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Robert Hastings

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History | History

History | History

7 groundbreaking technologies that won WWII

The range of technologies that were created and adapted during the course of World War II reshaped the 20th century in ways few could have anticipated at the time: both the battlefield and society. As is often the case, the pressure to succeed in war we t

History | History

Watch Vintage Newsreel Footage of the D-Day Landings in Normandy

This 80-year-old archival footage shows Operation Neptune—the code name for the landings on the beaches at Normandy.

History | History

U.S. Navy Battleship Guns Were Going to Attack Japan Up Close to End WWII

Summary: In 1945, as World War II neared its end and with Japan's naval capabilities largely neutralized, the U.S. Navy found an unexpected use for its battleships: bombarding Japanese industrial and urban centers to inflict strategic damage.

History | History

Shays’ Rebellion Explained: A New Governing System for the New US

The early United States suffered from a weak economy and lack of central authority. In 1786, a rebellion almost destroyed the fledgling republic and led to the US Constitution.

History | History

13 Facts About the Constitution Most People Don't Know

Sure, many of us have read or been told about essential documents in the world. Some might disagree about which of these rank at the highest level of importance, but disagreement sparks debate.  In turn,

History | History

On This Day In Space: Aug. 29, 1965: Gemini 5 breaks spaceflight duration record

On Aug. 29, 1965, two NASA astronauts returned from their record-breaking Gemini 5 mission.

History | History

Pearl Harbor Was the Worst Military Defeat in U.S. History

Pearl Harbor will never be forgotten. It created an ever-present analogy that reminded everyone what could happen when enemies are appeased or ignored, and the country lets its guard down militarily. Pearl Harbor taught war planners that economic sanction

History | History

Our Current House Fight Doesn't Hold a Candle to the 1855-56 Speaker Vote

 As I’m writing this, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) just lost his eighth vote to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming speaker of the House. For all of the weeping and gnashing of teeth, the whole situation is kind of funny — as long as your name isn’t Kevin McCarthy.

History | History

The Letter That Helped Start a Revolution

The Town of Boston’s invention of the standing committee 250 years ago provided a means for building consensus during America’s nascent independence movement.

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6 Key Figures From the Wars of the Roses

The 15th century Wars of the Roses were a series of brutal and deadly battles. Find out which events shaped Britain’s bloodiest civil conflict.

History | History

The American Revolution: your guide to the 18th-century war of independence

How close did the British come to winning? When did the French intervene? Discover these and other surprising facts you may not have know about the American Revolutionary War…

History | History

The Battle of Midway Was 80 Years Ago: It Must Be Remembered

The Battle of Midway in June 1942 is one of the most decisive naval battles in history. Japan's navy lost four aircraft carriers.

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Alternate history: what if George III hadn't 'lost' the colonies

Professor Andrew Roberts tells Jonny Wilkes why a British victory in the American Revolutionary War could have led to the creation of an all-powerful English-speaking empire, governed from New York

History | History

Why Russia Can't Seem to Win in Ukraine: Study the Winter War of 1939

The Winter War, forgotten by many as an appetizer to World War II, has many similarities to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

History | History

8 of History's Strangest Taxes

History is full of kings and governments who have tried to earn money by taxing anything from beards to bachelors.

History | History

Son of a pilot shares how a West Point ring saved his father from the Nazis during WWII

Son of a pilot shares how a West Point ring saved his father from the Nazis during WW2

History | History

Beware Political Agendas That Come With Thanksgiving 'Myth-Busting'

Revisionist histories are nearly always written (or posted to the internet) with an agenda in mind — it's no different for the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving.

History | History

How Wild Bill Hickok Became an American Legend

Wild Bill Hickok personified the archetype of the gentleman gunfighter in the history of the American West. HowStuffWorks looks at his life and times.

History | History

U.S. History Doesn’t Need To Be ‘Reframed’ Around Identity Politics; It Already Has Been

The myth that students and readers are getting some rose-colored version of American history is nonsense. So what is the 1619 Project really trying to do?

History | History

Disney history: how has the corporation shaped our perception of the past?

Over the course of its near-100 year history Disney has repackaged, or 'Disneyfied', a number of real historical people and events. Here, historian Dr John Wills explores the real history behind six Disney films: Song of the South (1946); Davy Crockett, K

History | History

12 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Wars of the Roses

The Wars of the Roses were the civil wars fought in England and Wales between the Yorkist and Lancastrian dynasties between 1455 and 1485. Though historians can’t agree on precisely when and where the conflicts concluded, the general consensus is that t

History | History

How a Tiny Cape Cod Town Survived World War I's Only Attack on American Soil | History | Smithsonian

A century ago, a German U-boat fired at five vessels and a Massachusetts beach before slinking back out to sea

History | History

$2.5 Million in World War II-Era Cash Discovered Beneath Winston Churchill's Former Tailor's Shop | Mental Floss

Test your knowledge with amazing and interesting facts, trivia, quizzes, and brain teaser games on MentalFloss.com.

History | History

15 Countries That Existed 100 Years Ago but Don’t Anymore

From the collapse ancient empires to the renaming of exotic places, the map of the world looks very different now than it did a century ago.

History | History

Have we really found Amelia Earhart's bones? | Science | The Guardian

A new study claims that the Nikumaroro Island bones are those of the famous aviator. But some researchers remain skeptical

History | History

The Nazis fooled the world for 16 days in 1936—and we’re allowing it to happen again

It's worth remembering today, after North Korea's appearance at the Olympics, and as Russia and Qatar gear up for the World Cup.

History | History

Here are eight things you might not know about the moon - Business Insider

Forty-seven years later, we're still learning new things about Earth's dusty companion. And some of the things that we do know about it are pretty...

History | History

Was the skeleton found in the Leicester car park really King Richard III? Experts raise doubts | History Extra

The discovery of the king’s remains in Leicester in 2012 made worldwide headlines, but now experts have raised doubts about whether we can truly say the bones are his. Emma McFarnon reports. This article was originally published in May 2014

History | History

That Debt From 1720? Britain’s Payment Is Coming - NYTimes.com

Prompted by record low interest rates, the British government is planning to pay off debts it racked up over hundreds of years.