Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Danube River flows past the eastern edge of Ulm, meeting the Blau Stream from the west and the Iller river within the city limits. The confluence sits at an altitude of 480 meters above sea level with most historic districts on the northern bank while four districts including Wiblingen lie on the southern side across the water.
King Louis the German signed a document in the King's palace of Hulma on the 22nd of July 854 AD which marks the earliest written mention of the settlement. Settlements from the early Neolithic period began around 5000 BC near Eggingen and Lehr before Friedrich Barbarossa declared Ulm an Imperial City in 1181.
The sole RAF strategic bombing raid occurred on the 17th of December 1944 targeting two large lorry factories belonging to Magirus-Deutz and Kässbohrer. The raid killed 707 inhabitants and left 25,000 homeless while over 80% of the medieval city center lay in ruins after all bombings.
The Museum Ulm houses the Löwenmensch figurine dating back 40,000 years which remains the oldest known human or animal shaped artifact. This lion-headed sculpture is displayed within the museum alongside other cultural items including a professional philharmonic orchestra that performs drama opera and ballet productions.
The University of Ulm opened its doors in 1967 focusing on sciences medicine engineering and mathematics with about 10,000 students attending this smaller German university. Inge Aicher-Scholl Otl Aicher and Max Bill founded the Ulm School of Design in 1953 which operated until it closed in 1968 following traditions established by the Bauhaus movement.