I've always had the impression that like 90% of them died, and I get pretty sad when I see pictures of soldiers from 1914. I've never actually read the actual figure though, so I was wondering if you could tell me how many of the soldiers in 1914 survived the whole war?

Grenadiers were picked for their imposing physical characteristics, but seeing as commissions were often bought or hereditary how did this relate to commissioned officers and NCOs? Were there exceptions to the rule, or did everyone in a grenadier company/battalion have to fit into the category?

Edit: I say early 19th century rather than simply 19th century as I don't know enough about military organisation post Napoleonic wars to make the question applicable.

In the early 20th century, how much of a country's population could be mobilized for war while maintaining a functional economy?

How much of the population of Rome resettled to Constantinople when it became the new capitol?

Specifically what I'm after is did your average Jewish man (from Jerusalem in this case) wear a beard, go clean shaven or something in between? Were there different rules/practices for a high priest or ex-priest? I've done some googling but found conflicting answers - I understand Leviticus has a passage forbidding trimming beards but very early depictions of Jesus show him clean shaven? (Not specifically interested in Jesus here). Can anyone help me clear this up? Many thanks.

Background

I have a BA in History but have been engaged in a career in coffee after discovering how much I enjoyed the craft. I teach for the large trade guild (SCAA), have been published in trade journals and trade magazines, and run a small business teaching and training coffee professionals. However, my passion remains history. A recent discussion with a former professor inspired me to research a way to intertwine my love of history, teaching experience, and knowledge of coffee.

Questions

• Do any programs and universities come to mind I could reach out to?
• After 10 years in a career, what advice would you give to someone desiring to return to study and attain a MA/PhD?
• Noting my interests and background, do any areas of focus or study come to mind you would suggest I investigate?

I'm doing some research into the Victorian Era and I was wondering what the overall attitude towards homosexuality (with a particular focus on lesbianism) was, in this period of time.

I have read that Chinese explorers were very accomplished. Certainly they traded by ship regionally and explored. Did they know Alaska existed or the Alleutian islands? How far did they follow this coast? When did they learn of NA's existence, and when they did and the west coast was still empty land, why didn't they attempt to set up any colonies of their own?

Not specifically asking about the Chinese. I'm interested in any information about the discovery of the continents from west to east.

Almost every presidential candidate, likely or unlikely, publishes a book on their personal story and/or policy right before a run. How far back does this practice extend?

For that matter, when did ghosts become translucent? In a lot of the folktales I've read (and I think also in Shakespeare iirc), ghosts look just like living people. In these cases, their true nature isn't realized until they do something to give themselves away, such as disappear suddenly. So where did we get these other images of ghosts from?

Hi all,

I just finished Anthony Beevor's 'The Battle for Spain'. I had become interested in the civil war after watching Ken Loaches 'Land and Freedom'.

It was a fantastic read, and I've learnt so much, but I want to keep learning, so I'm looking for other books on the subject. I see a great book on the spanish civil war by Hugh Thomas, thats been well received, but I've also been told that some of the info in its out of date, and more info has came to light since its publication, worth reading this anyway?

What book should I read now to learn more on the civil war? Should i start looking at each side, a book on the republicans than a book on the nationalists?

I'm rooting for a four-way race between Clinton, Sanders, Trump, and whoever wins the Republican nomination, and was wondering if it had ever happened before?

Did the Confederate president or any members of the Confederate congress have to run for re-election between 1861-1865? What were the results?

I had a conversation with a former politician recently who said when talking about Civil Partnerships: "the tragedy in all of this is the bill that made homosexuality illegal during Queen Victoria’s time was passed by just one vote"

I have read up on the 1828 and 1861 Offences Against the Person act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 and cannot seem to find a way to work out how many yeas or noes there were. Does anyone know if this fact is true?