American Independence
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Colonial Cryptographers Helped Patriots Win the Revolution
After a slow start, Washington's spymasters used mathematics, chemistry, and sneakiness to turn the tide against the British
WWII Battles
This Week In History: The Battle of Castle Itter
One German army officer in Austria, Major Josef Gangl, had chosen to defy orders to retreat in order to protect local civilians from such reprisals.
Civil War Figures
Slaves Forced to Serve Confederate Army Had to Choose Freedom or Family
Many blacks who entered Pennsylvania with the Army of Northern Virginia escaped—but many accepted bondage as the price of contact with loved ones
American Civil War
How the Civil War Gave Birth to Modern Journalism
Technological changes and lust for battle news made way for mass-circulation print media
Vietnam War
One of the Most Decorated Veterans of All Time: David H. Hackworth
The record for combat decorations in Vietnam
American Civil War
Audiobook Review| Violence within Congress Spurs the Civil War
Author Joanne B. Freeman recounts how Southern Democrats’ attacks on critics of slavery spilled from the Capitol building onto streets and dueling grounds
World War II
D-Day’s Unsung Heroes Braved Flak to Deliver Troops Into Battle
Troop Carrier Command played a vital role in Normandy and beyond, rapidly putting boots on the ground behind enemy lines with massive airlifts
1800s
Flaming Meteorite Fires Up American Brainpower
Glowing object that streaked across the Connecticut sky in 1807 puts a young nation on the scientific map
World War II
The Luftwaffe’s High-Flying Diesel-Powered Bomber
A Russian prince piloting a modified Spitfire for the RAF targeted a Junkers JU-86R during World War II's highest aerial combat
World War II
The Engine That Won World War II
The course of World War II would have been very different without Rolls-Royce’s immortal Merlin engine.
Aviation History
The Crazy Contraption That Almost Killed Neil Armstrong
Apollo astronauts trained for the moon landings on a risky machine that nearly killed Neil Armstrong before he made his “one small step.”
World War II
Parting Shot at Scapa Flow: Firing the Final Salvo of World War I
In June 1919, seven months after the signing of the armistice, a determined admiral of the Imperial German Navy fired the final salvo of World War I
World War II
How MGM’s ‘Battleground’ Became an Unexpected Film Classic
In 1949, 'Battleground' was one of the first films that showed audiences what a combat soldier’s life was really like—and this, it turned out, was the basis for its success
WWII Battles
Why a Countryside Bridge Was Crucial to the Allies on D-Day
An unexpected, bloody charge toward the enemy to take a key bridge at La Fière helped shape D-Day operations
WWII Figures
DC Comics Author Pays Homage to His Uncle, a D-Day Hero
Bestselling author Robert Vinditti latest comic creation tells the story of American paratroopers badly misdropped on D-Day who fought in the June 10-12, 1944
