war

Montenegro Backs Down, Greeks and Bulgarians Clash

Austria-Hungary Mobilizes Against Montenegro

Montenegro Takes Scutari, Austria-Hungary Threatens War

Ceasefire in the Balkans, French War Council Approves Plan XVII

The U.S. Army's Plans for WWII Bat Bombs

Dan Lewis runs the popular daily newsletter Now I Know ("Learn Something New Every Day, By Email"). We've invited him to share some of his stories on mental_floss this week. To subscribe to his daily email, click

How the U.S. Army Made War with the Language of Peace

In the 1950s and 60s, the U.S. Army conducted training exercises using an imaginary enemy named, quite simply, Aggressor. The soldiers assigned to play the part of Aggressor troops had to speak a different language: Esperanto, the language of peace.

The Fall of Adrianople

King George I of Greece Assassinated

Google Celebrates UK's WWII Codebreakers

The World's Shortest War

Dan Lewis runs the popular daily newsletter Now I Know ("Learn Something New Every Day, By Email"). We've invited him to share some of his stories on mental_floss this week. To subscribe to his daily email, click

Austria-Hungary and Russia Stand Down

The Corpse That Fooled Hitler

The Arms Race Shifts into High Gear

Next Time France Won’t Back Down, Poincaré Vows

Project Peacock: How the British Wanted to Heat WWII Mines

Dan Lewis runs the popular daily newsletter Now I Know ("Learn Something New Every Day, By Email"). We've invited him to share some of his stories on mental_floss this week. To subscribe to his daily email, click

Origins of the Second Balkan War

Before the First Balkan War between the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire was even over, another conflict was brewing—this time between the members of the Balkan League.

A Song of the South, Born in the North

While “Dixie” (you know, “Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton/Old times there are not forgotten…”) might seem as inseparable from the South as collard greens and barbecue, the song was actually written in New York by an Ohio native.

Poincaré Takes Office, Coup in Mexico

Installment #56: On February 18, center-right politician Raymond Poincaré took office in an inauguration ceremony at the Hôtel de Ville. Poincaré’s presidency was an important factor in the lead-up to the First World War for a number of reasons. Although

How a Charm Bracelet Inspired the Monopoly Tokens

No doubt you’ve heard that the Internet elected a new token to the Monopoly lineup—and it’s a cat. Though it’s been a big news item that—gasp!—the iron is no longer an option for passing Go and landing in jail, this is hardly the first time the Monopoly g

A Short History of Revolutionary and Civil War Submarines

Coup in Constantinople

Installment #53: In January 1913 there was reason to hope the First Balkan War was winding down. After the Ottoman Empire suffered crushing defeats at the hands of the Balkan League—Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro—the two sides agreed to a ceasefi

Poincaré Elected President of France

Installment #52: On January 17, 1913, Raymond Poincaré, a leading conservative politician and the premier and foreign minister of France since January 1912, was elected President of France after a complicated, contentious five-way race, which at times pit

World War I Centennial: Schlieffen Is Dead, but His Plan Lives On

Installment #51: On January 4, 1913, Count Alfred von Schlieffen, the architect of Germany’s plan of attack on France, died in bed of natural causes at the age of 79—thus missing, by just 19 months, the flawed implementation of his flawed plan, and the en

WWI Centennial: The Conference of London Convenes

Installment #50: In mid-December 1912, as Europe seemed to teeter on the edge of war, diplomats representing the Great Powers, the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire hurried to an international conference in London organized by British foreign secretary