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History | History
History | History
5 Famous Desks in the U.S. Senate
The historic moments that happened at these desks—and the Senate VIPs who sat behind them—mean that some have taken on lives of their own.
History | History
38 Interesting Facts about D Day You Might Not Know
D Day continues to fascinate people, even more than 50 years after the invasion took place. Here are 38 interesting facts about D day you might not know
History | History
The Riveting True Story Behind Netflix’s Spy Movie ‘Operation Mincemeat’
Major William Martin was a Roman Catholic Welshman who enjoyed the theater and loved his fiancée, Pam. He also didn’t exist—but the Nazis didn’t know that.
History | History
Why Ronald Speirs Was The Most Fearsome Paratrooper In The Real-Life 'Band Of Brothers'
Ronald Speirs was known as a fearsome fighter — who wasn't afraid of killing just to make a point.
History | History
Essex: The Legendary Aircraft Carriers That Transformed the US Navy
The four Essex-class museum ships serve as a reminder of what was arguably the greatest class of aircraft carriers in U.S. Navy history.
History | History
The True Story Of Captain Lewis Nixon And The ‘Band Of Brothers’ He Served With During World War II
Born in New York in 1918, U.S. Army Captain Lewis Nixon III served with the 101st Airborne Division's Easy Company during World War II.
History | History
George Washington: Indispensable Man
George Washington was respected, admired, even revered by his countrymen, and he was the most trusted man of the age. What is more, and different, he was the most trustworthy man. The question of why this is so must be examined if we are to understand Was
History | History
Forget Battleships: Why Didn't the US Navy Build a Fleet of Battlecruisers? - 19FortyFive
Of the seven battlecruisers to enter World War II, only one (HMS Renown) survived the conflict.
History | History
No, Thanksgiving Isn’t About ‘Genocide And Violence’
The Pilgrims didn’t bring ‘genocide’ to America. They barely brought themselves, with half of their company dying that first winter, in 1620-21.
History | History
Sunk: Why Japan Never Recovered from the Battle of Midway
Fortune granted the USA its favor at Midway, as Bismarck might have prophesied. But it was sound doctrine and strategy, entrepreneurship among naval aviators, and shrewd senior leadership that positioned the U.S. Pacific Fleet to harvest the opportunities
History | History
The O.K. Corral: The Gunfight of All Gunfights
This Gunfight at the O.K. Corral lasted just 30 seconds. But its legend has endured for more than a decade. We dissect the battle's myth and lure.
History | History
5 Presidents Who Didn't Attend Their Successor's Inauguration
On the day of the 2021 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, President Donald Trump will join the small group of presidents who skipped their replacement's swearing-in ceremony.
History | History
When Elvis Helped to Conquer Polio
After a deadly mistake sapped public confidence in inoculations, the medical community found an unlikely ally in the King of Rock ’n Roll.
History | History
US battleships fired their guns for the last time 30 years ago. Here's how they dominated the seas for nearly a century.
Aircraft carriers are now the centerpiece of the Navy fleet, but for nearly a century, battleships sailed into combat around the world.
History | History
Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, US Marines took on the Japanese in what became the Alamo of the Pacific
The destruction of the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor meant Wake Island was on its own as Japan advanced across the Pacific.
History | History
How the P-47 Thunderbolt Helped Win World War II - InsideHook
The P-47 Thunderbolt was an essential part of the Allied effort in World War II. Its design made it a versataile craft and useful in a number of situations.
History | History
Vice Presidential Debate: Kamala Harris' Dishonesty on Abe Lincoln
Harris claimed at the VP debate that Abraham Lincoln refused to nominate a candidate for Chief Justice in October 1864 because "Honest Abe said, it's not the right thing to do" and wanted the people to vote first. Lincoln, of course, said no such thing.
History | History
Why Chuck Yeager Might Be the Greatest Pilot of All Time
Before Yeager did it, people thought it was impossible to break the sound barrier in flight. So how did he do it? And what other amazing feats did he accomplish?
History | History
The 10 Deadliest Disasters In American History
Before this life-altering pandemic, there have been plenty of other disasters. How did the nation respond? How should you?
