The World That Was

The Great Depression pushed millions of Americans into catastrophic poverty. Here, a mother and her shoeless children stand beside their home, a tin shack, in Elm Grove, Oklahoma, 1st August 1936

Economists warn Trump's policies will start a 1930s-era trade war

President Donald Trump is driving the global conversation on trade toward protectionism: the imposition of tariffs on imported goods. That may seem like a good idea on the surface, but most economists beg to differ. They point out that protectionism turned the economic chaos of the 1930s into a disaster.

Economists warn Trump's policies will start a 1930s-era trade war
Passengers alight from a train to enter City Airport in London, Britain.

London City Airport shut after WWII bomb found in the Thames

London City Airport shut after WWII bomb found in the Thames
A view of the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington

What other countries (and history) can teach Americans about taxation

What other countries (and history) can teach Americans about taxation
Roma prisoners in a concentration camp in the Transnistria region.

Moldova will build a monument to Roma victims of the Holocaust

Moldova will build a monument to Roma victims of the Holocaust
Barcelona soccer fans make their feelings known about Catalan independence, at a game on Wednesday Oct 18th 2017

The roots of Catalonia’s differences with the rest of Spain

The roots of Catalonia’s differences with the rest of Spain
An illustration of a controversial new postage stamp in Ireland, with Irish artist, Jim Fitzpatrick, who created the famous two-tone image of Che Guevara used on the stamp

Ireland celebrates Che Guevara's Irish roots with a stamp, despite opposition

A new postage stamp in the Republic of Ireland is causing a stink because it honors Latin American revolutionary Che Guevara, who was of partial Irish descent. But people in Ireland — and Miami — are denouncing Che — and the stamp — because of his history of violence.

Ireland celebrates Che Guevara's Irish roots with a stamp, despite opposition
The new monument to Mikhail Kalashnikov in Moscow

Russia puts Kalashnikov on a pedestal

Russia is celebrating the Kalashnikov rifle as "a cultural brand." It has literally put the weapon's inventor, Mikhail Kalashnikov, on a pedestal. A statue was unveiled in Moscow on Tuesday, amid much pomp and ceremony.

Russia puts Kalashnikov on a pedestal
“The Spirit of ’76,” by Archibald Willard, which exemplifies the spirit of the citizen-nation in arms, with men of all ages stepping up when needed by their country, the antithesis of a professional, standing army, despised by the Founding Fathers

Trump wants a big military parade, but the Founding Fathers might not approve

President Donald Trump has again mentioned the idea of having a massive military parade in Washington for the Fourth of July. Historically, the US has never put the military on such a pedestal. The Founding Fathers, in fact, despised the idea of a standing army of any sort.

Trump wants a big military parade, but the Founding Fathers might not approve
Ho Chi Minh (standing, third from left), and Vo Nguyen Giap (in white suit), with an OSS team in 1945

The little-known story of Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh’s admiration for the US

The founding father of modern Vietnam is Ho Chi Minh. He led Vietnam's communist revolution against French colonial rule and then took on the United States. But it seems he long had an admiration for the US and repeatedly sought the country's help in the decades before the Vietnam War.

The little-known story of Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh’s admiration for the US
An aerial view of devastation following Hurricane Irma on St Thomas, one of the main US Virgin Islands

How a violent history created the US Virgin Islands as we know them

The US Virgin Islands are in the news because of the appalling devastation from Hurricane Irma. But what's the islands' backstory?

How a violent history created the US Virgin Islands as we know them
Jeannie Rousseau (de Clarens), in 1939 or 1940.

‘What I did was so little’: Remembering World War II spy hero Jeannie Rousseau de Clarens

There are fewer and fewer heroes left from World War II. We remember a French woman, a spy, Jeannie Rousseau, who passed away last week.

‘What I did was so little’: Remembering World War II spy hero Jeannie Rousseau de Clarens
The Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque in Gibraltar May 11, 2015.

ISIS says it wants to rebuild the Muslim caliphate in Spain

A week after the attack in Barcelona, ISIS released a slick new video saying it wants to restore al-Andalus to the Muslim world. Al-Andalus was the word for Muslim-ruled areas of Spain and Portugal in the Middle Ages.

ISIS says it wants to rebuild the Muslim caliphate in Spain
General John "Black Jack" Pershing

Trump cites an urban legend about Gen. Pershing’s fight with primarily Muslim insurgents

After the terror attack in Spain on Thursday, President Donald Trump tweeted his condemnation and urged those fighting terrorism to study US Gen. John Pershing.

Trump cites an urban legend about Gen. Pershing’s fight with primarily Muslim insurgents
Soldiers of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps, captured in France, 1940

There were Indian troops at Dunkirk, too

The new "Dunkirk" movie may be a hit, but there's a minor stink in Britain and India that the Indian troops have been whitewashed out of the movie. The World fact-checks whether they were indeed there, and discusses why it’s important to move beyond the traditional Western perceptions of World War II.

There were Indian troops at Dunkirk, too
Catherine the Great of Russia, by Fyodor Rokotov

How Russian meddling impacted the American Revolution

Foreign help was critical to the success of the American Revolution. Many people know about the important roles played by France and Spain. But less well-known is the indirect help the US got from Russia. On this July 4, we explore how Russia accidentally helped the American fight for independence.

How Russian meddling impacted the American Revolution