War Animals From Horses to Glowworms: 7 Incredible Facts
World War I, in which 10 million soldiers died, also resulted in the deaths of 8 million military horses Whether pulling chariots, transporting equipment or carrying people to battle, the horse has...
View ArticleArlington National Cemetery: 8 Surprising Facts
1. Arlington National Cemetery is located on Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s confiscated estate. Days after resigning from the U.S. Army on April 20, 1861, to take command of Virginian forces in...
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Remembering History’s Last Major Cavalry Charge
With sabers drawn, about 600 Italian cavalrymen yelled out their traditional battle cry of “Savoia!” and galloped headlong toward 2,000 Soviet foot soldiers armed with machine guns and mortars. On...
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The Pastry War, 175 Years Ago
Few wars can claim to have been sparked by a dispute over baked goods, but in the annals of culinary-inspired combat, the so-called “Pastry War” between France and Mexico takes the cake, so to speak....
View ArticleThe Last Days of the Passenger Pigeon, 100 Years Ago
In the autumn of 1813, naturalist John James Audubon was journeying through the barrens of Kentucky when he heard a rumble from an approaching front on the northeast horizon. Within minutes, the sky...
View ArticleOttoman “War Camel” Skeleton Found in Austrian Basement
When archaeologists began to excavate an abandoned cellar in the medieval section of Tulln, Austria, in 2006 to make way for construction of a new shopping center, they made an extraordinary find....
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What is a Tomahawk Missile?
History of the Tomahawk cruise missile A Tomahawk submarine-launched cruise missile en route to its target on the Tonapah Test Range in Nevada. April 16, 1983. (Credit: CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)...
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Why German Soldiers Don’t Have to Obey Orders
Consider, if you will, a fraught military standoff. A soldier from the German army receives an order from a superior to fire his gun, but he puts it down and walks away. In the United States, he would...
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This Flamethrower Operator is the Last Living Medal of Honor Recipient from...
On February 23, 1945, Hershel “Woody” Williams crawled toward a string of Japanese guard posts with a 70-pound flamethrower strapped to his back. His Marine Corps unit had suffered heavy casualties...
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The Four-Legged Marine Who Became a Korean War Hero
The United States Marine Corps has endured few firefights as savage as the Battle for Outpost Vegas in the waning months of the Korean War. With a roar that sounded like “twenty tornadoes tearing at a...
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How the Army’s Cover-Up Made the My Lai Massacre Even Worse
On the morning of March 16, 1968, U.S. Army soldiers entered a Vietnamese hamlet named My Lai 4 on a search-and-destroy mission in a region controlled by Viet Cong forces that the Army referred to as...
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The Violent History of the U.S.-Mexico Border
Donald Trump’s decision to send National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican border is only the latest in a long history of U.S. militarization of its national boundaries. In fact, America’s southern...
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Lost Tuskegee Airman’s Body May Have Been Found
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black U.S. military pilots, whose service paved the way for the military’s desegregation after World War II. Of the roughly 150 aviators killed in combat or training,...
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The Original Black Panthers Fought in the 761st Tank Battalion During WWII
There’s another Black Panther movie in the works. This one, however, isn’t about the comic book superheroes that broke box office records in 2018 or the 1970s black activist group. It’s about the...
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Pensions for Veterans Were Once Viewed as Government Handouts
The Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides services for nearly 10 million veterans each year, currently handles health care, benefits and burials for those who have served. But nomination...
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Why Martha Washington Was the Ultimate Military Spouse
Life as a military spouse can be lonely, anxious, and filled with social pressure. But where do those high expectations come from? Military spouses have long been expected to make sacrifices for their...
View ArticleWatch the Government Test Gas Masks on Children During the Cold War
History Flashback takes a look at historical “found footage” of all kinds—newsreels, instructional films, even cartoons—to give us a glimpse into how much things have changed, and how much has remained...
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