Valor | War History

Why Does NORAD Track Santa Claus?

Clare Fitzgerald
AI rendering of Santa flying his sleigh in the night sky

Imagine a child dialing a phone number, hoping to reach the one and only Santa Claus, only to connect with the North American Aerospace Defense…

Tom Cruise Receives the US Navy’s Top Civilian Honor

Tom Cruise holding up his Secretary of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award

Tom Cruise is known for a host of movie roles, among them Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the Top Gun franchise. The films, which premiered in…

XM7: The US Army’s Powerful New Standard-Issue Rifle Can Break Through Body Armor

Sgt. 1st Class Robert Martin aiming an XM7

The US Army has begun fielding its replacement for the 1990s-era M4 Carbine, marking a major step in the evolution of infantry weaponry. Developed under…

Vietnam Veteran and Second-Longest Held POW in American History to Receive Congressional Gold Medal

Everett Alvarez, Jr. speaking into a microphone

Hundreds of US service members were taken by the North Vietnamese (NVA) and held prisoner during the Vietnam War. What makes Everett Alvarez, Jr. unique…

Operation Catechism: Demise of the German Battleship Tirpitz

Tirpitz at sea

When asked about Germany’s best warships during the Second World War, odds are Bismarck and Tirpitz come to mind. These behemoths, with their over 50,000-ton…

Descendant of Alaskan Native Leader Calls for Japan to Pay Reparations for 1942 Aleutian Islands Invasion

View of a coastal village on Attu Island

The Aleutian Islands Campaign of World War II is often overlooked when discussions of the conflict occur. The Japanese invasion and occupation, which ran from…

USS Mason (DE-529): ‘Eleanor’s Folly’ Helped Break Racial Barriers in the US Navy

Three sailors standing near the docked USS Mason (DE-529)

When you think of history-defining naval vessels, odds are the USS Mason (DE-529) comes to mind. The Evarts-class destroyer escort served valiantly in the final…

Bell D-188A: The US Military’s Early Attempt at Developing a VTOL Aircraft

Illustration of the Bell D-188 in flight

Throughout the Cold War, militaries across the world were interested in bettering their arsenals in the event of an enemy attack. One particular type of…

HMS Glowworm (H92) vs Admiral Hipper: A Daring Battle in the North Sea

HMS Glowworm (H92) at sea

The HMS Glowworm (H92) may have been lost early in the Second World War, but that doesn’t mean the British destroyer didn’t play an important…

Japan to Exhume Over 1,000 War Dead on Peleliu

US Marines watching a flamethrower being fired at Japanese fortifications on Peleliu

Eighty years after the bloody Battle of Peleliu, the Japanese government plans to exhume over 1,000 war dead from the Pacific island. The country’s Health,…

BBC Acquires Jacob Elordi-Led World War II Miniseries ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’

Still from 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North'

Jacob Elordi has been announced as leading the small screen adaptation of The Narrow Road to the Deep North. The Euphoria (2019-present) and Saltburn (2023)…

Documentary Inspired By ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ Coming to Sky HISTORY

Still from 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' + Gary Sokolov standing on a red carpet

Following the release of the miniseries The Tattooist of Auschwitz (2024), Sky HISTORY has announced a documentary centered around the protagonists’ son, Gary Sokolov. The…