My understanding is that prior to the printing press, books in Europe were hand copied by scribes/monks associated with the church which was basically the center of knowledge and education within Europe at the time. I also read that the printing press was at least partly responsible for the Reformation and the rise of modern science, presumably by increasing the amount of communication between large numbers of people and removing any control the church might have had on content.

Is that an accurate summary? Were there any interesting impacts of the introduction of the printing press that aren't widely known?

I'm currently in Rio and I went to the military museum in Copacabana yesterday. I saw articles from during WWII and they had headlines like

Another victory for our troops in Italy, etc.

I was unaware that Brazil was even involved in WWII. So, I'd like to know what affect did the Brazilian military play in the allied victory during the second world war and why isn't their effort ever mentioned in history class?

All three areas seemed to be equally fertile with plenty of farming potential, so how come India and China accelerated ahead in population so early?

Given it's failures in Afghanistan and Russia's history of having a disorganized fighting force (opinion? If so I apologize)

how impressive was the Soviet Union's army? i.e. professionalism, level of training, equipment.

I've been reading the Iliad recently and I was wondering what bronze spears and armor were like back then (assuming the fictional poem reflects what soldiers in ancient Greece actually did use). In the poem people are killed by javelins or even just rocks that are thrown. How much protection did the bronze armor that they wore provide? Could it be penetrated by their bronze javelins? Did all the soldiers have armor or just the important ones? Does the Iliad give us a good representation of what warfare was like in ancient Greece?

Edit: One other thing I also forgot, In the poem it mentions that I think it was a chariot axle or something was made out of iron. If they had access to iron, why did they still make weapons and armour out of bronze?

I know this question is quite broad in scope and would certainly vary based on which particular time period or war is spoken of. I'm assuming, however, that general statements can nonetheless be made about the treatment of these people.

An example of some such situation: Say I was an upper middle class or even upper class/noble Frenchman, and I traveled to Prussia in the spring of 1870. Then, suddenly, war broke out between the two countries. What would happen to me?

Was anal sex acceptable? Was being the, er, fuckee (sorry, English not first language, I'm making this up as I go along) something shameful? How freely discussed was sex? Was being gay recognised? How common was anal sex between men and women? Were lesbians recognised? Were there such things as Viking dildos? Were many thralls/slaves kept purely for sex or was it just a side thing to other duties? When was it considered acceptable for children to have sex- as adults/over 12, or was younger acceptable? Between a child and an adult?

Basically, if anyone has any books or answers to any of the questions, please answers! Sources, books, links, anything. So, yeah. Thanks in advance!

Why did they feel it necessary to invade a country that has throughout history been so successful at repelling invasions? Did any of the Soviet high command take lessons from the United States' war in Vietnam about fighting guerrillas?

Did a lot of what the Spanish did in the New World in terms of 'Othering' non-Spaniards come from what they did during the Reconquista?

Were there detailed records kept of Moorish and Jewish subjects kept?

How did Spanish authorities go about removing the Moors? Was there a warning given telling them they had time to vacate? Were there deportation notices, with ports that they were to exit on? Was there any resistance to the expulsion when they came to appropriate Moorish property and check to see if they had left. Did the intensity and generosity in terms of the application of violence vary by region? Was the process of expulsion drawn out over time, or was it very systematic?

Most of all, what is the Spanish conception of race? Did they, much like other racially stratified societies like antebellum/Jim Crow South or Apartheid South Africa, have segregation in terms of public accommodations and workplaces (so, I guess in terms of where they could till/what guilds or apprenticeships they can acquire)?

For example, the dollar coin series that began in in 2007 will include Ronald Reagen, deceased, but not Jimmy Carter who is of course still living.