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Russia

A Black Brant XII rocket was launched from the Andoya Rocket Range in 2010, 30 years after the Norwegian rocket incident.

On This Day in History

When Russian Radar Mistook a Norwegian Scientific Rocket for a U.S. Missile, the World Narrowly Avoided Nuclear War

The Norwegian rocket incident, which took place on this day in 1995, marked the only known activation of a nuclear briefcase in response to a possible attack

The magnetic north pole, distinct from the geographic North Pole, is the point where Earth’s magnetic field lines converge.

Earth’s Magnetic North Pole Is Shifting Toward Siberia and Raising Questions About Unusual Movement

Scientists released an update to a model that maps the ever-moving pole and has significant implications for navigation systems

The Oprichniki by Nikolai Nevrev (1888). The painting shows the last minutes of one of the aristocratic elite taken out by Ivan IV.

On This Day in History

Ivan the Terrible, the Czar and Grand Prince of Russia, Wouldn’t Earn His Violent Nickname Until Years After His Reign

We all know Ivan IV’s sobriquet, but the story is more complicated than it might seem

The eruption at Zavaritskii volcano created a nearly two-mile-wide caldera with layers of red, black and white from previous eruptive deposits.

Scientists Find the Mysterious Source of the Massive 1831 Volcanic Eruption That Cooled Earth and Made the Sun Appear Blue

The climate-altering eruption came from the Zavaritskii volcano on an uninhabited island in the Pacific that once hosted a Soviet submarine base, according to a new study

President Dwight D. Eisenhower enthusiastically declares Alaska statehood on January 3, 1959.

On This Day in History

On This Day in 1959, Alaska—One of America’s Riskiest Investments—Became the 49th State in the Union

Before Alaska became an American state, Russia invaded and subjugated its people for fur trading

Alexander Solzhenitsyn in West Germany following his deportation from the Soviet Union in February 1974

On This Day in History

Discover the Story Behind a Legendary Exposé of the Brutality of the Soviet Union

Published on this day in 1973, “The Gulag Archipelago” drew on Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s experiences as a political dissident in a prison camp, but it left him deported and stateless for the next two decades

Siberian tigers Boris and Svetlaya lounge together in the wild. Boris walked 120 miles to reunite with her after their release from a rehabilitation program.

Two Orphaned Siberian Tigers Reunite as Mates After a 120-Mile Trek Through Russian Wilderness

Conservationists hope the love story between Boris and Svetlaya might indicate a new, successful chapter in tiger repopulation efforts

President Theodore Roosevelt clenches his teeth as he makes a point during an interview with unidentified journalists.

On This Day in History

On This Day in 1906, a Nobel Prize Was Awarded to an American for the First Time for Ending a War on the Other Side of the Globe

It was immediately controversial that President Theodore Roosevelt, famous for vigorous military interventions, was the first statesman to win the Peace Prize

The cub belongs to the species, Homotherium latidens, and was unearthed from the Badyarikha River in Yakutia, Siberia.

A 35,000-Year-Old Saber-Toothed Cub Was Unearthed in Siberia—and It Still Had Its Whiskers and Claws

The frozen kitten, discovered in 2020, has stunned scientists with its remarkably well-preserved body

Polar bears are spending more time on land as sea ice shrinks.

Polar Bears Are Exposed to More Parasites, Viruses and Bacteria as the Arctic Heats Up

Pathogens are more common in polar bears living in the Chukchi Sea now than they were three decades ago, a new study suggests—but it’s not yet clear what that means for the mammals’ health

In the late 18th century, George Vancouver and his crew systematically sighted 75 geographical features in the Pacific Northwest, giving them entirely new names based on European taxonomy and imperial ambitions.

How Captain George Vancouver Mapped and Shaped the Modern Pacific Northwest

The British explorer named dozens of geographical features and sites in the region, ignoring the traditions of the Indigenous peoples who’d lived there for millennia

An interior view of the Transfiguration Cathedral in in Odesa, Ukraine, which was heavily damaged by a Russian missile on July 23, 2023

Two and a Half Years After the Russian Invasion, Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage Remains at Risk

A $1 million grant from the U.S. is the latest effort to support Ukraine’s fight to preserve its rich past

Agafia Lykova was born while her family was living alone in the wilderness. She is the only surviving member of the family.

This Russian Family Lived Alone in the Siberian Wilderness for 40 Years, Unaware of World War II or the Moon Landing

In 1978, Soviet geologists stumbled upon a family of five in the taiga. They had been cut off from almost all human contact since fleeing religious persecution in 1936

Napoleon in Burning Moscow, Adam Albrecht, 1841

On This Day in History

To Strike Fear Into Napoleon’s Occupying Army, These Retreating Soldiers Burned Down Their Own City

When the blaze in Moscow subsided on September 18, 1812, the French—who had traveled hundreds of miles into Russia—were left without vital resources as a brutal winter approached

The woolly rhino horn discovered by miners.

Miners Unearth a Mummified Woolly Rhino in Siberia, With an Intact Horn and Soft Tissue

The rare discovery will help scientists find out more about the prehistoric animal’s development, diet and living conditions

Members of the U.S. team participate in the opening ceremony at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

Untold Stories of American History

At the 1960 Olympics, American Athletes Recruited by the CIA Tried to Convince Their Soviet Peers to Defect

Al Cantello, a star of the U.S. track and field team, arranged a covert meeting between a government agent and a Ukrainian long jumper

A baby musk ox stands with an adult in the Arctic.

The Quest to Resurrect a Lost Ecosystem in Siberia

A father-and-son team of scientists are trying to revive ancient grasslands by reintroducing large grazers

An illustration of debris and satellites in the geostationary ring around Earth.

ISS Astronauts Forced to Briefly Take Shelter as Russian Satellite Suddenly Breaks Up in Orbit

Officials are unsure why the satellite fractured unexpectedly, splintering into nearly 200 pieces

A horse herder in Inner Mongolia, China, in July 2019.

When Did Humans Domesticate Horses? Scientists Find Modern Lineage Has Origins 4,200 Years Ago

A new study suggests people in the Eurasian steppe bred horses around 2200 B.C.E., challenging earlier ideas about the beginnings of horse husbandry

The set of 20 Fabergé carvings is worth an estimated $1.2 million. 

Miniature Fabergé Animals That Enchanted the Romanovs and Other Royals Are Up for Sale

Crafted around 1900, the charismatic carvings were inspired by Japanese decorative pendants

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