COLD WAR

The Peppy ’80s Song “Vamos a la Playa” Was Actually About Nuclear War

The lyric “Vamos a la playa, todos con sombrero / El viento radiactivo, despeina los cabellos” translates to “Let’s go to the beach, everyone in a sombrero / The radioactive wind, messes up the hair.”

America’s entry into the space Olympics.

The Secret Cold War History of the Missile That Launched America’s First Satellite

On January 31, 1958, the United States became a space-faring nation with the Explorer-1 satellite.

10 Questions About the Vietnam War, Answered

The Vietnam War was a highly controversial conflict. We break down some of the most common questions about the war, from why the U.S. entered the conflict to who ultimately won.

Senator Joseph McCarthy (center) and Roy Cohn (right) during the Army-McCarthy Hearings in June 1954.

10 Suspicious Facts about McCarthyism

McCarthyism advertised itself as a response to national security threats created by the Cold War, including Soviet espionage. But the movement was bigger than Senator Joseph McCarthy.

‘Greatest Escapes With Arturo Castro’ Episode 2: The Spy of Pimlico

Ed Helms (‘The Hangover,’ ‘The Office’) helps Arturo unfurl a daring escape from one of the Cold War’s most eccentric double agents: Oleg Gordievsky.

American officials exchanged Soviet spy Rudolf Abel for the American U-2 spyplane pilot Francis Gary Powers in the 1962 “Bridge of Spies” transfer.

How a Nickel and a Paperboy Brought Down a Cold War Spy

Soviet spy Rudolf Abel might have never been caught were it not for a Russian turncoat and a newspaper delivery boy who thought he’d been stiffed.

The Berlin Wall was a symbol of the Cold War from 1961 to 1989.

11 Chilling Facts About the Cold War

The U.S. and USSR employed spies, quelled internal dissent, made allies abroad, and stockpiled nuclear weapons in this proxy war.

Illustrations from 1997’s ‘Get Fit! ... How To Get in Shape To Meet the President’s Challenge and Earn the Presidential Fitness Award’

The Origins of the Presidential Fitness Test

Almost as soon as it was introduced—and for generations after—the Presidential Fitness Test was absolutely traumatizing to students who had to endure it. Here’s how the program started—and ended.

In 1985, Sting sang that he hoped "the Russians love their children too." James Cameron and Christopher Nolan were listening.

The Curious Link Between 'Oppenheimer,' The Terminator, and a Forgotten '80s Sting Tune

For years, Sting’s 1985 anti-war song “Russians” seemed to be something of an afterthought. But it made a lasting impression on two future filmmakers and a pair of summer blockbusters released more than 30 years apart.

4 Big Misconceptions About Spies

No, spies aren't all focused on national security. Yes, the CIA did deploy a mission called Operation Acoustic Kitty.

When 'Fraggle Rock' Spread Peace Throughout the Soviet Union

In 1989, Jim Henson's 'Fraggle Rock' became the first American television series to air in what was then still the Soviet Union.

The reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes.

When Howard Hughes Helped the CIA on a Top-Secret Mission

In 1968, when the CIA needed help with an audacious Cold War operation, officials decided that eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes would be the perfect man for the job.

Hanford, Washington, became the site of nuclear experiments.

Green Run: When the U.S. Government Released Radiation in the Pacific Northwest

In the 1940s, residents near Hanford, Washington, were getting dosed with the radioactive equivalent of Three Mile Island every day.

Four UFOs appeared in the sky at 9:35 a.m. on July 15, 1952 over a parking lot in Salem, Massachusetts.

Think You Spotted a UFO? See What the 1952 Questionnaire for Reporting Sightings Looked Like

Project Blue Book's questionnaire had sections for describing UFOs and even sketching pictures.

CCCP USA Superman, French Cold War Political Protest Poster

6 Misconceptions About the Cold War

We're detailing some of the most common misconceptions about the Cold War, including how close we came to World War III and Pepsi's impact on world affairs.

Nuclear Test Footage From the 1950s Shows Fake Towns Getting Incinerated

In the 1950s, the U.S. government built fake houses on its nuclear test site in Nevada, and many of them didn't survive.

Scientists from the expedition tagging whales in the Santa Barbara Channel.

The Loneliest Whale: Documentary Chronicles a Search for the 52 Hertz Whale

Fifty-two Hertz, dubbed 'the loneliest whale in the world,' has roamed the Pacific for decades, singing at a much higher frequency than other whale species.

Los Angeles, California, is home to several segments of the Berlin Wall.

15 Surprising Places to See the Berlin Wall

After the Berlin Wall fell, it didn’t completely disappear. Here are 15 surprising places where segments of the Berlin Wall stand today.

Recently Declassified Soviet Video Shows the Biggest Nuclear Explosion in History

Tsar Bomba—the biggest hydrogen bomb ever—detonated in October 1961, and the Soviet Union caught it on tape.

10 Fascinating Illustrations of Soviet Space Exploration From the 20th Century

From liaising with Martians to living on the moon, here’s where Soviet magazines thought the Cold War’s space race would take us.

13 Surprising Facts About George Orwell

George Orwell is best known for penning the dystopian novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'—regarded as one of the greatest classics of all time—but writing novels was only one small facet of his life and career.

The Time the U.S. Government Planned to Nuke Alaska

In 1958, the Atomic Energy Commission decided to boost fishing commerce in Alaska by detonating a 1-megaton nuclear bomb to create a deep-water harbor. Residents were not amused.

Kurt Hutton, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The Disturbing Reason Schools Tattooed Their Students in the 1950s

In 1952, at the height of the Cold War, elementary schools in Lake County, Indiana asked hundreds of students to line up, raise their arms, and get ready for the stabbing pain of a tattoo gun, all in the service of post-apocalyptic blood transfusions.

Why 1 Million People Live in Cold War-Era Bunkers Under the Streets of Beijing

For many, living dozens of feet underground in a windowless bunker is the only way to scale the social ladder.