After being unable to stop the unrelenting Federal advance against his rear lines at the Battle of South Mountain while the rest of his army is separated throughout Maryland and Virginia, Confederate General Robert E Lee makes the difficult decision to end his campaign before he loses the rest of...

Teddy Roosevelt was the first president to fly in a plane and FDR would receive the first presidential airliner in 1933. In this program, we will explore the history of the Air Force One aircraft.

Materiel losses during World War 2 were massive. According to one source, Germany produced a staggering 119,907 aircraft of all types and most were destroyed or damaged during the war. The United States lost 52,951 of their 95,000 aircraft in operations over Europe and the Pacific. The Soviet Uni...

Over the years the C-130 Hercules has been the subject of many experiments. From landing on aircraft carriers to retrieving falling film cannisters from spy satellites. However, one of the more prominent experiments was around a rocket powered concept, which was to be used in a hostage rescue ope...

After the Confederates invade the neutral border state of Kentucky in September of 1861, they begin to consolidate a foothold in the southern regions of the Blue Grass State. In January of 1862, a Confederate force from the District of East Tennessee, operating in the Cumberland Gap in Eastern Ke...

On August 9th 1945, the United States dropped a nuclear weapon on Nagasaki. After almost 80 years, few are aware of the strange events that led to Nagasaki - of all places - being chosen as a nuclear target. The reality is, the city was not chosen because of any real military significance of valu...

The base was operational during the height of the Cold War and was part of Project Blue Book investigations. On September 19, 1961, the radar tracked an unknown object for 18 minutes. That same night, Betty and Barney Hill claimed to be abducted by aliens just 40 miles away.

The base was operati...

The Battle of Shiloh begins as General Albert Sidney Johnston's Army of Mississippi launches its general attack on Major General Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee encamped along Pittsburg Landing. The first day of the battle turns into a bloodbath for both sides, as the Confederates take G...

In 1943, the heart of the German air defense system was the early-warning and flak-predictor radar systems. It had proved to be a good system, as was the British radar chain that had been set up since 1935. The Germans knew, however, that strips of metal foil could blind the radar sets and they w...

During World War II, two ace pilots emerged and were considered unmatched for their skill and combat record. They were Erich Hartmann - highest scoring ace of all time - and Hans-Joachim Marseille - the top ace in the North African campaign. A common debate is whether Marseille - despite having h...

A round house made out of airplane parts? The Henry Ford's presenter, Tim Pendell, shares the history of Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion House.

During the first half of the 1970s, General Dynamics would attempt to modify the F-4 Phantom - the most used US combat aircraft at the time - into something even more powerful. With foreign interest as well, the idea was floated for a ‘Super Phantom’, and so the F-4X program was born.

This year, Boom Supersonic's demonstrator, the XB-1, achieved a major milestone by breaking the sound barrier. Having achieved supersonic flight marks an important milestone toward the company's larger commercial airliner, the Overture.

The story of Arnhem is usually told from the perspective of the Red Devils. Who attacked Lt Col Johnny Frost at Arnhem Bridge?

The Henry Ford’s Curator of Decorative Arts shares the history of voting machines and how innovations in technology have helped, but not always succeeded, in making elections more fair, honest, and accurate.

The French and Indian War is an often overlooked part of American History, that has many lasting effects. The outcome of the war changed the destiny of Native Americans in North America. The French and Indian War was a conflict between Britain and France for control of North America. While Indian...

After weeks of marching around Tennessee and Kentucky, the Confederate Army of Mississippi under the command of General Braxton Bragg nears its ultimate prize. The jewel of Kentucky, the city of Louisville. Yet, due to decisions made while dealing with the pesky Munfordville garrison, Don Carlos ...

The Commando March from Sword Beach to Amfreville via Pegasus Bridge! The route retraced the steps of the original Commandos of the 1st Special Service Brigade who landed at Sword Beach as part of 3rd Division on D-Day. One of the tasks that day was for the 1st Special Service Brigade to relieve ...

La Fière Bridge on D-Day And The Battle For The Causeway from the 6th to the 9th June 1944, would be one of the most vital battles fought during WW2 in the battle for Normandy. Its capture was vital to secure an exit from the beach head at Utah Beach and allow the seaborne forces to move inland ...