History | History
After Backlash From Historians, NYT Forced To Issue Significant Correction To 1619 Project
The New York Times has issued a significant correction to its 1619 Project, a series of articles that has prompted fierce backlash from historians for revising the historical relationship between slavery and the founding of the country. In the August art
History | History
The 1619 Project’s Outrageous, Lying Slander of Abe Lincoln
History and journalism are supposed to ask as many questions as the subject demands. But questions are what the 1619 Project fails to ask about Lincoln.
History | History
British People Explain How They Were Taught About The American Revolution In School
"British people of Reddit, how is the American Revolution taught in your schools?"–– This was today's burning question from Redditor Shamr0ck01, who did not, contrary to what you may believe, open a terrible can of worms and kick off an imperialist chest-
History | History
Operation Downfall Was America's Plan to Invade Japan (And Millions Would Have Died)
World War II would have ended very differently.
History | History
The O.K. Corral: The Gunfight of All Gunfights
This Gunfight at the O.K. Corral lasted just 30 seconds. But its legend has endured for more than a decade. We dissect the battle's myth and lure.
History | History
10 Things You May Not Know About the Jamestown Colony - HISTORY
In May of 1607, a hearty group of Englishmen arrived on the muddy shores of modern-day Virginia under orders from King James I to establish an English colony.
History | History
The US land forever leased to England
Every May, the US Coast Guard and the Royal Navy hold a ceremony on a sliver of North Carolina land where four English World War Two soldiers are buried.
History | History
The 9 Most Overrated Battles in British History (and One Underrated One) - History Extra
What are the most overrated battles and wars in British history? From Bosworth to the Battle of Britain, Sean Lang examines the most exaggerated clashes…
History | History
The graves of more than 30 Marines and sailors killed in bloody World War II battle have been found
The remains of 30 US Marines and Navy service members lost since a bloody WWII battle in the South Pacific have been found on remote Tarawa Atoll, an organization that recovers lost US service members said.
History | History
'Rare' WWII bomber lifted from sea 75 years after crash - BBC News
The Fairey Barracuda Torpedo Bomber was discovered by electrical engineers surveying the seabed.
History | History
Watch Vintage Newsreel Footage of the D-Day Landings in Normandy | Mental Floss
This 75-year-old archival footage shows Operation Neptune—the code name for the landings on the beaches at Normandy that came to be known as D-Day.
History | History
Dwight Eisenhower Wrote a Letter Accepting Blame for D-Day's Failure, Just in Case | Mental Floss
"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops."
History | History
Americans' Loss Of Interest In the Civil War Is Part Of A Disturbing Trend
In an era of historical ignorance and indifference, is it any wonder that Civil War battlefields are drawing fewer tourists?
History | History
Richard Cole, Last WWII Doolittle Raider, Dies at 103
Richard Cole, Last WWII Doolittle Raider, Dies at 103
History | History
'Wonder, awe, excitement': Apollo 16 astronaut describes walking on the Moon
Charles Duke watched from Mission Control in Houston when his fellow Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made their historic Moon landing on July 20, 1969. Less than three years later he followed in their footsteps as the Apollo 16 lunar modu
History | History
13 Facts About the War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a defining struggle for Canada, the United States, and indigenous peoples across North America.
History | History
George Mendonsa, man identified as kissing sailor in WWII Times Square photo, dies at 95 - CNN
George Mendonsa, who maintained for decades that he was the sailor in an iconic 1945 Times Square photo, dubbed "The Kiss," that came to symbolize the end of World War II, has died, his family says. He was 95.
History | History
Marine recalls fight for Okinawa, last major battle of World War II
Charles Voland, of Independence, was wounded in one invasion and fought in another in Okinawa during World War II.
History | History
American history myths: 7 things people get wrong
From the Salem witches who were burnt at the stake to the Declaration of Independence signed on the ‘Fourth of July’, American history is full of misconceptions and mistakes. Here, author Jem Duducu busts some of the biggest myths and separates fact f
History | History
5 Insane Facts From History Nobody Taught You In School | Cracked.com
It's hard to take your ancestors seriously after you realize how they all smelled.
