History | War History

Why Did Harry Truman Block An Attempt to Award Him the Medal of Honor?

Harry Truman standing with John McKinney, Daniel Lee, Donald Gary and Joseph O'Callahan

The Medal of Honor is the United States’ highest and most prestigious military honor, and it’s typically awarded to recipients by the sitting president. When…

‘Sexy Sally’ And The History Of Female Voices Used In The Military’s Aircraft Warning Systems

Sexy Sally and Bitching Betty voice warning systems

When the Convair B-58 Hustler debuted on November 11, 1956, it was the first bomber to achieve Mach II flight. The bomber went operational on…

Bruno Mussolini: How His Early Death Impacted His Father

Bruno Mussolini was the second acknowledged son of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his wife, Rachele. He was a decorated and experienced pilot, but his…

Cold War Fun: A 1950s Science Kit That Contained Real Uranium

Gilbert u-238 atomic energy lab

When the U.S. successfully harnessed the virtually limitless power of the atom with the Trinity atomic bomb test in 1945, it seemed that there wasn’t…

Prisoners of War Who Bravely Defied Their Captors

Clare Fitzgerald
Exterior of Colditz Castle + Military portrait of Charles Upham

An unfortunate consequence of war is that those involved in the fighting will sometimes get captured by enemy forces. Known as prisoners of war (POWs),…

SAS Hero Remembers The Regiment’s Darkest Day

Official handover of Falklands duties from HMS Hermes (looking very rusty after months on active duty in the South Atlantic).

The worst day in the SAS’s history was May 19, 1982, when a helicopter crash killed 20 of its elite members during the Falklands War.…

US Army Facts That’ll Impress Even the Most Knowledgable Veteran

Soldiers conducting a surfboard competition

The US Army has a long and decorated history. Dating back to the American Revolution, it’s since gone on to become the most powerful military…

Everyday Slang We Didn’t Know Originated In the Navy

Close-up of a ship's wheel

Over the centuries, sailors have created a language all their own to describe objects, people, actions and places. Much of this slang has found itself…

Bob Denard: The Mercenary ‘Pirate of the Republic’

Bob Denard being escorted by two French military members + Portrait of Bob Denard

To many, Bob Denard may not be a familiar name. However, those with knowledge of 20th-century mercenary activity know him as the Frenchman who staged…

Military Inventions That Later Became Commercial Successes

Clare Fitzgerald
Four members of the 3rd Infantry Division Military Police driving in a Jeep + GPS unit attached to the windshield of a car

There are tons of products that ensure everyday tasks are completed in an easy manner. Have you ever thought about where they came from? You’d…

Remembering The Tulsa Riot A Century Later

Part of Greenwood District burned in the riots, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, June 1921.

The Tulsa Riot is one of America’s darkest moments. This tragedy was soon glossed over, with many involved moving away and the ones who stayed…

Statue Of Elvis Coming To A German Town Where He Served

Elvis Presley poses for the camera during his military service at a US base in Germany.

The King is back to a town in Germany in the form of a statue of Elvis Presley as he was in the 1950s. The…