question_title stringlengths 1 316 | body stringlengths 1 40k | metadata dict |
|---|---|---|
How do historians treat literature? | Literature is regularly utilized, it is usually treated as another source for the time period in question. It can establish at least two 'truths': what the author perceived of the topic they wrote about and what that can tell us about the environment they wrote in. A good example would be *All Quiet on the Western Fr... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qs2s9",
"post_id": "qs2s9",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qs2s9/how_do_historians_treat_literature/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qs2s9/how_do_historians_treat_literature/",
"post_created_ut... |
Looking for good sources in regards to Lincoln. | I think Allen Guelzo's book on the Emancipation Proclamation might be useful in addition to the other sources people have mentioned: http://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Emancipation-Proclamation-Slavery-America/dp/0743221826 Pretty much directly answers your question for you, although you'd obviously be advised to consider ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qs9ds",
"post_id": "qs9ds",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qs9ds/looking_for_good_sources_in_regards_to_lincoln/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qs9ds/looking_for_good_sources_in_regards_to_linco... |
Why is the crown prince always the first born by default in monarchy, irregardless of culture? | 1. It isn't. It was common in Europe for the first born male to get the goods, not necessarily the first born.
2. Irregardless isn't a word, not really. You mean regardless.
3. If you kill or conquer everyone else, it doesn't matter who your parents were.
4. Hardly any Roman Emperors were legitimate children of the pre... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qsdxw",
"post_id": "qsdxw",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qsdxw/why_is_the_crown_prince_always_the_first_born_by/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qsdxw/why_is_the_crown_prince_always_the_first_b... |
What is the origin of the 'protestant work ethic' and is it a myth? | I'm gonna quote the Wiki article on Weber's book, because this is an awfully complicated thing to explain:
> The Roman Catholic Church assured salvation to individuals who accepted the church's sacraments and submitted to the clerical authority. However, the Reformation had effectively removed such assurances. From... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qsmw7",
"post_id": "qsmw7",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qsmw7/what_is_the_origin_of_the_protestant_work_ethic/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qsmw7/what_is_the_origin_of_the_protestant_work_e... |
Who were the first "moral" vegetarians? | [I thought it was the hindus,but it seems like Jainists beat them to it](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_vegetarianism). | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qstii",
"post_id": "qstii",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qstii/who_were_the_first_moral_vegetarians/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qstii/who_were_the_first_moral_vegetarians/",
"post_create... |
When was the earliest known portrait photograph of someone smiling taken? and when did smiling become the norm? | I don't think it's because of bewilderment that makes them look all stern and serious. It's because the long exposure time required makes it really hard for people to hold a smile. Just you try holding a smile for more than a few seconds. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qt09m",
"post_id": "qt09m",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt09m/when_was_the_earliest_known_portrait_photograph/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt09m/when_was_the_earliest_known_portrait_photog... |
how did translation work in situations of contact between far-flung cultures work? | When you mention Mandarin (well, Chinese, really, since Mandarin is a spoken form of the consistent, written form of Chinese), you were probably thinking of Niccolo, Maffeo, and Marco Polo's trips to China as well as the later contact between people like Matteo Ricci with China.
When the Polos were traveling to China,... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qt0jo",
"post_id": "qt0jo",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt0jo/how_did_translation_work_in_situations_of_contact/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt0jo/how_did_translation_work_in_situations_of... |
Are there any good eastern front of WWII accounts and/or veterans still around who talk about it? Do either country honor those veterans? | Yes, there are quite a few accounts today from the Eastern Front from both the German and Soviet point of view. But try to be more specific in what interests you most, unless you'd like a three page list. And the Soviet Union regularly 'honors' its veterans, but that's a touchy subject to get into. The history of Ge... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qt2oj",
"post_id": "qt2oj",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt2oj/are_there_any_good_eastern_front_of_wwii_accounts/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt2oj/are_there_any_good_eastern_front_of_wwii_... |
How did Julius Caesar's mother and father raise him? And what effect did his upbringing have on his personality? | Little is known about Julius Caesar's early life; his father died when he was relatively young (about 16 years of age) and thus Julius was thrust into the position of pater familius at somewhat of a young age. It's extremely difficult to comment directly on how he was raised and his early life due to lack of evidence a... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qt6rp",
"post_id": "qt6rp",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt6rp/how_did_julius_caesars_mother_and_father_raise/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt6rp/how_did_julius_caesars_mother_and_father_rai... |
I need help identifying a flag | It's the flag of [Flag of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy](http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de~933rk.html). German Navy 1933-45. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qt85w",
"post_id": "qt85w",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt85w/i_need_help_identifying_a_flag/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt85w/i_need_help_identifying_a_flag/",
"post_created_utc": 1331... |
Military Historians - who is your favorite general? Why? | You missed Belisarius, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belisarius | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qt8so",
"post_id": "qt8so",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt8so/military_historians_who_is_your_favorite_general/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qt8so/military_historians_who_is_your_favorite_g... |
How many countries have landed on the moon? | No countries have landed on the moon. Countries don't travel well. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qtexl",
"post_id": "qtexl",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qtexl/how_many_countries_have_landed_on_the_moon/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qtexl/how_many_countries_have_landed_on_the_moon/",
... |
Did Greece's ancient significance to Western history influence early decisions to admit it to the EU/Eurozone? | *As a note, I'm going to use the term EU throughout, though technically EEC is accurate for much of the period discussed*.
