Machinery & Gear | War History

Russian ‘Doomsday’ Submarine Armed with Nuclear Torpedoes ‘Missing’ from Arctic Base

Tomsk (K-150) surrounded by ice

UPDATE, 10/06/22:  Numerous reports coming out of Europe have warned that Russia’s latest nuclear submarine, Belgorod (K-329), has gone “missing” from her base in the…

Megadrought Reveals Sunken WWII-Era Higgins Boat in Lake Mead

Partially-submerged Higgins boat in Lake Mead

The continuing megadrought impacting the southwestern portion of the United States has caused water levels at Lake Mead to drop to an all-time low. As…

M1919 Browning: An Innovative and Revolutionary Firearm

Gunner manning an M1919 Browning

The M1919 Browning machine gun is one of the most prolific firearms used by the US military, having seen use during the Second World War,…

Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt’s Famed Revolver Was Stolen and Returned – Twice!

Todd Neikirk
Theodore Roosevelt holding up his hat + Colt M1892 revolver on a purple sheet

There has never been a US President quite like Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, and there’s unlikely to be another ever again. Born frail and weak, Roosevelt…

There Was Almost a Stealth Bomber Version of the F-22 Raptor

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor in flight

The Lockheed Martin FB-22 Strike Raptor was going to be an innovative and new stealth bomber. Not only that, it had the promise of being…

Douglas A-4 Skyhawk: The US Military’s Beast in the Sky

Douglas A-4 Skyhawk in flight

The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk has a long and impressive history that spans over more than half a century. Developed for the US Navy and Marine…

How the Sophisticated B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Stays Invisible

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit in flight

The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is one of the rarest aircraft in the world. Born out of Cold War innovation, only 21 were…

The Short Career of the Civil War-Era Double-Barreled Cannon

Double-barreled cannon on display

The double-barreled cannon is as cool as it sounds. It can shoot two cannon balls at the same time that, when attached by a chain,…

The US Air Force Once Tried Landing Bombers On Tank Treads – It Didn’t End Well

Convair B-36 Peacemaker in flight + Track landing gear installed on the Convair XB-36 Peacemaker

Tanks are invaluable military assets, as are heavy bombers. Combining the two should be a winning combination… Right? As the US Air Force learned, the…

The Lee-Enfield Repeating Rifle Has the World’s Second-Longest Service History

Todd Neikirk
British soldiers training on Lee-Enfield repeating rifles

The first version of the Lee-Enfield repeating rifle entered into service in 1895. Since then, 17 million units and a number of variants have been…

USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63): The Decorated Aircraft Carrier That was Sold to Scrap Dealers for One Cent

USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) at sea

In May 2022, the decommissioned supercarrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) arrived in Brownsville, Texas for scrapping. The iconic vessel served the US Navy for nearly…

Highways Across the World Are Built for Warplanes to Land on Them

Airplane landing on a highway

Typically, an aircraft landing on a highway would indicate a serious problem, perhaps a mechanical issue or medical emergency with one of the pilots… That…