Interesting Facts about the Korean War

1. This war started on the morning of June 25, 1950 when about 135,000 North Korean soldiers crossed the 38th parallel and invaded the south.

2. The Korean War was the first military confrontation of the Cold War.

3. This bloody war laated for just 3 years, 25th June 1950 to 27 July, 1953.

4. There are still at least 7,000 U.S soldiers still Missing in Action from the war.

5. There was very little media coverage of the war and in HollyWood very few films were made about the Korean War some of them are; The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Pork Shop Hill (1959), and Birthday Boy (2004). Because of this it has been called "The Forgotten War".

6. After the Korean War most of the North Koreans born immediately after were an average of about 2 inches shorter than the South Koreans.

7. Although tens of thousands of Americans died and millions of others participated in the Korean War, the United States never officially declared war. It was officially a police action.

8. About 54,000 Americans died in the Korean War and more than 6 million Americans served during that period.

Well over 1 million Chinese and North Korean troops died in this war and more than 5 million civilians perished.

9. More bombs were dropped on Korea (about 700,000 tons) than in the entire Pacific theatre during World War II.

10. Despite the fact that millions died during the Korean war, no one side can conclusively claim victory.

11. The American CIA actually noticed North Korean troops moving to the south in large numbers several months before the invasion, but these movements were interpreted as merely "defensive measures" and no action was taken to counter it.

12. North Korea was actively supported by the Soviet Union and China who were supporting Communism and South Korea was actively supported by the United States, Great Britain and the United Nations which all supported democracy.

It was the first of many battles between Democracy and Communism.

13. There were more than 7,000 American Prisoners of War (POW's) in the Korean War , almost 3,000 of them died in captivity and the rest were released after the war.

14. The Korean War brought about the first intravenous use of Amphetamine drugs (Heroin, Opium etc). Some soldiers developed the habit of injecting heroin in order to reduce their pain and they brought this habit back home with them.

15. The first all-jet fighter plane dog fight happened during the Korean War.

16. Seoul, the capital of South Korea changed hands during the Korean War. It was captured by the North Koreans on June 28, 1950 and then retaken by U.N forces in September 1950. When the Chinese invaded they captured Seoul in January 1951 but it was again recaptured in March by U.N forces.

17. Presidents Truman and Eisenhower seriously considered dropping nuclear bombs on Korea as a result of the conflict. But the fear of starting World War III made them change their minds.

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Interesting Facts About World War 2

1. World War II is without doubt the most destructive conflict in history in terms of costs, damage to property, people killed and maimed etc.

2. The Soviet Union (USSR) had the largest number of casualties in World War II, between 21-25 million.

3. 80% of Soviet males born in 1923 did not survive beyond 1945.

4. It is estimated that the Allied powers alone dropped about 3.4 million tonnes of explosives between 1939-1945. That is an average of 27,700 tonnes per month.

World War 2 Bombers

5. When the Russian Red Army entered Germany they raped an estimated 2 million German women aged between 13 to 70 years. This is the largest mass rape in history.

Rape Victim

6. The battle of Stalingrad fought between 1942-1943 is arguably the bloodiest battle in history.

7. The battle of the Atlantic which lasted between 1939-1945 was the longest battle of World War II.

8. The radar was invented by British Engineer Robert Watson-Watt who was working on a "death ray" to destroy enemy aircraft using radio waves.

This research evolved into the radar early warning system.

9. Only 10,000 out of 40,000 men who served in German U-boats returned alive.

10. The Nazi Germans murdered an estimated 12 million people in death, concentration and work camps about 6 million of whom were Jews.


Others were Jehovah Witnesses, Gypsies, Mentally Unstable people e.t.c.

11. During World War II German U-boats sank more than 2,000 Allied ships at a cost of the sinking of 781 U-boats.

12. The first fighter jets were actually used by the Germans in World War II but the Messerschmitt ME-262 were developed too late in the war to make an impact.

13. Erich Hartmann, the legendary German pilot was the ace of all aces during World War II, he shot down 352 Allied planes and he was also known as the "Blonde Knight".

