Von Braun Joins U.S.: Nazi Rocketeer Builds Apollo Legacy
Wernher von Braun led the Nazi development of the V-2 rocket before Operation Paperclip smuggled him and his team into the United States to build the Saturn V. This controversial transfer directly enabled the Apollo missions to land humans on the Moon, securing his legacy as the chief architect of space exploration despite his SS membership and suspected war crimes.
June 20, 1945
81 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on June 20
Flavius Aetius and his coalition of Roman and Visigothic forces shattered Attila the Hun’s momentum at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains. By forcing the Huns…
Attila the Hun lost a battle he never actually lost. At the Catalaunian Plains in modern-day France, somewhere between 150,000 and 300,000 men clashed in one of…
Prince Mochihito’s failed bid for the throne ignited the First Battle of Uji, pitting the Taira clan against the Minamoto. This clash shattered the fragile peac…
Oxford didn't start with a charter. It started with a fight. English scholars got expelled from Paris around 1167 — a diplomatic spat between Henry II and Louis…
The War of the Sicilian Vespers started with a bell. Easter Monday, 1282 — Sicilians massacred thousands of French soldiers in a single night, then handed the i…
Christian of Brunswick led 15,000 Protestant troops toward the Main River at Höchst — and walked straight into a trap. Tilly's Catholic League forces were waiti…
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