12:16Why Soldiers Love Duct Tape
35K views · today · 12:16
Become a Simple History member T-Shirts Simple history gives you the facts, simple! See the book collection here Credit Simple History Creator: Daniel Turner (B.A.
Simple History
Welcome to the Official Simple History Channel. Simple History® visualizes the past, bringing history to life through animation. Witness how people lived throughout history: their culture, developments in technology, epic battles and events. Explore what it was like to be in the trenches of the First World War, a plundering pirate in the Caribbean or a factory worker in the Industrial Revolution! Created by Daniel Turner (B.A. (Hons) in History, University College London) Have a business proposition such as a sponsorship proposal? get in touch by email below! For business enquiries: sponsorsim
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12:16
1:18Why Even the Romans Were Obsessed With Ancient Egypt!
7K views · 1d ago · 1:18
The world's obsession with Ancient Egypt is thousands of years old! Long before Napoleon and the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, the Greeks and Romans were already fascinated by Egypt's mighty pyramids, mysterious gods, and powerful pharaohs. Discover how Egyptomania began and why this ancient civilization continues to capture our imagination!
10:20Guns Turned Auto
260K views · 3d ago · 10:20
Bring WWII tanks to life! Get Tanks of World War II – A Simple History Coloring Book and add your own colors to legendary tanks from history! From Glock pistols with illegal full-auto switches to cheap Saturday Night Specials, TEC-9s, MAC-10s, and Uzis, discover the firearms police encounter on America's streets. Explore the real-life guns of GTA, their notorious reputations, and why certain weapons became associated with gangs and organized crime.
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1:21Why Did This Soviet Gas Mask Have a HORN?!
20K views · 4d ago · 1:21
Why did this Soviet gas mask have a horn on its forehead? It wasn't just a bizarre design choice! The Sh-1 gas mask featured a flexible rubber horn that allowed soldiers to wipe condensation from the inside of their lenses without removing the mask. A strange-looking but surprisingly clever solution to a potentially deadly problem!
1:21The Woman Who Exposed Britain's Concentration Camps!
6K views · 5d ago · 1:21
In 1901, British humanitarian Emily Hobhouse visited the concentration camps of the Boer War and was horrified by what she discovered. Starving children, disease, and appalling living conditions were claiming thousands of lives. Her shocking report exposed the suffering of women and children, sparking public outrage and a government investigation.
1:21Why American Soldiers Feared Every Step in Vietnam
11K views · 6d ago · 1:21
During the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong turned the jungle into a deadly obstacle course! From hidden punji stake pits and brutal foot traps to tripwires and swinging spiked weapons, even a single wrong step could be devastating. These simple but terrifying traps were designed to wound soldiers, spread fear, and destroy morale.
34:50Strange Secrets of the AK 47
150K views · 7d ago · 34:50
Become a Simple History member T-Shirts Simple history gives you the facts, simple! See the book collection here Credit Simple History Creator: Daniel Turner (B.A.
1:44The Gas Masks Designed NOT to Scare Children!
9K views · 9d ago · 1:44
During World War II, gas masks were terrifying, especially for children. So designers came up with a solution: colorful masks inspired by cartoon characters, including Mickey Mouse! But did these bizarre designs actually make them any less scary?
9:46The Deadliest Secret of Unit 731
109K views · 10d ago · 9:46
From Japan’s plague-infected flea bombs and the horrors of Unit 731 to Britain’s anthrax experiments on Gruinard Island, World War II saw terrifying advances in biological warfare. Discover the deadly weapons, secret experiments, and abandoned plans to spread disease, including a proposed biological attack on the United States.
1:14AN 94 vs G11 The Hyper Burst Rifle Showdown!
18K views · 13d ago · 1:14
Become a Simple History member T-Shirts Simple history gives you the facts, simple! See the book collection here Credit Simple History Creator: Daniel Turner (B.A.
36:02Weirdest Tanks Ever Made
299K views · 14d ago · 36:02
From Sweden’s turretless Strv 103 and Chrysler’s bizarre nuclear-powered tank concept to Italy’s gigantic Fiat 2000 and New Zealand’s infamous Bob Semple tank, history is full of strange armored vehicles. Discover the unusual engineering, ambitious ideas, and questionable decisions behind some of the weirdest tanks ever designed!
