Many older texts seem to make a point out of saying everything that will happen in the story before telling the story. What's the first example of a story that was specifically trying to surprise the reader or play against his expectations?

I understand that the Nazis took pretty much took anything they could in order to repurpose it. How much plunder or materials (human hair, shoes, clothing, suitcases) did they actually acquire from the camps?

Many people see the VP as a pretty much useless, ceremonial postion. Are there any VPs who actually acted as the President of the Senate on a day to day basis, and what were the results?

EDIT: a better way to word this question is: What are the powers that the VP has in Congress, and have any VPs used those powers to the fullest?

What started the tradition of political canines? Has any ever had another kind of pet?

Apologies for the poorly phrased question. Perhaps some background info is needed.

Basically, I have a project in which I have to look at History portrayed through Film: Fact Vs Fiction. In which I have to talk about both fact and fiction portrayed through film and the implications following them. I'll also be looking at the memory of World War 2, how we portray the events today and who becomes glorified and such.

With regards to the film, it has to be relevant to my two current films so that my project doesn't steer away from the same sort of theme. Both my chosen films look at the fall of Hitler and his last days but in different ways

Specifically I'm looking at World War 2 and the current films i have for example are:

Downfall (A documentary style film, largely my fact argument)

Inglorious Bastards (Completely Fictional)

I need one other film to study and would like to know why. Apologies if this is an inappropriate question.

After all, DC was right on the border with Virginia, and battles ranged as far north as Pennsylvania.

I've read before that at one time early in American history there were lotteries that paid for sheriffs, but those lotteries didn't last very long because they were soon found to be corrupt and were ended soon after. Is this accurate, and can someone much more historically knowledgeable please go into more detail about this?

I read that a 100 year drought of the river Nile was the reason the Ancient Egyptians all died and stopped building Pyramids? True, partly true or false [that being 100 year nile drought not flooding the plains and so their crops failed for 100 years] Thankyou

If I were a merchant (or auctioneer as mentioned in another recent thread) and I accumulated a fair bit of wealth, where would I keep it? Would I have a vault and guards at home? Were there banks?

When Charles I of England sold his plate to raise funds, what exactly was he selling? Google is strangely silent on the specifics. Was it a gold reserve?

I'm interested in the implications of a nation leader who doesn't belong, took power he didn't deserve, and rules people who don't want him.

All I have been able to find is Wikipedia and a few web-sites but I have no idea how accurate this information is. Are there any good books out there worth reading?

In High School, my teacher told me about the importance of 'historiography' to history, as something crucial to studying it, but I rarely see it mentioned in scholarly articles. How does one define historiography and make proper use of it?

Was it a decline in birthing rates? A large defeat? Were they overwhelmed by the rise of the Roman Republic? I love ancient history and studied the Spartan agoge at school, but their decline is something I've never really gotten around to looking into. Any help much appreciated.

edit: Some great answers here. Thanks guys!

In American TV series i see that the door knobs are round, compared to the "normal" ones i have.

When and why did that happen??