15 Unexpected Spoils of War

War is hell, except when it comes to getting stuff, in which case: War is hella good, yo. 

Countless technological breakthroughs and medical leaps forward have taken place due to necessity brought about by conflict — it was, what, 10 years after the first airplane that aerial combat became a huge part of the First World War? It’s an ugly truth about human progress: A lot of it comes out of really shitty shit.

Sometimes, though, when a war is over, you get to take a bunch of crap from the baddies. It in no way makes up for all the horror and bloodshed and death and pain, but as the dust settles, sometimes you get to go, “Hey, this cool boat’s ours now!” Or: “I’m going to make this same soup at home.”

Other times you’re left with a bunch of stuff you don’t need anymore now that you aren’t in conflict, and finding a use for it can bring about all kinds of far-reaching changes. 

But war still sucks. Don’t do it, kids.

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Lessons in Great Art from Terrible People

Nazis seized art from people for multiple reasons S - Jewish owners, or an aesthetic and vibe that seemed against Aryan ideals. Either way, the efforts to return it all later arguably did a lot for public art education. CRACKED

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The Former Nazi Ship That Diversified Britain

The Monte Rosa was used to carry Nazi troops, and after the war was seized by the British, renamed the Empire Windrush and used to take immigrants from the West Indies to the U.K., something Hitler would absolutely be against. CRACKED

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What the Coast Guard Can Thank Hitler’s Pal For

U.S. COAST GUARD The USCGC Eagle is a beautiful ship, a three-masted, 295-foot sailboat used in Coast Guard training. However, it began life as SSS Horst Wessel, launched by Rudolf Hess with Hitler in attendance. CRACKED

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An Unlikely Counterculture Icon

The Volkswagen Beetle was designed under Nazi orders as the people's car, but in 1946, the factory entered British hands. Beetles were exported to the U.S., and thanks to some clever advertising, ended up becoming an iconic part of the swinging 1960s. CRACKED

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The Greatest Maps in History

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Hitler’s Holiday Home

and Rampf Son - MeinKa Adol Eher= Vert Vitle After World War II, the Bavarian government was given copyright for Mein Kampf (which they outlawed publishing), Hitler's Munich apartment (now part of a police station) and his Alpine holiday home. Worried this could become a tourist destination, they blew it up. CRACKED

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To the (Meatless) Wiener Goes the Spoils

During World War I, Cologne Mayor Konrad Adenauer developed sausages without meat to deal with shortages. While Germany didn't embrace his soy-based Friedenswurst (or peace sausage), after the war, they were taken back to Britain and Adenauer was granted a patent. CRACKED

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War: It’s Fanta-Tastic

Fanta® Fanta® KLASSIK KLASSIK Fanta, the world's favorite orange soda, was developed in Nazi Germany by the Соса-Соӏа Company as a way of getting around trade embargos that prohibited exporting coke syrup from the US to Germany after Pearl Harbor. It turned out DELICIOUS. CRACKED

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