Matt Fratus is a history staff writer for Coffee or Die. He prides himself on uncovering the most fascinating tales of history by sharing them through any means of engaging storytelling. He writes for his micro-blog @LateNightHistory
On Nov. 30, 1943, The New York Times reported one of America’s finest World War II submarine skippers, Lt. Cmdr. Dudley “Mush” Morton, was missing in action. The controversial “daredevil skipper” had engaged and sunk 19 enemy ships in just 10 months. ...
The seemingly endless rows of white marble sprawling across Arlington’s rolling green hills are perfectly uniform. Each row is measured so precisely that not a single plot is askew. Unlike the crosses and Stars of David that fill the American ...
While Americans may be familiar with modern commando units, such as the Army Special Forces and Navy SEALs, most likely they don’t realize the term "commando" actually originated in South Africa during the Boer Wars. The Boer Wars — the First ...
Without any experience, budget, or evacuation plans, Brendan Whittington-Jones boarded a US Air Force C-130 in Kuwait City bound for Baghdad. It was May 12, 2003, just weeks after Iraq's capital city had fallen to American forces. Aside from a small ...
The best fighter pilot training course in the world, made famous by the 1986 movie Top Gun, was started inside a trailer docked in a California parking lot. No, seriously. Although officially named the US Navy’s Strike Fighter Tactics ...
Transitioning from the US military can be a tremendous endeavor for many, but some veterans have found purpose through entrepreneurship in their post-service careers. Some veterans have become so successful in their business ventures that they’ve ...
Airborne operations in World War II called for specialists capable of determining the weather in austere and dangerous environments. In 1942, Cornelius “Neil” Gray joined the US Army Air Forces. He was selected for an unconventional program that ...
The US Army will raise a third airborne division, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville confirmed at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, May 5. The US Army Alaska Headquarters is ...
It’s no secret that life inside a tank is dangerous, cramped, and stressful. During combat operations, tank crews sometimes spend days at a time inside their vehicles, unable to stretch their legs or enjoy refreshments. Shortly after World War II, ...
In April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands without warning, sending the British military reeling for a response. The British Royal Air Force quickly dusted off its soon-to-be-retired long-range bombers and enacted a hasty plan ...
Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Kenneth “Ken” Stumpf, a Medal of Honor recipient, died in Tomah, Wisconsin, on Saturday, April 23, 2022. He was 77. Stumpf, who hailed from Neenah, Wisconsin, was born on Sept. 28, 1944. He once had aspirations of becoming a ...
On April 27, 1805, Marine Lt. Presley O’Bannon led a handful of Marines on a daring raid against a Libyan sea fortress held by Barbary pirates. The Marines were ultimately victorious, and when O’Bannon hoisted the 15 stars and 15 stripes of the ...
During the Civil War, American service members worried how their bodies would be properly identified if they were killed in action: a fair concern, considering more than 40% of the Civil War dead remain unidentified. To ease their minds, some ...
In February 1964, as Jack Ruby stood trial for the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald — the man accused of assassinating President John F. Kennedy — a legendary artist sat in the back of the Dallas courtroom, sketching away with his pencil. Howard Brodie — ...
Members of the British Special Air Service are considered masters of long-range mobility. Their first operations in the deserts of North Africa during World War II prioritized a need for an off-road vehicle capable of covering hundreds of miles ...
On the morning of April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols carried out the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil before 9/11. The so-called Oklahoma City bombing against the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building claimed the lives of 168 ...
When the Russian missile cruiser Moskva sank on Thursday, April 14, hit by two anti-ship missiles, it was the largest warship lost at sea since World War II, and the first major surface combatant ship sunk since the Falklands War in 1982. During that ...
In the summer of 1926, lumberman Andy Anderson held a landmark meeting at his home in Hood River, Oregon. In attendance were experienced climbers and ski mountaineers, many of whom had previously belonged to Company 12 of the Oregon National Guard ...
A mysterious bomber terrorized New York City for 16 years, targeting subways, offices, homes, and sidewalks, leaving police baffled. But the New York City Police Department ultimately cracked the case using the then-groundbreaking investigative ...
Historians estimate that about 20% of Civil War soldiers across the Union and Confederate armies were younger than 18. The youngest boys didn’t always receive muskets and ammunition, but they still held critical roles across American battlefields. ...
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1985 action classic Commando cemented the former Mr. Olympia as a bona fide action hero. The entire movie is full of glorious ’80s cheese, but it’s the infamous “mansion shootout” that lives rent-free in the minds of most Gen ...
In July 1944, a scrappy group of American and Italian frogmen were tasked with a daring nighttime raid behind enemy lines near the Italian city of Pesaro. It was a force of combat swimmers from the Office of Strategic Services Maritime Unit (MU) and ...
Ever since the Byzantine Empire first employed incendiary weapons like Greek fire during the seventh century, modern armies have attempted to transform the ancient technology into an infantry weapon. The most prominent examples emerged between World ...
The legacy of Aleda Lutz is a story of firsts. Lutz, a first lieutenant, served as a flight nurse during World War II as part of the US Army Air Forces' early attempts to revolutionize battlefield air evacuations. As one of the first female flight ...
For decades, as Navy SEALs have graduated from the notoriously rigorous Navy SEAL selection and training, classes have kept a tradition of presenting a class gift to their instructors and staff at the school. Coffee or Die Magazine recently got an ...
Maj. Richard “Dick” Bong boasts a combat record unmatched by any other American fighter pilots in World War II. The “Ace of Aces” shot down 40 confirmed enemy aircraft, earned the Medal of Honor as a gunnery instructor, and garnered such an ...
Anna Chapman arrived in Manhattan in 2009 and nestled into the city that never sleeps as a thriving up-and-comer in real estate. In her mid-20s, the petite, red-haired realtor made fast friends in politically connected circles, using her flirtatious ...
For the Irish regiments of the Union Army, St. Patrick’s Day was more than just the green beer, shamrocks, and leprechaun mascots seen around cities and small towns of America today. It served as a much-needed rallying cry midway through the Civil ...
As the bullets and shrapnel of World War I left thousands of soldiers with horrific facial disfigurement, one American sculptor better known for her bronze works set out for Europe to leverage her talents to support wounded veterans. World War I ...
The Endurance, the ship made famous by Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, was discovered at the bottom of the Weddell Sea Wednesday, March 9, some 106 years after being crushed in pack ice. The location of the vessel, missing since the ...
