Becoming America: How science shaped a nation
What role did science play in the emergence of the United States of America? Matthew Symonds spoke to Elissavet Ntoulia about scientific knowledge and its practical applications as a nation was born.
United States
MHM 154 Competition
Put your military history knowledge to the test with our competition and crossword.
Excavations reveal traces of the fight for Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill, which took place in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on 17 June 1775, was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the American Revolutionary War. On the night of 16 June, around 1,200 colonial militiamen built an earthen fort,…
From biplane to B-52
In the second part of our special feature, Graham Goodlad examines the changes in design and technology that underpinned the 20th-century transformation of US airpower.
US airpower
Onwards and upwards a timeline tracing the developing fortunes and many incarnations of America's air force in the 2oth century.
American thunderbolt
In the first part of our special feature, Graham Goodlad charts the development of America’s air-arm from its earliest beginnings, while in our second article he focuses on the hardware deployed by American forces.
Cannons from the American Revolution go on display
A collection of large cannons from the American Revolutionary War has returned to Savannah, Georgia, after several years of conservation work, as part of a project led by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Coastal Heritage Society. The…
Little Bighorn: The five key myths
One of the most talked-about battles in US history took place 150 years ago this summer. Here, Fred Chiaventone identifies some common misunderstandings about Custer’s Last Stand.
The ultimate arms race: The Iron Curtain falls – Part 6: the Atomic Age
In the final part of our series on the coming of the Cold War, Taylor Downing examines the struggle for nuclear domination.
Fort Niagara
Reviewing the best military history exhibitions, with Christopher Warner.
Hawai‘i: Maritime journeys and an island kingdom
The ocean is integral to the story of Hawai‘i. It carried the first Polynesian settlers to the archipelago, and linked an island chain spanning 2,400km. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it also provided pathways for international diplomacy and unexpected alliances. Matthew Symonds spoke to Alice Christophe about the seldom-told stories brought to light in a new major exhibition at the British Museum.
Art for the ages
The Lower Pecos Canyonlands, in south-west Texas and northern Mexico, are home to an extensive collection of rock paintings in what is known as the Pecos River style. These multicoloured murals cover the walls and ceilings of more than 100…
A world upside down: The American Revolution – Part 4: the final act
In the concluding part of our series marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, Fred Chiaventone reveals how the Revolutionary War was won at last.
War on Film – The American Revolution
Taylor Downing reviews the latest film and television releases.
Hawai‘i: a kingdom crossing oceans
A new exhibition at the British Museum explores Hawai‘ian history and culture, as well as the archipelago’s complex but enduring relationship with the United Kingdom. Carly Hilts visited to learn more.
The empire strikes back: The American Revolution – Part 3: changing fortunes
In the third part of his series marking the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, Fred Chiaventone examines the crucial events of 1777-1780.
Military History Matters 149
• 250th anniversary: revolution in America, the fight for independence
• Under the Soviet heel: the crushing of eastern Europe
• Balkan breakdown: Bulgaria’s belated and ultimately disastrous entry into WWI
• Lest we forget: uncovering the stories behind the UK’s war memorials
• Assault on Shaizar: how the legendary Assassins were defeated by middle-aged women
The road to independence
In our latest four-part series, marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, Fred Chiaventone examines first the genesis of America’s Revolutionary War, how discontent exploded into open warfare, and then traces the history of a conflict whose repercussions are still being felt 250 years on.
A very bloody summer: The American Revolution: Part 2 – a game of cat and mouse
In the second part of our series, Fred Chiaventone looks at how the conflict escalated as the two sides struggled to gain the upper hand.
The American Revolution by numbers
£133 million - Britain's national debt after the Seven Years War. This enormous deficit prompted the introduction of unpopular new taxes in North America.
Site of Washington’s ‘friendly fire’ incident located in Pennsylvania
Archaeologists in western Pennsylvania have identified the site of a tragic episode during the North American conflict known as the French and Indian War (1754-1763). On the evening of 12 November 1758, two Virginia regiments, led by Lieutenant Colonel George…
Sharing cultural heritage
In its annual ‘watchlist’ of threatened heritage sites, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) has cast its gaze beyond our own planet and declared that the surface of the Moon represents a vulnerable cultural landscape.
Switching sides: Military turncoats, a traitorous history
In the second part of his series on military turncoats, Nigel Jones profiles more commanders who changed allegiance, from Benedict Arnold to Friedrich Paulus.
Final resting place of Captain Cook’s ship Endeavour confirmed 250 years after sinking
More than 250 years after she was sunk, the final resting place of the vessel commanded by Captain James Cook on his first voyage of discovery has been confirmed. HMS Endeavour, which Cook used to map the Pacific Ocean and…
Transport, technology, and trade
Parallel tracks have been found in fossilised mud at White Sands National Park, New Mexico, USA, and interpreted as the marks left by a travois: a timber frame used by Native Americans for transporting goods. Particularly associated with Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains region of North America, a travois is made by joining two long poles and a third shorter one to create an A-shaped frame.
A new way of war: The road to Appomattox – Part 4: Technological revolution
In the final part of our series on the American Civil War, Fred Chiaventone examines the impact of devastating new weaponry and technology that emerged courtesy of the Industrial Revolution.
War Classics – The Influence of Sea Power Upon History 1660-1783
Nick Spenceley reconsiders Alfred Thayer Mahan’s The Influence of Sea Power Upon History.
Phillips Payson O’Brien
The American-born writer and academic Phillips Payson O’Brien on an admirable dictator, and his fascination with failure.
Midway: the Pacific War’s most famous battle
REVIEW BY MARK DeSANTIS The Battle of Midway in early June 1942 is arguably the most significant naval encounter of the Second World War, and easily one of the most notable battles in all history. The three-day fight in the…
A long shadow: The road to Appomattox – Part 3: 1864-1865
In the third part of our series on the American Civil War, Fred Chiaventone traces the conflict’s bloody final months.
Researchers turn to AI to investigate lives of Civil War sailors
A new research project is using artificial intelligence to uncover the stories of Union sailors, or ‘bluejackets’, during the American Civil War. The study is the result of a collaboration between the universities of Sheffield and Northumbria. It aims to…
From Trenton to Yorktown: Turning points of the Revolutionary War
REVIEW BY FRED CHIAVENTONE The American Revolutionary War of 1775 to 1783 had plenty of ‘turning points’, as might be the case with any war that lasted for the best part of eight years, but have they not all been…
Military History Matters 144
• American Apocalypse: the Civil War, 160 years on
• Napoleon’s downfall: the end of the affair
• Endgame WWII: why was crossing the Rhine so easy?
• Seizing the crown: Henry IV’s rise to power
• Race for the skies: William Robinson Clarke
Partners for Sacred Places
For this month’s ‘Odd Socs’, we cross the Atlantic to look at the work of Partners for Sacred Places (PSP), an organisation dedicated to finding creative ways to maintain America’s historic places of worship as civic spaces. These buildings face…
Turning point: The road to Appomattox – Part 2: 1863
Fred Chiaventone reveals how Abraham Lincoln was forced to reorganise his forces, hoping for better results after a series of stunning reversals.
The Civil War by numbers
Infographics: Calum Henderson / Images: Wikimedia Commons