History | History
Lincoln and Thanksgiving: The Origin of an American Holiday
The very first Thanksgiving happened almost 400 years ago—long before the nation was born. How did it evolve into America’s quintessential national holiday? Credit largely goes to two people—one, a name you know; the other, you’ve probably never h
History | History
10 facts you (probably) didn’t know about the First World War
Who solved the problem of trench warfare? How did the war contribute to Britain's worst rail disaster? And were there really special battalions for short soldiers? Here, Seán Lang reveals 10 lesser known facts about the First World War
History | History
History Comes to Life Through Beautiful Colorized Photographs
"The Paper Time Machine" is a book that pulls together 124 colorized historic photos by Jordan Lloyd of Dynamichrome and Wolfgang Wold of Retronaut.
History | History
Calling Good People "Racist" Isn't New: the Case of Ty Cobb
Ruining someone's name is very easy. So is calling them a "racist." Take the case of Ty Cobb, one of the greatest baseball players ever. Cobb is known as a r...
History | History
Meet the man who might have been the real-life Lone Ranger
With more than 5.7 million articles, Wikipedia is an invaluable resource, whether you’re throwing a term paper together at the last minute, or trying to answer mankind’s eternal question: Who was that masked man? We explore some of Wikipedia’s oddit
History | History
Boy finds WWII plane with pilot's remains in cockpit
The wreck of a German World War II plane with the remains of the pilot in the cockpit has been discovered in northern Jutland, Denmark. The plane is thought to be a Messerschmitt.
History | History
New Discovery Could Finally Solve Creepy Mystery Of America's 'Lost Colony'
It was one of the most profound archeolgical discoveries before it was debunked. But new research may prove the authenticty once and for all.
History | History
The Science of Saving the Declaration of Independence
How science helped—and harmed—efforts to preserve the U.S.'s founding documents.
History | History
The Greatest Generation: Remembering D-Day, June 6, 1944
Historic images of the D-Day landings at Normandy.
History | History
D-Day: How technology helped win the Normandy invasion and World War II - The Washington Post
The brave troops who stormed the beaches in France had a secret weapon: brilliantly designed boats that made the attack possible.
History | History
Busboy who held dying Robert F. Kennedy shares senator's last words
Roughly 50 years after the death of Robert F. Kennedy, the busboy who held the dying senator detailed his last words in a Friday report.
History | History
Apollo 12 Astronaut Alan Bean Dead at Age 86, Now Only 4 Moonwalkers Left Alive
'Anyone who had the opportunity to know Alan was a better person for it, and we were better astronauts by following his example.'
History | History
10 Pivotal Facts About the French and Indian War | Mental Floss
Test your knowledge with amazing and interesting facts, trivia, quizzes, and brain teaser games on MentalFloss.com.
History | History
How Soviet troops taunted the Nazis during their final drive to Berlin in World War II
Amid the chaos and destruction in Germany during the final days of World War II, Soviet forces found other, nonmilitary ways to torment their foes.
History | History
6 nations that had no problems invading Russia in the winter
If there’s one generally accepted rule of warfare, it’s that you should never invade Russia during the winter.
History | History
John W. Jones: The Runaway Slave Who Buried Nearly 3000 Confederate Soldiers
He saved lives on the Underground Railroad—then cared for the Confederate dead.
History | History
Dec. 14, 1799: The excruciating final hours of President George Washington | PBS NewsHour
It was a house call no physician would relish. On Dec. 14, 1799, three doctors were summoned to Mount Vernon in Fairfax County, Virginia to attend to a critically ill, 67-year-old man who happened to be known as “the father of our country.”
History | History
Why Did the U.S. Sink Captured Japanese Subs After WWII? | Smithsonian
WWII had come to a close, and the U.S. was the first to seize a new class of giant Japanese submarines. The next step was to analyze them quickly and then sink them, before the Russians could learn their secrets.
History | History
THE SHOT THAT ECHOES STILL
Fifty years after one lone prophet who didn’t make it to forty gave up the ghost on a bland balcony in Memphis, this essay is proof that King’s legacy, and Baldwin’s words, remain vital.
