Wars & Historical Eras
Conflicts and historical periods that shaped military institutions and warfare.
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621 results for “Wars & Historical Eras”
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First Flight from a Warship
On November 14th, 1910, civilian pilot Eugene Ely coaxed his fragile Curtiss pusher airplane down a narrow wooden platform built over the bow of the cruiser USS Birmingham off Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Ironclad Monitor sinks off Cape Hatteras
While soldiers bled at Stones River, sailors on the pioneering ironclad Monitor fought the sea itself.
101st Airborne captures Carentan
Less than a week after the D-Day landings in Normandy, paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division fought their way into the town of Carentan. On June 12th, 1944, after days of brutal combat across causeways and among hedgerows, airborne infantry entered and secured the battered town, which sat at a vital road and rail junction between Utah and Omaha Beaches.
1960 U-2 incident
A story of secret overflights, Cold War nerves, and the moment a “untouchable” spy plane finally fell from the sky.
1st Marine Division
The 1st Marine Division’s history connects Pacific amphibious campaigns, Korea, Vietnam and later expeditionary operations. Its recipient records include Marines and supporting Navy personnel whose documented unit relationships span different eras and task organizations.
33rd Infantry Division in World War II
The Illinois division’s wartime service led through Hawaii, New Guinea and Morotai to northern Luzon, where difficult terrain, combined operations and widely separated small-unit actions defined its contribution.
Acceptance of Japanese surrender terms (V-J Day)
The following summer, August 14th, 1945 became known to many Americans as V-J Day, the day news broke that Japan had accepted Allied surrender terms. After years of island campaigns, submarine warfare, strategic bombing, and the unprecedented use of atomic bombs, word finally spread across ships at sea, foxholes in the Pacific, and hometown streets that the fighting would soon end.
Action at Front Royal, Virginia
One year later, the Shenandoah Valley became the stage for a fast-moving campaign that kept Union leaders off balance. On May 23rd, 1862, Confederate forces under Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson struck the small Union garrison at Front Royal, a town guarding key road and rail links in the lower Valley. The defenders, including a Union Maryland regiment, were surprised by the sudden appearance of their Confederate counterp
Adams–Onís Treaty cedes Florida
On February 22nd, 1819, American and Spanish negotiators signed the Adams–Onís Treaty, transferring Spanish Florida to the United States and settling a long-troublesome frontier. For years, the border had been a patchwork where runaway enslaved people, Native communities, smugglers, and raiding parties moved in and out of reach of American authorities.
Adoption of the Stars and Stripes
Two years into the Revolution, Congress resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States would consist of thirteen stripes, alternating red and white, with thirteen stars on a blue field. This decision on June 14th, 1777 formalized a symbol that Continental soldiers and sailors could rally around as they marched and sailed under a single national standard.
Alan Shepard’s Freedom Seven flight
Two decades later, the focus of competition and security concerns had shifted beyond the atmosphere. On May 5th, 1961, naval aviator Alan Shepard climbed into the cramped Mercury capsule Freedom Seven atop a Redstone rocket in Florida. His suborbital flight lasted only about fifteen minutes, but it made him the first American to travel into space and demonstrated that the United States could send a person safely into
Alaska becomes forty-ninth state
When Alaska entered the Union as the forty-ninth state on January 3rd, 1959, it brought with it a vast expanse of territory that had already played an important strategic role in the Second World War.
Albert Ernest Schwab
The valley offered almost no cover. Shallow folds of earth and shattered shrubs were all that shielded the Marines of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines as they tried to push forward on Okinawa Shima on May 7, 1945. Ahead of them, on a high ridge at the valley’s mouth, a Japanese machine gun hammered the slopes, stitching bullets across every patch of ground where a helmet or sleeve dared to move. The air vibrated with the c
Allied Bombing of Dresden Begins
On February 13th, 1945, Allied bombers began a series of attacks on the German city of Dresden that would continue into the following days and become one of the most debated episodes of the air war in Europe. Dresden had been a cultural center with limited heavy industry compared to some other German cities, but by early 1945 it also served as a transportation hub feeding the German Eastern Front.
Ambush near LZ Albany
In Vietnam’s Central Highlands, the fighting around the Ia Drang Valley marked one of the first large-scale clashes between American airmobile forces and North Vietnamese regulars.
American Troops Enter Manila
Two years after Guadalcanal, American forces were fighting their way back into the Philippines, determined to liberate a key Allied nation and reclaim a major strategic hub. On February 3rd, 1945, elements of the United States Sixth Army, advancing from the Lingayen Gulf landings, reached the outskirts of Manila and began pushing into the city. Filipino guerrillas and local residents helped guide units toward key obj
Americans at Château-Thierry
Only days after Cantigny, the German army surged toward the Marne River, aiming for a breakthrough that might force France to its knees. On May 31st, 1918, elements of the American 3rd Division moved into position near the town of Château-Thierry, where bridges over the Marne became critical chokepoints.