Oppenheimer’s recitation of “I am become death, the destroyer of worlds” has become very well known (and rightfully so, what a line!), but I’ve always wondered about why that came to mind for him.

Was this something that was particularly culturally relevant at time? Would it have been meaningful to his peers in the scientific community or the press? Was there an intellectual tradition that included the Bhagvad Gita, or was this a particular interest to Oppenheimer?

On the maps of ww2 Germany Switzerland just stays not being part of Germany. Why doesn't Hitler take over it?

The Wikipedia page for the Umayyad Caliphate shows a map of the Caliphate’s territory at its greatest extent reaching around the south of the Caspian Sea, but not touching its shore. Was there a reason why the Caliphate did not reach the southern shore?

When Varus got ambushed by Arminius the land was described as very lightly populated, the Roman army would have gone days without seeing a settlement, but 1000 years later these same lands were the home to the only Catholic Empire in Europe.

was it a societal change? a technological one?

Hello hello. As someone who's terminally online, I'll often come across rather detailed arguments between folks who consider themselves leftist over points like, say, property rights or electoralism. All of this feels halfway between interesting and arcane to me, and it makes me wonder about the origins of these arguments, and how these various schools of leftism distinguish themselves from one another.

I had thought there must be a glut of books on the market that do this, but to my surprise, I haven't been able to find anything published that fits the bill. The closest things I've found appear to be written from a right-wing perspective, and though it's certainly conceivable that such a breakdown would be fair and impartial, I'm not interested in reading about these concepts from a text making explicit value judgments about this stuff, positively or negatively, if at all possible.

So: Does anyone have any recommendations for a book (not a website) that compares the origins and beliefs of various schools of leftism?

I was wondering whether there was a dominating, elite of Russians that ensured that all key positions of power within the USSR were solidly within the hands of Russians (akin to Liberia where former American slaves formed the ruling elite in the country whereas its indigineous people formed the lower class). Or was the ruling elite - especially within the CPSU - actually comprised of a multiethnic clique that somewhat adequately reflected the ethnic diversity of the Soviet Union?

Does anyone have any information on that?

I mean; did people sunbathe; were there food vendors and facilities on beaches etc. Has humanity always flocked to the coast when it gets hot?

I come from a Geman noble family in the Grand Duchy of Finland of the Russian Empire. Said family is insignificant and unknown but financially well-off, so money won't be a problem. I'm a Protestant Christian that knows several major European languages and was educated in art, proper manners and the like.

After considering a military career and studying in Paris, I decide the greatest adventure would be travelling the world. I want to visit Berlin, Bombay and Hong Kong.

Will crossing borders be a problem? How difficult will it be for a private person with no connection to royalty, large corporations or the military to get to and enter a foreign country? How will I travel most comfortably?I'm assuming it'd be by ship, but how would I book a cabin in one? Would I find accommodation? How would I find my way around once I'm there, given I wouldn't have a host or employer waiting for me?

I heard alot of battles and stories where supply lines were extremely long or otherwise difficult to move/use, some of these were on plains where I'd assume fruits and berries etc could be found, why was armies living off the land so rare? (I'm not talking about deserts or anything, maybe just plains and farmlands), I know the time may vary so why would this not happen in medieval armies?

Just getting into history. i want to study about the history of the west and the entire middle east in depth. What resources should i use? Are there any good factual documentaries, books, apps etc anyone knows about to make this easy? is there any good online resource u normally use to study history?

I know we don’t have the exact numbers but ideally I’m looking for an answer that gives generous, moderate, and conservative estimates with some of the reasoning walked through. Thanks in advance! ☺️

I'll admit this question is inspired by an episode of TNG. (S6E21 if curious.) But it has me wondering, are there any documented historical cases of actors losing the ability to differentiate the characters they play from their own real-life selves? For example, has there ever been a method actor who got so into their character that they actually believed themselves to be that character? (At least as far as anyone in their life could tell?) Has there ever been a documented case of an actor losing the ability to separate fantasy from reality, and actually perceiving themselves to literally be a character they were playing?

I was recently reading The Walls Have Ears: The Greatest Intelligence Operation of World War II by Helen Fry, which details the incarceration and surveillance of German generals in stately homes in southern England during the Second World War. On a number of occasions, the author mentions that prisoners were repatriated, before the end of the war, to Germany. How was this possible, logistically? Wouldn't transporting prisoners across occupied Europe have been exceedingly dangerous, whether by land or sea? Also, how would the two sides be communicating to make these arrangements?

I've read that mail, Red Cross parcels etc. were routed through Switzerland and/or Sweden, but how did they reach these places without being seized or destroyed in disputed waters or Nazi-occupied territories?

In most period pieces that depict this time period, everyone has southern accents. Obviously southern accents are from the south, and the "wild west" was in the west. Is there any basis for southern accents being the norm in the late 1800's western U.S.? What would people in this era/time period have sounded like?