The Smithsonian Channel debuts a new true crime series tonight, this one looking at the forensic science investigative tools that have revolutionized the way criminals are caught.

"Forensic Firsts," airing at 9, kicks off the series by examining the history of DNA evidence. They revisit the rape and murder of two girls in Leicestershire, England in 1986, the case that was the first in the world to use DNA evidence against suspects.

The episode mostly talks about the case of the BTK serial killer in Witchita, Kansas, who began killing in 1974 before the technology was in use. But DNA is what finally -- eventually -- got Dennis Rader in 2005.

The Smithsonian Channel debuts a new documentary tonight on the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that includes rare footage of the days leading up to the iconic Civil Rights leader's murder in Memphis in April 1968.

"MLK: The Assassination Tapes" relies solely on archival films, photographs and recordings from television and radio news coverage, as well as audio recordings of local police scrambling to secure the Lorraine Hotel minutes after King's shooting was reported.

There's another good Smithsonian Channel documentary this weekend, this one spotlighting African American pioneers in aviation.

"Black Wings" tells the stories of black aviators -- from barnstormers to war fighters -- who broke the racial barriers that for many years kept black Americans from pursuing their dreams of flying.

The documentary tells the story of the Tuskegee Red-Tail Angels, the first African American pilots to train for combat during World War II (the Red-Tails are also the subject of a new George Lucas film).

Bessie Coleman (left), the first African American woman with a pilot's license, is also profiled. In the 1920s, no one in the United States would train a black woman to fly, so Coleman earned enough money to travel to France and train there. She returned to American and became a barnstorming stunt pilot.

For more stories like these, tune in to "Black Wings" on Saturday, February 11 at 9 p.m. or Thursday February 16 at 8 p.m.

Smithsonian Channel is on Time Warner Cable digital channel 1264, DirecTV 565 and 1565, and AT&T U-Verse 118 and 1118.

This weekend, the Smithsonian Channel will rebroadcast their documentary examing the sit-ins at the Greensboro Woolworth's lunch counter in 1960.

The one-hour documentary, "Seizing Justice: The Greensboro 4," tells the story of the four college freshmen from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College -- Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, David Richmond and Ezell Blair, Jr. -- who led the nonviolent sit-in to make a statement that everyone should be served there. The sit-in wasn't the first of the Civil Rights Movement, but the simple actions of these four men sparked a series of events that would help put an end to the Jim Crow laws of the South.

The special airs on Saturday, February 4 at 9pm and Thursday, February 9 at 8pm. Smithsonian Channel is on Time Warner Cable digital channel 1264, DirecTV 565 and 1565, and AT&T U-Verse 118 and 1118.

If you don't have access to the Smithsonian channel, you can watch "Seizing Justice: The Greensboro 4" online at their website.