I understand that much of it was rendered inoperable by the retreating BEF. But did the Germans end up using any of it, or was it incompatible with their forces? Was it melted down and recycled? Did the French Resistance make use of some of the equipment and ammunition?

Some sufferers of fibromyalgia have postulated that Florence Nightingale was also a sufferer, based on (I believe) accounts of her symptoms in her diary. I can't find much serious research backing this particular example up, but it does seem that the application of modern medical knowledge to contemporary accounts of historical figures and their illnesses is reasonably common. How accurate is this? And how does it change our understanding of the historical figures involved?

*Compared to the U.S.

How is it that these Commonwealth countries grew to have armed police forces whilst their British and New Zealander counterparts stayed unarmed? Were they always armed? Did some event lead to the arming of Canadian and Australian police?

Why were the Jews and the Christians kicked out of Hijaz? I understand the slight enmity of the Jews against the Muslims (at times, it was warranted), however, I'm still unsure as to why the Christians, in particular, were kicked out.

Reference from the Sahihs:

Sahih Muslim Book 019, Hadith Number 4366.

It has been narrated by 'Umar b. al-Khattib that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim.

Sahih al-Bukhari 3152, Book 57, Hadith 60.

It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira who said: We were (sitting) in the mosque when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to us and said: (Let us) go to the Jews. We went out with him until we came to them. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up and called out to them (saying): O ye assembly of Jews, accept Islam (and) you will be safe. They said: Abu'l-Qasim, you have communicated (God's Message to us). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: I want this (i. e. you should admit that God's Message has been communicated to you), accept Islam and you would be safe. They said: Abu'l-Qisim, you have communicated (Allah's Message). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: I want this... - He said to them (the same words) the third time (and on getting the same reply) he added: You should know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle, and I wish that I should expel you from this land. Those of you who have any property with them should sell it, otherwise they should know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle (and they may have to go away leaving everything behind).

I also understand that they were not kicked out within the lifetime of Muhammad, but by Umar after the death of Muhammad. Although Muhammad commanded their removal.

And it doesn't really matter whether they're Scandinavian, English, or Holy Roman Imperial.

The question up there says it all, but this came to mind when I read an article about the crossbow, and how bows like it fell out of popularity quickly after guns were invented. I've always been told that early guns were very inaccurate and that it took long to reload them, so why did they so quickly replace other forms of projectile weaponry.

Note: I'm not asking about cannons, I have a much better idea of why those caught on so fast. I'm specifically asking about smaller firearms and pistols.

Thank you everyone!

This assignment requires roughly 15 primary/secondary sources and I'm pretty much overwhelmed to the point I don't even know where to start. My plan is to write roughly 2 pages on 6 events (Washington Crossing Delaware, Boston Massacre, Ben Franks getting yelled at by Parliament, Valley Forge battle, Battle of Concord, and the Winter of 1779) and compare what actually happened to what's depicted in famous paintings.

Any book or author recommendations would be GREATLY appreciated.

We need this for a class debate....

In terms of British dominions: Do I understand correctly that John A. MacDonald was a "national builder" or "empire builder" for Canada, Henry Parkes for Australia, Julius Vogel for New Zealand, and Cecil Rhodes for South(ern) Africa? Plus, did either Parkes/Vogel/Rhodes or any of their successors carry out something similar to MacDonald's post-Confederation National Policy in their respective countries?

I'm not sure what the term is for this, but how does the IRI compare to Pahlavi Iran when it comes to things like:

-Building Infrastructure

-Improving Health Care

-Educating the Populace (basic literacy & higher education)

-Human Rights

-Women's Rights

-Minority Rights (Arabs, once-nomadic Iranian tribes, religious minorities, other ethnic minorities)

-Access to Justice

-Other things people care about that I'm probably forgetting