World War II

Why Hedy Lamarr Was Hollywood’s Secret Weapon

The starlet patented an ingenious technology to help with the war effort, but it went unrecognized for decades

Footage Recalls the Night Madison Square Garden Filled With Nazis

A short documentary shows the 20,000-strong rally held by the Nazi-supporting German-American Bund in 1939

Virtually Explore a World War II Shipwreck in 360 Degrees

High-resolution video and 3D scanning brings the SS <i>Thistlegorm</i> to armchair archaeologists everywhere

TKTK

The Sweet Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber

Gail Halvorsen's efforts made children happy but they also provided the U.S. military with an opportunity

Photo of the world's first atomic explosion at the Trinity Site in New Mexico.

Trinity Site Offers a Rare Chance to Visit Ground Zero of the World’s First Atomic Bomb Explosion

The detonation site is only open to civilians twice a year

Thousands of women tirelessly worked in close quarters throughout the war breaking codes for the Army and Navy. Vowed to secrecy, they have long gone unrecognized for their wartime achievements.

How the American Women Codebreakers of WWII Helped Win the War

A new book documents the triumphs and challenges of more than 10,000 women who worked behind the scenes of wartime intelligence

Le Corbusier's vision for cities profoundly influenced New York, though never to the degree that this concept (originally designed for Marseille, France) was ever built.

How a Controversial European Architect Shaped New York

Le Corbusier's ideas arguably helped shape the city more than his own designs

An engraving from later in the 1880s shows rioters burning an orphanage for black children.

The Civil War Draft Riots Brought Terror to New York’s Streets

This dark event remains the largest civil insurrection—the Civil War itself aside—in American history

A Young Princess Elizabeth's First Radio Broadcast

In 1940, Princess Elizabeth was tasked with an important job by prime minister Winston Churchill: to give a morale-boosting radio speech to her subjects

A Minecraft rendering of the Smithsonian Castle in Washington, D.C. Participants in Minecraft: Education Edition online festivities will be able to let their own imaginations run wild this Museum Day.

Fans of Minecraft Are Sure to Dig this Nationwide Museum Fest

The indie hit is the perfect game for a day devoted to unearthing knowledge

Did Nazis Hide Loot Beneath This Giant Polish Castle?

Ksiaz Castle in southern Poland sits atop a remarkable complex of underground tunnels built by the Nazis in 1944

The Titan Who Founded L'Oréal Prospered Under the Nazis

How the head of the world’s top cosmetic firm fell in with the Nazi-sympathizers of German-occupied France and emerged from the war as successful as ever

The "Blockbuster" bomb after it was defused

Discovery of Unexploded WWII Bomb Forces Massive Evacuation in Frankfurt

On Sunday, residents living within a mile of the site left their homes while the 4,000-pound "Blockbuster" was defused

Jeannie Rousseau photographed in 1939 or 1940

Courageous WWII Spy Jeannie Rousseau Has Died at 98

Using charm and cunning, she helped uncover Nazi plans to build deadly V-1 and V-2 rockets

Newly found letters by Alan Turing

New Letters Show Alan Turing Wasn't a Fan of the U.S.A.

The groundbreaking mathematician and computer scientist who spent 2 years at Princeton wrote that he 'detests America' in newly found documents

This Man Betrayed Nazis by Stealing Looted Jewish Valuables

In April 1944, the Nazis began to systematically terrorize the Jews living in Hungary. Shortly afterwards, they forced them to hand over their valuables

Tuskegee Airmen and P-47

Why African-American Soldiers Saw World War II as a Two-Front Battle

Drawing the connection between fascism abroad and hate at home, pre-Civil Rights activists declared the necessity of “double victory”

Honiara

Dive With WWII Wrecks in the Solomon Islands

75 years after the Battle of Guadalcanal, walk in the footsteps of history

Chick Parsons (center and top) was the toast of prewar Manila, a convivial, polo-playing expat businessman with an eagle tattooed across his chest.

Without Chick Parsons, General MacArthur May Never Have Made His Famed Return to the Philippines

The full story of the American ex-pat's daring feats has not been told—until now

A look inside the Cabinet Room.

Go Behind the Glass of Churchill’s Underground War Rooms

Exploring the secrets of the storied bunker—from its well-worn maps to a leader under extreme duress

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