Greetings all, I am a currently a double major as an undergrad in History and English. To prevent the need to write two separate thesis papers I have gotten approval to write a longer thesis paper that can satisfy both departmental requirements. I became very interested in the fear of new science and technology when reading colonial literature from the outbreak of smallpox in Massachusetts during the American Revolution (fear of inoculations) and especially after reading Shelley's Frankenstein.

I already got signed off from the English department about this topic, however I am struggling to find the "historical controversy" which exists to write about. Is there something that historians still debate, or a controversy which exists within this context which I can further research? If not I have to decide if I like this topic enough to write a separate thesis for History, or it's back to the drawing board to find a different topic that can encompass both fields. Thanks!

I am reading "Black Count" by Tom Reiss currently and he has a great little bit about the near miss of Admiral Nelson leaving Alexandria 3 hours before the arrival of Napoleon's fleet. My question is this: had Nelson actually encounter The French Armada how long would it have taken word to get back to the UK for reinforcements, and how long would the have taken to arrive? Thanks!

I'm especially interested in the opinions people held towards free companies in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

From what I know Lenins reintroduction into Russia was a "turning point" in the revolutionary movement at the time. But the Krensky had proven himself a fine leader to the Bolsheviks. Wouldn't he have eventually led them to revolution.

I'm currently taking a course on European Nationalism in the 19th Century history and I have had a very hard time finding decent additional sources to read about. Most of the books recommended by people, such as the German History, 1770-1866 by James Sheehan from the /r/AskHistorians book list are only available in print. I live in Hong Kong and most of these books aren't available here, unless I order them internationally. Are there any good sources for Germanic Nationalism that any of you would've known of that are currently available to buy as an electronic version?

I can't help but wonder what people before the understanding of electricity thought of it? Especially the bright blue flashes of static electricity that can be produced with nothing more than blankets.

Any odd or interesting mentions?

I see a lot of references to Western traditions of the occult in media (demons, alchemy, tarot, and all that), a few references to Eastern esotericism, and even some references to Native American mysticism (though not much beyond spirit animals/quests, sadly), but the only depictions of the occult in Africa I can think of involve just communing with the spirits of your ancestors. I'd look up more about it myself, but I really don't even know what to look for. So what's the history of the occult / esotericism / mysticism like for Africa? Are there any major resources to turn to for information about the occult in Africa?

The story goes that there was a high king of Ireland who had two sons. The older one went on to rule Ireland and the younger (my alleged ancestor) was jealous and staged a revolution. The revolution was unsuccessful and my ancestor had to flee to England. Was there ever a failed revolution like this that took place in Ireland or is this just family folklore?

I am struggling to find resources about pre-Enlightenment murder trials and I'm hoping your comments might inspire some fresh search terms because I'm out of ideas.

My knowledge of China is nearly nonexistant. I'm particularly interested in learning about Ancient China. Any recommendation of podcasts, documentaries, books, etc would be appreciated. I recently picked up a copy of The Three Kingdoms, but i don't know how factual it is.