World War II

The identity card of Johanna Koch with Marie Jalowicz's photo. The date of birth and the stamp over the photo were forged.

A Holocaust Survival Tale of Sex and Deceit

One Jewish woman’s personal story reveals what it took to elude capture in Nazi Germany

Legendary Nazi Gold Train Might Exist After All

Polish culture minister is “99 percent sure” the train has been found

Two Men Say They’ve Found a Mythical Train of Nazi Gold

Treasure hunters have searched for it since the end of World War II, but it may have never existed in the first place

Bats and Balloon Bombs: The Weird Weapons That Could Have Won WWII

World War II's lesser-known weapons were ingenious, indeed

The crew of the Bockscar

The Nagasaki Bombing Almost Didn’t Happen

What really happened on the mission to drop the second atomic bomb

Tsuyuko Nakao, 92 and Kinuyo Ikegami, 77 both survived the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, pictured here in 2010.

The Health Effects of the Atom Bomb Are Still Being Studied

Studies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors influence worldwide radiation standards, even 70 years later

The Yamaki Pine, which survived the bombing of Hiroshima, resides at the U.S. National Arboretum. The tree serves as a reminder of the continued peace between the United States and Japan.

The Bonsai Tree That Survived the Bombing of Hiroshima

Now living in Washington, D.C., this bonsai tree outlasted the atomic blast

Scripps oceanographer Eric Terrill and BentProp founder Pat Scannon investigate the main fuselage of a TBM Avenger lost 70 years ago during a bombing mission near Palau.

Divers Turn to Robots for Help Scouring the Pacific for Long-Lost WWII Soldiers

An ongoing effort to recover those missing in action teams military historians, volunteers and scientists

After World War II, Gottschee ceased to exist as an independent community

An Attempt to Keep the Dying Gottschee Culture Very Much Alive

Inspired by a trip to Slovenia with her grandmother, one New Yorker took it upon herself to chronicle the story of a lost piece of European history

Hitler's signature on one of his watercolors.

Did an Auction of Hitler’s Art Go Too Far?

A collection of Hitler’s paintings just sold for $450,000

Los Alamos’s “Atomic Secretary” Was Never Told What the Manhattan Project Was For

Dorothy McKibbin coordinated entry of all people and property to the Los Alamos site

The washable knitwear c. 1950s suit by Claire McCardell resides in the collections of the National Museum of American History.

What a 1950s Fashion Maven Might Teach Us About What To Wear

When it was time to suit up for work, politics or social engagements, Claire McCardell's fans embraced her chic, but comfortable style

The Hall of Names at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial museum.

This Company is Turning Holocaust Survivor Interviews into Holograms

Researchers are using new technology to keep Holocaust testimonies alive

Seventy Years Ago Today, Queen Elizabeth Secretly Partied with Commoners

Before she became Elizabeth II, the then-princess slipped into London's streets incognito to celebrate Europe's victory over Germany

An image of Alexanderplatz in May 1945, set in Alexanderplatz today. Behind it, poking just above the image, is the Park Inn Hotel.

Dramatic Images of Berlin in May 1945, Set Against the City's Prosperous Present

"Spring in Berlin" compares Germany's capital city at the end of World War II and today

Germany Just Opened a Nazi Museum in the Party's Former Headquarters

70 years later, Munich's mayor says the city is ready to "face up to its Nazi past"

How Do Seals Find Their Prey and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

The flight deck of the U.S. aircraft carrier Hornet, some 800 miles off Tokyo Japan, where it shows some of 16 Billy Mitchell (B-25) Bombers, under the command of Major Jimmy Doolittle, just before they were guided off flight deck for historic raid on Tokyo, April of 1942.

The Untold Story of the Vengeful Japanese Attack After the Doolittle Raid

When the U.S. responded to Pearl Harbor with a surprise bombing of Tokyo, the Imperial Army took out its fury on the Chinese people

There's New Information About Anne Frank's Death

New research challenges the notion that if the Frank sisters had lived a few days more, they’d have survived the war

Found: A Secret Nazi Hideaway in the Heart of an Andean Jungle

Hints of a dark Nazi history found in Argentina

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