World War II | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/world-war-ii/RSS feed for World War IIenWed, 02 Sep 2026 15:48:22 +0000World War II Sugar Rationing Data Hints That Limiting Intake of the Sweet Stuff Early in Life Lowers the Risk of Dementia and Cancerhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/world-war-ii-sugar-rationing-data-hints-that-limiting-intake-of-the-sweet-stuff-early-in-life-lowers-the-risk-of-dementia-and-cancer-180989431/For roughly a decade leading up to September 1953, the United Kingdom limited sugar purchases. Scientists studied health outcomes in people born during the ration and right afterWed, 02 Sep 2026 15:48:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/world-war-ii-sugar-rationing-data-hints-that-limiting-intake-of-the-sweet-stuff-early-in-life-lowers-the-risk-of-dementia-and-cancer-180989431/Yayoi Kusama Created Fantastical 'Infinity Mirror Rooms' That Became the Art World's Most Famous Backdrops. Her Work Spanned Counterculture to the Cosmoshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/yayoi-kusama-created-fantastical-infinity-mirror-rooms-that-became-the-most-famous-backdrops-of-the-art-world-her-work-spanned-from-counterculture-to-cosmos-180989409/The Japanese artist, who died on August 14 at 97, sought solace from hallucinations in her art, developing a visual language of polka dots, pumpkins and mirrors that entranced the worldThu, 27 Aug 2026 15:59:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/yayoi-kusama-created-fantastical-infinity-mirror-rooms-that-became-the-most-famous-backdrops-of-the-art-world-her-work-spanned-from-counterculture-to-cosmos-180989409/This American Commando Parachuted Behind Enemy Lines in Both the European and Pacific Theaters of World War IIhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-american-commando-parachuted-behind-enemy-lines-in-both-the-european-and-pacific-theaters-of-world-war-ii-180989396/A direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson, Francis Lowell Coolidge was an agent with the Office of Strategic Services, a predecessor to the CIA. Read his goodbye letter to his wife, published here for the first timeThu, 27 Aug 2026 12:33:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-american-commando-parachuted-behind-enemy-lines-in-both-the-european-and-pacific-theaters-of-world-war-ii-180989396/When an American Airplane Crashed Into a School in 1944, an English Village Lost Almost All of Its Youngest Children. Why Has WWII's Worst Civilian Aviation Accident Been Forgotten?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-american-airplane-crashed-into-school-1944-english-village-lost-almost-all-of-its-youngest-children-why-has-wwii-worst-civilian-aviation-accident-been-forgotten-180989341/On August 23, 1944, a test flight over the village of Freckleton, located in northwest England, ended in disaster, claiming the lives of 61 people, including 38 students between the ages of 4 and 6Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-american-airplane-crashed-into-school-1944-english-village-lost-almost-all-of-its-youngest-children-why-has-wwii-worst-civilian-aviation-accident-been-forgotten-180989341/Historic Submarine Restoration Reveals a Hidden Connection to a Lost Sister Ship That Sank During World War IIhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historic-submarine-restoration-reveals-a-hidden-connection-to-a-lost-sister-ship-that-sank-during-world-war-ii-180989340/Experts working on the USS "Silversides" found a flood valve that appears to have been destined for its sister ship, the USS "Trigger." The vessel sank in the East China Sea on March 28, 1945Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:01:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historic-submarine-restoration-reveals-a-hidden-connection-to-a-lost-sister-ship-that-sank-during-world-war-ii-180989340/This Box of 300 Love Letters Showed Up Out of the Blue. Who Was the Whimsical World War II Soldier Who Wrote Them?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-box-of-300-love-letters-showed-up-out-of-the-blue-who-was-the-whimsical-world-war-ii-soldier-who-wrote-them-180989300/Nobody knows who dropped Speedy Weber's correspondence at a USO office in 2022. Researchers have finally tracked down two living relatives who remember himMon, 10 Aug 2026 15:02:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-box-of-300-love-letters-showed-up-out-of-the-blue-who-was-the-whimsical-world-war-ii-soldier-who-wrote-them-180989300/The Hiroshima Atomic Bombing Birthed a Strange, Never-Before-Seen Material, According to a New Studyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-hiroshima-atomic-bombing-birthed-a-strange-never-before-seen-material-according-to-a-new-study-180989249/The devastating blast vaporized buildings, metal, glass, soil and water. When the substances cooled and condensed, the process created spherical glassy grains—and some of them seem to contain a previously unknown metal alloyMon, 10 