An “Angel in Fatigues”

Army Colonel Ruby Bradley of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps was working at Camp John Hay in the Philippines when she was taken prisoner by the Japanese army in 1941. She became a POW at the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila — but she didn’t let it break her spirit. Bradley immediately went to work helping her fellow POWs by offering medical aid and smuggling food and medicine to those in need. She assisted on 230 major surgeries and delivered 13 babies during her 37 months at the camp. Bradley and her fellow nurses became known as the “Angels in Fatigues.” 

In February 1945, the camp was finally liberated, and Bradley — who was malnourished from giving her food rations to children — went home. She continued her career in the Army, amassing 34 decorations, medals, and awards (including the Bronze Star Medal), making her one of the most decorated women in U.S. military history.

America’s First Black General

General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. faced racial discrimination from the very beginning of his military career. He was only the fourth Black cadet in the history of the United States Military Academy at West Point before joining the Army in 1936. After being stationed in Alabama, he received the opportunity of a lifetime: squadron commander of the first all-Black unit in the Army Air Forces. This unit of 1,000 Black pilots became known as the Tuskegee Airmen, renowned for their exceptional achievements in combat despite the discrimination they faced. 

Davis led the 99th Fighter Squadron during their 1943 deployment against Axis forces in North Africa, and later that year, he commanded the 332nd Fighter Group to fight on the front lines in Italy. During his two-year command of the Tuskegee Airmen, Davis and his crew sank more than 40 enemy ships and downed more than twice the number of aircraft they lost, earning them a reputation as a formidable fighting squadron. Their impressive record wasn’t just a message to the enemy; it broke racial barriers at home, furthering the fight for desegregation and equal rights. Davis had a life of public service and was promoted to four-star general by President Bill Clinton in 1998.

The First Female Asian American Officer

For Navy Lieutenant Susan Ahn Cuddy, entry into military service was personal. Her father, Dosan Ahn Chang Ho, died while imprisoned by the Japanese in 1938. He was incarcerated for anti-Japanese activism as a known leader for the Korean independence movement. Despite growing anti-Asian sentiments during WWII, Cuddy wanted to honor her father and fight against the Japanese, so she enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942. She was the first female Asian American naval officer and eventually became the first female gunnery officer, training pilots to fire a .50-caliber machine gun. She later worked with codebreakers at the Naval Intelligence Office while using her knowledge of the Korean language. Even there, Cuddy faced discrimination — one of her superiors wouldn’t let her access classified documents. After the war, Cuddy worked at the National Security Agency during the Cold War. She died peacefully in her sleep in 2015 at the age of 100.

A Civilian Dockyard Worker at Pearl Harbor

On the morning of December 7, 1941, George Walters, a crane operator at the Pearl Harbor dockyard in Hawaii, awoke to a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces. Walters ran to a massive crane next to the USS Pennsylvania and began moving it back and forth on its track to shield the ship from an onslaught of rounds from Japanese fighters and dive bombers. He even attempted to knock planes out of the sky with the boom. The protected gunners onboard the Pennsylvania were able to return fire. Later, a bomb exploded on the dock next to Walter’s crane, knocking him out of the fight. He survived with a concussion, and it’s believed that his actions helped save the ship from certain destruction. The story of Walters’ heroism was featured in Walter Lord’s 1957 book “Day of Infamy.” Walters continued to work at the shipyard for 25 years following the attack. Lewis Walters, George’s son, was a young shipyard apprentice at the time who witnessed his father’s bravery firsthand.

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Albania Escaped Soviet Control and Aligned Itself With China

Albania may be firmly located in Europe, but during the Cold War it found an unlikely anti-Soviet ally in China. Beginning in 1949, Albania aligned itself with the Soviet Union, which was then still ruled by Joseph Stalin. But after Stalin’s death in 1953, Soviet-Albanian relations began to strain, as Albanian leader Enver Hoxha was much less fond of incoming Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev denounced Stalin’s ideology, which rubbed Hoxha and the Albanian people the wrong way and eventually led to the formal termination of Soviet-Albanian relations in 1961. Around the same time, the U.S.S.R. and China had a falling-out of their own, as Chinese leader Mao Zedong also decried the Soviet Union’s revisionism. Given their similar pro-Stalin views, Albania and China found unlikely allies in one another, with China informally providing support to the tiny Balkan country. These strange bedfellows remained on the same page until Richard Nixon visited China in 1972, forcing Albania to reevaluate the relationship. The allyship between Albania and China came to an end in 1978.

