The Dancing Plague of 1518: History’s Oddest Epidemic
That time the city of Strasbourg nearly danced itself to death
‘The Gallery of Miracles and Madness’ Review
Charlie English's new book explains why some of Hitler's so-called "degenerate" artists were also among the first victims of the Nazi gas chambers.
The Stories Behind Five Iconic World War II Images
Next to soldiers, sailors, and Marines, war photographers were there in the jungles, deserts, streets, and snow to capture not only the devastation that the war wrought, but the victories as well
‘Mastermind of Dunkirk and D-Day’ Book Review
Brian Izzard relates the career of British Admiral Sir Bertram Home Ramsay, the naval mastermind of Dunkirk and the amphibious landings in North Africa, Sicily and Normandy
He Jumped Out of a Burning B-17—And Into the Hands of the Germans
Bill Livingstone can still vividly recall his time as a POW after his one and only mission with the 95th Bomb Group ended in disaster.
The Brewster Buffalo Was an Unlikely Fighter Plane—But Finland Loved It
During World War II the Finnish variant of the U.S.-built Brewster Buffalo proved more than a match for top Soviet, German and British fighters
Twilight of the Galleys off Lepanto
In 1571 Christian and Muslim fleets met off the coast of Greece, rowing into battle one last time
Poland’s Men in Blue and Their Struggle for Independence
Józef Haller dreamed of an army that would help bring about the return of an independent Poland
How Doc Martens Went from WWII Discards to Everyone’s Favorite Grunge Boot
The original black Dr. Marten boot traces its roots back to World War II, when Klaus Märtens, then a 25-year-old doctor in the German army, injured his ankle skiing
‘Buffalo Bill’ Book Review
Kellen Cutsforth retraces the path Buffalo Bill Cody took to becoming the nation's—and perhaps the world's—first superstar
‘Das Boot’ Provides an Unvarnished Look at the Battle of the Atlantic
Wolfgang Petersen's 1981 film conjures something that every veteran knows about military service: it sucks.
Breakthrough at Saint-Lô: The Battle of Normandy’s Hedgerows
It took tens of thousands of lives and weeks of fighting through the bedeviling Norman hedgerows to capture what remained of the ‘Capital of Ruins’
How the Plane Crash Scene in ‘1917’ Set Me on the Trail of My Grandfather
A dramatic scene in 1917, the film directed by Sam Mendes, set the author on the trail of his grandfather in World War I
Gunpowder Weapons in Medieval Europe
The advent of gunpowder weapons in 14th-century Europe prompted medieval commanders to develop new tactics and adjust existing ones
‘Stalin’s War’ Book Review
Sean McMeekin casts a revisionist's eye on Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's wartime decisions and legacy
