I'm currently doing some research for an article on the layout of my campus, so naturally I'd like to figure out: Where does the ubiquitous college "quad" come from, and why is it so popular among modern universities? Whose idea was it to implement this sort of design in the first place? We tend to associate higher education with large green spaces - where does this association come from?

Any particular sources I should look to for info on this sort of stuff, or just general pointers to set me in the right direction for research (any good books on the topic) would be much appreciated!

I'm sure that there's a variety of competency between units here, but overall, how much of in impact did these fighters have on the war? Were they a major hindrance on the Nazi's efforts, or did the Wehrmacht succeed in stifling them.

I'm sticking to Western Europe because that's an area I'm interested in, but feel free to comment about partisan success in other regions, along with their logistics and type of operations they carried out.

I may be using the term partisan incorrectly, but in case I'm not clear, I'm referring to freedom fighters, armed covert militias, and that sort of thing.

I mean on all continents at the same time, when their wasn't even regional conflicts (including like what's going on in Gaza, Ukraine, South Sudan, etc.) or civil wars.

My mothers uncle was a forward scout in the area of Kiev. We would like to find out more about him and his unit. But we don't know anything beyond what I've already mentioned.

I read that the pug became popular in Europe after the royal house of Orange adopted the Chinese pug as its court pup, but couldn't find much information about how they were treated and how popular they were.

Did royal courts have dogs for any other reason than company, e.g. guard duty, or were "peasant" dogs employed for such jobs? How common was it for a royal house to have dogs? Was it common to gift them to other houses? I'm curious about pretty much anything about the history of royal pet canines, so please share anything you know about them!

Would it be safe to assume that most if not all blacks in the U.S. with deep roots in the country (not including recent migrants from the Caribbeans and other countries) have had ancestors who were actual slaves?

Furthermore, how many generations back would I need to look into to find any link in my family?

For further clarification, how much and how far did information or news travel among the tribes?

I heard once that tribes in California were in contact with tribes as far away Alaska through runners who ran 80 miles a day for a solid month.

So for example, did the native americans of the plains hear rumors about the colonists far before the first colonists ventured into the plains?

Did the news of the Spanish conquest of the Aztect empire ever travel north to the native americans in present-day USA?

Washington was the commander in charge but it strikes me as odd that he was so in favor of attacking Boston in 75' and 76' yet he was constantly overruled by council of war.

Did Washington not have the authority to command an attack? Or was he simply being prudent by listening to his advisers?

So in all, how did the command structure work? (I suppose the same could be asked of the British army)

How would a man become the "drill sergeant"? What things would they learn and how was life like in it?

It seems like in a tank battle the tank that is able to put more shells on target would have a much greater chance of survival, especially with the implementation of autoloaders it seems like it would be a no brainer to have a tank with multiple cannons. So why was it never implemented?

I've worn glasses for long time, and I was thinking about how they work and who the brilliant person is who developed them.

I'm wondering who developed them?

How long people have been using glasses?

I understand the concept of how they work, but if anyone has a little more background on the earliest glasses and development, I'm very curious.

After the Wall fell, and after reunification, Soviet/Russian forces remained in former East Germany until the mid-90s. How was this viewed by the German public? Did the average Russian soldier see Germany as a plush posting, or were they more concerned about events at home? Did the Soviets/Russians coordinate exercises with the reunified Bundeswehr, or did the two armies coexist completely separately?

EDIT: How did the Soviet Army in Germany react after the dissolution of the USSR? Did the various nationalities head home, or did they remain in Germany?

I've recently heard a lecture about the Islamic history of Spain; Grenada and Qortuba. And I understand (not really), that there's a celebration of the expulsion of Arabs. It's not the celebration that I'm asking about, but how did the expulsion come through? When did it happen? Under whose authority? Why?

Sorry if the question is vague, or sounded wrong, I'm new to the subreddit :)

Really on any level, were they used?

Recent news has made me reconsider my personal favor towards Israel. I'd like a short history of U.S. Israel relationship without a political bias. Thanks history masters!

In a sort of "Rising through the ranks" way.

I watched Das Boot recently, and couldn't help noticing how often rather significant amounts of seawater wound up getting into the sub. Anyone who has seen the movie knows what I'm referring to here. Any time they surface and go above decks there's a shot of what must be tens of gallons of water getting into the boat. And of course the captain and others get VERY wet.

How did they deal with this? Was everything just a little bit damp all the time? How did they dry out if not? Apart from occasional surfacing, this is a mostly closed/sealed vessel, and there just doesn't seem to be anywhere for the water, moisture, and humidity to go.

I'd appreciate details of how this changed over time, if that's possible.