Panama Canal Zone separates the North from the South <span />
Yes, technically it is true that the Byzantine emperor, who believed that Muslims posed a threat to Christian Constantinople, requested help from Europe, although he mostly dealt with them himself.
He made the Maxim machine gun. It was the first recoil operated machine gun to be produced.
Stephen Douglas won the Illinois Senate seat despite Abraham Lincoln won the popular vote because the Democrats won more seats in legislature and they re-elected Douglas. During 1858, Senate Elections results lie not on the hands of the people but on the state legislature. Hence, even if Lincoln got the most votes from people, Douglas still emerged as the winner.