First off, I understand that Peter the Great ordered the city to be built there with the help of an Italian architect. But the city is mostly swamp and frozen river basin, off of the Neva. How was this city constructed, alongside all of its beautiful cathedrals and bridges, in such awful climatic conditions? Thank you.

In modern terms, cheating generally means having a relationship with another lover. I'm not going to say seeing a Prostitute is not considered cheating; but the matter that it is generally illegal has put a different tone on it.

When prostitution was legal, did the definition of cheating have a different meaning?

The USSR successfully tested an atomic bomb in August 1949. I remember reading that the USA was expecting to loose their atomic monopoly later than that, so it came as a surprise in 1949. When were the USA expecting this, and what was the document/statement called which said this.

I tried Google, couldn't find anything.

I'd like to learn about the various conflicts that flared in the Caucasus in the waning days of the USSR and afterwards. What are some good books that cover the subject?

I find them fascinating but I also don't ever hear much about them other than in movies and TV shows.

This is specific to western expansion in the US, but could apply to any migration of people settling an area with the government's blessing. Did governing bodies send convoys with supplies to budding towns? Did they send lawmen or military to get them set up, or did they leave the settlers up to their own devices?

Apologies if this has been asked before, but I couldn't find anything with a quick Google search.

As an example, when Germany conquered France, were there roving bands of German military personnel knocking on the doors of the French intelligence services, the military and defence companies? How was this carried out in practice? Was there much review of the the archives of the French military and its intelligence agencies? To what extent were these secrets destroyed before the Germans could get them? I would be interested in any country Germany invaded.

When the Allies captured Germany, and when Japan surrendered to the US, what was the process whereby German and Japanese secrets were plundered? To what extent were their discoveries shared between the Allies?

I am somewhat familiar with Operation Paperclip, so for the Allies' portion of this question, I am more curious about non-missile/rocketry secrets that were plundered.

Was Palestine ever seen as an official independent stat of sorts or was it always just an area called so with a group of people who had roots there, making up the indigenous Palestinian people? did the Ottomans or British ever acknowledge the existence of such a state or did it always exist under them, part of something else?

And what kind of claim do the modern day Israelis actually have over the land, that isn't religious? genetically speaking aren't the Jews that occupied Palestine actually of Arab origin thus the Palestinians would be closer related rather than the European Jews that currently occupy Palestine?

Was religious belief despite the absence of evidence or proof an element of pagan religions (Romans, Greek, Egyptians, etc.), or is faith a more recent construction?

We're discussing the Military Revolution thesis in class and I was curious as to how applicable it is to the Cold War era.

I'm guessing it has to do with accuracy and/or availability, but I would like some professional input. I just watched the movie "Gettysburg," and observed how the infantry used rifles that took ~20 seconds to load, while the officers and cavalry used revolvers that could fire multiple shots rapidly.

I'm interested in the voteshare for the KMT from the 1960 election to the 1990 election. All were indirect elections I believe but I have been unable to find data on what % the winning candidate got.

If so, how much did their diet contribute to this compared to that of the people they subjugated?

Thanks!