Were the scientists very high up in the society and did they live luxurious lives?

It may sound boring, but the process of moving merchandise from a distribution center to a store to the shelf where we can buy it seems very nuanced and complex. I would love to know more about how this was developed over the years as well as other aspects of brick and mortar store evolution.

What were the different ways it was mined and how did locally mined iron stack up to other areas in that time period (quality and quantity wise?). Do we have any idea how much was imported/exported from the area? How did the availability and quality of iron affect life in terms of agriculture/war etc compared to other European areas?

Bands like Kraftwerk and Rammstein have this distinct minimalistic electronic vibe that is unlike other genres. There are other examples, but those are two very popular groups.

What factors influenced this music? Instrument availability, popular music at the time, political factors, etc. I'm more interested in the early electronic bands like kraftwerk (I love kraftwerk!)

I'm assuming the love stories are likely not real, but I'm uneducated in the revolutionary period of the early US. I would like to be able to discern what was actually true, and what the writers took liberty with.

Why did the nations of the African continent not develop in the same way as their European and Eastern counterparts? I mean this before European incursion into the continent which obviously halted native progress. Is it because Africa is so vast and its many peoples were too spread out to form established trade routes?

Perhaps I am looking at development and progression from a euro-centric view with a European understanding of what those things mean, but it is clear from how Africa and her peoples were conquered and subjugated that they were technologically behind their conquerors.

I don't really see the connection between the clan names and the other name they were referred to

During the late Cold War (1970s-1980s) Night Vision optics and infrared equipment was not issued to most conventional armies. I'm wondering what the substitute for this was. Did NATO or Soviet forces make use of Chemlights (around since 1976) or would they have used more conventional lighting techniques such as flares fired from a mortar or grenade launcher?

Follow-up question: how effective was this equipment at facilitating night-fighting and how much of an emphasis was given on night-fighting by specific armies?

I have recently become interested in Mohommed Reza Pahlavi (aka the Last Shah of Iran) I've done some of my own research on him, but I can't really tell if overall he is viewed as a tyrannical dictator who crushed his opposition, or a benevolent leader striving to modernize his country. So my main question is: How is he regarded throughout the historical community

I wanted a book for a good general overview of Ghengis's life and reign. More geared toward his leadership and personal achievements rather than the military history, if possible.

What are the go to references?

Thanks!

Why is French considered the best?

I am reading Goldsworthy's The Fall of Carthage and while describing the battle of Cannae he says that, some scholars have an unorthodox theory that in the day of the battle consul Paullus actually were in command, not Varro. Goldsworthy gives Connolly as a source (oddly enough just Connolly, not a specific book of Connolly).

Anyone knows the reasons why such a thing (Paullus on overall command of the Romans at Cannae) is believed to be possible.

I've been reading a couple of American Civil War posts on this sub recently and it was mentioned a couple of times that Napoleon III was doing something in Mexico. I had never heard of this before, care to elaborate?