An answer to this question depends a lot on what you are using to read your email. -- edit - received more info about what type of email asker is using In that case, there could be many reasons. One is that Hotmail does try to protect you a bit and not allow you to open any old attachment.
One way it can do this is by changing the file's MIME type (which browsers can use to determine file type) to something generic so that the browser only knows to download vs open the file. Another possibility is that some settings have been changed in your browser - if you do not mind losing saved passwords, history, and/or other information, you can reset your browser back to default settings in various ways depending on what browser you use. These are two of the most likely possibilities - there are just so many variations of browsers vs operating systems vs also what antivirus/internet protection you have installed.
My suggestion is to actually keep downloading the files first and opening them after. It's a much safer way to handle attachments from email since, if you have an active virus scanner installed, you are pretty much guaranteed that it will scan the file to make sure it is clean. There are just so many times when an attachment looks like a jpg file but is really something else in disguise that I really recommend downloading the file before opening.
If you really do want to just open it right from Hotmail, resetting your browser back to default settings might help, but it might not if Hotmail is actively enforcing the download vs open from web of attachments. -- /edit.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.