The Briefcase That Could End the World: Inside the “Nuclear Football”
Somewhere near the President of the United States right now, a mid-grade military officer is carrying a black leather briefcase. This officer isn’t a cabinet…
A German bunker was hidden inside a Roman fort on a tiny island in the English Channel
A German bunker that was uncovered on Alderney has also revealed a Roman courtyard and several other intriguing finds spanning multiple periods. Situated in the…
When the Air Force needed a supercomputer, they built it out of PS3 consoles
In late 2010, the U.S. Air Force created a groundbreaking supercomputer designed to accelerate pattern recognition, image processing, and artificial intelligence research. Remarkably, instead of…
Before the Blitz, Britain’s Forgotten WWII Pet Massacre Killed 750,000 Pets
When people think about the first days of World War II, they picture Germany’s invasion of Poland, Britain’s declaration of war, and children being evacuated…
The Lewis and Clark Expedition relied on a unique tool: the Girardoni air rifle
While firearms are often associated with conflict during the westward expansion, the Lewis and Clark Expedition relied on a unique tool: the Girardoni air rifle.…
Women were recruited by the Air Transport Auxiliary to fly planes to WWII pilots and became known as the ‘Attagirls’
Much of World War II’s fighting took place in the skies, prompting aircraft manufacturers to design planes capable of performing under the extreme conditions of…
The Last Invasion of Britain: How 1,400 French Soldiers Were Defeated by Wine and Welsh Women
The year was 1797. Revolutionary France was on a roll, Napoleon was carving through Europe, and a bold plan was hatched to strike the “Shopkeepers…
Many believe the British Army betrayed the Lienz Cossacks during the Yalta Conference, as the end of WWII was in sight
The repatriation of the Lienz Cossacks following the Yalta Conference is widely viewed as a profound betrayal by the United Kingdom. Despite being aware of…
Project Stargate: The CIA attempted to harness psychic abilities against the Soviets during the Cold War
Project Stargate may sound like something pulled straight from science fiction—and in some ways, it was. The name didn’t refer to wormholes or journeys to…
The Tank Museum Continuing Major Restoration Work on King Tiger V2
The Tank Museum has announced the latest update on its restoration of the King Tiger V2. The restoration project, which is one of the museum’s…
Johnny Appleseed Day Has a Surprising WWII Link: How Victory Gardens Helped Feed the War
March 11 is commonly observed as Johnny Appleseed Day, and it is a good excuse to look past the folk tale. Johnny Appleseed was in…
Marie Curie realized that doctors treating soldiers during WWI needed mobile X-ray technology, so she developed a solution that was deployed on the Western Front
Marie Curie ranks among the most influential scientists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her groundbreaking research led to the discovery of radium…