Articles tagged as Warfare | Smithsonian Magazine

A rendering of the USS Nautilus, the world's first atomic submarine. The real Nautilus is now open to the public, docked in Connecticut so that visitors can walk around inside and explore the torpedoes and living quarters.

Urban Explorations

Step Inside a Famous Submarine

Where to visit historic subs this summer—or ride in a modern one

May 26, 2015

A stone relief carving of soldiers made in Assyria and now in the British Museum.

New Research

Ancient Assyrian Soldiers Were Haunted by War, Too

A new study finds evidence of trauma experienced by soldiers returning home from combat over 3,000 years ago

January 26, 2015

We just have so much to look forward to

December 31, 2014

Shrine to Uwais al-Qurani and Ammar Bin Yasser. After: October 6, 2014.

All three tombs on the outside of the shrine, their minarets and a section of the linking arcaded pricinct have been destroyed.

The new satellite photos show the extent of the damage

December 23, 2014

A Persian leopard cub at Zoo Augsburg in Germany

Cool Finds

By Keeping Poachers Out, Mine Fields Give Endangered Animals Somewhere to Hide

The heavily-mined Iran-Iraq border is a sanctuary for the Persian leopard

December 22, 2014

The wounded soldiers above were photographed at a hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia, between 1861 and 1865.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Did Civil War Soldiers Have PTSD?

One hundred and fifty years later, historians are discovering some of the earliest known cases of post-traumatic stress disorder

January 2015

This Plant-Based Gel Stops Bleeding in Seconds

A salve that seals severe wounds is making its way to veterinary clinics. Military and trauma testing may soon follow

December 2, 2014

A Civil War historical re-enactment at Tunnel Hill, Georgia

Cool Finds

A Nurse Describes the Smell of the Civil War

The overpowering stink of blood and decaying flesh can surprise even trained soldiers

November 28, 2014

Some of Mrs. Jerry Davis' students saved letters from their Vietnam War pen pals, which they donated to the American History Museum on November 14.

Vietnam War Vets Reconnect With Their 1960s Pen Pals For a Museum Donation

Decades after they sat in Mrs. Davis’ fourth grade class, former students donated Vietnam War materials to the American History Museum

November 17, 2014

Syrian Kurds flee Kobane as Islamic State forces approach.

Trending Today

ISIS Is Making Its Own Currency

It’s the latest step in the insurgent group’s attempt to forge a new state

November 14, 2014

Separatist forces walk the streets of Donetsk, Ukraine on November 8th.

Unmarked troops and equipment have traveled from Russia to Ukraine

November 13, 2014

First introduced in 1961, the B-52 is still an important part of the U.S. Air Force's fleet. Retrofitting some to let them carry and launch drones could give these flying fortresses even more utility.

Cool Finds

DARPA Wants Flying Drone Carriers

Retrofitting big bombers into drone carriers could make Cold War tech more useful for modern warfare

November 11, 2014

Newspaper headlines in New York, where people react to the news that Osama bin Laden was killed in a raid in Pakistan.

Robert O’Neill says he is the SEAL who killed bin Laden

November 7, 2014

Some argue that the recent civil war in Syria was caused, at least in part, by droughts in the area, which led to greater social instability.

Anthropocene

Five Conflicts and Collapses That May Have Been Spurred by Climate Change

Earth’s changing climate has been a spectre in centuries of civil conflict and, at times, the collapse of whole civilizations

October 20, 2014

New Research

“Arming the Rebels” Has Pretty Much Never Worked

Guns and training, but no on-the-ground support, doesn’t amount to much

October 15, 2014

ISIS briefly controlled the Mosul Dam in Iraq over the summer.

In parched Syria and Iraq, water is a weapon

October 7, 2014

Smithsonian Folkways is re-releasing its classic catalog of songs about the Spanish Civil War.

Revisiting the Timeless Tracks of the Spanish Civil War

Smithsonian Folkways is re-releasing its catalog of Spanish Civil War songs

October 2014

David Graham, rear, with John Tee-Van, front, with one of the young pandas.

Cool Finds

How an American Missionary Helped Capture the First Panda Given to the U.S.

“Missionaries sometimes have to tackle strange and unusual jobs,” David Graham wrote.

August 18, 2014

A 'Bring Back Our Girls' campaigner addresses supporters at the Unity Fountain, on the 100th day of the abductions of more than 200 school girls by the Boko Haram, in Abuja on July 23, 2014.

The situation in Nigeria has only been getting worse

August 14, 2014

U.S. Army combat medic Shawn Aiken lies down during his EKG appointment at the VA Medical Center in El Paso, Texas May 24, 2013. Aiken, who served 16 months in Iraq and 13 months in Afghanistan and has been active duty for nearly 10 years, has severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

New Research

Some Who Suffer from PTSD Never Get Better

As many as 11 percent of Vietnam veterans diagnosed with PTSD still suffer from the disorder

August 8, 2014