When the Marine Corps needed women in the reserves during WWII, Bea Arthur submitted a handwritten letter with her application to show her dedication to the cause
Before she captured hearts on the small screen, Bea Arthur led a life far removed from Hollywood sets. She served in the U.S. Marine Corps,…
The USS Wake was captured by Japan shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked, and was renamed Tatara when it entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy
Despite its modest size, the river gunboat USS Wake (PR-3) left an unexpectedly significant mark on history. Commissioned in 1927, the vessel changed hands among several…
Popular consumer products that were originally created for soldiers in the military
Many of the everyday items people rely on were created with convenience and efficiency in mind. However, the origins of some may come as a…
When Czech police held a weapons amnesty program, a man showed up with a WWII-era Soviet tank
When Czech police included a tank in their advertisement promoting a weapons amnesty, they didn’t anticipate anyone interpreting the message so literally. The program was…
POWs throughout various conflicts who refused to endure captivity and defied their captors
One of the harsh truths of war is that soldiers can fall into enemy hands. As prisoners of war (POWs), they may be held for…
A journalist from the Chicago Tribune published classified naval information during WWII, leading to a grand jury investigation
The Battle of Midway proved pivotal in the United States’ advance across the Pacific, dealing a devastating blow to the Imperial Japanese Navy. Less widely…
The Zimmermann Telegram: The decoded message that intended to keep the U.S. out of WWI but did the opposite
Few intercepted messages have had an impact on world events as significant as the Zimmermann Telegram. Its contents played a crucial role in drawing the…
Drafted by the army in 1957 amid his rising worldwide fame, Elvis Presley chose to serve as a standard soldier instead of joining the Special Services
During the mid-20th century, a number of Hollywood’s biggest stars answered the call to serve in the U.S. Army—including Elvis Presley. Drafted in late 1957,…
A Reddit user captured a live Google Maps satellite image showing a B-2 Spirit bomber in flight
The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is renowned for its cutting-edge stealth capabilities, featuring a distinctive flying-wing silhouette and radar-absorbing surfaces that reduce its detectability. Yet,…
A prototype for a T28 Super Heavy Tank was lost for 27 years until it was discovered in a field at Fort Belvoir, Virginia
The advent of tanks in World War I revolutionized battlefield tactics, and by the Second World War, the U.S. sought to push armored warfare even…
Prisoners of war from WWII who went on to become celebrities after the conflict
While many prominent individuals contributed to the Allied war effort—on land, at sea, and in the air—fewer people are aware that some future celebrities also…
During a Cold War drill, an Air Force Captain accidentally triggered a bomb’s emergency release, dropping the weapon in the backyard owned by a family in South Carolina
In the years following World War II, the intensifying Cold War drove the United States and the Soviet Union into a fierce competition to develop…