Diplomacy | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/diplomacy/RSS feed for DiplomacyenWed, 05 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000Why Has History Forgotten World War II's Largest Prison Break, Which Claimed the Lives of More Than 200 Japanese POWs?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-has-history-forgotten-world-war-iis-largest-prison-break-which-claimed-the-lives-of-more-than-200-japanese-pows-180989246/During the 1944 Cowra breakout, over 900 prisoners attempted to escape from an Allied camp in Australia. The uprising resulted in the deaths of 234 Japanese men and 5 AustraliansWed, 05 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-has-history-forgotten-world-war-iis-largest-prison-break-which-claimed-the-lives-of-more-than-200-japanese-pows-180989246/This Medieval Byzantine Shipwreck Boasts More Gold Treasures Than Any Other Vessel Found Beneath the Mediterraneanhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-medieval-byzantine-shipwreck-boasts-more-gold-treasures-than-any-other-vessel-found-beneath-the-mediterranean-180989217/The vessel sank in the Adriatic Sea in the seventh or eighth century C.E. Its cargo included a gold signet ring likely associated with the emperor Heraclius and gold belts encrusted with rubies, emeralds and pearlsTue, 28 Jul 2026 20:07:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-medieval-byzantine-shipwreck-boasts-more-gold-treasures-than-any-other-vessel-found-beneath-the-mediterranean-180989217/This Ship Sank in the Baltic Sea With Presents Bound for a Romanov Czar. Its Cargo Included Champagne, Luxury Mineral Water and Rare Meteoriteshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-ship-sank-in-the-baltic-sea-with-presents-bound-for-a-romanov-czar-its-cargo-included-champagne-luxury-mineral-water-and-rare-meteorites-180989198/New research suggests that a shipwreck discovered off the coast of Sweden in 2024 may have been transporting gifts from the German Duchy of Nassau to Alexander II of Russia in the immediate aftermath of the Crimean WarMon, 27 Jul 2026 13:19:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-ship-sank-in-the-baltic-sea-with-presents-bound-for-a-romanov-czar-its-cargo-included-champagne-luxury-mineral-water-and-rare-meteorites-180989198/This Indian Maharaja Saved Hundreds of Polish Orphans During World War II, Offering Them Refuge When No One Else Wouldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-indian-maharaja-saved-hundreds-of-polish-orphans-during-world-war-ii-offering-them-refuge-when-no-one-else-would-180989150/Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, ruler of the princely state of Nawanagar, opened his realm to young Poles who had been detained in Soviet labor camps as the children of the intelligentsiaWed, 22 Jul 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-indian-maharaja-saved-hundreds-of-polish-orphans-during-world-war-ii-offering-them-refuge-when-no-one-else-would-180989150/