On October 4, 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite in history, into orbit. That program would continue the following month with Sputnik II, which also carried the first living being to travel into space (the dog Laika). The success put the Soviets ahead in the space race and dealt a major […]
United States
Posted inModern Era
Maximator, the intelligence alliance formed by five European countries that ended up being spied on by their own machines
Military alliances are interstate political agreements signed to achieve common defense. They have existed since Antiquity (remember, for instance, the leagues formed by the Greek city-states), and although their most important aspect traditionally pertains to weaponry and warfare, since the 20th century they have increasingly incorporated specialties related to espionage and intelligence services. Perhaps the […]
Posted inCulture, Modern Era
Sequoyah, the Cherokee Who Invented the Syllabary of His Language, Enabling the Full Literacy of His People
As almost everyone knows, sequoia is the name given to a giant tree typical of California’s Sierra Nevada that can exceed one hundred meters in height and ten meters in diameter. However, one of its greatest curiosities is historical: its name, given in 1847 by Austrian botanist Stephan Endlicher, is likely a tribute to the […]
Posted inModern Era
The Newburgh Conspiracy: When Washington Thwarted His Own Army’s Coup
On the morning of March 10, 1783, an anonymous letter began circulating through the military camp in Newburgh, New York, where the Continental Army of the thirteen American colonies was stationed—the same army that had defeated Great Britain in the battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. By that point in the Revolution, the end of the […]
Posted inModern Era
Bette Nesmith Graham, the Typist Who Invented Correction Fluid
Some may recognize the name Bette Nesmith Graham, if only because she was the mother of musician and composer Robert Michael Nesmith, a member of the 1960s band The Monkees, who later had a successful solo career in both music (winning a Grammy in 1981) and television (appearing in several series and even working as […]
Posted inModern Era
Operation Sandblast: The Odyssey of the First Submarine to Sail Around the World Under the Sea Following Magellan’s Route
AVE NOBILIS DUX, ITERUM FACTUM EST. This is the inscription engraved on a round brass plaque that adorns a wall of the Sanlúcar de Barrameda City Hall. As a complementary decorative element, the plaque features a laurel wreath framing a 16th-century nao, two dolphins facing the tower of a submarine, and the years 1519-1960. The […]
Posted inArchaeology
A Network of Parallel Ceremonial Roads Aligned with the Winter Solstice, Found in New Mexico
The Gasco archaeological site, located south of the iconic Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, has revealed a fascinating network of parallel ceremonial roads that, far from being mere functional infrastructure, embody deep ritual connections with geography and the cosmos. A recent study led by Robert S. Weiner and other researchers, published in Antiquity, explores how […]
Posted inModern Era
The Battle of Lake Erie: The Naval Clash Between Americans and British That Prevented an Invasion From Canada
Dear General: We have met the enemy and they are ours. Two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop. This telegram might not resonate with most readers, but among enthusiasts of Anglo-American naval history, it holds a certain fame. On September 10, 1813, Admiral Oliver Hazard Perry sent this message to his superior, U.S. […]
Posted inSecond World War
Black Panthers: The African American Soldiers of the 761st Tank Battalion Who Fought at the Battle of the Bulge
They made a good first impression, but I have no faith in the inherent fighting ability of the race. This was what General Patton declared after inspecting the 761st Tank Battalion in 1944, on the eve of their baptism of fire. The renowned military leader was merely reflecting the prevailing opinion among U.S. commanders regarding […]
Posted inScience
Small Chicken-Sized Dinosaurs Roamed the Northern Hemisphere Millions of Years Earlier Than Expected
For decades, paleontologists have debated how and when dinosaurs emerged and spread across the planet more than 200 million years ago. The prevailing theory suggested that dinosaurs first arose in the southern part of the ancient supercontinent Pangaea, known as Gondwana, before expanding northward into Laurasia. However, recent discoveries are reshaping this narrative. Paleontologists from […]
