Queen Elizabeth ll delivers her Christmas speech at Buckingham Palace on December 25, 1957 in London, England.

How Stalin and the Soviet Union Helped Launch the Korean War

General Chiang Kai-shek addresses the troops in China during World War II, circa 1943.

Henry Kissinger’s Mixed Role in the Vietnam War

Protesters and residents of Prague, Czechoslovakia ride on a military vehicle on a city street in the capital during the Soviet and Warsaw Pact invasion of the country in August 1968.

First-grade students at Public School 60 in Baltimore say the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag in June 1955.

How Germany Was Divided After World War II

7 Facts about the Nuclear Bomb Tests at Bikini Atoll

10 Asian American Actors From Hollywood's Golden Age, Anna May Wong

A woman is flanked by portraits of Soviet leaders Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin. Lenin was the USSR's first ruler; Stalin served the longest.

The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.

Cold War

The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.

Cold War Archives | History.com

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HISTORY

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History

Great Britain

America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian - the U.S. president - would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

Toys

Japan is a large, highly industrialized island nation located off the eastern shore of Asia. Japan's captivating history includes samurai warriors, the bushido code, the Meiji Restoration, the Nanking Massacre and more.

Japan

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have played vital roles in shaping the nation—from building the Transcontinental Railroad to advocating for labor law changes to fighting in multiple wars. They made these contributions while also facing persistent discrimination and violence throughout U.S. history.

Asian American and Pacific Islander History

Minhae Shim Roth is a writer and reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.&nbsp;

Minhae Shim Roth

<a href="http://www.christopherklein.com/">Christopher Klein</a> is the author of four books, including When the Irish Invaded Canada: The Incredible True Story of the Civil War Veterans Who Fought for Ireland’s Freedom and Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and National Geographic Traveler. Follow Chris on Twitter <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.twitter.com_historyauthor&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=bHpC9irXhivtSwyVyKc43lLt4-cAwmmH7TeQLPqTb5E&amp;r=0ZpTu-He2V3GUI-VETMmkwm8-GyOWSyeMJXqt7G42KA&amp;m=K4QAG6bPcooItZtsSRYJId99sCdkkYnSQnbG55Y82ZU&amp;s=reHlmdZq8nMnpunXM6VDAaQCLeVwu9L3gbscryyWKD8&amp;e=">@historyauthor</a>.&nbsp;

Christopher Klein

<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__msbeckylittle.tumblr.com_&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=bHpC9irXhivtSwyVyKc43lLt4-cAwmmH7TeQLPqTb5E&amp;r=DnM91hJ18gcNL3QDGSFbaxqDKqUNYha-dXU1EFEqguU&amp;m=G-7sCRahZ4NeqUBMRIzpVYF_SWJZdHf6oZ3GZnosXWc&amp;s=zmyoc9Pijw9wmJOCBZEXDORhhj0TxUZKXRRMCwVGaTI&amp;e=">Becky Little</a> is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. Follow her on Twitter at <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_MsBeckyLittle&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=bHpC9irXhivtSwyVyKc43lLt4-cAwmmH7TeQLPqTb5E&amp;r=DnM91hJ18gcNL3QDGSFbaxqDKqUNYha-dXU1EFEqguU&amp;m=G-7sCRahZ4NeqUBMRIzpVYF_SWJZdHf6oZ3GZnosXWc&amp;s=vkbwVD5s79Na0AuPtG5PY8OTUvwTHP3BjHLGApztU4w&amp;e=">@MsBeckyLittle</a>.

Becky Little

Dave Roos is a freelance writer based in the United States and Mexico. A longtime contributor to HowStuffWorks, Dave has also been published in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and Newsweek.&nbsp;

Dave Roos

Lesley Kennedy is a features writer and editor living in Denver with her husband and two daughters. Her work has appeared in national and regional newspapers, magazines and websites.

Lesley Kennedy

Patrick J. Kiger has written for GQ, the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, PBS NewsHour and Military History Quarterly. He's the co-author (with Martin J. Smith) of Poplorica: A Popular History of the Fads, Mavericks, Inventions, and Lore that Shaped Modern America.

Patrick J. Kiger

Greg Daugherty, a&nbsp;longtime magazine editor and frequent contributor to HISTORY.com, has also written on historical topics for Smithsonian, National Geographic Traveler, and other outlets.

Greg Daugherty

Jessica Pearce Rotondi is the author of <a href="http://bit.ly/WhatWeInherit">What We Inherit: A Secret War and a Family’s Search for Answers</a>.

Jessica Pearce Rotondi

The 1970s are remembered as an era when the women's rights, gay rights and environmental movements competed with the Watergate scandal, the energy crisis and the ongoing Vietnam War for the world's attention.&nbsp;

1970s

<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.fredfrommer.com/__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!XOr8dr6Eynfdb6Jt9CQ5ReQKJAuzwyA4o5j1dfSoTO5wEfbJlyTWNLJgQltboe1veRm0$">Fred Frommer</a> is a historian and writer, and author of several books, including You Gotta Have Heart: Washington Baseball from Walter Johnson to the 2019 World Series Champion Nationals. He is a frequent contributor to The Washington Post, and has also written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, Politico Magazine, and CNN.com. Fred is a former longtime Associated Press journalist, where he worked as a reporter and editor. Follow him at <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://twitter.com/ffrommer__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!XOr8dr6Eynfdb6Jt9CQ5ReQKJAuzwyA4o5j1dfSoTO5wEfbJlyTWNLJgQltboQeCu0NO$">@ffrommer</a>.

Fred Frommer

Korea is a region of eastern Asia located on the divided Korean Peninsula, which was split into North Korea, South Korea and a demilitarized zone, or DMZ, following the Korean War.

Korea

The Vietnam War pitted communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong against South Vietnam and the United States. The war ended when U.S. forces withdrew in 1973 and Vietnam unified under Communist control two years later.

Vietnam War

The 1960s were one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history, marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and antiwar protests, political assassinations and the emerging "generation gap."

1960s

The 1990s is often remembered as a decade of relative peace and prosperity: The Soviet Union fell, ending the decades-long Cold War, and the rise of the Internet ushered in a radical new era of communication, business and entertainment.&nbsp;

1990s

<a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history">World War II</a> was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated Nazi Germany and Japan in 1945.

World War II

Russia, the largest nation in the world, has a colorful history that includes the Romanov family, the Russian Revolution, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, pogroms, the KGB, the fall of the Soviet Union and more.

Russia

The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of 1929 and was made worse by the 1930s Dust Bowl. President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded to the economic calamity with programs known as the New Deal.

Great Depression

During the 1980s, conservative politics and Reaganomics held sway as the Berlin Wall crumbled, new computer technologies emerged and blockbuster movies and MTV reshaped pop culture.

Cold War ‑ Stories

How Toys Changed After World War II

Queen Elizabeth’s First Televised Broadcast Presented a New Type of Monarch

Why Eisenhower Added ‘Under God’ to the Pledge of Allegiance During the Cold War

China’s Overlooked Role in World War II

7 Surprising Facts about the Nuclear Bomb Tests at Bikini Atoll

Henry Kissinger’s Controversial Role in the Vietnam War

10 Asian American Actors From Hollywood’s Golden Age

How Germany Was Divided After World War II

Why Did Stalin Support the Start of the Korean War?

When Soviet‑Led Forces Crushed the 1968 ‘Prague Spring’

Soviet Union Leaders: A Timeline

What Countries Were Part of the Soviet Union?