Erich Hartmann

14. Adolf Hitler had a nephew in the U.S Navy during World War II. He was William Hitler, and he finally changed his name after the war.

15. The "Einsatzgruppen" (task forces) were special SS units that went in the wake of advancing German forces in Europe.

They forced Jews to dig their own graves and then shot them while they fall into the graves. An estimated 1.4 million Jews were killed in this manner.

Digging Graves

16. Adolf Hitler was so fond of Henry Ford (founder of the Ford Motor Company) that he kept a framed photo of him on his desk. Henry Ford also had a framed photo of Hitler on his desk.

17. Although in World War I Japan fought on the side of the Allies against Germany, by World War II it fought on the side of Germany against the Allies.

18. The Battle of the Kursk Salient from July 4 to 23,1943 between the Germans and the Russians was the greatest tank battle in history.

It involved about 3,600 tanks from both sides.

Battle of Kursk Salient

19. Nazi Germany had seriously considered sending all the Jews to the African Island of Madagascar, but they finally settled for eliminating them.

20. Rudolf Hess was the last person ever to be incarcerated in the Tower of London. He was Hitler's deputy.

21. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour the U.S President F.D Roosevelt urgently needed a bullet-proof car for his own protection.

A Limo which had been seized by the Treasury Department from the Mafia kingpin Al-Capone was hurriedly provided for the use of the President.

Al Capone's Limo

22. A Japanese soldier, Hiroo Onoda, finally surrendered in 1974. He had been hiding in the jungle for 29 years completely unaware that his country had long surrendered and the whole world had moved on.

Hiroo Onoda

23. The Russians were the first to use paratroopers which they unveiled in 1935.

24. Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union codenamed "Operation Barbarosa" is the largest military operation in history.

It involved more than 3 million men and about 3,500 tanks.

25. Total World War II casualties was between 50-70 million dead, 80% of which are just from four countries: Russia, China, Germany and Poland.

Facts About World War 1


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Interesting Facts About World War 1

1. More than 9 million soldiers died fighting in the war, approximately 6,000 dead per day.

2. About 65 million men from more than 30 countries fought on all sides.

3. More than 25,000 miles of trenches were dug on the Western Front alone. The whole front was filled with trenches zig-zagging the whole landscape from the English Channel to Switzerland.

In the Trenches

4. The German trenches were better and much more superior to the Allied trenches. They were often built to last, very durable and much more comfortable, some even had doorbells and shuttered windows.

5. At the battle of Mons in 1914, the British infantry fired their single-shot Lee Enfield rifles so efficiently that the German forces thought they were facing machine guns.

6. On Christmas Day 1914 (December 25) there was an unofficial truce that was observed along most of the Western Front. In Belgium, near Ypres, there was even a footbal match between German and British troops and the Germans won 3-2. The very next day they went back to killing themselves.

Ypress Football Match

7. Disease and pestilence (the Spanish Flu) accounted for a third of all deaths during World War I.

8. One of the largest blasts of World War I occured at Messines Ridge in the Belgian West Flanders when British soldiers detonated a million pounds of explosives under the German lines in 1917..

The resulting explosion was so massive that it could be heard in London which was about 220 kilometers away.

9. Millions of horses were used during the war. Dead horses were melted down for fat which was then used for making explosives.

10. The first tanks were used by the British during the war, they were nicknamed "Little Willie". Tanks were split into two types: the ones armed with cannons were called "male tanks" while the ones armed with machine guns were called "female tanks".

British World War 1 Tank

 

11. Early in the war the only protection against gas attacks was a cloth soaked in a soldier's own urine.

12. In the air war there were aces (or champions) on both sides. Germany's Baron von Richthofer (the Red Baron) shot down 80 Allied aircraft while Rene Fonck from France was the top ace from the Allies shooting down 75 planes.

13. The British made the first tanks and they were initially called "Landships", but in an attempt to disguise them as water storage tanks rather than weapons they were called "Tanks". The name eventually stuck.