History | History
New Documentary Reveals the Surprising Place the Queen's Crown Jewels Were Hidden During WWII
Queen Elizabeth herself was kept in the dark for years.
History | History
WWI Centennial: An Overview
Catch up with the major turning points of World War I as the final climactic year gets underway.
History | History
The Secret World War II History Hidden in London's Fences
London's housing developments often feature a unique form of fencing: stretchers reused after World War II.
History | History
Researchers share never-before-seen images of US ship that fired 1st shots at Pearl Harbor
Never-before-seen images of US ship that fired 1st shots at Pearl Harbor released
History | History
JFK's assassination aided by his bad back, records show - CNN
President Kennedy's lifelong struggle with back pain may have kept him from recoiling from Lee Harvey Oswald's first bullet, setting him up for the kill shot.
History | History
Battle of Tarawa in WWII 'the toughest battle in Marine Corps history' - Business Insider
The commander of the task force attacking Tarawa called Betio "a little Gibraltar" and said that "only the Marines could have made such a landing."
History | History
First World War composite photos bring past to life | The Week UK
Then-and-now images put snapshots of the Great War in a 21st century setting
History | History
5 Groundbreaking Firsts That Your History Books Lied About
It turns out that a whole lot of famous firsts are credited to the wrong people, due to politics, bad luck, or outright lies.
History | History
This woman’s portraits of wartime Greyhound passengers reveal faces of fatigue and resolve
World War II must have been exhausting, even on the home front. Beside the stress of waiting for loved ones to return from overseas, training for new jobs, or being forcibly detained, Americans were…
History | History
The New Amelia Earhart Theory Was Disproven By A History Blogger In A Matter Of Minutes
It wasn't what everyone thought.
History | History
BREAKING: Cornwallis surrenders in Yorktown; End of war may be in sight
YORKTOWN, VIRGINIA (OCTOBER 19, 1781) …
History | History
Why Colorizing Old Photos Requires a Ton of Research
Artists go out of their way to make the recreations authentic.
History | History
JFK’s last birthday: Gifts, champagne and wandering hands on the presidential yacht
The party aboard the Sequoia included dinner, dancing and the president's pursuit of a legendary Washington journalist's wife.
History | History
10 Facts About the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
On Veterans Day, 1921, President Warren G. Harding presided over an interment ceremony at Arlington National Memorial. Since then, three more soldiers have been buried there—and one has been disinterred.
History | History
Look Inside the Sketchbook of a World War II Soldier
After serving in the Army, Victor Lundy went on to become a successful architect.
History | History
10 Relics From the Horse-Powered City Hiding in Plain Sight
You can still find reminders of the days when horse-drawn transportation reigned.
History | History
A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence has been found — in England
The only other parchment copy of the document that proclaimed the independence of America's 13 colonies is at the National Archives in Washington.
History | History
These Rare Color Photos From the Second World War Are Incredible
A new book published by the Imperial War Museum features a rare collection of color photos from World War II, some of which haven’t been seen in over 70 years. From P-51D Mustangs and Flying Fortresses through to anti-aircraft spotters and flame hurling
History | History
Last Doolittle Raider, 101, recalls attack 75 years later
CINCINNATI (AP) — At age 101, retired Lt. Col. Dick Cole says his memories are vivid of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders mission that helped change the course of World War II.
History | History
Teacher traces dad's World War II past, finds 75-year-old plane wreckage
The story started to come together when Ken Elder Bledsoe organized the letters his father had written to his mother in 1942.
History | History
Memo to Donald Trump: Thomas Jefferson invented hating the media - The Washington Post
Jefferson is celebrated as a champion of a free press. But he also wrote that “nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper."
History | History
Young man on a mission to honor World War II vets before it's too late
Calif. teen films veterans' stories so he can capture their experiences and honor their sacrifices
History | History
History classes are our best hope for teaching Americans to question fake news and Donald Trump
An education in history teaches students to question the stories that are handed to us.
History | History
George Washington’s Tent: 5 fascinating facts you didn’t know - Curbed Philly
A team has been working for years to conserve George Washington’s tent used during the American Revolutionary War. It will be on display at the Museum of the American Revolution.
