Natasha Frost Archives ‑ History.com

Why Stalin Tried to Stamp Out Religion in the Soviet Union

When the era of Communist rule began in Russia in 1917, religion was seen as a hindrance to a thriving socialist society. As Karl Marx, coauthor of the The Communist Manifesto, declared, “Communism begins where atheism begins.” Joseph Stalin, as the second leader of the Soviet Union, tried to enforce militant atheism on the republic. The […]

As the Allies Closed in on Hitler, They Jockeyed for Future World Dominance

One prize in the Allies’ race to take Berlin: the German scientists working to develop the atomic bomb.

Why Hitler Secretly Met With a Japanese General During WWII

In December 1940, three months after Japan, Germany and Italy signed their “Tripartite Pact” World War II alliance, a convoy of Japanese military leaders headed for Berlin to learn from their new allies. At the head of the group was General Tomoyuki Yamashita, a veteran militarist who had spent his entire adult life in the […]

Quarantined for Life: The Tragic History of US Leprosy Colonies

For millennia, a diagnosis of leprosy meant a life sentence of social isolation. People afflicted with the condition now known as Hansen’s disease—a bacterial infection that ravages the skin and nerves and can cause painful deformities—were typically ripped from their families, showered with prejudice and cruelly exiled into life‑long quarantine. In the United States, patients […]

Did George Washington Believe in God?

George Washington’s writings have long served as a guide to America’s first president—what he thought, how he made his decisions, even how he felt about his wife. But when it comes to his personal religious beliefs, Washington seems to have been a closed book—or, at least, unwilling to commit many of his own views to […]

Horrors of Auschwitz: The Numbers Behind WWII’s Deadliest Concentration Camp

Auschwitz was the largest and deadliest of six dedicated extermination camps where hundreds of thousands of people were tortured and murdered during World War II and the Holocaust under the orders of Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler. As one of the greatest tragedies of the modern age, the Holocaust has inspired countless films and books. These works have […]

Amid the Holocaust’s Horrors, Many Jews Found Ways to Mark Hanukkah

From carving menorahs on stolen blocks of wood to creating makeshift wicks from scraps of fat and used loose threads, concentration camp inmates devised covert ways to celebrate the holiday.

When President Carter Pardoned Draft Dodgers, Only Half Came Back

It was a move with the power to unite the country—even if it came at the cost of ruffling a few feathers. Just days after Jimmy Carter’s inauguration in 1977, the new President fulfilled a campaign promise: the granting of a blanket pardon to Vietnam War draft evaders by executive order. Yet the draft had […]

The Failed Soviet Rival to the Flapper Dress

In post‑revolutionary Russia, as the country’s thinkers attempted to work out a new way of life for citizens of the Soviet Union, a small number of artists grappled with a different problem: the clothes of the future. Soviet clothing, they reasoned, should be “rational,” practical and comfortable and a place where art and politics came […]

The Death‑Defying Challenges of Military Logistics in Iraq

The first time A.J. Luna escaped death while serving in Iraq, it was thanks to a Marlboro menthol. It was a blisteringly hot day, and his unit was headed from Baghdad toward LSA Anaconda, an Iraqi air force base about 40 miles north. As part of a mile‑long convoy of moving vehicles, they were carrying […]

When Dozens of Korean War GIs Claimed a UFO Made Them Sick

In May 1951, one year into the Korean War, PFC Francis P. Wall and his regiment found themselves stationed near Chorwon, about 60 miles north of Seoul. As they were preparing to bombard a nearby village with artillery, all of a sudden, the soldiers saw a strange sight up in the hills—like “a jack‑o‑lantern come […]

9 Ways Stone Age Human Ancestors Were Like Us

The Stone Age began more than two million years ago, and ended around 3300 BC, as humans began to discover metalwork with the dawn of the Bronze Age. Compared to modern humans, Stone Age humans and human ancestors may have been primitive—but they were far more sophisticated than the grunting cavemen often depicted on screen. […]