Jazz Music Was Used as Propaganda by the West 

Since its creation, jazz has represented the American identity, in part as a symbol of freedom of expression. That’s what made jazz music such a useful propaganda tool for the West to reach nations behind the Iron Curtain. Underground American radio transmissions brought jazz to residents of Eastern Bloc nations beginning in 1955 in an effort to appeal to those repressed societies. Programs such as Willis Conover’s Music USA: Jazz Hour earned cult followings within these pro-Soviet countries, as the U.S. sought to win the ideological war over its Eastern European rivals. The United States hoped that free-flowing jazz music could open the minds of citizens who were used to more formal operas and ballets, and in turn make those individuals more receptive to Western culture. Barriers were broken down even further in 1958 when jazz pianist Dave Brubeck traveled to Poland to perform a landmark concert series. These efforts extended into the Middle East, Asia, and Africa around the same time, as the U.S. spread its jazz music around the world.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall Was Partly Due to a Misinformed Spokesperson

On November 9, 1989, a gaffe uttered by East German spokesperson Günter Schabowski accelerated the fall of the Berlin Wall. After decades of difficult and dangerous travel between East and West Germany, East German officials sought to loosen restrictions while still maintaining control over the visa application process. However, Schabowski,  a spokesperson for East Germany’s politbüro, misinterpreted the notes he was given at a press conference and claimed that travel between the two sides could begin without delay. Shortly after the televised slipup, massive crowds gathered at the Berlin Wall, though these groups of travelers initially were held back by guards who were given no specific instructions. Eventually, East Berliners outnumbered the guards to a significant degree, leaving officials no choice but to let people through. Every one of the checkpoints opened by midnight, as people from the East freely traveled into West Berlin for the first time since the wall was erected in 1961. The feeling of independence and celebration was palpable, as East Berliners climbed the wall, destroyed it with hammers, and reunited with their neighbors in West Berlin.

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The First Crusade

The armies of the First Crusade set off for the Holy Land in 1096. Warriors had gathered from around Europe, and a force of about 60,000 soldiers (of which some 6,000 were knights) and at least 30,000 noncombatants was amassed, known as the “Princes’ Crusade.” By 1098, the campaigning forces had taken major cities including Nicaea and Antioch, but not without suffering significant losses. By the time the Crusader army reached its primary objective, Jerusalem, in June 1099, there were only around 1,300 knights and 12,000 infantry remaining. Undeterred, they laid siege to Jerusalem, breaching the walls on July 15. The Crusaders then spent two days massacring the inhabitants and pillaging the city. The First Crusade was a bloody victory for Europe, and Jerusalem returned to Christian rule.

The Second Crusade

Despite the outcome of the First Crusade, holding territory in the Holy Land was no easy task. So-called “Crusader states” were formed, but the first of them, the County of Edessa, was retaken in 1144 by Muslim forces. In response, Pope Eugene III called for a Second Crusade, this time to be led by European kings. A force of 60,000 people assembled and marched east. The campaign, however, was a failure. The Crusader armies became stretched out, and after numerous skirmishes and a handful of sieges, the whole endeavor fizzled away. 

Saladin and Richard the Lionheart

Next came the rise of Saladin, one of the most famous figures of the Crusades. The Muslim sultan of Egypt and Syria brought forces from both nations under his own control and began attacking the Crusader states. Most importantly, Saladin recaptured Jerusalem — the prize of the First Crusade — in 1187, sending shockwaves around Europe. The pope soon called for a Third Crusade to recapture Jerusalem. The kings of Europe responded — most notably Richard I of England, known as Richard the Lionheart due to his reputation as a fearsome warrior. So began one of the greatest military rivalries not only of the Crusades, but of warfare in general. Richard and Saladin developed a mutual respect and admiration for each other through their conflicts, and became the defining figures of the Crusades. The Third Crusade ended in 1192 with the Crusader armies recapturing the vital cities of Acre and Jaffa. The Crusaders retook most of the territory captured by Saladin, but failed to recapture Jerusalem. 

The End of the Crusades

The Crusades didn’t end there. There were at least eight Crusades in total, until the period finally ended with the fall of the city of Acre in 1291. This marked the end of any major European presence in the region, and no further large military campaigns were organized. Between 1095 and 1291, a number of popular campaigns also took place, but without papal approval, so they are not considered part of the Crusades. This includes the infamous and somewhat bizarre “Children's Crusade,” led by a 12-year-old shepherd named Stephen. The details of this unofficial quest are questionable and may well have been hugely exaggerated by contemporary sources, which claim that as many as 30,000 children set off toward Jerusalem. Whatever the actual numbers, the Children’s Crusade was a failure and never even reached the Holy Land — but it can lay claim to being the first European youth movement. 

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Six-Day War (6 Days)

Some short wars are comparatively low on casualties and consequences, but that was not the case with the Six-Day War, also known as the June War or Third Arab-Israeli War, which began on June 5, 1967. Friction between Israel and its Arab neighbors had been constant since the 1949 Armistice Agreements, and tensions had become dangerously heightened by the time Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli vessels and mobilized its military into defensive positions along the border with Israel. Israel launched a series of preemptive airstrikes against Egypt, on whose side Syria and Jordan both later entered the war. Despite lasting only six days (in part because the Israeli military objectives were very limited), the war resulted in more than 20,000 Arab and almost 1,000 Israeli casualties, while fundamentally reshaping the region’s landscape in terms of territory and military strength. 

