cold war

Inside The U.S. Military’s ‘Doomsday Plane,’ A Mobile Command Center That’s Always Standing By In Case Of Nuclear War

The Boeing E-4B Advanced Airborne Command Post, more commonly called the “doomsday plane,” was constructed during the Cold War as a nuclear contingency plan.

By Austin Harvey • Aug 14, 2023

Inside The U.S. Military’s ‘Doomsday Plane,’ A Mobile Command Center That’s Always Standing By In Case Of Nuclear War

The Boeing E-4B Advanced Airborne Command Post, more commonly called the “doomsday plane,” was constructed during the Cold War as a nuclear contingency plan.

By Austin Harvey • August 14, 2023

Inside Edgewood Arsenal, The U.S. Military’s Top-Secret Human Experiment Program During The Cold War

Between 1948 and 1975, the U.S. Army tested chemical weapons like mustard gas and LSD on American soldiers at Maryland's Edgewood Arsenal facility.

By Genevieve Carlton • Jun 26, 2023

Inside Edgewood Arsenal, The U.S. Military’s Top-Secret Human Experiment Program During The Cold War

Between 1948 and 1975, the U.S. Army tested chemical weapons like mustard gas and LSD on American soldiers at Maryland's Edgewood Arsenal facility.

By Genevieve Carlton • June 26, 2023

40 Photos That Capture The Fall Of Saigon, The Tragic Final Chapter Of The Vietnam War

After 20 years of bloodshed, the Vietnam War came to a chaotic end on April 30, 1975, when North Vietnamese forces stormed the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon.

By Kaleena Fraga • Jun 5, 2023

40 Photos That Capture The Fall Of Saigon, The Tragic Final Chapter Of The Vietnam War

After 20 years of bloodshed, the Vietnam War came to a chaotic end on April 30, 1975, when North Vietnamese forces stormed the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon.

By Kaleena Fraga • June 5, 2023

Aldrich Ames, The Notorious Double Agent Who Sold CIA Secrets To The U.S.S.R.

CIA agent Aldrich Ames started working for the Soviet Union in 1985, eventually exposing the names of every Soviet intelligence or military official working for the United States.

By Lisa Hornung • Jun 1, 2023

Aldrich Ames, The Notorious Double Agent Who Sold CIA Secrets To The U.S.S.R.

CIA agent Aldrich Ames started working for the Soviet Union in 1985, eventually exposing the names of every Soviet intelligence or military official working for the United States.

By Lisa Hornung • June 1, 2023

Inside The Brutal Death Of Vladimir Komarov, The Cosmonaut Whose Space Capsule Smashed Into Earth

An experienced test pilot and cosmonaut, Vladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov died in April 1967 when a parachute failure caused Soyuz 1 to crash into the ground, leaving only his charred remains behind.

By Marco Margaritoff • May 5, 2023

Inside The Brutal Death Of Vladimir Komarov, The Cosmonaut Whose Space Capsule Smashed Into Earth

An experienced test pilot and cosmonaut, Vladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov died in April 1967 when a parachute failure caused Soyuz 1 to crash into the ground, leaving only his charred remains behind.

By Marco Margaritoff • May 5, 2023

40 Years After Nuclear Disaster, Chernobyl’s Dogs Are Now Genetically Distinct

Researchers used blood samples to pinpoint genetic differences between dogs in the Chernobyl exclusion zone and in surrounding areas. These findings may help scientists understand the effects of radiation on large mammals, including humans.

By Amber Morgan • Mar 7, 2023

News

40 Years After Nuclear Disaster, Chernobyl’s Dogs Are Now Genetically Distinct

Researchers used blood samples to pinpoint genetic differences between dogs in the Chernobyl exclusion zone and in surrounding areas. These findings may help scientists understand the effects of radiation on large mammals, including humans.

By Amber Morgan • March 7, 2023

Inside Project Blue Peacock, The Most Outrageous Nuclear Plot Of The Entire Cold War

In 1954, the British engineers behind Blue Peacock designed a nuclear landmine to use against the Soviets — and it was dependent upon live chickens.

By Genevieve Carlton • Dec 22, 2022

Inside Project Blue Peacock, The Most Outrageous Nuclear Plot Of The Entire Cold War

In 1954, the British engineers behind Blue Peacock designed a nuclear landmine to use against the Soviets — and it was dependent upon live chickens.

By Genevieve Carlton • December 22, 2022

Inside Project A119, America’s Top-Secret Plot To Detonate A Nuclear Bomb On The Moon During The Cold War

In an effort to show up Soviet Russia in the Space Race, the United States considered exploding an H-bomb on the moon so that the mushroom cloud be seen around the world.

By Genevieve Carlton • Dec 20, 2022

Inside Project A119, America’s Top-Secret Plot To Detonate A Nuclear Bomb On The Moon During The Cold War

In an effort to show up Soviet Russia in the Space Race, the United States considered exploding an H-bomb on the moon so that the mushroom cloud be seen around the world.

By Genevieve Carlton • December 20, 2022

The Story Of The ‘Demon Core,’ The 14-Pound Plutonium Sphere That Killed Two Scientists

Physicists Harry Daghlian and Louis Slotin both suffered agonizing deaths after making minor slips of the hand while working on the plutonium orb known as the "demon core" at Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico.

By Kaleena Fraga • Dec 10, 2022

The Story Of The ‘Demon Core,’ The 14-Pound Plutonium Sphere That Killed Two Scientists

Physicists Harry Daghlian and Louis Slotin both suffered agonizing deaths after making minor slips of the hand while working on the plutonium orb known as the "demon core" at Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico.

By Kaleena Fraga • December 10, 2022

The Incredible Story Of Starfish Prime, When The U.S. Detonated A Nuclear Bomb In Space

On July 9, 1962, the Atomic Energy Commission set off a 1.4-megaton thermonuclear warhead in outer space, 240 miles above the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.

By Kaleena Fraga • Nov 29, 2022

The Incredible Story Of Starfish Prime, When The U.S. Detonated A Nuclear Bomb In Space

On July 9, 1962, the Atomic Energy Commission set off a 1.4-megaton thermonuclear warhead in outer space, 240 miles above the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.

By Kaleena Fraga • November 29, 2022