A friend of mine told me that Indiana used to have more natural gas than any other state in the US at one time, probably now and well into the future. Supposedly we (I live here) burned it all in giant displays of natural gas flames that would light up the sky like fireworks on the 4th of July as a form of entertainment. He said this is where the term "gas lighting" comes from and that we also shipped the rest of it via pipelines to the east coast, mainly to NY City and all the other major metropolitan areas. He claims we would have been the richest state had we not wasted all our natural resources.

Can anyone legitimize this claim?

Would non-Euroepan merchants bother wandering deep into Europe? I imagined they would meet with their European counterparts in some sort of trading hubs.

What was the inspiration to shoot things and people into space? Was it just the next logical step from missiles? Was it purely a militarized application or inspiration at first?

Furthering and clarifying the question: how many of the enslaved people who were brought to the Americas were former free men and how many were already working as slaves in Africa? Were they from tribes or from organized kingdoms?

How did the Portuguese and other European people see slavery when they began contacting Subsaharian cultures, how did they assimilate the institution, and did they make it worse than it was in Africa?

I know the reasons that the Dalai Lama left Tibet (protests, revolts, Chinese suppression), but i have no idea why he specifically chose India for permanent exile. Wouldn't it be a better choice to go to, say, Bhutan for exile? I mean, Bhutan is one of few nations were Buddhism is a majority, the government of Bhutan does many things to keep Himalayan traditions, and Bhutan is bordered by Tibet and even used to be in the Tibetan Empire.

Why didn't he exile in Bhutan (due to the culture, religion, and traditional things that make Bhutan closely related to Tibet)?

and

Why did he exile in India (where there is Hindu majority, and different culture and traditions)?

Can anyone give me tips and/or resources for someone to get a good overview of world history? I feel so dense. I would love to feel like I have a good grasp of the rise and fall of countries, societies, wars, and huge milestones. I'm sure this is too vague and broad, but would love any input.

And why?

Prior to their surrender Japanese propaganda made claims that American soldiers would rape many Japanese women. I have no doubt that it did indeed happen, considering the nature of war and soldiers raping native women continues to the present, and by the existence of first person accounts of Americans raping Japanese women. But is there any study or analyses on how widespread it actually was? And did American censorship of Japanese media cover up American rapes of Japanese women?

I have recently heard a claim that New Deal was designed by FDR and Co to prevent major political action, or even revolution by the communist and labor parties of the 1930s. The ultimate purpose of the speaker was to de-mythologize FDR's benevolence and cast the New Deal as a reaction to political discourse. The speaker then claimed this was partly the basis for the absolute decimation of the communist party in the 1950s.

Is there any merit to this claim? What evidence exists to support or discredit this claim?

Thanks!

Did being a "democracy" give it advantages over the monarchies.

I recently read the sun also rises by Hemingway, where the protagonist is living as a journalist in Paris, and takes a few weeks off to travel to Pamplona for the fiesta.

In the novel, Jake (the protagonist) mentions that he has around $2000 in his bank account(I can't remember/find the exact amount, sorry), and throughout the book, despite not seeming to come from a well off family, Jake seems to be out almost every night drinking wine and having a good time.

My questions are: would it have been normal for somebody on a journalist's salary to be able to live this kind of lifestyle in the 1920s? How typical was it for an American or an English male at the time? If not typical, what were the average earnings, and how would they compare to Jake's lifestyle as portrayed by Hemingway?

Thanks for taking the time to read my question