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-hiroshima-atomic-bombing-birthed-a-strange-never-before-seen-material-according-to-a-new-study-180989249/A British Museum Is Searching for a Rare 1940s Housecoat From a Fashion Brand That Dressed the Queen—and, on Special Occasions, Ordinary Women Toohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-british-museum-is-searching-for-a-rare-1940s-housecoat-from-a-fashion-brand-that-dressed-the-queen-and-ordinary-women-on-special-occasions-180989296/Patterned with a map of the British Isles, the housecoat was an early design by the pioneering brand Horrockses, which turned cotton cloth into whimsical women's wear after World War IIFri, 07 Aug 2026 20:10:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-british-museum-is-searching-for-a-rare-1940s-housecoat-from-a-fashion-brand-that-dressed-the-queen-and-ordinary-women-on-special-occasions-180989296/This World War II Submarine Noted for Sinking Enemy Ships Just Journeyed Across Lake Michigan for a Multimillion-Dollar Makeoverhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-world-war-ii-submaring-noted-for-its-success-sinking-enemy-ships-just-journeyed-across-lake-michigan-for-a-multimillion-dollar-makeover-180989269/The USS 'Silversides' earned a dozen battle stars for its work patrolling the Pacific Ocean. The Gato-class sub is now the star of a museum in MichiganThu, 06 Aug 2026 14:48:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-world-war-ii-submaring-noted-for-its-success-sinking-enemy-ships-just-journeyed-across-lake-michigan-for-a-multimillion-dollar-makeover-180989269/Why 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 American Pilot Downed 40 Enemy Aircraft During World War II. Researchers Discovered the Wreck of His Plane in a Pacific Jungle and Brought a Wing Back to His Home Statehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-american-pilot-downed-4o-enemy-aircraft-during-world-war-ii-researchers-discovered-the-wreck-of-his-plane-in-a-pacific-jungle-and-brought-a-wing-back-to-his-home-state-180989259/Richard I. Bong, flying a plane decorated with a portrait of his future wife, Marge, became America's highest-scoring "ace" and received a Medal of HonorTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:33:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-american-pilot-downed-4o-enemy-aircraft-during-world-war-ii-researchers-discovered-the-wreck-of-his-plane-in-a-pacific-jungle-and-brought-a-wing-back-to-his-home-state-180989259/The Danube River Has Fallen to Record-Low Water Levels, Revealing Nazi Warships, Bombs and Woolly Mammoth Bones In Its Channelhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-danube-river-has-fallen-to-record-low-water-levels-revealing-nazi-warships-bombs-and-woolly-mammoth-bones-in-its-channel-180989255/Residents and researchers are finding historic and prehistoric relics as Europe's second-longest river driesTue, 04 Aug 2026 18:20:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-danube-river-has-fallen-to-record-low-water-levels-revealing-nazi-warships-bombs-and-woolly-mammoth-bones-in-its-channel-180989255/A Man Picking Berries in the Forest in Poland Might Have Stumbled Upon the Wreckage of an Allied Airplane From World War IIhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-picking-berries-in-the-forest-in-poland-might-have-stumbled-upon-the-wreckage-of-an-allied-airplane-from-world-war-ii-180989219/Experts are still investigating but note that an earlier discovery nearby identified part of the wing of a British Lancaster bomberWed, 29 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-picking-berries-in-the-forest-in-poland-might-have-stumbled-upon-the-wreckage-of-an-allied-airplane-from-world-war-ii-180989219/This Alligator-Rich Swamp in the American South Just Joined the UNESCO World Heritage List, Along With the Home of the Greek Godshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-alligator-rich-swamp-in-the-american-south-just-joined-the-unesco-world-heritage-list-along-with-the-homes-of-the-greek-gods-180989213/The 25 new locations, determined to bear "outstanding universal value" for the world, also include the D-Day landing site in Normandy, FranceTue, 28 Jul 2026 21:05:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-alligator-rich-swamp-in-the-american-south-just-joined-the-unesco-world-heritage-list-along-with-the-homes-of-the-greek-gods-180989213/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/British Intelligence Turned This Mansion Into a Bugged Spy Trap for Nazi Prisoners of War During World War IIhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/british-intelligence-turned-this-mansion-into-a-bugged-spy-trap-for-nazi-prisoners-of-war-during-world-war-ii-180989166/Visitors can now tour the house, where German generals relaxed and gabbed upstairs while Jewish refugees working as spies and translators for the British government listened in from the basementWed, 22 Jul 2026 00:59:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/british-intelligence-turned-this-mansion-into-a-bugged-spy-trap-for-nazi-prisoners-of-war-during-world-war-ii-180989166/