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Warfare

An aerial view of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, circa 1955

Inside Disney’s Controversial Plan to Open a Theme Park Inspired by American History

In the early 1990s, historians and the public alike questioned how Disney’s America would accurately and sensitively document the nation’s thorny past

These ornate ear studs from the kingdom of Tabanan were among the 288 artifacts returned to Indonesia.

The Netherlands Has Returned 288 Stolen Artifacts to Indonesia

The Dutch seized the majority of the items in the aftermath of a brutal 1906 conflict that killed an estimated 1,000 Balinese

Kate Winslet as Lee Miller in Lee, a new film directed by Ellen Kuras

Based on a True Story

The Real Story Behind the ‘Lee’ Movie and Lee Miller, the Legendary Surrealist Photographer and World War II Journalist Who Inspired It

In a new biopic starring Kate Winslet, Miller’s many lives—as an artist, model, muse, cook and war correspondent—need little embellishment

Some human bones, including this skull, found at the Tollense Valley battlefield were pierced with arrowheads.

New Research

These 3,000-Year-Old Arrowheads Are Pivotal Clues in the Mystery of ‘Europe’s Oldest Known Battlefield’

While no written records exist, new research has illuminated key details of the battle fought in northern Germany during the 13th century B.C.E.

Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick so angered authorities that they shut it down after just four days.

On This Day in History

Why the Debut Issue of America’s First Newspaper Was Also the Publication’s Last

On this day in 1690, “Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick” attracted colonial officials’ ire by repeating a scandalous rumor and condemning a British alliance with the Mohawk

After inheriting the flag from his grandfather, Scott Stein decided to return it to the descendants of its original owner.

A Japanese Soldier’s Son Receives a Memento of His Father, Who Was Killed During World War II

The so-called good-luck flag, which hung on an American veteran’s wall for many years, returned home last month after nearly eight decades

Survivors of the Indianapolis disaster en route to a hospital following their rescue in August 1945

The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis Triggered the Worst Shark Attack in History

In the final weeks of World War II, a Japanese torpedo sank an American heavy cruiser. Only 316 of the 900 sailors who survived the initial attack were ultimately rescued

Earlier this month, scuttled World War II-era ships were visible in the Danube River near Prahovo, Serbia.

Low Water Levels Reveal Sunken Nazi Ships Full of Unexploded Munitions in the Danube River

Due to a drought in Eastern Europe, the scuttled German vessels are reemerging 80 years after they disappeared beneath the river’s surface

A view from the webcast of the 34th First Annual Ig Nobel Ceremony.

Anus-Breathing Animals and Pigeon-Guided Missiles: Ig Nobel Prizes Reward Unusual but Valuable Science

The annual award ceremony featured costumes, songs and paper airplanes as scientists recognized comedic research across ten disciplines

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

A Soldier's Journey by Sabin Howard was unveiled at the new National World War I Memorial on September 13.

The Sprawling Sculpture at the Center of the National World War I Memorial Has Been Unveiled in Washington, D.C.

“A Soldier’s Journey,” a 58-foot-long bronze artwork depicting vivid scenes from the war, was illuminated for the first time at a ceremony on September 13

Sarah Emma Edmonds is often credited as one of the handful of hidden female fighters who participated in the Battle of Antietam. But her account doesn’t match up with the historical record.

Women Who Shaped History

This Female Civil War Soldier Participated in the Bloodiest Battle in American History and Spied on the South—or Did She?

Historians say that Sarah Emma Edmonds exaggerated many aspects of her wartime experiences. Still, she bravely served in the Union Army, becoming one of hundreds of women who fought in the conflict in secret

The helmet was excavated at at the Łysa Góra site in Poland's Mazovia region.

This Ancient Celtic Helmet Is the Oldest Ever Found in Poland

Unearthed at the Łysa Góra archaeological site, the artifact, some 2,300 years old, is a prime example of Celtic metalworking

The bunker is located 14 feet below a field in Derbyshire.

You Can Own a Rare Nuclear Bunker Built in England in the 1950s

The underground hideout, which will go to auction this month, was designed to shelter three people for two weeks in the event of an attack

A Victorian era depiction of the Battle of Stirling Bridge, which took place on September 11, 1297

On This Day in History

How William Wallace of ‘Braveheart’ Fame Defeated the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge

On September 11, 1297, the warrior vanquished the superior armies of Edward I, cementing his status as one of Scotland’s most iconic heroes

A 17th-century painting of the September 10, 1622, Great Genna Martyrdom, in which 55 Christians were beheaded or burned alive

On This Day in History

Why Japan’s Shogun Executed Dozens of Christians During the Great Genna Martyrdom of 1622

On September 10, 1622, Japanese officials burned alive or beheaded 55 missionaries and laypeople alike. The violence coincided with Japan’s push to expel all foreign influences

Masada is now one of Israel's most-visited tourist attractions.

New Research

The Roman Siege of Masada May Have Lasted Weeks, Not Years

New research suggests that the Romans defeated the Jewish rebels at Masada much more quickly than scholars previously assumed

Divers observed the HMS Hawke's intact guns at the bottom of the North Sea.

Divers Discover Sunken Warship Torpedoed by Germany in World War I

A German U-boat sank the HMS “Hawke” off the coast of Scotland in the early days of the war

Clarke and his team created forces that could be found nowhere except in the meticulous files of A Force and, crucially, in German intelligence reports.

To Trick the Nazis, This Master of Deception Invented Fake Fleets and Armies

During World War II, British officer Dudley Clarke led A Force, a Cairo-based military unit that fed false information to the Germans

The 31-star Perry flag is visible in the background of this photo, which shows United States General Douglas MacArthur signing the official Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945.

Untold Stories of American History

To Mark Japan’s Surrender at the End of World War II, This Navy Officer Raced Halfway Around the World With a Historic Flag in Tow

In August 1945, John K. Bremyer undertook a 124-hour, 9,000-mile journey to Tokyo Bay, where he delivered the flag flown by Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853 to Admiral William Halsey’s USS “Missouri”

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