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Warfare

As he led his troops into the mountains, Hannibal vowed: “You will have the capital of Italy, the citadel of Rome, in the hollow of your hands.”

How (and Where) Did Hannibal Cross the Alps?

He pulled off one of the greatest military feats ever. Now new scientific evidence points to Hannibal’s legendary route to Rome

USS Ranger traverses the Panama Canal during World War II

Trending Today

Documents Show Chile Foiled Nazi Plot to Attack Panama Canal

Files released by Chile’s Investigations Police show a special unit busted two Nazi spy rings in South America

Over 200,000 cases of cholera have been documented in Yemen thus far.

Trending Today

Yemen’s Deadly Cholera Crisis is the Worst in the World

More than 200,000 cases have been reported in a country racked by civil war

"My Family Is Lost," created by a teenage refugee, is on display at London's Oxo Tower.

London Exhibit Showcases Powerful Artwork Created by Teenage Refugees

“All I Left Behind. All I Will Discover” includes pieces by 80 teens who fled to the UK

The ruins of the al-Nuri mosque

Mosul’s Great Mosque of al-Nuri Destroyed by ISIS Militants

The 12th-century mosque’s leaning minaret was one of Mosul’s most recognizable landmarks

New Report Ranks Easiest and Hardest Places to Be a Kid

Save the Children compares 172 countries based on factors like child mortality rates and adolescent birth rates

The mass grave recovered from Lutzen

New Research

Researchers Catalogue the Grisly Deaths of Soldiers in the Thirty Years’ War

The 47 bodies were found in a mass grave from the Battle of Lützen, one of the turning points in the devastating conflict

Mounted Normans attack the Anglo-Saxon infantry during the Battle of Hastings, as portrayed on the Bayeux Tapestry.

England’s Most Brutal King Was Its Best Peacemaker

William the Conqueror was ruthless, but he achieved something his predecessors couldn’t: peace

How a Downed U.S. Plane Almost Caused a Nuclear War

When the Cubans accidentally shoot down a U.S. U-2 aircraft, the threat of nuclear war becomes a serious possibility

Multi-generational fighting over borders between the Calvert family that founded the colony of Maryland (pictured: Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore) and the Penn family that founded Pennsylvania (pictured: Thomas Penn, proprietor of Pennsylvania) led to the creation of the Mason-Dixon line.

This Long, Violent Border Dispute Between Colonial Maryland and Pennsylvania is Why We Have the Mason-Dixon Line

Cresap’s War was a conflict that didn’t get fully settled for almost 50 years

U-2 Dragon Lady Gives a Helping Hand to U.S. Troops

When a U.S. convoy in Afghanistan has vehicle problems and is forced to stop for repairs, a U-2 aircraft spots a Taliban ambush coming their way

Footage of a Tense Aerial Battle During the Falklands War

It’s 10 weeks into the Falklands War, and two British Harriers find themselves protecting a damaged ship, the HMS Hermes

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

The National Portrait Gallery commissioned a poem from the Pulitzer Prize winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa for the museum's new exhibition, "The Face of Battle."

A New Poem is Commissioned to Honor the Soldiers Who Fight America’s Wars

Pulitzer Prize winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa writes “After the Burn Pits” for the National Portrait Gallery

A spotter with binoculars at an anti-aircraft command post.

Cool Finds

Check Out These Rare Color Images of World War II

The photos are part of a new book from the Imperial War Museums which includes many images published for the first time

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

Four Paws coordinated the rescue mission to bring Simba and Lula to safety.

Last Surviving Animals of Mosul Zoo Transported to Safety

Lula the bear and Simba the lion have been evacuated to a wildlife shelter in Jordan

Matabele ant carries a wounded comrade home

New Research

This Ant Species Rescues Wounded Comrades on the Battlefield

Though it may be counterintuitive, a new study suggests saving the injured benefits the colony more than leaving them for dead

Part of the seized "Supergun," now at a museum in England.

The Bizarre Story of Saddam Hussein’s Failed “Supergun”

It was called “Big Babylon” and it was originally supposed to fire satellites into orbit

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

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