Irem Ozturan

The name comes from the Winter War, when Soviet forces invaded Finland and bombed Helsinki, the nation’s capital in 1939. Facing international criticism, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov falsely claimed the attack was meant as humanitarian aid for their starving neighbors. That inspired Finns, who were not starving, to sarcastically dub Soviet cluster bombs “Molotov’s […]

1993 President Clinton meets with Russian President Yeltsin in Vancouver, above; they vow to cooperate “to promote democracy, security, and peace.” (Photo: Alamy) 1993 A memo prepared for Secretary Warren Christopher provides a timetable for NATO expansion, with Russia and Ukraine in line to be admitted in 2005. 1997 Clinton and Yeltsin sign the NATO-Russia […]

Much like Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union, Germany was bitter about losing territory when the map of Europe was redrawn after World War I. After annexing Austria in 1938, Hitler turned his attention to the three million Germans who ended up living in a region of Czechoslovakia known as Sudetenland. Falsely claiming […]

Black Swimmers Overcome Racism and Fear, Reclaiming a TraditionBlack children are six times more likely to drown in swimming pools than white children. This disparity reflects a long history of discrimination and restricted access to swimming facilities, which contributed to the false stereotype that Black people don’t swim. But the African American community has a […]

In March 1969, then-President Richard Nixon visited Santa Barbara, walking its damaged beaches and talking to cleanup workers. Then, on Jan. 1, 1970, he signed the National Environmental Policy Act into law. “The 1970s absolutely must be the years when America pays its debt to the past by reclaiming the purity of its air, its […]