In this podcast from the publisher of Zero Books, it's claimed that The Frankfurt School was brought to the US by the CIA to combat Stalinism/Stalin (not sure which, specifically); additionally, it also mentions that organizations and/or activists and/or artists on the Left were funded by the CIA for the same purpose.

Do these claims hold any water in mainstream historical documentation and analysis?

And to expand on the question, why does it seem like whenever Christian missionaries go to a place that isn't yet predominantly one of the major faiths (and so still has some sort of shamanism/animism/etc) the native populations are so willing to accept these new beliefs while rejecting their old ones? (As far as i can tell this question has been asked a few times before, but didn't receive a response, so I think its fine?)

Just came across and article referring to them as such. My knowledge isnt great but i kinda struggle with the idea. My understanding being that for starters Hoplite is a Greek word and they were called such because of their Hoplon/shield.

In terms of Phalanx again my understanding is that one of the Roman armies strong points was its maneuverability and flexibility. Which to me seems rather opposite to the idea of a phalanx of men in union and the strength coming from the compact formation.

Did the Romans themselves ever describe themselves as Hoplites fighting in phalanx formation or was that reserved for the Greeks?

This may be an oddly specific question, but its really puzzling me. I was reading about the HMS Beagle and noticed that it was a Cherokee class brig-sloop. These ships were designed in 1807. Why would the British name a class of ships after a native tribe from a country which just recently won independence and who they were still on poor terms with (i.e. the war of 1812 happened only a few years later)? Why would they name it after a native tribe at all, considering how poorly I thought they regarded indigenous people?

St. George is the only human to be depicted on a national flag (Malta), he is also present on the coat of arms of Moscow and Russia, patron saint of England, and has whole country named in his honour (Georgia). Wikipedia article states he's also 'respected' in Islamic world. So what exactly makes St. George so exceptional?

I just watched a show detailing the German technological achievements during world war 2 and they seemed far superior such as the V2 Rockets and the Messerschmidt Jet. Did the Germans have superior scientists/technology? If so, by how much?

An uber generalization of Europe's reaction to the creation of the US, as I understand it, was "Wow someone finally stuck it to England." And then eventually, as America expanded and industrialized, it became a "land of opportunity" in the eyes of disenfranchised Europeans. To someone from Europe trying to immigrate to the US at that time I'm sure it made sense. America was mostly European, especially on the East coast, and most knew they could find a community in almost every major city.

Which makes me curious about people from Asian countries coming over in large numbers. They must have known that even in those "large" numbers they will be overwhelmingly a minority when compared to the rest of the population. When you factor in that much of Europe immigrated to the East coast full of big cities and hopefully much opportunity, it further makes me inquire why there was such a large influx of Asian immigrants, particularly when they were entering the country on the Western side: the "wild" one that was much more sparsely populated and had tougher living conditions than that of the East.

So while I think I have an understanding of Europe's reaction to, and opinion of, the US which would lead to high immigration figures (and if I'm wrong please correct me as brutally as possible) I have no understanding of what people thought about us and what our appeal was on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. Any insight on this is greatly appreciated.

I have been asked by a professor for a class to write essentially my first in-depth history essay. I need to make a thesis and of course support it . I am having the hardest time. I can write over Korean comfort women, or Kamikaze pilots. I need to narrow it down and write over an aspect of it and just keep drawing blanks. Any ideas? I'm not asking for my work to be completed, just a nudge to write over.

This subject sort of stirred up a debate among my circle of friends. We were curious about whether prostitutes of ancient Egypt had a similar shortened lifespan as modern-day prostitutes. We suppose that it may vary depending on the type of prostitute, but our knowledge on the subject is rather limited. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

Hello! I am writing a research paper on the supporters of Prohibition for one of my classes, but with all the information that is available to me its difficult to find what is reliable and what is not. I was hoping that maybe someone could point me in a good direction, or even suggest some good books, articles, edited volumes, etc. I hope to hear from someone soon!

Question one: Using WWII as an example. When nations are at war with each other how did they communicate diplomatically? To my understanding there were usually no embassies.

Question two: Was there much communication? What were some instances?

I understand that music was also performed by the composers themselves, but when did the switch happen? Sousa is an artist that comes to mind since he was very famous for his works and performances, but others still covered his music at the time (though not as well).

With Holy Week starting, I was wondering what a typical crucifixion (not necessarily Jesus's unless his crucifixion was typical) entailed while at mass today. I also have some more specific questions that I would like answered if that would help you figure out where to start your answer.

• What did it take to get crucified?
• How long was a criminal on a cross for?
• What killed the person? (Hunger? Blood loss?)
• Was a crucifixion a big event for a city? (Or was this just a Jesus thing?)

I have been searching for various sources telling me about whether or not the paper industry really did have an effect on the Marijuana tax act. Some saying yes, some saying no, can someone clarify or point me in the right direction for further information. Did the paper industry really cause the illegalization of Cannabis?

The ever-reliable Wikipedia dates Tikal's rediscovery as being in the 19th century and sites like Calakmul being rediscovered in the 20th century but I don't understand why they needed to be rediscovered in the first place. The Spanish worked with native Mesoamerican tribes, the structures at the sites are unavoidably huge and the Mayan's kept records as well as presumably using these cities to defend and hide from the Spanish . Did the Maya lose their own cities? Any answers would make me a happy man