Mental Floss

MILITARY







John Laurens and Joseph Brant.

While their images might not be immortalized on dollar bills or their stories ingrained into every high school syllabus, these lesser-known figures nonetheless played critical roles in the shaping of the American Revolution.

Colin Scanlon


Arnold Schwarzenegger at the 2023 premiere of 'FUBAR,' season 1.

The Arnold Schwarzenegger–starring Netflix series takes its title from World War II military slang. Here’s what 'fubar' means.

Ellen Gutoskey








The African American Civil War Memorial.

These tributes to fallen soldiers may not be as instantly recognizable as the Vietnam Memorial and others, but their stories are no less fascinating—including one that doubles as a mausoleum right in Manhattan.

Jake Rossen
Add more heft to your TBR pile with these gripping fiction and nonfiction books.

The best Vietnam War books from Tim O’Brien, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and others offer new insights and perspectives into the conflict that you probably never got from history class.

Greg Zapata




One of many protests against the Vietnam War in the late 1960s.

The deeply unpopular war led to the biggest and most consequential protest movement in U.S. history. Here are the key events and reactions.

Tim Brinkhof




An American Huey helicopter sprays Agent Orange over Vietnam.

In a mission code-named Operation Ranch Hand, the U.S. military unleashed millions of gallons of the toxic defoliant during the Vietnam War—and some descendants of Vietnam veterans say they’re still paying the price.

Nick Keppler
U.S. Marines preparing to evacuate American and Vietnamese civilians during the fall of Saigon.

From the Gulf of Tonkin Incident to the Tet Offensive to the Fall of Saigon, we go over some of the most significant battles of the Vietnam War.

Colin Scanlon