When we think of Native Americans we typically think of plains-running nomadic people who lived in teepees and wigwams, but why did the Aztec, Incan, Mayan, etc. peoples of Central and South America have so much more advanced of a civilization than those in the north? For example the Aztecs had the city of Tenochtitlán while the Apache tribe was largely nomadic. Why was this?

In his introduction to the book The Brazen Age, David Reid includes this quote from Vidal's essay "The Art and Arts of E. Howard Hunt" in order to preface his book on bohemianism and literature in New York City. The book itself focuses primarily on the stories of authors and artists, as well as some behind the scenes political maneuvering, but I was wondering why the United States as a whole was developing into an artistic leader of the world.

Most socialists would be opposed to the militaristic and imperial tendencies of capitalist nations like the US. So as a socialist, did Einstein regret that his life's work in physics helped countries develop atomic weapons?

If the Rhineland (The French and Belgian border with Germany) was demilitarized, then why did France bother constructing the heavy and expensive Maginot line?

I'm aware of the fresnel light and functioning of barndoors but can't wrap my head around the source of the snoot lighting. Any info would be greatly appreciated, including sources..

the Romans, the Persians, the Babylonians, all plundered the world-famous cedar forests in Lebanon to help build their empires

Today Lebanon is a desert. Where did all the cedar forests go?

I was thinking about this, and I realized that game attendance could teach me a lot about baseball's history and 1920's urban America. For example:

My grandfather loves baseball, and has since he was a boy, ~70 years ago. At the time, baseball was the undisputed American Pastime. In 1923, however, the Yankees had only existed under that name for 10 years and been in New York for 20. Baseball had been professional in any sense for only ~50 years. Did older people go watch this sport that might not have been around when they were children?

How many watching the game that day--and by the way, if the game in the title is unrepresentative of its time, feel free to ignore it--were first-generation immigrants? Did immigrants tend to adopt this weird game with its byzantine rules, or ignore it in favor of other spectator sports of the time (boxing/horse races/??)?

How many were black? Were black people allowed in the stadium at all? Was there segregated seating?

How many watching were women?

Was there anything like the modern "luxury/executive box seating" we have in modern stadiums? Were there broad disparities in ticket prices?

There's a lot of questions here, but I'd appreciate whatever answers people could give! Thanks!

It's so fundamental to our society now, but I just don't see why humans would start catching dirt on fire. Apologies for the ignorance.

How come the Medieval Ages are full of wars? Were the rulers during that time really as power-hungry are described?

Or was because of religion? In fact, what religion have to do with it? What made many leaders or rulers think that they obligated to make wars and conquer lands because of religious beliefs?

In the game "Battlefield 1" which is set during the first World War (or the Great War, as it was called during that time), there are a large arsenal to choose and use.

From prototype assault rifles to SMGs, shotguns and even LMGs and people even covered in body armour.

How accurate is it to how WW1 was really fought?

Or maybe you can help me understand base on the model of the engine combined with the maximum operational range?

There has been (probably minor/artificially exacerbated) backlash towards Christopher Nolan's trailer for his latest film, 'Dunkirk', due to a perceived problem of 'whitewashing'. Can anyone shed light on the reality of the situation? Would one expect to see at least some representation of blacks, asians and other ethnicities, or would it be very unlikely? The question seems almost ridiculous to ask about those espousing Aryanism, but I would love to hear something absurd. Thanks!

Wikipedia says, "In 1966, three members of the Mafia invested $3,500 to turn the Stonewall Inn into a gay bar, after it had been a restaurant and a nightclub for heterosexuals." Why would they be interested in doing that, and how exactly did a $3,500 investment "turn" it into a gay bar, in a practical sense?

Australian National University Professor, Keith Dowding, just published a major textbook called 'The Philosophy and Methods of Political Science.' In the second sentence of the introduction, he declares that history is a science. Is this true? Why/why not?

Considering the kinds of firepower and weapon systems employed in modern warfare, are there any stories or battles that took place at the same time as a forest fire? or any major forest fires caused as a result of war? I would place the period as WW1 and forward, though anytime is also pretty neato