The Travel Channel is a television channel offered through satellite and cable started on February 1, 1987 by the Trans World Airlines, who were hoping to boost airline patronage through it. The channel features documentaries about how to travel all around the world. Some of its programs have included tours of fancy hotels, African animal safaris, and visits to the seven wonders of Ireland.

It was on this day, September 10, 1997, that the Travel Channel was purchased by Discovery for $20 million. The Discovery Channel is similar to the Travel Channel but provides documentaries on technology, history, and popular science with shows like “MythBusters,” “Unsolved History,” and “Dirty Jobs.” When Discovery initially purchased it, they only bought 70% of the channel. The other 30% was acquired two years later in 1999.

Nowadays, the Travel Channel primarily focuses on food-related programming with popular shows like “Bizarre Foods” where host Andrew Zimmerman travels around the world eating the world’s oddest edible concoctions and “Man vs. Food” where host Adam Richman attempts to conquer different food challenges. The channel is quite successful and offered in 95 million homes in the United States.