It’s been a tough few weeks. It’s time to feel better. What better way to do that than by watching a heart-warming movie? Films that will inspire you, move you, or just make you laugh out loud.

Here we have gathered together a selection of movies guaranteed to make you forget your troubles. So just sit back with some popcorn, and a box of tissues, and start to feel better.

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10 Amélie

Probably the happiest film in world, Audrey Tautou plays Amélie, a lonely Parisian waitress who decides that she will make those around her happy. Amélie has a vivid imagination, and manages to find happiness in everything.

When she finds an old box with a child’s treasures in she decides to return it to its owner, and makes herself a promise. If the return of the box makes him happy, she will spend her life bringing happiness to others.

Not only does the box make him happy, though, it makes him want to be a better person and make others happy too. And so the happiness spreads . . . like a virus. (No, we’re not going there.)

Amélie isn’t just a happy film. It’s a beautiful film, too. Watch it.

9 As Good As It Gets

As Good As It Gets stars Jack Nicholson, which is probably reason enough to watch it. He plays Melvin, a curmudgeonly writer with OCD/ASD tendencies, who likes to be served by his regular waitress, Carol, played by Helen Hunt. Is that too much to ask? Well, Carol thinks so. She has other priorities.

As Good As it Gets is essentially a road trip movie, with Jackson as a misanthropic writer who cannot stand change, Hunt as a waitress whose son is chronically ill and Greg Kinnear as Nicholson’s neighbor whose life is falling apart.

The plot, however, is largely immaterial. The joy of this film is in the relationship between Melvin and carol, and in Kinnear’s glorious performance as an artist with money issues (among other things).

The film is funny but also honest. Carol refuses to allow Melvin to hide behind his mental health problems, and insists that he is accountable for his actions, which are usually thoughtless and occasionally cruel. And Nicholson learns to be a better man.

8 Up!

Probably Pixar’s finest film, Up is the story of a friendship between a lonely old man and an eager boy scout. The old man, voiced by Ed Asner, is about to fulfill his dream to visit South America when a boy scout, Jordan Nagai, knocks at his door, eager trying to earn his Assisting the Elderly badge.

Up is too good to be just a kids film. It is a movie about loneliness, unfulfilled dreams, and the paralyzing power of grief, which, on the face of it, doesn’t sound too cheerful. But it is also about love and friendship, and awesome bucket lists. There are more than a few surreal moments, but the themes of friendship and fulfillment are beautifully handled.

Asner’s character is said to be modeled on Spencer Tracy in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and he has just the right amount of grumpiness disguising his broken heart. The movie won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and it remains one of Pixar’s most loved films.

7 Edward Scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands is a Christmas fairy tale, that isn’t just for Christmas. The story of a beautiful relationship between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton—I mean Edward Scissorhands and Kim, as played by Winona Ryder—the movie has a beautiful fairy tale feel to it.

Edward is a kind of Frankenstein creature, made by his creator, played by Vincent Price, who runs out of time before he can make the hands, leaving Edward with only a selection of scissors for hands. Which is the sort of thing that can isolate a kid.

Like all the best fairy tales, Edward Scissorhands is a little bit dark, but it is also beautifully poignant. Depp is fantastic, Ryder is bearable, and Diane West as Kim’s mother is sublime. Edward Scissorhands is a film about belonging, and not belonging, and a cautionary tale that the crazies are not always the ones with scissors for hands.

Best scene in the movie – Diane West, who has a side job as an Avon lady, trying to cover up Edward’s scars with foundation. And we blend and blend and blend.

6 Mrs Doubtfire

A movie about a man losing custody of his children doesn’t sound like a feel-good movie, but it is. Robin Williams stars as the irresponsible father, and Sally Fields plays his wife, who has had enough of being the only adult in the marriage.

The reasons why Robin Williams has to dress as an elderly Scottish (or possibly Irish, the accent wavers a bit) woman are unclear, and who cares anyway. Just be glad that he does, because the film is a joy to watch.

The movie also features Mara Wilson, the child star with the cutest lisp in the world, in her first role, as William’s youngest daughter. The film is about the importance of family, in all its forms, and about taking responsibility. It’s also about Robin Williams doing silly voices in a wig.

Best scene in the movie is, undoubtedly, Williams’ dancing to Dude Looks Like a Lady, but let’s also give a shout out to that time he lobs fruit at the back of Pierce Brosnan’s head. Who hasn’t wanted to do that?

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5 Dead Poets Society

The ultimate sappy teenage movie, Dead Poets Society can still bring a tear to the eye of any adult. You only need to whisper the words, O Captain! My Captain! and strong men, (and stronger women), will weep.

Also starring Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society is a coming of age movie, with added poetry. Who doesn’t want to see that? Thankfully though, it’s not just about the poems. Or the teenagers either. It’s about inspiration. And beauty. And letting yourself feel your emotions. It’s about friendship, and making your lives extraordinary. And, yes, it’s about poetry too.

