By Lydia Sviatoslavsky — Before the black leather jacket was reduced to another innocuous darling of the fashion world, it was an honored utility—a form of arthropod armor worn by the less-than-gentle men who roamed the fraying fringes of a disquieted society. The original BLJ silhouette, in fact, was donned by German fighter pilots in both World War I and World War II. Throughout the 1930s and ’40s, the U.S. military followed suit, as leather jackets became standard uniforms for both American troops and police...

WWII War Paint: How Bomber-Jacket Art Emboldened Our Boys

By Lisa Hix — As we reflect on Pearl Harbor Day, here’s something to keep in mind: The “men” who fought and died for the United States in World War II, were just barely out of adolescence, as young as 18 years old—the same age as guys obsessed with "Maxim" and Grand Theft Auto today. The WWII flight jackets painted with provocative pin-up girls, favorite comic characters, or lucky charms are a reminder of just how young these servicemen were. "If this guy wants to paint a naked lady on the back of the...

War and Prosthetics: How Veterans Fought for the Perfect Artificial Limb

By Hunter Oatman-Stanford — There's something undeniably beautiful about prosthetic limbs, designed to echo the physical grace and mechanical engineering of the human body. For most people, these objects elicit some combination of squeamish discomfort and utmost respect. But far fewer of us connect those feelings to the untold generations of battle-scarred amputees whose sacrifices made prosthetics a public priority. "Patients even have doctors sign non-disclosure forms to protect potential patents." “You hate to...

Yard Sale Treasure: A Rare Flight Jacket

By Tom Herwer — On one sunny California morning, my sister-in-law called from a garage sale, thinking I’d be be interested in a bunch of old license plates and possibly a typewriter. I wasn't too excited about the typewriter, but the promise of the California-issued tags prompted me to drive 20 miles to this sale. I wasn’t disappointed. Indeed, there were 31 license plates from 1919 to 1956. Even better, though: After looking through several more boxes, I pulled out a leather jacket and read the tag on...