Updated | War History

The CIA Stole a Soviet Satellite During the Space Race

AI rendering of three CIA agents standing around a stolen Soviet satellite in a wooden crate

The Space Race was an amazing display of technological excellence, but it also doubled as a direct metric for the United States and Soviet Union’s…

Whisky War: The Most Polite Conflict In the History of War

Aerial view of Hans Island + Bottle of Canadian Classic whisky + Danish officers raising the Danish flag

Hans Island is a barren, uninhabited swath of land in the middle of the Kennedy Channel, in the Nares Strait, between Greenland and Ellesmere Island.…

Obscure Military Ranks That No Longer Exist

Little boy looking up at a Royal Marine drum major + Military portrait of Winston Churchill

As the name implies, military ranks are a means of identifying service member’s positions within the military hierarchy; a rank indicates a person’s authority, position,…

Surprising Facts About the Uniforms Soldiers Wore in World War I

Members of the 5th Battalion (Territorial), Gloucestershire Regiment, South Midland Brigade, South Midland Division running with their weapons

From spiked German helmets to steampunk-looking body armor, World War I saw its fair share of strange uniform choices. The conflict was fascinating, as it…

Marcus Luttrell’s Dog Was Shot, so the US Navy SEAL Went ‘John Wick’ on the Culprits

Marcus Luttrell standing among a crowd + DASY sitting on Marcus Luttrell's lap

In a move reminiscent of the John Wick films, retired US Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell took extreme measures to corner the men who’d murdered his…

Gordon Cummins: The RAF Airman Who Used German Air Raids to Mask His Heinous Crimes

Aerial view of a bombed London, United Kingdom + Military portrait of Gordon Cummins

For the first years of the Second World War, the United Kingdom was under constant threat of German bombings. London, in particular, was an especially…

8 Times the US Was Attacked on Home Soil During World War II

Fu-Go floating over land

Many Americans assume that, prior to 9/11, the US hadn’t suffered an attack on its own soil since Pearl Harbor in World War II. However,…

A Doctor’s Note Allowed Winston Churchill to Circumvent Prohibition in America

Winston Churchill standing in the middle of a crowd

In the relatively short history of the United States, the country has gone through turbulent, violent and just plain crazy times. One of the weirdest…

Most of the Combat Footage from D-Day Was Dumped Into the English Channel By One Man

Troops wading to shore from a landing craft

Have you ever noticed a distinct lack of footage from the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944? Maybe you assumed it was simply too dangerous…

Iconic Photos of Marilyn Monroe Entertaining American Troops in Korea

Marilyn Monroe performing in front of an audience of American troops

Following the signing of the armistice during the Korean War, the Korean Peninsula entered into a period of uncertainty. While negotiations occurred, the UN forces…

The Stories Behind History’s Most Iconic War Photos

US Marines raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi + Joseph Duo jumping in the air while holding a grenade launcher

For nearly two centuries, photographers have been using images to document the horrors of war. This has led to some of history’s most famous and…

Gary Gordon and Randall Shughart’s Heroic Efforts During the Battle of Mogadishu

Still from 'Black Hawk Down' + Randall Shughart and Gary Gordon dressed in US Army fatigues + Two Medals of Honor

There are few military service members who have received the Medal of Honor and had their actions portrayed in a Hollywood movie. Two are Master…