So, what are you waiting for? Carpe Diem, and watch it now.

4 A Night At the Opera

Guaranteed to cheer you up if you are feeling blue, A Night At the Opera, is a Marx Brothers classic.

If you can’t find this movie, almost any Marx Brothers film will do, but only this movie has the Contracts Scene in it. As far as comedy goes, this scene is pretty much perfection.

The film features all the usual players – not just Groucho, Chico and Harpo, but also Margaret Dumont, who, as usual, bears the brunt of the Groucho’s humour. She is a rich socialite, and Groucho is looking for investors in an opera company. That is all the set up you need. Leave the rest to Groucho, Chico and Harpo.

Groucho Marx is on fine wise-cracking form in this movie, which is often considered one of their best. Though the Contract Scene is worth watching on a continuous loop a special mention should also go to the Stateroom Scene, which is the movie version of the “How Many People Can You Fit in a Mini?” game.

3 Scent Of a Woman

Al Pacino has made a lot of great movies, but this one, from 1992, is a standout. It co-stars a young Chris O’Donnell as a high-school boy who takes a job looking after a blind veteran with anger issues.

Pacino plays Lt Colonel Frank Slade, who is miserable, as well as being blind, and who is on the verge of killing himself. O’Donnell is Charlie, the Good Kid who just can’t catch a break. Frank teaches Charlie about women, and love, and life, and Charlie shows Frank that his life isn’t over just because he can’t see.

The film certainly has its darker moments, but they just make rest that much more joyful. Charlie and Frank go on a road trip that opens Charlie’s eyes in more ways than one.

Highlight of the movie isn’t Pacino’s tango, although that is great. It is his speech to the school board near the end of the movie. Out of order? I’ll show you out of order.

2 Fermín Glorias del Tango

If you enjoyed Al Pacino’s tango in Scent of a Woman, take a look at The Glories of Tango. Hector Altiero plays Fermin, an 85-year-old mental patient with shell shock who has been locked in a mental institution for decades. Only when a new psychiatrist arrives does anyone wonder why Fermin only communicates through song lyrics from the tango. Fermín Glorias del Tango tells the story of the old man’s life through the tango.

The music transports Fermin back to Buenos Aires in the 1940s and his passion for, among other things, dance. The movie has great music and great cinematography, and is a glorious reminder that the old were not always old. As Fermin’s psychiatrist explores the tango, in order to better understand his patient, he discovers a few things about his own life too.

Not a blockbuster, perhaps, but Fermín Glorias del Tango will certainly warm your heart.

1 Groundhog Day

If you are looking for a heart-warming movie, nothing could be better than Groundhog Day. Even if you’ve seen it a hundred times before. An asshole is doomed to repeat the most boring day ever until he gets it right. It’s a simple concept, but a great one. And Bill Murray makes it brilliant (but let’s face it, Bill Murray could make the phonebook seem brilliant!)

Murray stars as Phil Connors, the full-of-himself weatherman, and Andie McDowell is his naive producer. Quite how long Phil Connors has to relive Groundhog Day before he gets it right is unclear, but it is a long long time – long enough for him to learn to play the piano, speak French and make friends with just about everybody. It’s amazing what a difference a day makes.

+ Little Miss Sunshine

If you have watched all 10 of these movies, and your heart is still a little frosty, have a look at Little Miss Sunshine and its star-studded cast.

Olive is a kid from a pretty dysfunctional family who has won a place in The Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. The entire family want to support her, so they all climb into in a decrepit yellow camper van to make the 800-mile trip. In some families this would be the hook for a horror movie, but, not here.

During the trip, Olive’s family learn to help each other and rely on each other, which is nice. They learn how to start the van, which is more complicated than you might think. And they learn to celebrate each other’s differences—which is just as well, because they are all pretty different. The road trip is long, but it is worth it because the beauty pageant is pure joy, and Olive’s ‘dancing’ is super freaky.

Oh, and this is a favorite of our dear leader, JFrater, so it must be good!

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As humanity merges with technology, holograms are starting to phase into everyday life in remarkable ways. These sophisticated projections are making teleportation a reality, allow ghost ships to haunt riverways and produce the most spectacular sports events of all time. But holograms are not just about heart-stopping visuals. They are also solving the circus crisis, allow Martian geologists to work in the field and the younger generations to talk to Holocaust survivors.

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8 A Life-Size Ghost Ship

In 2019, Halloween season came with a special treat. For weeks, people flocked to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to see a ghoulish apparition. Docked at the Race Street Pier, was a ghost ship. It was regrettably not a real spooky vessel, but the sight was convincing enough to come close.

The size alone was striking. Measuring over 27.5 meters (90 feet) long, the 18th-century ship glowed in the night. Additionally, the hologram was projected in such a way that it seemed to be float on the Delaware River. Biangle Studio, the company behind the haunting sight, also adjusted the hologram to change its appearance. This lured people to make multiple visits over the course of the month that the ship ghosted around the pier.

