I just want to know if nuclear weapons could possibly have been invented without Einstein's theory of relativity.

I've read that it may have been as much as a half-century before anyone else discovered the theory of relativity and that's why Einstein has such a special place in the pantheon of famous scientists. I don't think this is a 'historical what if' question because it's specific and probably well-understood by knowledgeable people, because it's a very important question. If the theory of relativity was necessary for nuclear weapons to be invented then Einstein is a gigantically influential person in a way that I'd never fully realized before.

I'm guessing the answer to this question is obvious to historians of science and is an example of me forgetting some basics of 20th century history. I read a biography of Einstein 10 years ago and don't remember it delving into this issue though.

Obviously a lot of Americans and Soviets feared Nuclear war during the Cold War. One thing that has always puzzled me is what were the Canadians thinking? They were in between a rock and a hard place when it came to the two super powers. Were any special preparations made in case the USA and the USSR came to blows? Would the maple syrup reserves have been secured before the ruskies could invade?

My understanding is that the use of horses for chariots predated any real mounted army.

Who were the Sogdians? Is there a good book that covers them? Does anybody today claim descent from them?

I've read that Switzerland stayed out of the UN because of "neutrality". Can somebody elaborate on this? What did it do with other pre-UN organizations?

Also, if it's not a too recent question, why did it back out of this decision in 2002, even if by a small margin?

Were they successful? Were there many? What did they have in common with each other, if anything? Any information about bounty hunters is welcome.

I know saying the word 'unit' probably instantly infuriated everyone, but what I'm looking for is a survey of the various types of fighter you could find in the ancient world. Equipment, tactics, the origins and development of recognizably distinct types of fighter. Partially from Alexander on to about 2 or 300 ad. Is there anything that fits the bill?

I was wondering if there has ever been significant efforts to reintegrate parts of "Old Germany"/HRE into current Germany. (Not efforts by Germany, but efforts by those countries/provinces themselves) Especially since the German economy is doing so great at the moment, compared to other European countries.

Aren't the people, who live in the German-part of Poland still German? Or do they see themselves as Polish now? Or did the majority of them actually move to Germany after the war, once their territory became Polish?

Was black hair unusual in the ancient Near East? I had always assumed that it most neighbouring cultures would have had dark hair.

George RR Martin has said that he based his books in events in the war of roses in the fifteenth century. In his books he mentions a number of people who were made knights for their fighting prowess in their teens - Jamie Lanister for one.

Is there historical president for this?

It seems very implausible. That is, I can't think of any 15 year olds that are physically developed enough to compete with full grown men in any sports where upper body strength would be as important as it would be in a sword fight or jousting (e.g. American football, wrestling, rugby). So it is hard to imagine any 15 year old squire in the fifteenth century being able compete with a full grown knight and win glory.

I know that due to format wars and the mechanical limitations of early jukeboxes, 7-inch phonograph records were designed to replace the small spindle hole that old 10-inch records had with a very large center hole. But LPs kept the very narrow center hole.

But the large hole always seemed quite a bit more practical, in my opinion. With the large center hole, one can place one finger on the outside edge and another finger on the inside edge and easily handle the record. But with LPs, unless you pinch the outside edge (not recommended), it is very awkward to put them back inside the album covers.

Did any company ever try making LPs with wide center holes? If not, why not?

I remember seeing this interview about historical documentaries, and one of the actors (I believe it was actually Tom Hanks, but I might be wrong) talked about how what the actors attempt to achieve in a movie recreation isn't so much the material accuracy, as the emotional accuracy.

From a narrative standpoint, I was wondering if they don't have a point.

Consider for example anachronistic medieval paintings of Roman emperors dressed as medieval kings entering classical cities that look like medieval castles. To the painters the material accuracy of the surroundings was less important than the story and narrative they were attempting to convey.

There are many kinds of "accuracy" to portray, including thought accuracy and social accuracy. Although obviously we have to consider that even "emotional" accuracy may be wrong because it is interpreted through the medium of the actors and director.

But it just has me wonder, do we historians now, in our constant complaints about the inaccuracy of movies, books, and what not, have a fetish about material accuracy? Is that fetish warranted? Or might it not be?

I was debating with some people about the term "coolie" being racist, and a number of Americans aren't aware of the racist past of the word, likely because it is long obsolete. That got me wondering more about it's history, and usage. A bit of google searching indicates that it is applied to more groups than just Chinese, which got me even more curious.

With explosions, gun fire and screaming you would expect front line troops to suffer major hearing loss; I was wondering if there was any preventative measures taken.

I saw the new show on bbc and became curious. I know the story is based on a book. But I'm wondering who the real ones were.