World War II

Wernher von Braun, one of the architects of the Apollo program, was a Nazi scientist brought to the U.S. in secret in 1945.

Why the U.S. Government Brought Nazi Scientists to America After World War II

As the war came to a close, the U.S. government was itching to get ahold of the German wartime technology

Mustard gas from wars past is decaying in the world's oceans—but scientists don't yet know how dangerous it could be. Here, U.S. Navy ship prepare for scheduled deployment in the Pacific Ocean in 2014.

Chemical Weapons Dumped in the Ocean After World War II Could Threaten Waters Worldwide

How worried should we be? Chemists are racing the clock to find out

A Heroic Mission to Disarm Nazi Snipers Goes Very Wrong

Two British commandos impulsively storm a Nazi-occupied warehouse on the Norwegian island of Vaagso

Argentinians look on as Marta Minují's 1983 Parthenon of books is removed with a crane. The artist will recreate her installation on a grander scale in Germany next year.

An Artist Is Building a Parthenon of Banned Books

More than 100,000 books will become a monument to intellectual freedom in Germany next year

Why We Call the Axis Powers the Axis Powers

On this day in 1936, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini declared an axis between Berlin and Rome, coining a term that would be used by both sides in WWII

Why Churchill Approved a Risky Mission on a Nazi Stronghold

Churchill knew he needed a very public military success to boost morale back home

When Was the First Map Produced and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

The Curious George series has sold 10,000 times the initial print run.

When Curious George Made a Daring Escape From the Nazis

The authors of the children's book series fled wartime France with the manuscript tied to their bikes

Cornelia Fort was one of 1,074 women to fly for the Army Air Forces in the war.

A Pearl Harbor Disappearance May Finally Have Been Solved

Flight instructor Cornelia Fort faced a close call on that infamous day, but her plane was thought to have been lost to history

Capsules Reveal Once Highly Classified Pieces of WWII Air Campaign

Two shipping barrels opened by the Commemorative Air Force contain one of the more intriguing technologies of the second world war

How Virtual Reality Is Helping Prosecute Nazi War Criminals

A new, detailed 3D simulation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp is helping prosecutors build stronger cases against these still-living Nazis

The Daring Plan to Steal Nazi Radar Technology

A British parachute regiment set off toward Bruneval on the northern coast of occupied France. Their mission: to steal German radar secrets

Alfred Eisenstaedt's iconic "V-J Day in Times Square" photo.

The Woman in the Iconic V-J Day Kiss Photo Died at 92, Here's Her Story

There’s more to the image than meets the eye

Melba Roy led the group of human computers who tracked the Echo satellites in the 1960s.

The True Story of "Hidden Figures," the Forgotten Women Who Helped Win the Space Race

A new book and movie document the accomplishments of NASA’s black “human computers” whose work was at the heart of the country’s greatest battles

Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia in the latter's office in Washington on the occasion of Mrs. Roosevelt's being sworn in as Mayor La Guardia's assistant in the Office of Civilian Defense.

The New Deal Origins of Homeland Security

During FDR’s administration, the First Lady and the Mayor of New York clashed over guns, butter and American liberalism

Life Aboard a Renovated World War II Tugboat

With help from friends, a transplanted Philadelphian embarks on a voyage of discovery through Alaska's waters

An African-American family leaves Florida for the North during the Great Depression.

The Long-Lasting Legacy of the Great Migration

When millions of African-Americans fled the South in search of a better life, they remade the nation in ways that are still being felt

The Powerful Objects From the Collections of the Smithsonian's Newest Museum

These artifacts each tell a part of the African-American story

The Dessen Bauhaus was home to ambitious movement that went far beyond blocky architecture.

Harvard Just Launched a Fascinating Resource All About Bauhaus

The newly digitized collection is as ambitious as the art school it documents

Photo taken at Auschwitz in 2013.

Use the Phrase “Polish Death Camps” in Poland and You May Go to Jail

Soon, saying that Nazi death camps were Polish could earn you three years in prison

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