The ship was displayed as an art exhibition, somewhat obviously titled “The Ghost Ship installation”. There was no charge to view the otherworldly vessel and a pop-up beer garden soothed any frightened souls. Those interested in the history of the Delaware River could also listen to the recordings of artists and historians sharing their wisdom.^[1]

7 An Authentic Mars Walk

Thanks to NASA and Microsoft, civilians can now walk around on Mars. As a bonus, they do not have to fly there in a shuttle nor experience the restrictions of a spacesuit. Fans of the Red Planet can stroll as normally as they would on Earth. To be fair, they are still on Earth but the Martian landscape is the real deal.

The holographic exhibit, called Destination: Mars, opened in 2016 at the Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex in Florida. Presented as a “mixed reality” experience, the creators merged virtual reality with the real world. This combination gave visitors a convincing account of being on Mars. But it was not another well-designed, fake environment. Thanks to imagery lifted from the Curiosity rover, a unit that landed on Mars in 2012, people walked along plains and ridges that really exists. As a bonus, a holographic Buzz Aldrin acts as a tour guide.

The exhibit is a great way to share the Martian terrain with the public. However, it also serves another purpose. Scientists use the technology to help them intuitively study the geology of the Red Planet. In a sense, exo-geologists can now safely work in the field.^[2]

6 Hawking Appeared Live On Another Continent

In 2015, the renowned physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking made history (again). He appeared on stage at the Sydney Opera House as a hologram. This was not a recording. Physically, Hawking was still at Cambridge University, in the United Kingdom. But while he lectured, his double hovered in the air and delivered the speech in real-time in Australia.

The audience at the Sydney Opera House enjoyed the unusual face-to-face meeting with their idol. They listened to Hawking discuss his life, how his illness almost defeated him but then gave him the courage and freedom to pursue his dreams. The physicist also explained how technology unified humanity and he even fielded questions about why Zayn left the band One Direction. He reassured any heartbroken fans that there was surely a dimension somewhere, with One Direction intact, or where Zayn was happily married to a hopeful follower.

The evening was a success, thanks to the unified effort of several institutions and companies. Working alongside the Sydney Opera House, experts from the University of New South Wales, Cisco and DVEtelepresence Holographic Live Stage beamed Hawking to Australia. His appearance on stage was a first for both the physicist, who had never teleported before in this manner. The event was also the first time the Sydney Opera House welcomed a live holographic guest.

The three-dimensional Hawking was joined on stage in the Concert Hall by his daughter, Lucy, who was there in the flesh, and physicist Paul Davies. Hawking ended the evening with his trademark humor. Quoting Spock and Star Trek, he told the audience to “live long and prosper,” and vanished after saying, “Now beam me up.”^[3]

5 Cancel Culture Circus Animals

Once upon a time, the best entertainment for families was the circus. Then serious competition arrived in the shape of computer games, movies and other brands of entertainment. Perhaps the modern fear of clowns contributed too, we will never know. But caught off guard and now somewhat outdated, the business faltered badly when the final blow came – the animal activists.

Animal “rights” extremist organizations like PETA doggedly pushed for the closure of all circuses. For years, they have leveled accusations of cruelty towards the owners of performing animals and zoos. The persistent vocal attacks led to animal acts being banned in over a hundred cities, counties and states. In a desperate move to survive, some companies phased out the acts but failed to recover. Even famous names like Ringling Bros shut down completely.

In 2018, Circus Roncalli in Germany came up with a brilliant solution. They used all the animals they wanted and nobody complained. In fact, people were completely mesmerized. Thanks to eleven projectors, Roncalli’s menagerie was exclusively holographic. Life-size elephants performed feats before disappearing, ghostly horses galloped in a circle around the ring, and there was even a giant goldfish swimming through the air. The latter showed that holograms were a step up for circus animal acts; because anything was now possible. The stunning animals came with 360-degree visibility and zero abuse. Thanks to the creative use of technology, the traditional circus has a chance to survive.^[4]

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4 Controversial Tours Featuring Dead Stars

Prince hated the idea. So much, in fact, that he swore friends to prevent anyone from making a holographic version of him after his death. To Prince, these mirror images were “demonic.” He got his wish. But that did not stop holographic companies from resurrecting Amy Winehouse and Witney Houston.

While their tours never came to pass, due to a slew of resistance from loved ones, other deceased stars returned to the stage. Shot and killed in 1996, the rapper Tupac performed at the 2012 Coachella festival in California. Death did not stop Michael Jackson from moonwalking in 2014 at the Billboard Music Awards. Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly even toured together in 2019.

