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Military

Often called "military mascots," animals played pivotal roles during WWI. Pictured here is John Bull of the 77th Aero Force (sic). [165-WW-472A-49]

World War I: 100 Years Later

The Animals That Helped Win World War I

Newly digitized photos tell the story of animals that fought as soldiers during the Great War

Dismantling a Huge Howitzer for a Precarious Move

This 200-ton howitzer artillery gun is too heavy to transport in one piece. The answer is to split it in two

Researchers can remotely detect buried land mines using a bacterial sensor and a laser-based scanning system.

How Glowing Soil Can Help Find Land Mines

Using genetically engineered bacteria and lasers, Israeli scientists have devised a unique way to detect buried explosives

The Meiji Emperor, who issued an influential educational announcement in 1890, poses with the imperial family.

Trending Today

Japan Will Allow Its Schools to Use a Controversial 19th-Century Imperial Text

The educational edict was banned after World War II for serving military and nationalistic purposes

Construction on the Pentagon was completed in January 1943. With about 6.4 million square feet, it is still today the world’s largest low-rise office building.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Why Is the Pentagon a Pentagon?

Planners battled to ensure the building kept its unique shape

An American aid worker in France writes a letter back home for a wounded soldier in 1918.

World War I Letters From Generals to Doughboys Voice the Sorrow of Fighting a War

An exhibition at the National Postal Museum displays a rare letter from General John Pershing

How 1950s Las Vegas Sold Atomic Bomb Tests as Tourism

Between 1950 and 1960, the population of Las Vegas grew by 161%—partly due to the burgeoning casino industry

Intense Footage of Fake Towns Used for 1950s Nuclear Tests

To test the impact of an atomic blast on populated areas, technicians built entire fake towns, with houses, shops, and even mannequin families

Adolphe Sax made this alto saxophone in 1857, long after he had switched to brass. The sax is still a woodwind instrument, though.

The First Saxophone Was Made of Wood

The instrument was invented by–you guessed it–Adolphe Sax

Two unidentified Australian officers examining a tree trunk which was used as an observation post at German House. The opening to the post is located at the base of the trunk. The color patches indicate the officers are members of the 3rd Division Army Services Corps. Note behind the post a dugout (center, right) and trenches.

These Fake Trees Were Used as Spy Posts on the Front Lines of World War I

On the Western Front, meticulously crafted iron trees were used by both sides to conceal enemy forces

USS Turner

Trending Today

Pentagon Investigates Missing Sailors from the U.S.S. Turner

After the ship exploded in New York Harbor in 1944, 136 sailors were classified as missing, but new research suggests some were buried on Long Island

This paper plane could one day change the way the U.S. military handles one-way supply missions.

Cool Finds

Why the Military Is Investing in Paper Airplanes

Disposable drones could save lives—and money

Appert devised the canning process using that old standby, trial-and-error.

The Father of Canning Knew His Process Worked, But Not Why It Worked

Nicolas Appert was trying to win a hefty prize offered by the French army

A horse chestnut tree outside of Susan B. Anthony’s home in Rochester, New York is the last living witness to the suffragette’s life.

Eight Places to Celebrate the Accomplishments of Great American Women

Women are grossly under-represented when it comes to recognition in public places, but here are a few places that pay tribute to their contributions

Watercolor painting of the Battle of Texel by painter Léon Morel-Fatio.

The Only Time in History When Men on Horseback Captured a Fleet of Ships

A Dutch fleet stuck in the ice. A group of French soldiers sent to capture it. What could go wrong?

Capt. (Dr.) Tejdeep Singh Rattan (right) checks in a patient during the triage portion of an exercise during the Basic Officer Leadership Course at Camp Bullis, Texas in 2010. Rattan was the first Sikh allowed to keep his articles of faith while in uniform in 23 years.

Trending Today

Muslim and Sikh Troops Can Now Wear Beards, Turbans and Headscarves

The U.S. Army just changed its grooming regulations to accommodate observant soldiers

Spent shell casings pile up as a soldier fires his weapon during a U.S. Army weapons qualification.

Cool Finds

Department of Defense Calls for Biodegradable, Seed-Planting Ammo

These seed bombs could make Army training easier on the environment

Spc. Crisma Albarran volunteered for the U.S. Army. In the future, other women could be required to serve.

Women Won’t Register for the Draft After All

They’re gaining parity within the U.S. military—but women won’t yet be required to register for compulsory service in case of war

Acelity scientists evaluate a new prototype at the company's Regenerative Medicine Laboratory in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

How Artificial Muscles Could Transform the Lives of Some Military Veterans

From pig muscle, scientists are developing an organic material that may help heal volumetric muscle loss

Get out and enjoy free national parks like Arches in Utah for Veteran's Day this November 11.

Cool Finds

National Parks and Forests Are Free Today

Celebrate Veterans Day on public land

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