June 27, 2025

The Forgotten War

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, a conflict that killed at least 2.5 million people but left the political situation on the Korean peninsula fundamentally unchanged. After three years of brutal fighting, North Korea and South Korea remained divided at the 38th parallel and Kim Il-Sung continued to rule in the North (the dynasty he established holds power to this day). While the North is one of the poorest countries in Asia, the South has developed into a representative democracy with one of the world’s most advanced economies.

Korean War. With her brother on her back a war weary civilian Korean girl trudges by a stalled M-26 tank, at Haengju, Korea on June 9, 1951.

The Cold War Turns Hot

Maj. R. V. Spencer/U.S. Department of Defense

Aftereffects of War: The Korean War: The Korean Peninsula. Find out about the history of the division of Korea into two countries - the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North) and the Republic of Korea (South) at the end of the Korean War (1953).

What Was the Outcome of the Korean War?

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

demilitarized zone (DMZ). Korean War. 38th Parallel. Military Demarcation Line (MDL), sign located in the woods at Pan Mun Jom (DMZ), separating North and South Korea, July 1, 1993. The DMZ was created July 27, 1953 at P'anmunjom.

The DMZ Today

Tech. Sgt. Scott Stewart/U.S. Department of Defense

Timeline of the Korean War

Juche: The North’s Political Ideology

The Stellar and the Divine

This week’s news includes a Hindu festival and a pair of astronomy milestones.

Chariots of the gods

Today is Rathayatra, a Hindu chariot festival that gave us the English word juggernaut. The word comes from the god Jagannatha (“Lord of the World”), a form of Vishnu in his avatar as Krishna. During Rathayatra, devotees pull three gargantuan wooden chariots bearing sacred images (murtis) of Jagannatha and his two siblings through the streets of Puri, Odisha, on the eastern coast of India.

Three rathas (chariot) in the crowd of Hindu devotees during Rathayatra festival at Puri, Odisha, India, on July 14, 2018. Jagannath Rath Yatra. Hinduism.

Glimpse of the heavens

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, named for the groundbreaking American astronomer, released its first images to the public this week. The pictures, taken from the observatory’s perch in the Andes Mountains of Chile, show striking collections of millions of galaxies. The images are a fitting representation for Rubin, whose work on galaxy motion and dark matter proved foundational to the field.

"Trifid and Lagoon", This image combines 678 separate images taken by NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in just over seven hours of observing time. Combining many images in this way clearly reveals otherwise faint or invisible details, such as the clouds of gas and dust that comprise the Trifid nebula (top) and the Lagoon nebula, which are several thousand light-years away from Earth. (telescope, outer space, camera, photograph, deep field, galaxies). Date created: May 28, 2025

Webb spies a planet

In a first for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the space observatory captured what could be direct images of an extrasolar planet. The faint infrared signature, which scientists judged to be a Saturn-sized planet orbiting the nearby red dwarf star TWA 7, was detected using the telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (or MIRI).

New on Britannica

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) met with constituents one-on-one at a Safeway in Duval Mine Road and La Canada in Green Valley, AZ, May 22, 2010. Gabby Giffords assassination Jared Lee Loughner Congress on Your Corner Jan. 8, 2011. (see notes)

Political violence in the U.S.

In 21st-century America, the targets have included members of Congress, state legislators, and governors.

Asian elephant

The largest land mammal in Asia, these elephants have been classified as an endangered species since 1986.

AHMEDABAD, INDIA- JUNE 12, 2025: Members of the investigation team examine the site of the Air India flight crash on June 12, 2025, in Ahmedabad, India. An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as Flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London's Gatwick Airport crashed shortly after takeoff carrying 232 passengers and 10 crew members. The plane crashed on a resident doctors' hostel in Ahmedabad, which suffered major damage in the accident. India, Asia, Crash, Accident,

Air India Flight 171

This passenger airliner crashed on June 12 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, claiming the lives of 241 of the 242 people on board.

Greenland shark under ice (Somniosus microcephalus), Lancaster Sound, northern Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada.

The longest-living animal

On land that distinction goes to the tortoise. But in the water there’s an animal capable of living for 500 years.

Investing

Trading

Retirement

Household Finance

Finance & the Economy

Companies

Wooden toy blocks spell the word "SMART."

How to use SMART goals in your personal finance

Photo illustration of a mouse, a cat, and a wedge of Swiss cheese with a black dotted path connecting the mouse to the cheese, but skipping the cat.