The concerts were a lively mix of pre-recorded artist voices and live back singers and dancers. The perks included stars entertaining multiple venues at the same time, they never get tired or ask for payment. For organizers, this is profit paradise. However, some people resist what could become a mainstay in the music industry’s future. They feel that the whole thing is morbid and disrespectful. Sure, for a hologram company to go ahead with a tour, they need the permission of the artist’s estate. However, the critics argue that the actual person never gave consent to become an avatar.^[5]

3 Physical Holograms

Holograms are known for their ethereal quality – emphasis on ethereal. They almost fake their presence, like ghosts. There, but untouchable. That changed in 2015 when Japanese scientists created holograms capable of producing a sensation when coming into contact with human skin. In other words, they could be physically felt.

The 3-D creations are produced by ultra-quick lasers. The beams worry the air with ions until voxels appear, which are specks of plasma light. Then, using additional equipment, a tiny hologram appears. Due to certain technological restrictions, the mirage can only grow to the size of a human nail – or smaller. But at the moment nobody cares because they are too busy playing with the things. The holograms are interactive but that is not its main selling point. Incredibly, the miniatures can be pushed and moved around by hand. The images had a curious texture, which volunteers described as “sandpaper with a static shock.”

The high resolution came from speedy laser bursts, around the vicinity of 200,000 dots-per-second. This rapid-fire also helped with the interactivity but more importantly, it made the holograms safe to touch. There were other attempts to create the world’s first physical holograms but all the experiments ended in burnt fingertips. Eventually, the scientists realized their mistake. The laser shots lasted too long. Once they solved that issue, the rest was history.^[6]

Future applications could include a holographic petting zoo and ticking off your floating shopping list.

2 A Lion On Fire

In 2019, the Argentinian football club Estudiantes de La Plata celebrated a special night. The club itself was 114 years old and returned this year to their home ground. Due to safety concerns, no matches could be played there for almost 14 years.

To mark the homecoming, Estudiantes treated their fans to a jaw-dropping show. In the news reports that followed, made viral by the stunning video of that night, the show was proclaimed as one of the best ever staged inside a football stadium.

There was no complex performance. Indeed, the show had just one star. The hologram of a male lion. The creature was “made” of fire and stood a few stories high. What made it so stunning was the reality of its movements. The enormous cat prowled along the top of the stadium, jumped down into the middle of the field and took swipes at an invisible opponent. The fiery carnivore even roared at the crowd. The scene was majestic, powerful and ultimately unforgettable.^[7]

1 Conversations With Holocaust Survivors

In 2017, a remarkable tribute to Holocaust victims opened to the public. Visitors at The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center can now talk to 13 Holocaust survivors. Most of them were children when Hitler came, nearly all lost their entire families or endured horrifying things inside extermination camps. Their stories are heartbreaking, gritty and captivating.

The survivors are not there in person. Instead, audiences are introduced to their holograms. Even more remarkable, in a world first, they can interact with the holograms, ask them questions and receive answers in real-time.

The project was launched after a special center, called Take A Stand, was built. The construction of the building and creation of the holograms cost $5 million. Each survivor was interviewed to answer 2,000 questions while being filmed by 100 cameras in 360-degree videos. This produced the highly interactive holograms. They appeared on stage and engaged with the audience to give a direct account of what the Holocaust was like.

While working on the project, the survivors admitted that the experience dredged up agonizing memories but that the work was important. They did not want their ordeal to fade after their deaths and become a sentence in a history book. But as long as future generations can interact with the holograms, they can tell them directly what humans are capable of and that people alive today can make a difference. The latter is not a hollow gesture. After talking to the holograms, visitors are given a comprehensive talk and kit to make the world a better place.^[8]

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The Middle East was once thought of as a beautiful and exotic far-away land. But unfortunately for those of us alive in modern times, the term now conjures up images of war, terrorism, subjugation, and suffering. The vivid images of the Islamic Golden Age are now gone, and the exciting fantasies in “One Thousand And One Nights” are but a fading memory.

But those far-away lands still contain much of their original beauty and, in many cases, are building upon it to create some of the most awe-inspiring modern architecture. This list takes a tour around the Middle East focussing entirely on the beauty to be found there. Let’s take the journey together and forget—even if for but a moment—the horrible news reports confronting us daily.

15 Bahrain

Bahrain is the smallest of the Arabian states and was the first to discover petroleum in the 1930s. It is thought by some to be the site of the Garden of Eden. In 2002 women received the right to vote in Bahrain and today its constitution guarantees religious freedom. Homosexuality was legalized in 1976 (for people over 21). The incredible twin-peaked building is the Bahrain World Trade Center.

14 Egypt

Home to the ancient culture so loved by the west, Egypt is now a modern democracy (founded in the 1950s). As evidenced above, there is more to Egypt’s beauty than pyramids! Modern Egyptians are largely descended from post-islamic settlers (mid 600s AD) while the Ancient Egyptian people “[were] most closely related to Neolithic and Bronze Age samples in the Levant, as well as to Neolithic Anatolian and European populations”.^[1]

13 Iran

Iran (Persia in days gone by) means “the land of Aryans” in the Persian (Farsi) language. Iranians have managed (despite frequent invasion from outside) to maintain their identity. Even the Islamization of the country has not managed to eradicate all aspects of its ancient past.

