World War II

Pope Pius XII's archives will be unsealed next year

The Vatican Will Unseal the Archives of Pius XII, the Controversial Holocaust-Era Pope

Some have accused the pope of remaining silent in the face of Nazi persecution, while others say he quietly worked to rescue Jews

Louis de Jong, founder of Dutch Institute for War Documentation, examining documents on the Holocaust.

These Pioneers Created the First Reliable Record of the Holocaust

A new exhibition at the Wiener Library profiles the earliest men and women who gathered firsthand survivor accounts, ensuring their testimony would live on

Belarus' servicemen excavate a mass grave for the prisoners of a Jewish ghetto set up by the Nazis during World War II in the city of Brest.

Nazi-Era Mass Grave Found in Former Jewish Ghetto in Belarus

So far, authorities have recovered 730 sets of remains, though there may be many more

Young Yoshiko Hide Kishi moved with her family to the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center; "It's important to educated people about what happened," she recently told Smithsonian curators.

The Complex Role Faith Played for Incarcerated Japanese-Americans During World War II

Smithsonian curator of religion Peter Manseau weighs in on a history that must be told

A sculpture of Louise Arner Boyd alongside the subject herself. This bust is part of the Marin History Museum collection in Novata, California.

The Double Life of a California Socialite Who Became a Leading Arctic Explorer

In the early 20th century, Louise Arner Boyd lived as a philanthropist in the United States and a hero on the high seas

“[My dad] was assigned this jacket [at a camp in Bismarck, North Dakota], and it’s like new because he refused to wear it,” says Satsuki Ina

What This Jacket Tells Us About the Degrading Treatment of Japanese-Americans During WWII

An exhibit in San Francisco explores the dark chapter in American history when the government imprisoned its own citizens

The June 6, 2019, event will mirror paratrooper landings on D-Day

What to Expect for 'D-Day 75'

Preparations for the 75th anniversary of D-Day are already underway, and will include the flight of 30 Douglas C-47 Skytrains

Teresa Feodorowna Ries, "Witch Doing Her Toilette on Walpurgis Night," 1895

Remembering the Forgotten Female Artists of Vienna

New exhibition draws on works by around 60 women who lived and worked between 1900 and 1938

Canada Archives Acquire Book That Would Have Guided North American Holocaust

The report details the population and organizations of Jewish citizens across the U.S. and Canada

Nazi official Rudolf Hess delivering a public address in 1937.

DNA Analysis Debunks the Rumor That Rudolf Hess Was Replaced by a Doppelgänger

For decades, rumors have swirled that the Nazi official imprisoned by the British was actually an imposter

Herschel Grynszpan in a photo from the German archives

How a Jewish Teenager Went From Refugee to Assassin to Puppet of Nazi Propaganda

Herschel Grynszpan wanted to avenge the crimes committed against European Jews. Instead, his actions were used as a justification for Kristallnacht

President Barack Obama greets Richard Overton, with Earlene Love-Karo, in the Blue Room of the White House, Nov. 11, 2013.

Richard Overton, Nation's Oldest Living Combat Veteran, Dies at 112

The beloved World War II vet didn't let old age stop him from enjoying his 12 daily cigars, whiskey-spiked coffee and butter pecan ice cream

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Introducing Our Special Issue on America at War

The nation's epic, expanding fight against terrorism overseas

All of the 45 crewmembers were younger than 30

Laser Scan Reveals Fate of Nazi U-Boat Sunk Near Outer Banks Coast

The July 15, 1942, sinking of submarine U-576 resulted in the deaths of all 45 men onboard

Pithiviers as seen in 1941

Museum to Be Built at Site of Nazi-Occupied France’s First Concentration Camp

Some 16,000 Jews were detained at Pithiviers and neighboring Beaune-la-Rolande before being sent to death camps

Simcha Rotem speaking in front of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising memorial during the revolt anniversary ceremonies in 2013.

Simcha Rotem, Who Fought in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Has Died at 94

Rotem helped survivors of the rebellion flee through the sewers

The Kindertransport memorial in Gdansk.

Germany to Compensate Child Refugees Who Escaped the Nazis on the Kindertransport to Britain

The program brought an estimated 10,000 Jewish children from Nazi-controlled Europe to safety in Great Britain

The 1938 Christmas greeting would've only held significance for those "in the know"

Christmas Card Addressed to Bletchley Codebreakers Discovered

The lost holiday message features the only known photograph of operatives’ September 1938 meeting, the enigmatic “Captain Ridley’s shooting party”

Egon Schiele, "Self-Portrait with Lowered Head," 1912

New Digital Archive Provides Critical Record of Egon Schiele's Body of Work

Online catalogue raisonné features over 400 paintings, graphics, sketchbooks and sculptures, with additional drawings, watercolors set to be added in 2019

Only one of the letters included in the scrapbook has been previously published

Kurt Vonnegut’s Unpublished World War II Scrapbook Reveals Origins of ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’

Volume features 22 letters from author to his family, photographs of the razed city of Dresden, telegrams and news clippings

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