On May 10, 1864, roughly five thousand Union soldiers emerged from the woods near Spotsylvania and charged toward the Confederate trenches. About 200 yards — ...

Some historical figures gradually disappear beneath layers of legend. Jesse James is almost a perfect example. In American popular culture, he has long since ...

In the mid-nineteenth century, a man could rob a bank in one American state, cross into a neighboring county, and almost disappear from the reach of the law. ...

The history of railroads is filled with remarkable locomotives. Some became legends thanks to their speed records, while others earned fame through reliability ...

History usually remembers generals. Napoleon, Suvorov, Wellington, Kutuzov—the men whose decisions changed the fate of nations, redrew the map of Europe, and ...

Some pieces of military equipment become symbols of an entire era. A cuirass immediately brings Napoleon’s cavalry to mind. A French Adrian helmet evokes the ...

When people hear the word Porsche, they almost automatically imagine something fast, low, expensive, and wrapped in the sound of a flat-six engine. Autobahns, ...

An Era When Speed Began to Matter More Than Armor The second half of the 19th century became a time of restless searching for the ideal warship. Steam had ...