12 Iraq

For many of us, Iraq stands out mostly due to the Gulf Wars. Enormous amounts of damage were sustained by the nation during those wars, but a strong recovery is now underway, though the area is still relatively unstable. Iraq has been a republic since the dissolution of the Iraqi monarchy in 1958.

11 Israel

The very existence of Israel is a great bone of contention for the Islamic population of the Middle East. Despite the might of the surrounding nations, Israel continues to focus on expanding the amount of land it controls. The recent move of the nation’s capital to Jerusalem has not gone down particularly well with many people and there is no telling whether the conflicts in the region will ever be truly resolved.

10 Jordan

Jordan is a constitutional monarchy and the current King is Abdullah II. Home to some incredibly historic sites, Jordan holds the distinction of having discovered the oldest known statues of humans, the Ayn Ghazal statues. Pictured are Petra, the Roman city of Jerash, Jordan Valley Dead Sea, and Wadi Rum, the red desert.

9 Kuwait

Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy governed by an Emir. Until 1961 when it gained independence, Kuwait was a British protectorate. It was the invasion of this small nation in 1990 by Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi military that led to the gulf war.

8 Lebanon

Lebanon is the oldest country name in the world at 4,000 years of age. It has a unique political system called confessionalism in which the parliament is shared by all religions operating in the country. More peculiarly, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim and the Speaker of Parliament a Shiite Muslim. Lebanon has a 40% Christian population—the largest of any Middle Eastern country.

7 Oman

Oman has natural beauty, from the dry Wahiba Sands to the verdant city of Salalah, and historic beauty in the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, and the Nizwa Fort. Oman is one of the oldest inhabited places on earth having been peopled for over 100,000 years. Mountain Dew is the most popular drink in the nation, so much so that Coca Cola products are virtually nowhere to be found. It is also virtually crime-free. Coincidence? I’ll let you decide. Unlike some Islamic nations, alcohol is allowed but you must be licensed to buy it and can spend no more than 10% of your monthly income on it.

6 Qatar

Qatar, like Kuwait, was a British protectorate. Independence was declared in 1971, and from 1995 women were allowed to vote. Qatari men traditionally wear a long white shirt (called a thoub) over white trousers or shorts and women wear a black cloak. The National Museum of Qatar (top image) opening was attended by David and Victoria Beckham and KAWS and Johnny Depp. Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar and punishable by death.

5 Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia contains virtually no rivers or lakes but has many wadis which are valleys that fill with water during certain times of the year. Pictured above (third image) is the Kingdom Center which is the third tallest building with a hole in the world. Work is underway to build the Kingdom Tower which will be one kilometer tall (0.62 miles) and the tallest building in the world.

4 Syria

Pictured are the Umayyad Mosque, Citadel in Aleppo, and City of Palmyra before its destruction by ISIS in 2015. There are currently troops from over thirty countries fighting in Syria due to its civil war against ISIS. It is the Syrian war that has led to the migration crisis in Europe.

3 Turkey

Turkey is home to some of the most beautiful places in the world. Troy (of the Trojan wars) is located in Western Turkey and many ancient monuments are to be found there due to its important position in Western history. Its capital (Istanbul) was once Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire from 330–395 AD and then the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) to 1453. Pictured above are Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Safranbolu,and Hagia Sophia.

2 United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates is a collection of emirates: seven provinces governed by constitutional monarchs called Emirs. The seven emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. Abu Dhabi is the capital city and the federation as a whole is governed by a President who is also the ruler of Abu Dhabi. Additionally, the ruler of Dubai is also the Prime Minister of the Emirates. Confused? Me too.

Seen here are Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the amazing Yas Waterworld and the Al Ain Oasis (the first UNESCO world heritage site in United Arab Emirates).

1 Yemen

Pictured here are Socotra, the old town of Sana’a (the capital city), Aden, and Ibb. Socotra is an island with a great variety of alien looking plants and wildlife (as you can see from the picture). It evolved into this bizarre landscape due to being isolated from the African continent six or seven million years ago. It is a UNESCO natural heritage site.

Everyone has done at least one thing they regret or wish everyone would forget. The same applies to nations. Nations that have existed for centuries or millenniums are bound to have a few skeletons in the closet that they wish everyone would just ignore. But unfortunately, some things are easier to forget than others.

Whether these events are just too fresh in our minds or so horrific, we struggle to not think about them now and then. We can’t forget they happened, even if the nations responsible for these events want us to.

10. Afghan Withdrawal 

One of the most recent historical events that various nations wish you would forget is the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. While multiple countries were involved in the withdrawal, the United States has shouldered the highest burden for what’s been deemed a complete and utter failure.

