Written by In recent years, towering metal figures have been erected across the United Kingdom and parts of Europe. They primarily take the shape of soldiers who served their country in times of historic conflict. The man behind this amazing military art project, aptly called Standing with Giants, is Dan Barton, and he’s made it his mission … Continue reading “Standing with Giants Pays Tribute to the Men and Women Who Served”
March 11 is commonly observed as Johnny Appleseed Day, and it is a good excuse to look past the folk tale. Johnny Appleseed was in real life John Chapman, and he was not just a cheerful legend wandering the frontier with a sack of seeds. He was an American missionary nurseryman who supplied apple-tree nursery … Continue reading “Johnny Appleseed Day Has a Surprising WWII Link: How Victory Gardens Helped Feed the War”
The majority likely know World of Warships for being the action-packed naval arm of Wargaming’s multiplayer game series, but few know it does much outside of the gaming sphere. Last year, it teamed up with the veterans’ charity FORCE BLUE to retell the story of D-Day in Frog Fathers: Lessons From The Normandy Surf, an … Continue reading “Rudy Reyes Talks FORCE BLUE and the Importance of Maritime Conservation”
The year was 1797. Revolutionary France was on a roll, Napoleon was carving through Europe, and a bold plan was hatched to strike the “Shopkeepers of England” directly on their own soil. It was to be a grand, three-pronged invasion that would bring Britain to its knees. Instead, the Battle of Fishguard became one of … Continue reading “The Last Invasion of Britain: How 1,400 French Soldiers Were Defeated by Wine and Welsh Women”
Earlier this year, World of Warships launched the Naval Museum Atlas, an interactive platform aimed at helping naval history enthusiasts plan trips to maritime museums across the world. Among those promoted on the website are various American museum ships, and to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence, World of Warships has produced a … Continue reading “World of Warships Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary with Naval Museum Atlas Calendar”
When people think about the first days of World War II, they picture Germany’s invasion of Poland, Britain’s declaration of war, and children being evacuated from major cities. What usually gets left out is one of the war’s bleakest and strangest home-front tragedies: the mass killing of family pets across Britain in September 1939. Historians … Continue reading “Before the Blitz, Britain’s Forgotten WWII Pet Massacre Killed 750,000 Pets”
In the closing months of World War II, the skies over the Pacific were a source of constant anxiety. The Japanese had unleashed a desperate new weapon: the Fu-Go balloon bomb. These high-altitude, hydrogen-filled spheres were designed to ride the jet stream across the ocean and rain fire on the American mainland. The threat was … Continue reading “The Night the U.S. Navy Task Force Attacked the Planet Venus”
It sounds like something dreamed up on a napkin during a long winter night, but it was very real. In the middle of World War II, Allied engineers seriously considered building giant aircraft carriers out of ice and wood pulp. Not steel. Not concrete. Ice. The idea came from a very real problem. German U-boats … Continue reading “This WWII Arctic War Aircraft Carrier Plan Sounds Ridiculous—Until You Learn Why”
Written by Somewhere near the President of the United States right now, a mid-grade military officer is carrying a black leather briefcase. This officer isn’t a cabinet member or a general, but they are perhaps the most shadowed person on Earth, following the Commander-in-Chief into elevators, onto stages, and even into secure hospitals. Formally known as the … Continue reading “The Briefcase That Could End the World: Inside the “Nuclear Football””
Life in the trenches of the Western Front was defined by mud, disease, and the constant threat of death. But amid the artillery shells and gas canisters, there was an unexpected presence: thousands of cats living in the front lines. While they started as a practical solution to a disgusting problem, these “trench cats” became … Continue reading “The Brave Cats of the Great War: Why Every Trench Unit Wanted a Feline Companion”