Wars

German Afrikakorps soldiers frying eggs under the scorching North African sun.

Out of the 750,000 who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, these were the last 3 alive in 1951, together.

Leonard Matlovich was a decorated technical sergeant who later became one of the earliest and most visible activists for gay rights in the United States. After 12 years of service, including three tours in the Vietnam War, he earned honors such as the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal. With support from the American Civil Liberties Union, Matlovich wrote to his commanding officer openly stating he was gay, intentionally challenging the military’s exclusion policy. The Air Force discharged him, prompting a lengthy legal battle. In 1980, the government reached a settlement that included back pay, though he was not reinstated. His case became one of the first major legal challenges to discrimination against gay service members and helped lay the groundwork for future debates that ultimately led to the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell decades later.

A photo showing a fully restored WWII Panzer V tank being taken out of the basement of an 84-year-old German man.

The USS San Francisco in dry dock in 2005, following a collision with an underwater seamount while traveling at 35 knots. On January 8, 2005, the USS San Francisco (SSN-711) collided with an uncharted underwater seamount while traveling at roughly 30–35 knots in the western Pacific near Guam. The submarine struck the seafloor at about 525 feet, producing a violent impact that threw crew members around and severely damaged the bow. One sailor, Machinist’s Mate Second Class Joseph Ashley, was killed, and nearly 100 others were injured. Despite the destruction, the reactor remained secure, and the submarine surfaced and returned to Guam under its own power. The bow was so badly crushed that the Navy later replaced it with a section from the decommissioned USS Honolulu (SSN-718)

George Armstrong Custer pictured in his West Point cadet uniform, 1859. George Armstrong Custer would have been around 20 in this photo, and he would meet his end 17 years later. Custer graduated last in his class—34th out of 34—at the United States Military Academy in June 1861, accumulating a staggering 726 demerits over four years, one of the worst conduct records in the academy’s history. Despite this shaky start, he rose to command cavalry during the American Civil War. In 1876, Custer’s Native American scouts warned him that the allied Lakota forces far outnumbered his troops. Confident in the strength of his well-armed men, he ignored the warnings—and was killed later that same day.

In 1969, the United States conducted its first draft lottery since World War II to decide the order in which American men would be summoned for military service during the Vietnam War.

In 1943, a German fighter pilot chose to spare an American B-17 bomber, and decades later, the two former adversaries finally met.

Before the advent of modern guided systems, the United States military experimented with steering missiles using trained pigeons.

During the armistice talks of the Korean War at Panmunjom, negotiators from both sides engaged in a symbolic “flag war,” each delegation arriving with a slightly larger national flag than the other. The rivalry eventually escalated so much that the flags became too large to fit inside the meeting room, forcing officials to hold a special session simply to establish limits on their size. Although the Korean Armistice Agreement was finally signed in July 1953—halting the fighting between North Korea, South Korea, and their allies—no formal peace treaty was ever reached, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war in a long-standing frozen conflict.

British India on the eve of WWI (1914). The Partition of India was largely driven by fears that Hindus and Muslims would descend into civil war after the British withdrew from the subcontinent. However, the division was carried out so quickly that the exact borders were not revealed until days after independence. As a result, many people had no idea which country they were living in. Hindus woke up uncertain whether their towns would fall inside Pakistan, while Muslims feared they might suddenly find themselves in India. The confusion helped spark one of the largest migrations in human history. Roughly 15 million people fled across the newly created borders between India and Pakistan, while more than a million people lost their lives in the violence that followed.

The most chilling sound in aviation — the Vulcan Howl. The Avro Vulcan, instantly recognizable by its sweeping delta wing, was one of Britain’s most iconic Cold War bombers. First flown in 1952, it formed part of the RAF’s “V-bomber” force alongside the Victor and Valiant, built to deliver nuclear weapons at the height of East–West tensions. Yet what truly set it apart was the haunting “Vulcan howl” — a chilling resonance produced as air rushed through its intakes into four Rolls-Royce Olympus engines at specific power settings, creating one of aviation’s most unforgettable sounds. Beyond its eerie signature noise, the Vulcan was a remarkable feat of engineering. Its massive delta wing gave it surprising agility, with pilots often saying it handled more like a fighter than a strategic bomber. Capable of climbing above 55,000 feet and cruising close to Mach 0.96, it was advanced for its time. Though built for nuclear deterrence, it later proved its range and adaptability during the 1982 Falklands War’s “Black Buck” missions — some of the longest bombing raids ever conducted.

In 1943, Congressman Andrew J. May revealed to the press that U.S. submarines in the Pacific had a high survival rate because Japanese depth charges exploded at too shallow depth. At least 10 submarines and 800 crew were lost when the Japanese Navy modified the charges after the news reached Tokyo.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, there were sailors trapped on the USS West Virginia and the USS Oklahoma . The sailors screamed, and banged for help all night and day until death . One group of men survived 16 days , before dying. The Marines on guard duty covered their ears from the cries. 1941

When an unidentified aircraft enters British airspace, the Royal Air Force responds within seconds.

A cannon firing the W9 nuclear artillery projectile, which detonated with a yield of 15 kilotons above Frenchman Flat in Nevada. This was the first and only nuclear projectile to be fired from a cannon. (1953)

Two U.S. Army soldiers hold each other for support, as one of them breaks down emotionally after witnessing Army doctors refuse to treat three badly-burned Iraqi children that’d been brought to their base by relatives seeking help. Balad, Iraq, 2003

French nuclear‑powered carrier Charles de Gaulle — the only non‑U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier in the world — is being redirected toward Iran‑related operations.

During World War II, United Kingdom removed more than 50,000 road signs across the country so invading forces from Nazi Germany would have no directions if they landed, making it far harder to navigate England.

A World War 2 and Vietnam era flamethrower being operated