WORLD WAR TWO

Dumbo Drop: How World War II Kept Dumbo From Becoming ’TIME’ Magazine’s “Mammal of the Year”

The precocious pachyderm nearly made the cover. Then Pearl Harbor was attacked.

11 Facts About the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Find out more about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, from the first soldier ever interred in it to the rigorous process of guarding it.

Seven years of bad luck would seem like a walk in the park to these people.

10 of the Unluckiest People in History

Grab your lucky rabbit’s foot and read up on the tales of some of the unluckiest people in history, from the man whose backyard became a battlefield (twice!) to an absurdly accident-prone instrument inventor and beyond.

Museum visitors will now have some new insight into artwork with a questionable history.

In New York, a New Law Will Require Museums to Acknowledge Artwork Stolen by the Nazis

Hitler's Germany stole over 600,000 paintings during World War II. A new law will make sure museum visitors know about it.

Director and Shoe-Eater Werner Herzog Has Written a World War II Novel

The famed director has penned a book about World War II curio Hiroo Onoda, who spent decades believing the conflict was still going on.

A German submarine not unlike the one destroyed by a poop.

The Turd Reich: The Toilet Malfunction That Sank a German U-Boat

Your history teacher probably didn't tell you about the time the unfortunately named Captain Schlitt's bowel movement sank an entire German submarine.

(L to R) Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Cholmondeley, Colin Firth as Ewen Montagu, and Johnny Flynn as Ian Fleming in 'Operation Mincemeat' (2022).

The True Story Behind ‘Operation Mincemeat’: How Hitler Fell for Britain’s Most Daring—And Disgusting—Deception

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.

'Francisco Pizarro Seizing the Inca of Peru' by John Everett Millais, 1846.

10 Pivotal Battles That Changed History

The fall of Constantinople isn’t the only battle that helped usher in a whole new era of history.

The Reason SPAM Is So Popular in Hawaii

Hormel calls the appetite for SPAM in the state “unmatched by any place in the world.”

Read on for author Alma Katsu's favorite historical horror books.

7 Historical Horror Books to Read, Recommended by Author Alma Katsu

Ahead of the release of 'The Fervor,' Alma Katsu's supernatural reimaging of Japanese internment, here are her favorite historical horror novels

Virginia Hall has long been one of the unsung heroes of World War II.

'The Limping Lady': Virginia Hall, the One-Legged World War II Superspy

Despite having shot her own leg off in a hunting accident, Virginia Hall became one of the most feared Allied spies of the war.

The Silent Generation is a quiet but powerful generational group.

Who Are the Silent Generation, and How Did They Get Their Name?

The Silent Generation may not be as flashy a group as Millennials, but they wield a surprising amount of influence over our culture.

The African American Civil War Memorial.

11 Lesser-Known War Memorials

These tributes to fallen soldiers may not be as instantly recognizable as the Vietnam Memorial and others, but their stories are no less fascinating--including one that doubles as a mausoleum right in Manhattan.

Calvin Graham was just 12 when he enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II.

Calvin Graham, the Tragic Teen Hero of World War II

Calvin Graham was just 12 years old when he enlisted in the Navy. By 13, he was a veteran. By 14, he was married.

Josephine Baker Will Be the First Black Woman Buried in Paris’s Panthéon

Paris’s Panthéon houses graves for just five women. Josephine Baker—star, spy, and civil rights activist—is about to become the sixth.

U.S. soldiers in an M24 Chaffee light tank driving through Bologna, Italy, in 1945.

6 Misconceptions About World War II

Did kamikaze pilots really volunteer? Did the U.S. really declare war against the Axis powers directly after Pearl Harbor? We're debunking some of the most common misconceptions about World War II.

In the 1940s, Women Wore Wedding Dresses Made Out of Their Husband's WWII Parachutes

The romantic gesture was a tribute to the heroism of their husbands-to-be who served in World War II.

Beef was in short supply during World War II.

When World War II Rationing Created a Black Market for Meat

'Make it stretch' and 'share the meat' campaigns didn't work on beef-obsessed consumers, who turned to illicit lamb chops to satisfy their hunger.

Why Do We Call Hit Movies Blockbusters?

Before the word was used to describe hit movies, 'blockbuster' was a nickname for a highly destructive bomb.

Collectie Anne Frank Stichting Amsterdam, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Watch Rare Footage of Anne Frank Before Her Family Was Forced Into Hiding

This video from 1941 shows Anne Frank less than a year before her family was forced into hiding to avoid Nazi persecution.

"Lucky" Luciano (third from left) during his trial in August 1936.

Operation Underworld: When the U.S. Government Teamed Up With the Mafia to Fight Fascists During World War II

“Lucky” Luciano and Meyer Lansky took New York’s underworld undercover during World War II—and Luciano did it all from prison.

Col. Benjamin O. Davis (left), commanding officer of the 332nd Fighter Group, and Edward C. Gleed, group operations officer, stand in front of a plane in Ramitelli, Italy, in March 1945.

10 Inspiring Facts About the Tuskegee Airmen

The first African American pilots to serve in the United States military, the Tuskegee Airmen helped the Allies win World War II and put the U.S. armed forces on the road to integration.

Doris Miller saved a number of lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Doris Miller, the Naval Cook Who Became a Hero of Pearl Harbor

Doris Miller was stationed on the USS 'West Virginia' when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Despite being prohibited from gunnery training due to his race, Miller ended up saving an untold number of lives.

Eugene Bullard, the World's First Black Fighter Pilot

Eugene Bullard survived some of the deadliest battles in history and became the world's first Black fighter pilot—all before the age of 30.