I am a WWII enthusiast planning on building a model RC Submarine of a U-Boat VIIC and I am right now in the process of researching it. I am planning on to base the U-Boat on U-552. I am looking any books on U-552 or books that would have a ton of information on U-552, also any websites would be very helpful. Thanks

I've been curious about this episode in Houston's life since I read a biography of him when I was young. I've read a few rumors as to why she left him, including that Houston was injured in combat and incapable of physically performing, but he had children later in life so that seems unlikely. Or that his wife loved another man, or that his youth living among the Cherokee was somehow repulsive her. I'm also curious about why it became such a scandal that he had to resign from government. Is there any good scholarship or speculation on this?

I was reading John Smith's Generall Historie of Virginia etc. and was kinda surprised at how low his estimates of the number of fighting-age men in the polities around the Chesapeake in 1606 were. Would they have already been ravaged by smallpox? More generally, do we know when it hit each region?

By ancient civilizations I guess I am referring to Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and even back to the earliest Mesopotamian civilizations. I am by no means very well versed in historical academic terms so please excuse any mistake I make of that nature.

I know religion was probably the most ubiquitous source of explanations for the origins of humanity in these days, but I am sure learned men in these civilizations investigated or at least thought about these origins in a more scientific sense. Basically I am asking where did this types of people believe humanity came from. Did they know or suspect humanity's tribal origins? Were they able to make the connections necessary connecting cave paintings or other historical remnants to the true origin of the human race?

I read somewhere that the Soviet Union employed troops who would shoot anyone who attempted to retreat, desert, or showed any sign of panic or "cowardice". Apparently they would even place land mines in front of their own trenches to prevent any Soviet troops from deserting to the German side and sight their artillery in on their positions so if entire units began to retreat or desert they would be killed.

I would like to know whether or not this is true and to what extent it is true. Where does this information come from? Any stories or accounts proving its veracity?

I especially want to know whether or not the part about the use of land mines and pre sighted artillery to deter and if necessary combat " treason" is true. I find that this fact adds another horrifying layer to the endless, brutal hell that was the Eastern Front.

Time makes a little sense, I guess, in that someone might want to know if the bank is about to close. But I don't see why temperature is at all relevant to bank branches.

How and when did the practice of banks giving time and temperature start? Why has this persisted?

IIRC, Han refers to the Chinese dynasty that ruled after the Qin dynasty and before the the Warring State period. After that, there were so many different dynasties that ruled China, so how come the Han name stuck?

I've always been baffled that we always use "101" as a expression of teaching others. Why do we use "101" in the first place? Do the number change? Is there any historical significance why we use "101"?

I'm wondering whether it was an established aim of Rome's decision-makers to expand their territory, in the mid-Republic especially at the time of the Punic Wars and action against Macedonia. Was there a desire to conquer all the Mediterranean or did the wars that led to new territory come about just from Rome defending itself from external threats and therefore pretty unavoidable?

Thought Process:

• If no presidential candidate receives at least half of the electoral votes, the president is chosen by the House of Representatives.
• The Founding Fathers did not have political parties when these rules were written, and could not have foreseen the two-party system that we have today.
• It would have been sensible for them to assume that there would always be more than two viable candidates. This would make it much more difficult for one candidate to receive more than half of the votes.
• The Constitutional Convention, where these rules were written, was famously fraught with disagreement, as were Americans in general.

Questions:

• Did the Founding Fathers believe that a majority of the American people would ever be able to agree on a single candidate?
• Ie. Did they expect that a single candidate would ever receive a majority of the electoral votes?
• Did they expect that most future presidents would be chosen by the House of Representatives?
• Did they inadvertently create the two-party system?

Who first dictated the standard working week format, and how did it end up being 5/2 and not another combination of days?

Given the early success stories of the Russian space flight program (Sputnik, Laika, Gagarin), how did the media in the USSR treat the moon landing in 1969? Western media and news were accessible for many people in Cuba (don't know that for sure), Eastern Germany, Hungary and many other countries. So the people in the commnist world knew about Apollo 11. What was the official position of the communist leaders? What could I read in the PRAWDA issue from July 21, 1969?

Did Hughes' airplanes, such as the H-1 Spruce goose and the XF-11 have significant contribution to aviation history? How about the Senate hearings Howard Hughes was called upon to answer on the taxpayer money he used to construct the H-1? Also, Owen Brewster made these hearings a big deal as he wanted to defame/ruin/sack Hughes Aircraft, as he was close with Juan Trippe, the CEO of Pan Am; Hughes biggest competitor. How different would modern aviation be if Owen Brewster won the Senate hearings and furthermore Pan Am acquired legal monopoly rights for international air travel?

I'm doing a presentation on Cold War Germany and I have found some interesting things about "Ostalgie" and the standard East vs. West, but I would like to teach the class something maybe not many people know. Is there anything you guys here know of in relation to Germany in this time period that I could do some more research on?

Thanks in advance!

I have been watching the Miniseries on the American Civil War by Ken Burns, and they make ample use of this song. However, every time I hear this tune all I can think of are these lyrics I can't recall where I heard them from. Instead of the "His day is marching on." part in the chorus, all I can think of is "We ain't gonna fight no more" or something along those lines. Does anyone know where I am getting this from? Its been bugging me ever since I started watching it. Thanks!

When they say xenophobia what exactly do them mean and who was it directed to? Was it directed to a particular culture or group of people? And why did or do Greek people have so much dislike for strangers?