For some reason it seem to be a trope in American movies, particularly comedies from around 1970-2000, to portray Swedish women as sexy, promiscuous, and somewhat dopey. It seems like a weird stereotype to hold about a straight-laced Lutheran country most Americans rarely think about. Where did this come from?

Areas such as Modern day Istanbul and Egypt make sense but why Northern Iraq? I get it’s very arable but outside of that I don’t see that much value in it.

Movies and shows based on the Vedas have historically been extremely popular in India. The Vedas themselves have been popular for thousands of years.

A reinterpretation of the original source material would therefore serve to illustrate changing Hindu religious ideas and Indian cultural ideas.

Can anyone help me out, or let me know where to start on this topic? Thank you!

I would also be interested in the treatment of the Vedas under the British control. Might there have been popular theater-productions?

To be clear I am asking specifically about material over 20 years ago!!!

To what degree did Homer’s original audience view his epics as depicting real events and real people, versus understanding them as fiction? Would they have viewed them as “historical fiction” where invented characters act within real historical circumstances? Especially, how did they view the actions of the gods in the Homeric epics? Did they view those actions as what they actually did or only as invented actions that are consistent with what they understood their characteristics to be (sort of like fanfic…?)

I'm currently reading a biography of Oppenheimer, specifically the time of the Manhattan Project and was wondering where the theory that an atomic bomb was feasible came from? Specifically by whom and also how did the US know it was such an important goal of the Nazis, hence leading to the US putting in such an effort to create one first.

Everything I mention here are things that I’ve heard anecdotally, so you’ll have to forgive me if I say anything that is glaringly wrong or inaccurate. It’s my understanding that the Middle East was (comparatively) more progressive than it was today, with more openness in regards to women’s place in society, no requirements to wear the hijab, etc. I see evidence for this in Saudi (I grew up there and go back regularly), having heard stories from people who have lived there since well before I was born. I see a lot of rhetoric online about how the shift to more cultural conservatism, close mindedness, lack of education in Afghanistan, forced hijab, etc all the issues we see there today, only came about after US involvement (in Afghanistan, the gulf war, what have you). Is this true? Are they suggesting that the US’s forcing of “western democratic values” on the ME essentially backfired and resulted in a more extreme sense of conservatism as a result? Or the fact that the US basically created Al Qaida (I think?) Or is this narrative a result of modern liberal US society’s general hatred and distaste of everything US/capitalist/democratic?

how lively was it? what buildings are there? what can i see inside their buildings? what furnitures are there? do they have an establishment where people eat like a tavern or an eatery?? do they have indoor stores? blacksmiths or a building where someone makes weapons??? do they have government buildings?? brothels??

i'm making a dnd campaign based on the mesoamerican culture and i want to put as much content as possible in the urban settlements while being somewhat accurate. like, i don't want to put something that the mesoamericans doesn't have but i want to improved upon something they already have just to make it more fantastical.

Why didn’t they move it back to St. Petersburg after the USSR collapsed?

How did he get from Burgundy to Flanders during his campaigns ? Did he travelled at all ?

It sometimes feels like the Khmer Rouge genocide is swept under the rug. Almost everyone knows the story of Hitler and Nazi Germany, but the Khmer Rouge is comparatively unknown even though millions were still killed. In American schools we also always read about Holocaust books and have dedicated months to studying WW2, but almost nothing about the Khmer Rouge.

Additionally, how come the US didn’t help stop the genocide?

It seems from a quick internet search, there’s varying stories about what happened to Thisbe, whether he was killed during her execution or lived a long life with her children. Is there any definitive evidence of what truly happened to him?

On another note, have there been other cases of a dog surviving it’s executed owner? What happened to it then?

As I understand, in Europe, after an enemy force was defeated, post-battle pursuit would be conducted by heavy cavalry armed with sabers and lances. The armies in the American Civil War, to my understanding, lacked a comparable heavy cavalry force, with most of their horsemen being mounted rifles. Would these mounted rifles have conducted the pursuit, or would it be conducted in a different manner, if at all (looking at you, McClellan)?

Are there any historical records marking the official switch to the Christian system of yearkeeping? Was the first day of the first year self aware of its novelty, or was this system set in place retroactively?

I'm having a debate about whether or not people from the 16th century (technically early modern era, not middle ages) participated in oral sex.

I was proven wrong because there is obvious evidence from the Kamasutra that people were doing a lot more than just oral. But my thought process was that the common man/woman likely had very poor hygiene thus making the act itself unbearable. Can't find anything online about what kind of sex the 16th century common man took part in.

So, how bad was their hygiene? And did they participate in fellatio?

Specifically referring to police forces as we currently understand them; not militia or city patrols.

It's a staple of most developed nations to have armed police patrolling the streets; have these police groups ever made a contribution in an armed conflict? It feels like having a number of local citizens armed and ready to respond to violence would make taking a town more difficult.

I'm wondering if there are any great instances or examples of police forces putting up a struggle or resistance against invaders, or making a difference in an armed conflict.

Comments to these questions always are extremely well explained and often with multiple seemingly super reliable sources. Is there a site or repository where one can find books on any given academic topic that I'm missing out on? Or do you all just have super computers for brains haha.

When I spend an afternoon jumping off cliffs or swings into creeks and waterholes I often wonder how ancient of a leisure activity it is. Was such enjoyment felt by my pre-human ancestors? Part of this fun is in performing flips. Are there anthropological reports of hunter gatherers groups performing such tricks? I would love to know if any of you have encountered a report of someone’s backflip long before the modern age of tricks for internet points.

Apologies if this is too specific, but I'm working through my grandfather's letters back home during WW2, and in one he goes into detail on a protective coating he called "cogmodine" (he admits he doesn't know how to spell it) which was used to preserve tanks and other machines as they crossed the ocean. Apparently it had to be carefully removed after landing and he claims he saw instances of the material getting the way of combat operations on multiple occasions. He refers to it as a sort of black tar.

He has unfortunately passed away so I'm not able to ask him directly. Any help would be appreciated!