WAR

(L to R) Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Cholmondeley, Colin Firth as Ewen Montagu, and Johnny Flynn as Ian Fleming in 'Operation Mincemeat' (2022).

The True Story Behind ‘Operation Mincemeat’: How Hitler Fell for Britain’s Most Daring—And Disgusting—Deception

Major William Martin was a Roman Catholic Welshman who enjoyed the theater and loved his fiancée, Pam. He also didn’t exist—but the Nazis didn’t know that.

Tom Cruise once considered 'Top Gun' sequels a highway to the danger zone.

In 1990, Tom Cruise Told 'Playboy' That Making a 'Top Gun' Sequel Would Be 'Irresponsible'

Tom Cruise was less enthusiastic about a sequel to 'Top Gun' in 1990, which he described a 'fairy tale' version of war.

The 25 Safest Countries in the World

Whether you're planning to live abroad or travel internationally, these are the countries where you'll find the most safety and stability.

"La Queue à la Boucherie en 1871" by Clément-Auguste Andrieux

'I'll Have the Kangaroo Stew': When Paris Was Forced to Eat Its Zoos

For Christmas dinner in 1870, Paris restaurant Voisin publicized a menu that featured kangaroo stew, elephant stock, stuffed donkey head, and bear chops.

A fu-go reinflated at California's Moffett Field in 1945. (The lines of the fu-go have been redrawn to make them easier to see.)

Fu-Go Fire Balloons: Japan’s Last-Ditch Effort to Win WWII

The U.S. military catalogued 285 incidents involving Japanese fu-go, mostly in the Western United States and Canada; one incident resulted in five deaths.

'Francisco Pizarro Seizing the Inca of Peru' by John Everett Millais, 1846.

10 Pivotal Battles That Changed History

The fall of Constantinople isn’t the only battle that helped usher in a whole new era of history.

A painting of the Battle of Pea Ridge, which was fought from May 7 to 8, 1862

7 Misconceptions About the Civil War

The Civil War remains one of the most important chapters in American history. But the conflict itself was more complex than North vs. South.

8 Battles Fought After the War Ended

From Pontiac's Rebellion to the Battle for Castle Itter, here are eight of the most legendary clashes that were waged after the war was technically over.

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.

Chernobyl's nuclear power plant is in crisis.

Chernobyl Has Lost Power in Ukraine, Raising Concerns Over Escaping Radiation

It’s a development that could potentially have serious repercussions for Europe.

The Sultana, the day before it exploded.

5 Deadly, Explosive Ship Disasters From U.S. History

For centuries, boats have been blowing up with amazing spectacle and horrible tragedy. Here are five ship explosions just as worthy of a three-hour dramatization as the RMS 'Titanic.'

The ‘Doomsday Vault’ Has Opened Its Doors to Receive New Seed Deposits

The Svalbard Global Seed Bank in Norway contains 1.1 million seed samples from roughly 6000 plant species, and it just received a new batch of deposits.

These phrases likely came from some dark places.

8 Common Phrases with Surprisingly Dark Origins

From poisoning to warfare, these are the dark origin stories behind eight common phrases and idioms.

A New Albanian Crisis

September 16, 1913: In 1912 and 1913, a series of crises centered on Albania repeatedly brought Europe to the edge of war.

Showdown in Constantinople

Agent 355: The American Revolution’s Most Mysterious Female Spy

The spy thriller 'The 355' gets its title from a Culper Spy Ring agent known only as “355.” Who was she?

Cleopatra depicted in a calendar print by Beatrice Decker.

The Royal Rundown on Cleopatra's Children

Cleopatra famously had relationships with the Roman generals Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Less, however, is remembered about the four children she had with these men.

How World War I Turned Peanut Butter Into a Kitchen Staple

Celebrate National Peanut Butter Day with a World War I-era recipe for peanut loaf or peanut butter soup.

The African American Civil War Memorial.

11 Lesser-Known War Memorials

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.

From Public Executions to Game-Day Chili: Retracing the History of Tailgating

Before there was football tailgating, crowds used to gather for parties before public executions. Find out more about the history of this sports ritual.

An illustration of members of the Molly Maguires, a secret society that planned assassinations and destructions of property for higher wages.

9 Mysterious Secret Societies From Around the World

Some of history's most infamous secret societies have planned revolutions and assassinations—others, are happy enough just to hang around college campuses.

Calvin Graham was just 12 when he enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II.

Calvin Graham, the Tragic Teen Hero of World War II

Calvin Graham was just 12 years old when he enlisted in the Navy. By 13, he was a veteran. By 14, he was married.

Josephine Baker Will Be the First Black Woman Buried in Paris’s Panthéon

Paris’s Panthéon houses graves for just five women. Josephine Baker—star, spy, and civil rights activist—is about to become the sixth.

U.S. soldiers in an M24 Chaffee light tank driving through Bologna, Italy, in 1945.

6 Misconceptions About World War II

Did kamikaze pilots really volunteer? Did the U.S. really declare war against the Axis powers directly after Pearl Harbor? We're debunking some of the most common misconceptions about World War II.

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