14. During World War I there was widespread anger against Germany and all things German in the United States. There were even violent protests against them including the burning of German books, the killing of German Shepherd dogs etc.

15. During World War I pilots had to turn off their planes engines from time to time to prevent it from stalling when the planes turn quickly in the air.

When the planes were restarted in mid-air they sounded like dogs barking. That was where the term "dog fight" originated.

16. The sixth deadliest conflict in world history is World War I.

17. World War I led to the collapse of four empires: the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Gernan and the Russian Empires.

18. Though most of the fighting took place in Europe, World War I was fought on every ocean and almost every continent.

19. On December 24 (Christmas Eve) 1914, soldiers on both sides of the Western Front sang Chrismas Carols to each other. On Christmas day a truce was declared on most of the front and lasted for several days.

The following year sentries on both sides were told to shoot anyone who attempted a repeat performance.

20. World War I transformed the United States into the most powerful military power in the world.

21. As a result of World War I, Britain lost its leadership of the world economy forever.

22. World War I helped to accelerate the emancipation of women in the Western Countries, as women took over many traditional male jobs which had been left vacant by the men going to war.

Women Emancipation

23. One of the most startling consequences of World War I was the emergence of Russia (U.S.S.R) as the first Communist State in the world which ushered in a new era in world history.

Interesting Facts About World War 2


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AK-47 Interesting Facts

1. The gun was designed by Russian Army officer Mikhail Kalashnikov, he was a tank commander who became a weapons designer during World War 2 due to a shoulder injury.

He overheard wounded Russian soldiers, in 1942, complaining about Soviet rifles and Mikhail Kalashnikov decided to change that.

2.  Kalashnikov rifles were first produced in 1947 and went on to become the standard issue assault rifle of the Russian Army in 1949.

3.Mikhail Kalashnikov did not patent the design, therefore he did receive any royalties from the sale of the guns. This means that he did not get rich off his invention.

4. The AK-47 was first seen by the world in 1956 when the then Soviet Army used them (with their tanks) to crush the Hungarian uprising. Thousands of people were killed.

5. 

The gun is not really accurate, however it's selling points are as follows: 

It is very durable.

Low cost of production.

Low cost of maintenance.

It is easy to operate (a 9 year-old can learn how to use it in just a few hours).

It can perform in both sandy and wet conditions without jamming.

6.   

According to the Guiness Book of Records, the AK-47 is the most widely used gun in the world and in history. There are more than 100 Million Kalashnikovs in use.

7. More than 30 countries are licenced to produce the AK-47 including China, Israel, India, Nigeria e.t.c. And there are many illegal and low-quality copies flying around.

8.The AK-47 has killed more people than artillery fire, airstrikes and rocket fire combined. At least 250,000 people are killed by AK-47's every year.

9. Mikhail Kalashnikov actually said that he did not lose any sleep over his invention. "It's the politicians who are to blame for failing to come to an agreement and resorting to violence" he said.

However four months before his death he wrote a letter in which he wrote that he was worried that he may have been complicit in the deaths of countless innocent people.

He was obviously one troubled soul.

10. 

The AK-47 is very cheap, in some African and Middle-Eastern countries it can be bought for just $200 or even much cheaper than that.

11.The AK-47 rifle is the standard issue rifle of many national armies, many commando groups and all guerilla and insurgency groups.

12. Many American soldiers still actually use the AK-47 rifle, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, not only because the sand and dust does not affect them but also because it is so widely used that you can easily get the bullets off dead enemy soldiers during battle.

13. 

Some countries and armed groups actually have the symbol of the AK-47 on their emblems: Mozambique has the image of an AK-47 on it's National flag.

Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso (1984-1997) and East Timor have AK-47 in their Coat of Arms.

The Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah, has an AK-47 on it's flag.

14. The AK-47 has been immortalised by Egypt which has erected a giant monument in the Sinai Peninsular portraying a barrel and a bayonet of a Kalashnikov rifle.