2:15An AK 47 M16 Hybrid
406K views · 15d ago · 2:15
During the Vietnam War, the early M16 came with only 20-round magazines while the AK-47 held 30, leaving American troops outgunned. Some Special Forces and ARVN soldiers modified captured Chinese AK magazines to fit the M16, allegedly fitting up to 40 rounds. Discover this rare AK-47/M16 hybrid magazine hack from Vietnam War history at Simple History.
1:55'mine was fully armed I was out there shooting coyotes with them'
9K views · 16d ago · 1:55
Alan Sparks illegally owned 88 fully-armed Cobra gunships — a $40 million fleet seized by the FBI. The investigation nearly caught Ron Garlick too, until officials discovered around two dozen Americans legally owned Cobra attack helicopters through a loophole in the military's demilitarization process. Here's how surplus attack helicopters ended up in civilian hands.
9:10Weirdest Grenades
142K views · 17d ago · 9:10
From explosive Nerf footballs and baseball grenades to Australian boomerang bombs, British sticky bombs, and Japanese ceramic grenades, military engineers have experimented with some truly bizarre weapons. Discover the strange ideas behind these unusual grenade designs, how they worked, and why some proved more dangerous to their users than their enemies.
1:01:03Weirdest North Korean Things
357K views · 21d ago · 1:01:03
Become a Simple History member T-Shirts Simple history gives you the facts, simple! See the book collection here Credit Simple History Creator: Daniel Turner (B.A.
1:33From M1 Garands to attack helicopters what civilians can actually buy
10K views · 22d ago · 1:33
The US military regularly sells outdated equipment to civilians, including M1 Garand rifles, M1903 Springfield rifles, M1911 pistols, and M1 Carbines through the Civilian Marksmanship Program. Beyond firearms, retired helmets, gas masks, backpacks, tools, and even collectible badges and medals are sold as military surplus.
2:46He used an attack helicopter to hunt coyotes
23K views · 23d ago · 2:46
After the Cold War, the US military retired hundreds of Cobra attack helicopters — but decommissioning them means cutting the airframe into pieces so it can never fly again. Montana mechanic Ron Garlick found a legal loophole, rebuilt a Vietnam-era Cobra gunship, and used it for logging, firefighting, film work, and hunting coyotes with rockets and machine guns.
9:12This Gas Mask Has a Rhino Horn, and Changed Everything
1.1M views · 24d ago · 9:12
From Soviet “rhino” masks with built-in lens cleaners to drinking tubes, voice amplifiers, and even Mickey Mouse gas masks, engineers developed some surprisingly clever features to keep people safe. Discover the strangest and most ingenious gas mask designs from World War I to the modern day.
1:58How a surplus loophole put attack helicopters in civilian hands
15K views · 25d ago · 1:58
Alan Sparks illegally owned 88 fully-armed Cobra gunships — a $40 million fleet seized by the FBI. The investigation nearly caught Ron Garlick too, until officials discovered around two dozen Americans legally owned Cobra attack helicopters through a loophole in the military's demilitarization process. Here's how surplus attack helicopters ended up in civilian hands.
1:23Ingenious Hidden Firearm Features You Never Knew!
24K views · 26d ago · 1:23
These firearms hide ingenious features you'd never expect — a built-in bottle opener on the Galil, a bayonet hidden inside the MAS-36's barrel, a magazine loader tucked into the M3 Grease Gun's stock, and a cleaning kit hidden inside the AK-74. Discover the cleverest hidden firearm features in military history at Simple History.
1:20MAS 36 Bayonet Clever French Engineering Surprise!
12K views · 27d ago · 1:20
Some guns hide secret functions that have nothing to do with firepower. The Israeli Galil rifle, built after the 1967 Six-Day War and based on captured AK-47 designs, features a built-in bottle opener and a hidden wire cutter in its bipod — clever solutions to real problems soldiers faced in the field. Discover more hidden firearm secrets at Simple History.
26:57Lucky People Survived the Impossible
196K views · 28d ago · 26:57
Become a Simple History member T-Shirts Simple history gives you the facts, simple! See the book collection here Credit Simple History Creator: Daniel Turner (B.A.
