World War II

This diorama shows a sailor receiving his "daily tot." It was even mixed according to custom: on a "scuttled butt" with an officer overseeing the mixing.

Reasons Why the Royal Navy Bribed Sailors With Booze

The rum ration existed until 1970

A member of the 9th Cavalry circa 1890.

Three Things to Know About the Buffalo Soldiers

These segregated regiments offered black soldiers a chance to fight for their rights

The WP-3D Orion "Hurricane Hunters" are a key part of NOAA's hurricane toolkit.

Why Does NOAA Still Send Pilots Into Hurricanes?

The first “Hurricane Hunter” flight was a bet, but today they’re an essential part of risk management

These eyeglasses, which belonged to a prisoner at Auschwitz, are one of the more than 1,000 artifacts included in the traveling exhibition.

Auschwitz Museum Announces First Traveling Exhibition of Artifacts

More than 1,150 objects make up the exhibition, which will travel to 14 cities in Europe and North America

Henry Ford and Mohandas Gandhi exchanged tokens of mutual admiration during World War II.

The Unlikely Bromance Between Henry Ford and Mohandas Gandhi

Both men had complicated ideologies but bonded over pacifism

Miklós Horthy at the annexation of south-east Czechoslovakia, Kassa (present-day Košice), 11 November 1938

Why It Matters That Hungary's Prime Minister Denounced His Country’s Role in the Holocaust

Is this tonal shift for real -- or will the European nation continue to obfuscate its history?

Newly Released Documents Reveal Churchill’s Efforts to Suppress Details of Nazi Plot

The British leader did not want the public to know about a Nazi plan to kidnap Edward VIII

More than 300,000 Allied troops were rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940, with help from ships like the "Medway Queen."

The True Story of Dunkirk, As Told Through the Heroism of the “Medway Queen”

Retrofitted by the British Navy, the paddleboat saved 7,000 men over many dangerous trips across the Channel

How Germans Turned Trains Into Massive Artillery in WWII

Railway guns like the German WWII K5 gun had a very narrow aim. To get around that problem, Germans developed a circular track, allowing the gun to rotate

On December 17, 1944 the bomber crashed into the Adriatic sea.

Bones Recovered From Wreckage of WWII Plane May Belong to Missing Airmen

If researchers can confirm their identity, the long-lost crewmembers may finally receive a proper burial

The U.S. Assault on Okinawa Was Met With an Eerie Silence

When U.S. troops launched their assault on the Pacific island of Okinawa, they expected a fierce resistance from an entrenched Japanese army

The flea-market Enigma machine

WWII Enigma Machine Found at Flea Market Sells for $51,000

The legendary coding machine was first unearthed by a mathematician with a careful eye who purchased it for roughly $114

U.S. Marines' First Test Against Japanese Defenses on Okinawa

As U.S. marines advanced northward in Okinawa, they approached a craggy mass known as Mount Yae-Take

Police remove peaceful protestors from a sit-in at the U.S. Capitol in 1965.

Martin Luther King and Gandhi Weren’t the Only Ones Inspired By Thoreau’s ‘Civil Disobedience’

Thoreau's essay became a cornerstone of 20th-century protest

Eight billion cans sold, and counting.

How Spam Went from Canned Necessity to American Icon

Out-of-the-can branding helped transform World War II's rations into a beloved household staple

J. Robert Oppenheimer in 1956.

Robert Oppenheimer’s Career Ended Long After the Bang, With a Whimper

The rivalry between Edward Teller and Robert Oppenheimer ended both their careers

USS Ranger traverses the Panama Canal during World War II

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

The Hell Gate Bridge in NY, one of the main targets

The Inside Story of How a Nazi Plot to Sabotage the U.S. War Effort Was Foiled

J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI took the credit, but it was really only because of a German defector that the plans were blown

In the war years, Greyhounds were crowded with travelers, leading planners to look at a new technology: helicopters.

In a Fit of 1940s Optimism, Greyhound Proposed a Fleet of Helicopter Buses

"Greyhound Skyways" would have turned major cities into bustling helicopter hubs

This diary was kept by a French man who escaped Paris with his family during the Holocaust.

Crowdfunding Project Aims to Put 200 Holocaust Diaries Online

Eyewitness accounts bring the brutal chapter in history to life

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