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I remember reading a few years ago about a battle in the Eastern Front of WW2, but can't seem to find again which specific battle it was. What I remember is that the text mentioned there were Soviets in pillboxes who put up such staunch defenses, that even after they had died just the threat of their rifles poking out from the embrasures was enough to deter the Germans for days.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? I tried reading up on the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk, thinking it might've been either of those. But I couldn't find anything similar in what I read.

Any help or suggestions, or even a citation, would be really appreciated!

Were Muslims seen as pagans or heretics? Did Crusaders understand the Sunni-Shia split? The spiritual and (by now limited) political importance of the Caliph?

Immigration from Asian countries was severely restricted and anti-miscegenation laws were still on the books in many states. Children of these marriages would have been mixed race at a time when school segregation still existed. Legally, what status did these relationships have? How were active duty soldiers with Asian families treated on military bases in the US? Was there a difference in how white soldiers and soldiers of color with Asian wives were treated? What resources were available to these women once in America—were there community organizations for war brides from different countries, for example? How were these Asian women and their children treated in the US, and did the fact that they were “war brides” earn them different treatment than they might otherwise have received?

My Hispanic grandfather married a Korean woman he met while stationed in Korea after the war, and apparently there was a relatively large community of Korean wives on the base they called home in the US. They don’t talk much about their experiences but I’m curious what life might have been like for them and other families like them.

In general 3 things come up: Wolfenstein style, 1 man taking out an entire army, Hoi4 style large divisions just bashing their heads against one another, or soldiers storming the beaches of France & being mowed down by gunfire.

According to Wikipedia (don't sue me please) the use of Eunuchs as administrators/officials spanned from Korea to the Roman Empire.

Did all these disparate states "learn" the practice from a common ancestor or origin, or did they arrive at the "solution" of Eunuchs independently?

And this of course, leads to the wider question of "Why Eunuchs at all"?

I would appreciate if someone could point me towards a good resource(s) that detail the impact of US exploitation of Latin American countries. In particular how it affected the general populace.

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Come share the cool stuff you love about the past! Please don’t just write a phrase or a sentence—explain the thing, get us interested in it! Include sources especially if you think other people might be interested in them.

AskHistorians requires that answers be supported by published research. We do not allow posts based on personal or relatives' anecdotes. All other rules also apply—no bigotry, current events, and so forth.

For this round, let’s look at: Fifty years ago we went to the MOON! Let’s celebrate by telling stories about people inventing and using really cool technology, from the wheel to, well, the moon!

Next time: Heroes of the Battlefield—When They’re Off the Battlefield

I understand that France under Louis XIV had achieved a sort of hegemony over Europe with its peak in 1683. Thereafter, France seems to have began a slow decline that ended in bankruptcy and revolution.

What caused the downfall of the hegemony of Louis XIV’s France? Are the policies of the Sun King and his successors to blame, or was the decline a result of underlying economic or social factors? It would also help to understand what led to the rise of France in the first place.

As an extension, how was France able to reverse its decline and become the dominant power in Europe under Napoleon (albeit briefly)?

I understand the idea of the “Mutilated Victory” was instrumental in Italy’s Fascist takeover after World War I, and was invoked extensively by Mussolini as part of his nationalist-Fascist mythos.

To what extent does the “Mutilated Victory” idea resemble the “Stab in the Back” myth in Germany? Was it fostered and constructed by the Fascists just like the “Stab in the Back” myth?

And how valid is the “Mutilated Victory” narrative, that Italy was denied its rightful spoils from the war? Was what Italy was promised by the Entente in the Treaty of London realistic or reasonable? And how well did Italy actually do in the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye?

It just dawned on me that US President Roosevelt died in late March, whereas Hitler died late April. He was obviously aware the world leader and one of his chief adversaries had died. Is there anything known of a comment of Hitler, or what the Nazis may have felt when he passed away?

Most people in Russia, Britain etc hated Napoleon during his reign. He was a tyrant, but now we enjoy cakes named after him. When and why did the attitude towards him change?

What were some of the bigger picture impacts, all I’m finding Germany’s unrestricted warfare and how it led to the US joining the war. Outside of this, what impact did it have on the war?

Edit: Americans*