WAR

The American destroyer USS Shaw explodes during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

10 Things You Might Not Have Known About Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor's contributions to world history didn’t begin—or end—on December 7, 1941. From epic rock concerts to astronaut visits, the storied lagoon has seen quite a lot.

12 Surprising Facts About Red Dawn

On August 10, 1984, 'Red Dawn' stormed into theaters and made history as the first-ever PG-13 film. Wolverines!

World War II’s First Telegram Will Be Auctioned Off Later This Month

A week before Germany invaded Poland, Hitler organized and then called off a series of border skirmishes. This telegram shows that one Nazi didn’t get the memo.

Feverpitched, iStock / Getty Images Plus

Goodwill Store Searching for Family of Navy Sailor Whose Purple Heart May Have Been Mistakenly Donated

Suspecting the donation may have been a mistake, Arizona Goodwill employees want to return the Purple Heart to the World War II Navy sailor’s family.

12 Facts About Born on the Fourth of July

Tom Cruise earned his first Best Actor Oscar nomination for Oliver Stone's star-spangled Vietnam War flick, but the role of Ron Kovic was supposed to be Al Pacino's.

Robert Friend, One of the Last Surviving Tuskegee Airmen, Dies at 99

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Friend, one of the remaining original members of the Tuskegee Airmen—the first group of African-American pilots to serve in the U.S. military—passed away at 99 years old on June 21.

Navy Sailor Who Was Killed During Pearl Harbor Is Finally Laid to Rest, 77 Years Later, On His 97th Birthday

Charles Gomez Jr. was 20 years old when he was killed in the Pearl Harbor attacks. On what would have been his 97th birthday, he was finally buried at home.

Remains of World War II Soldier From Texas Finally Identified Nearly 75 Years After His Death

Decades after John W. Hayes died in World War II, his remains were discovered in a Belgian American military cemetery.

Fighting Words: The Navajo Code Talkers of World War II

During World War II, the Marine Corps turned to the Navajos and their complex language to create a code no one could crack.

The Battle of Towton (1461) during the War of the Roses.

11 Fascinating Facts About the War of the Roses

This 30-plus-year period of bloodshed between England's House of Lancaster and the House of York inspired 'Game of Thrones.'

The slang of WWI is still being used today.

20 Slang Terms From World War I

Though it was more than 100 years ago—on April 6, 1917—that the United States entered the First World War, its effect on our language continues.

Portrait of detainnee Tom Kobayashi at Manzanar War Relocation Center, Owens Valley, California, 1943

12 Facts About Japanese Incarceration in the United States

On February 19, 1942, FDR sanctioned the removal of Japanese immigrants and Americans of Japanese heritage from their homes to be imprisoned in camps throughout the country.

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.

Rockfleet Castle, which Grace O’Malley used as a base

Grace O'Malley, the Fearless 16th-Century Irish Pirate Queen Who Stood Up to the English

She debated with Queen Elizabeth I, sat at the head of a prosperous pirate empire, and told the English where to go.

General Photographic Agency/Getty Images

When Germany Planned to Airdrop Fake Money to Take Down Great Britain in World War II

To make the banknotes, Nazis relied on forced labor from artists, bankers, and known forgers being held captive in concentration camps.

Karolina Kristensson, the Swedish National Maritime Museums

The Quest to Find—and Save—the World's Most Famous Shipwreck

In 1628, the 'Vasa' sank on its maiden voyage. For the next 300 years, it sat in a watery grave—until one man sparked a monumental effort to salvage it.

The Time the U.S. Government Banned Sliced Bread

During World War II, even America's "greatest thing" wasn't safe.

Julius Neubronner/Jennavecia, Wikimedia Commons // Public domain

When Pigeon Photographers Offered a Real-Life Bird’s-Eye View of the World

An ingenious way to take aerial photos.

When Mr. Rogers Taught Kids About Mutually Assured Nuclear Destruction

The celebrated chldren's host aired segments in 1983 that demonstrated the perils of nuclear war in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

The Time German and Russian WWI Soldiers Banded Together to Fight Wolves

WWI fighters had a lot to fear in battle—but few thought they'd be battling wolves.

11 Facts About Robert the Bruce, King of Scots

Get to know the pony-riding, eel-eating, cave-dwelling rogue who became Scotland's most famous king.

More Than 75 Years Later, Remains of Pearl Harbor Sailors Are Being Returned to Their Homes

Advances in DNA technology have made it possible to identify previously unknown victims.

The Story of Siwash, the Beer-Drinking Duck Who Joined the Marines

The story of how a swashbuckling duck became a sergeant with honors in the United States Marine Corps.

Hajotthu, Wikimedia Commons // Public domain

A 17th-Century Noblewoman's Rare Poems About War-Torn England Can Be Read Online

Hester Pulter broke convention—and the expectations of her gender and class—by writing about science and politics.

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