The decision had been in 2020 to withdraw troops from the Middle Eastern country. However, things were complicated when administrations changed, reneging on the 2020 deal to give them more time to do it correctly. But, as we know, things didn’t go as planned. Intelligence had always predicted the Taliban would manage to win back power in the country; they just didn’t realize it would take a matter of days. 

As soon as troops began withdrawing, the situation deteriorated instantaneously. The Taliban made tremendous ground in rural regions and began attacking key cities. While trained by the US military, Afghan forces could not stop the assault due to low morale, loss of US airstrikes, and internal distrust. When Kabul was attacked, Afghan president Ashraf Ghani fled the country. We’d soon see thousands of Afghan citizens trying to escape and taking drastic measures to achieve freedom. Some attempts were fatal, and who could forget the images of people hanging onto aircraft carriers as they departed the country? 

The 20-year war was over, but it left behind a country in dire shape and on the verge of collapse. The US was severely bruised by a largely unsuccessful war and messy retreat.

9. Italy’s Involvement In World War II

When we think of World War II, it’s hard not to immediately focus on Germany for obvious reasons. However, we rarely talk about Italy’s involvement in the war, which lands on the wrong side of history. 

In June 1940, Italy officially joined the war, but they were on Germany’s side. The prime minister, Benito Mussolini, sided with who was winning, hoping he’d get a slice of the conquered lands?. They immediately began fighting in Germany’s war, but the Franco-German armistice ended their efforts in the French Alps almost immediately. By October, Mussolini would invade Greece, which ended poorly after Germany had to bail out the Italian forces and take Greece by force themselves. 

Italy’s involvement in World War II was abysmal. Mussolini’s war efforts were hampered by unfit generals, low morale, scarce supplies, lack of weapons, and the fury of the allies. Moreover, by aligning Italy with Adolf Hitler, Mussolini created the pretext for his own downfall. By 1943, Italy was in a dire position. They were being bombed constantly, morale had plummeted, and confidence in the regime was non-existent. The allies eventually invaded Sicily in July 1943, Mussolini was ousted on July 25, and Pietro Badoglio took over. 

Citizens took to the streets, tearing down statues of Mussolini and other fascist symbols. Eventually, Badoglio joined the allies. However, Germany continued fighting, now taking Italy by force, resulting in a two-year-long campaign for power in Italy. The war ended in 1945, and while Germany bears the mark of war and will continue to bear it, Italy’s role in the early years of WWII hasn’t been forgotten. 

8. Japan’s Attack on Pearl Harbor 

Japan was another victim of choosing the wrong side of history during World War 2. Japan and the United States hadn’t been allies well before the war, and in some aspects, they were veering into war themselves. Japan was a belligerent nation at the time, unlike the Japan we know today. They sought to expand the empire, so they declared war on China in 1937. The US responded aggressively with economic sanctions, trade embargos, and other diplomatic measures. The thinking was that these efforts would force the Japanese to a ceasefire and give up their expansion ambitions; it had the opposite effect. It made the Japanese more determined to win. 

The relationship between the two countries was ugly going into the war. Now it was at a breaking point. An early assumption was made that the likelihood of a Japanese attack was imminent, but where it might happen was debated. One location almost never considered was far from the US mainland in Hawaii: the Pearl Harbor naval base. The lack of consideration of Pearl Harbors’ potential attack meant the base was completely unprepared. 

On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese at 7:55 a.m. It took the entire area by surprise. There had been concerns about a fleet of planes heading toward Pearl Harbor. Still, those concerns were quelled when commanders believed it was likely just US B-17 bombers flying in the area, making it nothing to be concerned about. 

The attack on Pearl Harbor only lasted an hour and fifteen minutes. Nevertheless, it was enough time for 353 Japanese aircrafts to kill 2,403 US personnel and some civilians, wound an additional 1,178, damage or destroy 19 US Navy ships (with three being completely destroyed), and shake the nation to its core. The flagrant attack prompted retaliation from the US. While things are far different today, December 7 remains a day that lives in infamy. 

7. Chernobyl 

In 1986, former soviet state Ukraine experienced the worst nuclear power disaster in history. It was on April 25 when technicians attempted a safety test to validate the plant’s emergency water cooling systems. The test aimed to determine if the emergency water cooling systems would work in the event of a power outage. Unfortunately, the situation deteriorated rapidly. 

Preparations for the safety test began in the early hours of April 25. At 2:00 p.m., they disabled reactor 4’s emergency core cooling system. Due to delays, they were eventually granted permission to continue the safety test. However, this delay meant it left the safety test in the hands of an inexperienced night shift. 

Once they started the test, they further reduced power creating unstable conditions. An hour later, this resulted in reactor 4’s core exploding. The fire caused by the explosion resulted in uranium fuel overheating and melting through protective barriers. The operators of the safety test ignored automatic safety systems assuming the system didn’t understand the safety test.

