I love the history channel (affectionately known as the "war and gore" channel...) and TLC.
Also, the shows on at 2:00 am on PBS about world world II, where they show all the big moving arrows and such.
Other favorite show in that kinda genre is "Great Chefs" I have four of the cook books from there, and there are some damn fine recipes. A bit too much pate for my taste, but otherwise great.