History | History
Ship found in Arctic 168 years after doomed Northwest Passage attempt | World news | The Guardian
Exclusive: Perfectly preserved HMS Terror vessel sank during disastrous expedition led by British explorer Sir John Franklin
History | History
How the Great Fire of London unfolded: Official blunders, mass hysteria, and racist violence which threatened to tear the city apart
It is now 350 years since the Great Fire of London razed the city's medieval heart to the ground.
History | History
US Marines admit one of the men identified in Iwo Jima photo was the wrong man - as details emerge of real hero who took
The US Marines have resolved a longstanding question mark over the identities of the men in an iconic photograph from Iwo Jima, revealing the story of a Midwestern Private who went to his grave without ever claiming his role.
History | History
Photos combine images of Germany from WWII with today - Business Insider
The photographs artfully contrast the broad sweeps of Nazi propaganda and the devastation of the war in Berlin with the vibrancy of the city today.
History | History
Exactly the right words, exactly the right way: Reagan’s amazing Challenger disaster speech - The Washington Post
How the Great Communicator teamed with Peggy Noonan to soothe a shocked and grieving nation.
History | History
One of six seaplanes lost during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor - StarTribune.com
HONOLULU – New images of a large U.S. Navy seaplane that sank during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor show a coral-encrusted engine and reef fish swimming in and out of a hull.
History | History
After 74 years, sailors from ship sunk at Pearl Harbor, may finally come home - StarTribune.com
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. – Inside an old aircraft factory here, behind the glass windows of a pristine laboratory, the lost crew of the USS Oklahoma rests on special tables covered in black foam.
History | History
10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Second World War
1) France had more tanks, guns and men than Germany in 1940 It is always assumed that during the Second World War the Germans bludgeoned their way to victory with a highly modern and mechanised army and Air Force that was superior to anything the Allies c
History | History
We Toured Thomas Jefferson’s Rotunda at the University of Virginia. Here’s What We Learned About Its Secrets Discove
Brian Hogg, senior historic preservation planner at the University of Virginia, thought they had discovered almost everything there was to know about the rotunda on campus, which was originally built by Thomas Jefferson who founded the university in 1819
History | History
A 103-year-old cracker from the Titanic just sold for $23,000
Someone just turned what could be the world's oldest cracker into the world's most expensive cracker.
History | History
Is this proof Alcatraz escapees are alive?
IN JUNE 1962, three inmates shimmied through a hole they’d chiselled into the walls of Alcatraz prison and climbed up to the roof.
History | History
CIA confirmed Oswald contacted Cubans, Soviets before assassination, memo shows - Washington Times
Three days after John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas, U.S. intelligence officials told President Lyndon B. Johnson that they had confirmed that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had recently traveled to Mexico City to visit both the Cuban and Soviet em
History | History
College Board gives in and adds 'American exceptionalism' to AP U.S. history
College Board has implemented a reworking of the AP U.S. History course curriculum to include "American exceptionalism."
History | History
The Apollo mission space patches were out of this world (sorry)
Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova wore the very first spacesuit patch in 1963 for the Vostok 6 mission. Fun fact: Her orange coverall hid the patch from public view. NASA continued the tradition in 1965 when Gordon Cooper, the command pilot on Gemini 5, designed one for the mission.
History | History
Why Did Yankee Doodle Call a Feather ‘Macaroni’?
Yankee Doodle went to town...Mm-hm, yeah.
Riding on a pony...Ok.
Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni...Wait. What?
History | History
Spectacular photos of the US Navy's most powerful battleship ever
This is the USS Iowa, the first of the largest, most powerful battleship class ever in the United States Navy, equipped with nine 16-inch (406mm) guns that could fire nuclear shells—the only American ship in history with this capability. This photo seri
History | History
Betsy Ross Probably Didn't Sew the First Flag | Mental Floss
In honor of Flag Day, we thought it was time you knew the truth: Everything you know about how the stars and stripes came to be crafted may be a lie.
History | History
Amazing Color Photos of France After D-Day | Mental Floss
In stunning color, here's a look at life in France in the summer of 1944.