The disaster began at 1:23 a.m. Immediately officials misled or downplayed the disaster. The fires were extinguished by 6:35, except for the reactor core blaze, which continued for days following the disaster. Soviet officials began evacuating Pripyat on April 27. It was eventually internationally recognized that 31 people died. This does not include the estimated 125,000 who died due to the effects of Chornobyl radiation.

Chornobyl was a disaster caused by flawed reactor designs and inadequately trained personnel. At a time when the USSR was in dire shape, this was a financial blow to the regime and what Gorbachev credits as the catalyst to the USSR’s collapse. 

6. The Fall of Saigon

When the Afghanistan Withdrawal in 2021 was unfolding, many began drawing comparisons to another hasty exit from a failed war: Saigon. The Vietnam War had a long history in the US and was ongoing for decades over the course of four separate presidents. However, a fifth president laid the foundation for US involvement. Harry Truman wasn’t the president to send an entire infantry into war during the fall of French colonial control, but he was heavily funding their efforts. However, the fall of colonial rule and the rise of communism in Asia prompted  Eisenhower to throw his full support on South Vietnam, even if their leaders ambitions would eventually contradict America’s values.

For decades the US sent troops, military aid, intelligence, and training capabilities to Vietnam. President Kennedy had increased these measures to ensure Vietnam wouldn’t fall, fearing the domino effect of countries falling to communism. In the 1950s, troop presence was less than 800 troops; by 1962, that number shot up to 9000.

President after president would deal with the Vietnam war more out of fear of failure than a belief that they’d win. Nobody wanted the blame, and so it kept going. When Nixon was president, he oversaw some of the most devastating aspects of the war. While he was reducing troops, he was dropping an unprecedented amount of bombs all over Northern Vietnam and Cambodia. 

As Nixon’s presidency was crumbling under the weight of Watergate, the US would negotiate and sign a peace treaty for all sides of the war. However, after US troops left in March 1973, the communist broke the treaty seeing cracks in the United State’s ability to respond. As a result, they took over the country. The US left the world with a harrowing and infamous image of US personnel making a hasty retreat as a country fell to communism after decades of war.

5. Weapons of Mass Destruction In Iraq

It was March 19, 2003 when the US and a smattering of allies entered into war with Iraq. Then-President George W. Bush had made his intentions in the Middle Eastern country public for months. On February 5 of the same year, Secretary of State Colin Powell was at the UN giving a speech that outlined the US objectives and reasoning for invading Iraq. There was only one problem, a lot of what he was saying was either misleading or just an outright lie. 

The Bush administration had an internal effort led by Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to remove Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. Granted, the international community didn’t view Hussein fondly, but that didn’t necessarily justify the invasion efforts. Instead, Bush was using the 9/11 attacks to embark on the ‘War on Terror.’ In the case of Iraq, he was also using incomplete or inconsistent evidence or poorly backed-up assumptions of a ‘ massive stockpile of biological weapons’ to justify the forthcoming invasion. With this lie, many more would be piled on over the next half a decade. 

While the war in Iraq ended in 2011, less than a decade after it began, questions and criticism linger. In 2016, The UK government released The Chilcot Report. This was a report seven years in the making and examined the decision, necessity, and consequences of the invasion. The evidence all pointed to an obvious truth, it was not only a complete disaster, but if anything, it potentially made the region more unstable. At the end of the day, the evidence is hard to deny; the war wasn’t necessary, and the end results were disastrous. In many cases, the last two decades of foreign policy decisions made by the US have been some of their worst.

4. USSR Failed Afghanistan Invasion

While we focus squarely on the more recent attempts to invade Afghanistan, we often don’t talk much about how it’s been attempted several times before by both the British and the USSR. All attempts to invade and conquer Afghanistan have ultimately failed. 

In 1979, under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty, the USSR invaded Afghanistan. They invaded in the dead of night, arriving in Kabul at midnight via a military airlift. They brought an estimated three divisions of 8,500 men each and 280 transport aircraft. Initially, the Soviets had some early success when they secured Kabul, ridding the country of its government and installing a puppet leader. However, over the course of a near-decade invasion, they’d ultimately fail spectacularly in the middle eastern country.  

The Afghan people, particularly resistance fighters known as mujahideen, were not interested in Soviet rule and saw it as a defilement of Islam. The mujahideen used guerilla tactics against the Soviets by attacking quickly before disappearing into the mountains. This made the conflict far more complicated and drawn out for the Soviets, who’d hoped it would be a swift takeover.

The war would continue into the late 80s with the United States arming the resistance, which aligned with their anti-soviet position. Finally, when Mikhail Gorbachev was announced as the new Soviet leader, he pulled out of the conflict realizing its futile nature. By 1988 they began withdrawing, with the last Soviet soldier leaving on February 15 1989. This failed war’s results were catastrophic for the USSR’s public relations and finances. In large part, it was the pretext for the USSR’s collapse. Still, worst of all, it was the catalyst for the breeding ground of terrorism that Afghanistan became with the Rise of Osama bin Laden.