2:04The Confederacy's Insane 10 shot Revolver Shotgun
50K views · 1mo ago · 2:04
The LeMat Revolver was a 10-shot Civil War era hybrid firearm — a revolver AND a shotgun combined into one weapon. Invented in 1843 by French physician Jean LeMat, this Confederate revolver held 9 rounds in its cylinder plus a hidden 16 or 20-gauge shotgun barrel underneath. Used by Confederate icons Stonewall Jackson, JEB Stuart, and General Beauregard, the LeMat Revolver became one of the most legendary Civil War weapons ever smuggled through the Union blockade.
8:57Inside the Strictest Gun Range Rules in the World
383K views · 1mo ago · 8:57
Why do Japanese and South Korean soldiers attach strange bags to their rifles? Discover how brass catchers help militaries collect spent shell casings, prevent ammunition theft, and avoid hours of tedious cleanup. From modern military training to World War I aircraft, these simple devices have a surprisingly interesting history.
1:56The Luftwaffe's Insane 3 Barreled Gun
293K views · 1mo ago · 1:56
Become a Simple History member T-Shirts Simple history gives you the facts, simple! See the book collection here Credit Simple History Creator: Daniel Turner (B.A.
1:15The M3 Grease Gun they built a magazine loader inside the gun
46K views · 1mo ago · 1:15
The M3 Grease Gun packed a hidden magazine loader right into its wire buttstock. This WWII submachine gun replaced the pricier Thompson and used this simple loading tab to make reloading 45 ACP magazines faster and less painful. Discover this clever piece of WWII weapon engineering and more hidden firearm features at Simple History.
2:13The MAS 36 Hidden Bayonet Inside the rifle
126K views · 1mo ago · 2:13
The MAS-36 rifle had a hidden bayonet stored inside the barrel — a unique French design meant to make storage easier. But there was a catch: soldiers occasionally fused two rifles together by mistake! Learn the full story of this bolt-action rifle's ingenious (and flawed) bayonet system from World War II military history at Simple History.
1:41The pink rubber band on this rifle saved more lives than the gun
16K views · 1mo ago · 1:41
A pink rubber band wrapped around a Soviet rifle stock wasn't decoration — it held a first aid kit in place. Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan used an Esmarch tourniquet, designed to stop catastrophic bleeding, as a strap to attach medical supplies directly to their weapon. It guaranteed that whatever happened in combat, they'd always have their first aid kit within reach on the one object they were guaranteed to still be holding.
1:42They're building frankenstein guns out of ak 47s and old Enfields
64K views · 1mo ago · 1:42
Khyber Pass guns are unlicensed handmade copies of AK-47s, M16s, and Lee-Enfields built in the mountain region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Local Khyber Pass gunsmiths don't just copy famous firearms — they combine parts from completely different weapons into one gun. One bolt-action AK-47 example uses a Bren gun magazine, a P14 Enfield bolt, and AK-47 body parts all in a single rifle.
1:37Why snipers tape over their own lenses
195K views · 1mo ago · 1:37
Why did WWII soldiers tape two ammunition magazines together? The trick, common in the Pacific Theater with weapons like the Thompson submachine gun and M1 carbine, let soldiers eject an empty mag, flip the taped pair, and instantly load a fresh one — no reaching for a pouch mid-firefight. Though officially discouraged due to added weight and dirt exposure, the speed advantage made it a popular unofficial field tactic.
9:03Weird Things North Korea does to Intimidate the West
381K views · 1mo ago · 9:03
From missile launches and military provocations to propaganda loudspeakers, fake villages, trash-filled balloons, and enormous flagpoles, North Korea has developed some bizarre ways to intimidate South Korea and the West. Discover the strange mixture of genuine threats, psychological warfare, propaganda, and petty rivalry used by the secretive state.
2:44Why soviet soldiers strapped their first aid kit to the rifle
70K views · 1mo ago · 2:44
This rifle has seen too much. Worn finish, rounded edges, dust in every seam — and wrapped around the stock, a wide pink rubber band holding a small first aid kit in place. During the Soviet war in Afghanistan, soldiers didn't have room in their pockets or pouches for medical supplies, so they improvised. They used an Esmarch tourniquet, meant to stop catastrophic bleeding, as a giant rubber band to strap their first aid kit directly onto the rifle stock.
2:32Rifle with a built in bottle opener?
581K views · 1mo ago · 2:32
Did you know the Galil rifle has a built-in bottle opener? Developed by Israel after the Six-Day War and based on the AK-47, the Galil rifle packed hidden features soldiers actually used — including a wire cutter hidden in the bipod. This is one of the most clever pieces of military engineering history. Discover more hidden firearm features and military history stories at Simple History.
