Low-Tech ‘Ouija Boards’ Have Helped Aircraft Carriers Operate for Decades
Since the 1920s, a low-tech tabletop replica of an aircraft carrier’s flight deck has been an essential tool in coordinating air operations.
Matt Fratus
History
These Playing Cards Helped Allied POWs Escape Nazi Camps
During World War II, Allied intelligence agencies used specially altered playing cards to help POWs escape and evade their Nazi captors.
Julius Streicher: The Nazi With the World's Largest Porn Stash
Like other Nazis, Julius Streicher enriched himself by stealing Jewish property. But instead of art or jewels, Streicher wanted all the pornography.
The Air Force Pilot Who Survived a Leap From Space
In 1960, to test escape options for pilots ejecting from aircraft at extreme altitudes, Joseph Kittinger jumped to Earth from space.
200 Years Ago, the Marines Helped Save the Declaration of Independence
Two centuries ago, a group of Marines fought a desperate battle against British troops that resulted in the preservation of America’s most sacred document.
How America’s Love for Baseball Shaped the Grenades Carried by US Troops
Since World War I, the US military has designed hand grenades to resemble baseballs, and for good reason: most Americans know how to throw them.
Matt Fratus
How the Military’s Beloved ‘Woobie’ Came To Be
The American service member’s love affair with the poncho liner, aka the “woobie,” began six decades ago in the jungles of Vietnam.
Where Did American WWII Troops Have It Worse: In Europe or the Pacific?
In World War II, American forces in Europe faced different foes, weather, and logistical hurdles than in the Pacific. But was one "worse" than the other?
Why the US Military Detonated an Atomic Bomb Off the Coast of California
In 1962, the Department of Defense detonated a nuclear depth charge off the coast of California as part of a doomsday operation code-named Swordfish.
Picture This: More Than a Century of American Tanks
Tanks first rolled into battle more than 100 years ago during World War I. From then to now, this is the evolution of the American tank.