3. The US Drops Nuclear Bombs on Japan

In modern times, the United States and Japan are allies, but during World War 2, their relationship wasn’t nearly as friendly. Obviously, this was made obvious by Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. So, of course, we could view the dropping of the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as retaliation for Pearl Harbor. Still, it was more complicated than just revenge.

The US had been working on nuclear weapons long before the attack on Pearl Harbor due to Ally’s concerns about Nazi Germany’s research in the field. When the Allied powers defeated Nazi Germany, Japan vowed to fight until the bitter end. While Japan had been confronted with demands to end the war, they rejected the notion of surrender. President Harry Truman decided that in the face of stiff opposition from the Japanese, he chose to use a nuclear bomb in hopes it might end the war once and for all. His secretary of war, General Eisenhower, and scientists of the infamous Manhattan Project opposed this idea.

On August 6, 1945, Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima. It was the first city to ever be hit with a nuclear bomb. It took 45 seconds to descend and caused widespread devastation to the industrial city. 70,000 citizens were killed instantly, while more succumbed to radiation poisoning. 

A few days later, on August 9 1945, another bomb was dropped, titled ‘Fat Man.’ It was dropped in Nagasaki, an urban area divided into two coastal valleys. 40,000 people died instantly, while an additional 30,000 more were estimated to succumb to injuries and radiation poisoning. 

On August 14, 1945, the Japanese surrendered soon after Nagasaki was hit. However, the US was left with a controversial scar of using the first iterations of this weapon of mass destruction on what is now an ally.

2. Armenian Genocide of 1915

In 2021, US President Joe Biden called the 1915 slaughter of about 600,000 Armenians a genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire, which is now Turkey. No president had ever called it a genocide. Doing so was unexpected, considering Turkey’s NATO status and the already fractured relationship between the two allies. Turkey was quick to respond, rejecting the US President’s proclamation. Still, this story got a lot of attention. It brought attention to a horrific aspect of the waning days of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. 

In 1915, about 2.5 million Armenians lived in the Ottoman Empire. They were concentrated around six provinces in Eastern Anatolia. The Armenians were no strangers to ill-treatment by their Muslim neighbors and countrymen. They were often subjected to violence and land, property, or livestock seizure. 

This imbalance in the Ottoman Empire between Muslims and Armenians eventually resulted in separate factions calling for different solutions. Young Armenian activists sought an independent state, while a coalition of reform groups known as the Young Turks led a revolution against the Ottoman authoritarian regime. They ended up taking power, and while looking to change the Ottoman Empire for the better, they soon slipped into authoritarianism. 

In March 1914, the Young Turks sided with Germany in the war and attacked to the east in what would be a brutal failed attack against the Russian forces in Caucuses. The blame was shifted to the Armenians, which started a campaign against them, resulting in genocide. The death toll is still debated to this day. Some estimates are in the 600,000s, some as high as 1.2 million. The Ottoman Empire fell in 1922, but this stain has stuck with an independent Turkey for over a century.

1. The Collapse of the USSR 

The Fall of the USSR is considered an embarrassment by many Russians, including its current president, Vladimir Putin. The Soviet Union began in the 1920s with Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin. It was born out of revolution against the Romanov monarchy and, in the coming decades, would become a powerful Marxist-communist state occupying nearly a sixth of the globe’s land surface. 

When Lenin died in 1924, a new leader took his place: Joseph Stalin. He’d control the USSR for just shy of three decades before his death in 1953. His time in power saw the USSR becoming a military and industrial superpower. However, it also saw the consolidation of critical industries, leading to food shortages and widespread famine and death. This was all happening against the backdrop of an international feud.

At the end of WW2, the USSR denigrated its alliance with the US and Great Britain. With the formation of NATO in 1949, tensions only intensified. Democracies feared the spread of communism, and the threat of nuclear disaster was ever-present. When the USSR consolidated power amongst the eastern bloc countries, it set off the Cold War and decades of tensions between the superpowers.   

Come 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the figurehead of the USSR. He sought to reform a flailing nation that had lost its way. Many of Gorbachev’s policy changes took the USSR away from its deep communist roots and undid much of Stalin’s legacy. 

It was becoming clear that the Soviet Union was falling apart, and Gorbachev knew rejoining the international community was the only way to save it. But this admission led to an attempted military coup against Gorbachev in 1991. During this period, the parliament leader, Boris Yeltsin, was instrumental in preventing a coup. He eventually allowed Ukraine and Belarus to seek independence from the Soviet Union. Not long after, the nine remaining republics also declared independence. On Christmas Day 1991, Gorbachev resigned, and the Soviet Union had officially fallen.