2:58Fentanyl Lollipops: Medics’ Fast Pain Relief
94K views · 1mo ago · 2:58
Guest: Fentanyl Lollipops
During WWII, medics used morphine via syrettes, but the transcript notes standardized dosing could be dangerous if too much was given. In the global war on terror, it says medics carried fentanyl lozenges: fentanyl absorbed through the mouth’s mucus membrane for pain relief often within about 10 minutes, with dosing easier to control because the lozenge can be removed once it takes effect.
1:39Super Glue Wounds: Medics’ Improvised Lifesaver
14K views · 1mo ago · 1:39
Guest: Super Glue Wounds
The transcript credits Dr. Harry Coover with developing cyanoacrylate-based adhesive (later known as super glue), originally tied to work on a gun sight and later a heat-resistant canopy. It then explains how, in Vietnam, medics used super glue when other options weren’t available to bind wounds, helping prevent bleeding and keeping casualties alive until they could reach more advanced medical care.
1:32Maus Tank: Outrun by a Jogging Soldier
379K views · 1mo ago · 1:32
Guest: Maus Tank
First prototype: 8 mph. Later version: 13.5 mph on roads. Fuel consumption: 1.5 gallons per mile. Germany ordered 150 Maus tanks. They completed two hulls and one turret. It never fought. What other failed super weapon should we cover next?
9:01What Really Happened on the Highway of Death
460K views · 1mo ago · 9:01
Was the Highway of Death a justified military strike or a war crime? During the final days of the 1991 Gulf War, coalition aircraft devastated retreating Iraqi forces along Highway 80. Explore what happened, why the attack became so controversial, and the arguments that continue to surround it.
1:49He Grabbed the Gun Instead of the Phone (1992)
51K views · 1mo ago · 1:49
In 1992, Ken Barger was asleep when his phone rang. Reaching in the dark, he grabbed his nearby Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver instead of the phone. When he placed it next to his ear, the firearm discharged, killing him instantly. What other everyday objects that turn dangerous should we cover next?
2:17He Shot a Saguaro… and It Fell Back
12K views · 1mo ago · 2:17
The transcript describes a dangerous incident in 1982 involving a shotgun and large saguaro cacti in Arizona. A man and a friend went to the desert for target practice, shot several cacti, and then hit a large 26-foot specimen—an arm snapped off and fell directly on him, likely causing fatal impact or severe injury; the remoteness made help difficult.
1:26WWII Veteran’s 1911 Hang Fire Kills Thief
37K views · 1mo ago · 1:26
Become a Simple History member T-Shirts Simple history gives you the facts, simple! See the book collection here Credit Simple History Creator: Daniel Turner (B.A.
34:30Gun Tricks that can give you an Advantage in Combat
1.3M views · 1mo ago · 34:30
Become a Simple History member T-Shirts Simple history gives you the facts, simple! See the book collection here Credit Simple History Creator: Daniel Turner (B.A.
2:18How FMJ Bullets Work: Penetration First
22K views · 1mo ago · 2:18
The transcript breaks down Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) bullets as projectiles encased in a hard metal jacket—often copper—so they retain shape and can penetrate targets and barriers. It also notes that FMJ bullets are typically used for maximum penetration and can travel through many barriers before reaching a target, while the jacket can be a disadvantage because it prevents expansion inside the target.
2:19How a Mom’s Garage Shipped 80,000 Silly Strings
27K views · 1mo ago · 2:19
Marcella Shriver’s phone call in October 2006 helped turn a party toy into real battlefield support. After her son Todd Shriver told her Marines in Iraq were using Silly String to detect trip wires, she and church partners began collecting donations—soon more than 1,000 cans sat in her garage. But Silly String is considered hazardous material, and U.S. Postal Service rules prohibited shipping it overseas, so she couldn’t just mail it like normal care packages.
9:44Concentration Camps Before the N*zis
149K views · 1mo ago · 9:44
During the Second Boer War, Britain’s scorched-earth campaign forced tens of thousands of Boer and Black South African civilians into concentration camps. Disease, hunger, overcrowding, and poor sanitation turned these camps into a humanitarian catastrophe, killing tens of thousands, many of them children and leaving a dark legacy of the British Empire.
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