MSN | War History

John Bennett Herrington: Naval Aviator and the First Native American to Travel to Space

Official astronaut portrait of John Herrington

There are few individuals who can say they served in the US Navy and had a career as a NASA astronaut. It’s something John Bennett…

Charles R. Drew Saved Thousands of Lives with His Advancements In Blood Storage

Painting of Charles R. Drew standing with a microscope + Plasma transfer pack and extractor

It’s long been known that giving soldiers blood transfusions increases their ability to live through traumatic injuries. What many might not realize is that the…

Henry Breault is the Only Submariner to Receive the Medal Of Honor

Although the mere act of serving onboard a submarine may be considered heroic, the US Navy has only awarded the Medal of Honor to a…

Only the Best of the Best Graduate from the US Army Sniper School

Clare Fitzgerald
US Army Sniper School trainee in the ghillie wash

There are few soldiers who can say they’ve graduated from the US Army’s prestigious Sniper School. The seven-week course is one of the most grueling…

This Art Installation Pays Tribute to the Soldiers Who Lost Their Lives in Vietnam

View of Above and Beyond from below

At the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago, Illinois is one of the most powerful pieces of military art ever constructed. Titled Above and Beyond,…

These Images Show How the French Celebrated Following the Liberation of France

Crowd of French citizens celebrating the liberation of Paris

The German occupation of France ran for four years and greatly affected the lives of French citizens. Things took a turn following D-Day, with the…

America’s First Code Talkers Were Choctaw Soldiers During WWI

Navajo Code Talkers

To keep their plans a secret from the enemy during the fighting in WWII, the US famously employed Native American code talkers who communicated in…

Congressman Andrew May Caused the Death of 800 Submarine Crewmen During WWII

Andrew May holding up a book + The USS Balao at sea

There is a reason certain military knowledge is classified: so it doesn’t fall into the hands of the enemy. Congressman Andrew May didn’t get the…

The British Contaminated An Island In An Attempt to Wage Biological Warfare on Germany

Two military personnel crouching + Warning sign on Gruinard Island

During the early 1940s, the British military was looking for a way to quickly end the Second World War. This led them to look into…

Pirates Attempted an Abordage on a Danish Frigate Full of Commandos and It Didn’t End Well

Clare Fitzgerald
HDMS Esbern Snare (F342) at sea + Actors in 'Captain Phillips'

In November 2021, the Danish military revealed that one of its frigates engaged in a firefight with pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, resulting in…

Disney Drew 1,200 Military Insignia To Keep Up With Demand During WWII

Today the US military is one of the largest in the world by a number of personnel, with over 1.4 million active-duty servicemembers and another…

Simon the Cat Received A Military Honor After Suffering Injuries During the Yangtze Incident

From March 1948 to November 1949, the British frigate HMS Amethyst was accompanied by a friendly cat named Simon. The crew of the ship took…