31. The U.S. Never Lost a War Until Vietnam
It’s a widespread belief that America’s first lost war was Vietnam, but history is more nuanced. Conflicts like the War of 1812 ended ambiguously, with neither side claiming a decisive victory and Washington, D.C. even being burned by British forces. Before Vietnam, the U.S. also faced setbacks in conflicts with Native American nations and in smaller foreign interventions. Vietnam stands out as a clear defeat in modern memory, but it wasn’t the only complicated or unsuccessful military campaign in U.S. history.
