modern history

Japan Said Its Kamikaze Pilots Volunteered To Kill Themselves For Their Country. Their Diaries Tell A Different Story.

Thousands of poorly trained kamikaze pilots were asked to sacrifice their lives for Japan's collapsing war effort, but the letters they left behind reveal they weren't all eager volunteers.

By Mark Oliver • Sep 4, 2021

Japan Said Its Kamikaze Pilots Volunteered To Kill Themselves For Their Country. Their Diaries Tell A Different Story.

Thousands of poorly trained kamikaze pilots were asked to sacrifice their lives for Japan's collapsing war effort, but the letters they left behind reveal they weren't all eager volunteers.

By Mark Oliver • September 4, 2021

This Week In History News, Aug. 29 – Sept. 4

9,000-year-old beer residue unearthed in China, Neolithic cemetery uncovered in Transylvania, rare collection of early images by Black photographers acquired by the Smithsonian.

By All That's Interesting • Sep 3, 2021

News

This Week In History News, Aug. 29 – Sept. 4

9,000-year-old beer residue unearthed in China, Neolithic cemetery uncovered in Transylvania, rare collection of early images by Black photographers acquired by the Smithsonian.

By All That's Interesting • September 3, 2021

Enormous Mass Grave Unearthed In Ukraine Dates Back To Stalin’s Great Purge

Roughly 750,000 died during Stalin's Great Purge in the 1930s and many ended up in mass graves across the Soviet Union.

By Kaleena Fraga • Sep 3, 2021

Enormous Mass Grave Unearthed In Ukraine Dates Back To Stalin’s Great Purge

Roughly 750,000 died during Stalin's Great Purge in the 1930s and many ended up in mass graves across the Soviet Union.

By Kaleena Fraga • September 3, 2021

How John Walker Lindh Became The Face Of The ‘American Taliban’

In December 2001, U.S. forces captured an American Taliban fighter named John Walker Lindh in Afghanistan. Though he was soon thrown in prison, the story didn’t end there.

By Kaleena Fraga • Sep 3, 2021

How John Walker Lindh Became The Face Of The ‘American Taliban’

In December 2001, U.S. forces captured an American Taliban fighter named John Walker Lindh in Afghanistan. Though he was soon thrown in prison, the story didn’t end there.

By Kaleena Fraga • September 3, 2021

Neerja Bhanot, The Hero Of Pan Am Flight 73 Who Sacrificed Herself To Save Hundreds

When hijackers took Pan Am Flight 73 hostage in September 1986, Neerja Bhanot bravely helped passengers escape and was ultimately killed while shielding three children from a hail of bullets.

By Marco Margaritoff • Sep 2, 2021

Neerja Bhanot, The Hero Of Pan Am Flight 73 Who Sacrificed Herself To Save Hundreds

When hijackers took Pan Am Flight 73 hostage in September 1986, Neerja Bhanot bravely helped passengers escape and was ultimately killed while shielding three children from a hail of bullets.

By Marco Margaritoff • September 2, 2021

Inside Italy’s Shocking Beasts Of Satan Murders That Left Three Dead In Drug-Fueled Ritual Killings

From 1998 and 2004, the Beasts of Satan were a heavy metal collective and satanic cult whose members were convicted of killing two teenagers and burying a 27-year-old woman alive.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • Sep 2, 2021

Inside Italy’s Shocking Beasts Of Satan Murders That Left Three Dead In Drug-Fueled Ritual Killings

From 1998 and 2004, the Beasts of Satan were a heavy metal collective and satanic cult whose members were convicted of killing two teenagers and burying a 27-year-old woman alive.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • September 2, 2021

The Heartbreaking Story Of Ella Harper, The ‘Camel Girl’ Put On Display In 19th-Century Sideshows

Born with a rare condition that made her walk on all fours, Ella Harper found fame as the “Camel Girl” in front of traveling sideshow audiences from the time she was just 12.

By Marco Margaritoff • Sep 2, 2021

The Heartbreaking Story Of Ella Harper, The ‘Camel Girl’ Put On Display In 19th-Century Sideshows

Born with a rare condition that made her walk on all fours, Ella Harper found fame as the “Camel Girl” in front of traveling sideshow audiences from the time she was just 12.

By Marco Margaritoff • September 2, 2021

The Smithsonian Just Acquired Rare 19th-Century Portraits By America’s First Black Photographers

Of the 166 daguerreotypes known to have been taken by James P. Ball, Glenalvin Goodridge, and Augustus Washington, 40 have just been acquired by the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

By Marco Margaritoff • Sep 1, 2021

News

The Smithsonian Just Acquired Rare 19th-Century Portraits By America’s First Black Photographers

Of the 166 daguerreotypes known to have been taken by James P. Ball, Glenalvin Goodridge, and Augustus Washington, 40 have just been acquired by the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

By Marco Margaritoff • September 1, 2021

How Susan Ahn Cuddy Became The First Asian American Female Officer In The U.S. Navy

During World War II, Susan Ahn Cuddy broke countless barriers in the U.S. Navy, training naval aviators and working with top-notch code breakers.

By Kaleena Fraga • Sep 1, 2021

How Susan Ahn Cuddy Became The First Asian American Female Officer In The U.S. Navy

During World War II, Susan Ahn Cuddy broke countless barriers in the U.S. Navy, training naval aviators and working with top-notch code breakers.

By Kaleena Fraga • September 1, 2021

What Happened When A White Man “Became” Black In Mid-20th Century America

In an attempt to understand a non-white life in America, John Griffin dyed his skin "black" and set off to the South. His experience, recounted in Black Like Me was, as you might expect, painful.

By John Kuroski • Aug 31, 2021

What Happened When A White Man “Became” Black In Mid-20th Century America

In an attempt to understand a non-white life in America, John Griffin dyed his skin "black" and set off to the South. His experience, recounted in Black Like Me was, as you might expect, painful.

By John Kuroski • August 31, 2021

The Chilling Mystery Of The Yde Girl, The World’s Most Infamous Bog Mummy

The 2,000-year-old mummified corpse of the Yde Girl was uncovered by Dutch laborers in a bog in 1897, and many believe she was either executed or sacrificed.

By Marco Margaritoff • Aug 31, 2021

The Chilling Mystery Of The Yde Girl, The World’s Most Infamous Bog Mummy

The 2,000-year-old mummified corpse of the Yde Girl was uncovered by Dutch laborers in a bog in 1897, and many believe she was either executed or sacrificed.

By Marco Margaritoff • August 31, 2021

Inside The Incredible Mount Everest Survival Story Of Beck Weathers

Beck Weathers was left for dead and fellow climbers had already called his wife to tell her he was gone — then he somehow made it down the mountain and walked back into camp.

By Katie Serena • Aug 31, 2021

Inside The Incredible Mount Everest Survival Story Of Beck Weathers

Beck Weathers was left for dead and fellow climbers had already called his wife to tell her he was gone — then he somehow made it down the mountain and walked back into camp.

By Katie Serena • August 31, 2021