Regret minimization theory: Making peace with uncertainty

Gold balloon that is deflating from a valve. A large blue circle with white text reads "GDP DEFLATOR," surrounded by smaller blue circles on a light background.

GDP deflator: Nominal output vs. real output

Professional woman broker giving presentation to a young couple.

In the market for a financial advisor? Here are 8 questions to ask

Featured Games

See All

Quordle

Can you solve four words at once?

Tightrope

A daily trivia game

Blossom

Pick the best words

Octordle

The party starts at eight

Pilfer

A delightful ruthless word game

The Missing Letter

A daily crossword with a twist

Twofer Goofer

Think you know it, poet?

Victordle

Play head-to-head!

Sudoku

Your daily logic challenge

Trending Quizzes

See All Quizzes

Beautiful Image taken at Arches National Park in Utah

Where in America is That?

Crisscross the U.S. by placing these famous landmarks.

From Athena to Zeus: Basics of Greek Mythology

Do you know which hero took a dip in the River Styx? Or what mysteries lurk inside the Labyrinth?

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.

Ultimate Animals Quiz

What is a rattlesnake’s rattle made of? What animals can go over 180 miles an hour?

Guess the Language! Quiz

Can you recognize a language by its greeting?

Publicity still with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman from the motion picture film "Casablanca" (1942); directed by Michael Curtiz. (cinema, movies)

Best Picture Movie Quote Quiz

Take this quiz or you may regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (left of centre) and Malcolm X (right) waiting for a press conference, 1964.

American Civil Rights Movement Quiz

Test your knowledge of Americans’ tumultuous fight to end racial segregation and discrimination.

Name That Thing: Tools

A handy quiz to test your tool acumen.

Various retriever dog breeds sitting in a row. L-R: curly coated retriever, golden retriever, Labrador retriever, duck tolling retriever, flat coated retriever. hunting sporting dogs

The Dog Breed Quiz

Find out which breed can outrun a cheetah, which breed was created by monks, and much more.

Slices of lemon pie topped with meringue.

Baking and Baked Goods Quiz

You may have a sweet tooth, but how much do you know about baking and baked goods? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

(From left): First Ladies Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford, Pat Nixon, and Lady Bird Johnson at the Dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, California; November 4, 1991. (first lady)

First Ladies of the United States Quiz

They have been hostesses, helpers, advisers, gatekeepers, guardians, confidantes, and sometimes formidable powers behind...

Featured Videos

See All Videos

What were the Stonewall riots?

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

Britannica Premium Subscription

Unlock Exclusive Content!

Britannica's content is among the most trusted in the world. Subscribe to Britannica Premium and unlock our entire database of trusted content today.
Subscribe Now!

Explore Britannica

Leo XIV

Animals & Nature

6 Animals That Eat Their Mates

6 Animal Species that Mate for Life

Geography & Travel

6 Lakes That Are Drying Up

The New Seven Wonders of the World

Arts & Culture

Art Movements, Styles, and Schools

This Land Is Your Land

Calculators

Mortgage Payment Calculator

Estimate your monthly mortgage payments with our free mortgage calculator. Account for interest rates, compound frequency and pay back schedule.

Compound Interest Calculator

Compounding means getting returns on your previous returns plus your initial investment. Learn how to grow your savings with our compound interest calculator.

Percentage Increase Calculator

Calculate the increase from one value to another with our free percentage increase calculator. Evaluate population growth, inflation, stock values and more.

Retirement Income Calculator

Are you on track for retirement? Use our free retirement calculator to help determine how much you'll need to save each year to retire at your desired age.

Time Value of Money (TVM) Calculator

The time value of money (TVM) principle asserts that the same amount of money is worth more now than in the future. Use our TVM calculator to estimate future value, present value & more.

More From Britannica

ProCon

Award-winning ProCon promotes critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting the pro and con arguments to controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way.

Britannica Money

Discover all you need to know about retirement, investing, and household finance, without the jargon or agenda. Get reliable guidance, insight, and easy-to-understand explanations, written, edited, and verified to Britannica’s exacting standards.

Advocacy for Animals

Presenting Advocacy for Animals, a blog focused primarily on animal rights, wildlife conservation, environmental health and safety, and the legal and cultural issues related to these topics. This blog is a source of information and a call to action. It is meant to be a provocation and a stimulus to thought regarding humanity’s relationship with nonhuman animals.

Alain Elkann Interviews

Alain has been writing a weekly interview column for the Italian newspaper La Stampa since 1989. His interviews celebrate some of the best known and successful personalities of the present day.