first televisions reveals how TV changed American history. We find the lost recording of Woody Guthrie’s iconic “This Land Is Your Land,” and hear an impromptu performance by singer-songwriter Jason Isbell. 

“Seriously Amazing Objects” a new original Smithsonian Channel series which premiered Monday, November 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and surprises unsuspecting museum-goers by taking them behind the scenes to reveal incredible objects that changed our world – from the Wright Flyer to Thomas Edison’s light bulb, from Lewis and Clark’s compass to surprisingly artistic pandas – and dozens more.

With verve and spontaneous humor, host Xavier Carnegie invites unwitting Smithsonian guests to answer pop quizzes on fascinating topics. Some lucky winners venture into the Smithsonian’s vaults. Others get to go even further – as they’re whisked off to Montana for a recreation of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, or soar the wild blue yonder in an antique biplane. Each object has astonishing significance to our nation’s history, and each participant discovers something they never knew – while experiencing an adventure they never imagined. 

The premiere of “Seriously Amazing Objects” coincides with the recently published book from Penguin Press by Smithsonian Institution Undersecretary for History, Art and Culture Richard Kurin, titled The Smithsonian’s History of America in 101 Objects and Smithsonian magazine’s November Special Issue, 101 Objects That Made America.