Russo-Georgian War (5 Days)

On August 7, 2008, tensions between Russia and the former Soviet nation of Georgia spilled over into full-scale war. Russia invaded Georgia under the pretext of a “peace enforcement” operation in aid of the two Russian-backed, self-proclaimed republics — South Ossetia and Abkhazia — that existed within Georgian territory, unrecognized by most of the international community. The land, air, and sea invasion included incursions into undisputed Georgian territory, with Russia brazenly demonstrating its military strength in the region. Hundreds of Georgian servicemen and civilians were killed during the conflict, which ended on August 12 when French President Nicolas Sarkozy negotiated a ceasefire agreement. The Russo-Georgian War is regarded as the first European war of the 21st century and, in retrospect, a sign of further Russian aggressions to come. 

Hundred Hours’ War (100 Hours)

The Hundred Hours’ War, also known as the Football War, was a brief but brutal conflict fought between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. In the weeks prior to the war, both countries had played each other in a series of heated World Cup-qualifying soccer matches, all of which were followed by violent scenes. The matches were just a small part of rising tensions between the two countries, which had fallen out over land reform, immigration issues, and the expulsion of thousands of Salvadoran laborers from Honduras. Tensions reached a boiling point on July 14, 1969, when El Salvador launched a military attack against its Central American neighbor. After a little over four days of fighting and around 3,000 lives lost, international diplomatic efforts resulted in El Salvador reluctantly withdrawing its troops.

Anglo-Zanzibar War (38 Minutes)

On August 25, 1896, the pro-British sultan of Zanzibar died. The British had their own preferred replacement in mind, but Prince Khālid ibn Barghash went against the British protectorate and took control of the sultanate. Two days later, the British arrived with two cruisers, three gunboats, and 150 marines, as well as about 900 Zanzibari soldiers. The new sultan, meanwhile, barricaded himself inside the palace, protected by almost 3,000 of his personal soldiers and supporters. The British cruisers bombarded the palace, setting it ablaze and causing around 500 casualties among the sultan’s soldiers; only one British soldier was seriously wounded. The whole engagement lasted between 38 and 40 minutes, at which point Barghash surrendered. It is considered the shortest war in recorded history. 

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Baseball Legend Ted Williams Flew Fighter Jets With Astronaut John Glenn

The Korean War saw the unlikely collaboration of two icons of American history: Ted Williams, one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, and John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth. In 1952, while Williams was still in the middle of his baseball career and before Glenn’s historic space flight, the two men were paired together in the same fighter jet in Korea. Williams was Glenn’s wingman for roughly half of the 39 missions Williams flew. Both men praised each other’s piloting skills, and Glenn, not yet the famous astronaut he would become, even admitted to being a little starstruck to be serving with a living major league legend — though he also said that Williams always remained humble about his baseball stardom.

The War Saw the First Dogfight Between Two Fighter Jets

The Korean War saw the advent of one of the icons of modern warfare: the fighter jet. Jet-powered fighter planes had started to appear in small numbers at the end of World War II, but it wasn’t until the Korean War that they became widely used. The world’s first jet-powered “dogfight,” in which skilled pilots try to outmaneuver each other in a close-range aerial battle, took place during the conflict. Soviet fighter jets became such a common sight during the Korean War that an entire region of North Korea earned the name “MiG Alley,” after the huge number of dogfights between Soviet MiG-15 and American F-86 Sabre fighter jets. This powerful new technology made the Korean War quite unlike any that had come before it.

The United Nations Assembled a Military Force to Fight in the War

Although the United States led the war effort in South Korea, it was supported by a multinational military force of 22 countries from the United Nations. This coalition, known as the United Nations Command, was established in 1950 in order to aid South Korea in its war against North Korea. The force participated in all parts of the war, from ground combat and air strikes to logistical planning and the eventual armistice negotiations. The United Nations Command still exists, and maintains a presence in the Korean Demilitarized Zone to help maintain the armistice between North and South Korea.

The War Technically Hasn’t Ended Yet

Armistice negotiations to end the Korean War began in 1951 and lasted for two years, the longest such negotiations in history. While the Korean Armistice Agreement of 1953 ended active military conflict on the Korean Peninsula, it was not an official peace treaty. The agreement was adopted by the United Nations Command, the North Korean army, and the Chinese army, but South Korea leaders refused to sign. To this day, no official peace treaty has been signed between North and South Korea, and the two nations still technically remain at war. A tense ceasefire is maintained by the Demilitarized Zone that runs across the Korean Peninsula and divides the two nations, but both sides maintain a heavy military presence there, and the area still sees occasional outbreaks of violence. Despite continued negotiations, North and South Korea have been unable to reach an official peace agreement 70 years after the Armistice Agreement.

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