Stories from the Vaults
Tom Cavanagh is the host of "Stories from the Vaults", a series of seven half-hour programs that unlocks remarkable objects and stories from the museums that comprise Washignton, D.C.'s Smithsonian Institution. The all-new programs premiere Saturdat, Sept. 1, 2007 on the Smithsonian Channel, America's new High Definition Storyteller.
- 2007-2009
- 2 seasons
- Inception Media Group
- Documentary
Tom Cavanagh is the host of "Stories from the Vaults", a series of seven half-hour programs that unlocks remarkable objects and stories from the museums that comprise Washignton, D.C.'s Smithsonian Institution. The all-new programs premiere Saturdat, Sept. 1, 2007 on the Smithsonian Channel, America's new High Definition Storyteller.
Season 2 Episode Guide
7 Episodes 2009
Episode 1
Let's Eat!
Sun, Jul 12, 2009 27 mins
Tom explores man's sincerest love of all...the love of food. First, he tries his hand at cooking Native American dishes with the executive chef of Mitsitam Café. He then visits the National Museum of American History to learn the origins of the American coffee break. Finally, he stops by the National Museum of Dentistry, where he learns how the food we adore has a less than loving relationship with our teeth.
Episode 2
Top Secret
Sun, Jul 19, 2009 27 mins
Tom unlocks some of the Smithsonian's most compelling mysteries. Can an artist outsmart the world's top spies? How does a missile filled with mail make a political statement to the world? These questions, and many more, will be answered.
Episode 3
Nature's Vault
Sun, Jul 26, 2009 27 mins
A visit to Panama, the canal, including the fossils that have been found while digging the canal and a more recent widening, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). The fossil record helped determine that North and South America weren't connected until about 3 million years ago.
Episode 4
Crystal Ball
Sun, Aug 2, 2009 27 mins
Tom taps into the Smithsonian's vaults and labs to gaze into the future...as we envisioned it in the 1930s and as we look forward today. First Tom visits the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum to examine designers' visions of tomorrow via the 1939 World's Fair collection. Then he heads to Panama to talk to scientists helping to preserve the future of the tropical rainforest.
Episode 5
Going, Going, Gone
Sun, Aug 9, 2009 27 mins
Tom joins the Smithsonian on a mission of "extreme conservation," to protect the best aspects of our world for future generations. See the amazing amount of work that goes into saving animals from the brink of extinction, preserving a provocative work of art or reviving a genre of music.
Episode 6
Sex 101
Sun, Aug 16, 2009 27 mins
Join Tom as he goes behind the scenes and under the covers of the Smithsonian to find evidence of romance and yes, sex, within the Institute's family-friendly confines. The topic may not be featured in major museum exhibitions, but the vaults and labs here feature fascinating stories about "the birds and the bees."
Episode 7
Villains and Rogues
Sun, Aug 23, 2009 27 mins
Tom takes on the bad guys, and digs up some pretty incriminating evidence from the Smithsonian vaults. Tom's investigation unearths photographic evidence from the Crime of the Century, new details on America's first "Lone Gunman:" John Wilkes Booth, and creepy facts about everyone's favorite natural villain, the snake.