(Originally posted in February, but unanswered.)

I was reading through the Wikipedia article on the line of succession to the Japanese throne, and they mentioned in an uncited footnote that Prince Chichibu (second son of Emperor Taishō, brother of Emperor Hirohito, and a prominent militarist) was "Potentially ineligible to succeed by the terms of the 1889 Imperial House Law."

It's long since become a hypothetical question, but was this the case? Why? Or, is it at least a theory that appears elsewhere - and if so, where did it come from?

The gothic fashion and subculture started in the 1980s and 1990s, I think so I hope this doesn't violate the 20-year old rule.

Seriously? How did "Gothic" subculture and fashion or the "Goths" get their name? They're not probably named after the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths who invaded the Western Roman Empire, hence called the "Goths" or are they?

My history professor told me that late in the Byzantine Empire's life (post-1300), a foreign diplomat referred to the Byzantine Emperor as a "King" due to the now-small size of the Empire. Upon hearing this, he promptly had a heart attack? Is this story true?

Aside from not eating the poisonous food we eat in the 21 century, I mean all the sugary foods and all the burgers and fat we consume today, what exactly did they do to be so shredded and strong and healthy?

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The internet is failing me here. I've been looking for articles or videos detailing the historical production of these types of bludgeoning weapons. Actually if I'm being honest I'm trying to find out about the production of all types of weapons from the medieval period (battleaxes, greataxes, flails, warhammers, etc.) but people really only have hard-ons for swords.

I'm seriously curious and I can't find anything. Help me out here?

The Mk IV tank for example weighed 29 tons while having only 12 mm of armor at best. Was the armor layout less "rational" than what came afterwards (for example did they use a lot of armor on the roof or rear?), or did the engine, transmission and tracks weigh so much more that little could be spared for the armor?

Even between the wars the Vickers Independent was extremely poorly armored for it's weight.

I think I heard it on a podcast. Essentially what they were saying is that George Washington was not the "first" President. John Hanson should have that honor. How "true" is this and on what basis could you consider the US just a successor nation of the Thirteen Colonies and not a completely different entity? I mean on paper the US as a country is older than say Italy but no one denies Italy as a country is older than the US.

Firstly, would you consider The Roman Empire: Reign of Blood a credible and historically accurate documentary? The stories told within it are incredibly fascinating.

Secondly, what are some good books on the Roman Republic as well as the Roman Empire? When I say good I mean accurate and accepted by historians in terms of authenticity. Thanks!

I was wondering the reasons that the Great Wall of China is sometimes considered a bit useless. So far one of the reasons I can think of is that the cost of it crippled China because all their resources and money was going towards funding or supplying the wall with resources and the workers with food. This also lead to rebellions from the citizens, and disloyalty from soldiers.

Are there any other reasons that the Great Wall was ineffective?