When Tsar Feodor I of Russia died in 1598 without any children to ascend the throne, Russia was facing a huge crisis. The Rurik dynasty had ruled the country since 862 up until that point.
Nuclear land mines powered by chickens
In the 1950s, the British Army created the project Blue Peacock. The basic idea was to bury land mines on German soil, which would halt a possible Russian advance into Western Europe.
The deadliest missile accident
In 1960, the exploration of space was still in its infancy. Several years earlier the Soviet Union had launched the first satellite into space. The USA was very eager to catch up, which is why the Soviets were putting themselves under extreme pressure to keep their head start.
Port Arthur: The Dress Rehearsal for World War 1
The Russo-Japanese war (1904-1905) is a major 20th century war, which is often overlooked because of the much larger conflicts (i.e. World War 1, World War 2) that happened later. The basic reason for the war between Russia and Japan was a mutual interest in controlling Korea and Manchuria.