A handful of American carrier planes turned the tide of the Pacific War in four days in June 1942

historyWikipedia1942 · Midway Atoll, Pacific Ocean

A handful of American carrier planes turned the tide of the Pacific War in four days in June 1942

the gist

The Battle of Midway was fought from 4 to 7 June 1942 near Midway Atoll, about 1,300 miles northwest of Oahu. Japan's Combined Fleet under Isoroku Yamamoto aimed to seize Midway and draw out the US Pacific Fleet's carriers, which had escaped Pearl Harbor. US codebreakers had learned the date and location of the attack, so Chester Nimitz positioned his forces in ambush. Land-based and carrier aircraft struck Nagumo's carriers just as they were rearming and refuelling their planes on deck. Four Japanese fleet carriers, Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu, were sunk, along with a heavy cruiser, while the US lost the carrier Yorktown and a destroyer. Japan lost around 3,000 men, including many highly trained pilots it could not easily replace.

so what

Midway is widely seen as the turning point of the Pacific War, after which Japan could not replace its losses in ships and trained crews while American industry kept growing. It shows how intelligence and timing can matter more than fleet size.

fun fact

The battle was fought partly because American codebreakers had cracked Japanese naval communications, letting Nimitz know where to set his trap.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