Historic Events
Wars, important political and economic occasions, catastrophes and social movements of the past
Behind Enemy Lines With Violette Szabo
She was young, married and a mother. But after her husband died in battle against the Nazis, she became a secret agent for the British
December 06, 2011 |
By Gilbert King
Unflinching Portraits of Pearl Harbor Survivors
Seventy years after the day that lives on in infamy, the soldiers stationed at Pearl Harbor recall their experiences
December 05, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
The Sentimental Ballad of the Civil War
Forget “Dixie,” it was one New Yorker’s “Home Sweet Home” that was the song most beloved by Union and Confederate soldiers
November 30, 2011 |
By John Hanc
The Monocled World War II Interrogator
Robin "Tin Eye" Stephens became known for "breaking" captured German spies without laying a hand on them
November 23, 2011 |
By Gilbert King
The Civil War: 8 Strange and Obscure Facts You Didn’t Know
Amid the vast literature of the Civil War, it's easy to lose sight of some of the stranger facts, coincidences and quirks of character
November 15, 2011 |
By Karen Abbott
Saluting Veterans in Film
Veterans have generally been treated with dignity and respect in Hollywood films, but there are always the exceptions
November 11, 2011 |
By Daniel Eagan
History Heroes: Marc Bloch
The scholar created a whole new way of looking at history, but found time to fight in two World Wars–latterly, aged 60, as a leader of the French Resistance
November 10, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
Five Books on World War I
Military history, memoir, and even a novelized series make this list of can’t-miss books about the Great War
November 10, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
From D.W. Griffith to the Grapes of Wrath, How Hollywood Portrayed the Poor
In the era before the Great Depression and ever since, the film industry has taken a variety of views on the lower classes
November 04, 2011 |
By Daniel Eagan
Sabotage in New York Harbor
The explosion on Black Tom Island packed the force of an earthquake. It took investigators years to determine that operatives working for Germany were to blame
November 01, 2011 |
By Gilbert King
November 1861: Flare Ups in the Chain of Command
As Union generals came and left, personalities clashed and Southern farmers set fire to their fields
November 2011 |
By David Zax
The Tuskegee Airmen Plane's Last Flight
The final voyage of a World War II biplane evokes the exploits of the legendary fighting force
November 2011 |
By Owen Edwards
Remembering Henry Johnson, the Soldier Called “Black Death”
Henry Johnson suffered 21 wounds and rescued a fellow soldier while repelling an enemy raid in the Argonne Forest in 1918 but died 11 years later a forgotten man
October 25, 2011 |
By Gilbert King
Mixing Movies and Politics
From Mrs. Miniver to Avatar, how big studio films have influenced public opinion
October 24, 2011 |
By Daniel Eagan
The Battle of Broken Hill
While Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire were fighting World War I, two Afghans opened up a second front in an Australian outback mining town 12,000 miles away
October 20, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
To Save and Project: Screening Restored Movies
A film festival at MoMA highlights those titles, either beloved and well-known or obscure yet fascinating, that may never reach the home market
October 14, 2011 |
By Daniel Eagan
Civil War Veterans Come Alive in Audio and Video Recordings
Deep in the collections of the Library of Congress are ghostly images and voices of Union and Confederate soldiers
October 05, 2011 |
By Fergus M. Bordewich
Anger and Anarchy on Wall Street
In the early 20th century, resentment at the concentration of wealth took a violent turn
October 04, 2011 |
By Gilbert King
Scattered Actions: October 1861
While the generals on both sides deliberated, troops in blue and gray fidgeted
October 2011 |
By David Zax
Dahomey’s Women Warriors
For the better part of 200 years, thousands of female soldiers fought and died to expand the borders of their West African kingdom. Even their conquerors, the French, acknowledged their "prodigious bravery."
September 23, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