The answer is no, though Greece did receive special political consideration:
To give you an historical sketch, Greece ascended to the EU in 1981, several decades before other eastern european st... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qtijv",
"post_id": "qtijv",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qtijv/did_greeces_ancient_significance_to_western/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qtijv/did_greeces_ancient_significance_to_western/",
... |
Why was the post-Cold War period so violent? | Dismemberment of the Soviet Union left a power vacuum not only in the former territories of the Soviet Union but also throughout the world. Post-colonial territories are harder to contextualize, the after-effects of colonial policies are still being played out throughout the world. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qto0k",
"post_id": "qto0k",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qto0k/why_was_the_postcold_war_period_so_violent/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qto0k/why_was_the_postcold_war_period_so_violent/",
... |
What did Rome Add to Greek Intellectualism? | Depends what you mean by intellectualism. There will be classicists coming armed with more knowledge, but it's sort of like asking what Americans did with British intellectualism.
If you mean did Aristotle and Plato's work get a second latin edition then no, not really, but that doesn't mean they didn't innovate.
As ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qtpe9",
"post_id": "qtpe9",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qtpe9/what_did_rome_add_to_greek_intellectualism/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qtpe9/what_did_rome_add_to_greek_intellectualism/",
... |
Help coming up with a thesis. | The first thing is to stop using the word basically. You are either writing an essay or you are not. You are not basically writing it. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qts23",
"post_id": "qts23",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qts23/help_coming_up_with_a_thesis/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qts23/help_coming_up_with_a_thesis/",
"post_created_utc": 13315996... |
generations and war | > the theory goes that a population boom leads to more wars/social unrest.
That's not a theory - at least not in a scientific sense. If you want to extend this conjecture into a theory, you'd have to bring some data. Everything else is just free association and speculation. Not what 'we' do in history.
> a theo... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qu6zr",
"post_id": "qu6zr",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qu6zr/generations_and_war/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qu6zr/generations_and_war/",
"post_created_utc": 1331618964,
"question_se... |
What is a good book for learning world history from... the beginning? | There's a great film on the subject- "History of the World Part 1." I highly recommend it. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qucta",
"post_id": "qucta",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qucta/what_is_a_good_book_for_learning_world_history/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qucta/what_is_a_good_book_for_learning_world_histo... |
Here's a serious question I doubt historians see much: what are your video game recommendations? | I'd recommend Paradox Interactive games. Victoria is actually one of a number of games they've made - they also have grand strategy games for the period of ca. 1350-1820 CE (Europa Universalis), Medieval Europe (Crusader Kings), and World War II (Hearts of Iron).
I should warn that counterfactuals almost inevitably em... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_quwxc",
"post_id": "quwxc",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/quwxc/heres_a_serious_question_i_doubt_historians_see/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/quwxc/heres_a_serious_question_i_doubt_historians... |
My fellow historians, I present you with (currently) my favorite history resource. | oh... I thought it was going to be JSTOR. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_quwxd",
"post_id": "quwxd",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/quwxd/my_fellow_historians_i_present_you_with_currently/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/quwxd/my_fellow_historians_i_present_you_with_c... |
Why is it that some civilizations advanced more than others? | This is quite a loaded question and one that really gets to the core debates in the historical profession, so you're definitely in the right place! Rather than directly answer your question, it might be helpful to discuss exactly what we mean by the term 'advanced'.
While I'm not saying that you necessarily think in ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qv1nm",
"post_id": "qv1nm",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qv1nm/why_is_it_that_some_civilizations_advanced_more/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qv1nm/why_is_it_that_some_civilizations_advanced_... |
How is Franklin D. Roosevelt viewed today? | I double majored in economics and history, so I find it interesting that historians typically emphasise the New Deal's impact on the economy. Economists are generally much more mixed on the New Deal (opinions range from "it was mostly/all bad," "it didn't really harm or help," to "it helped a great deal," which is wher... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qv6vq",
"post_id": "qv6vq",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qv6vq/how_is_franklin_d_roosevelt_viewed_today/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qv6vq/how_is_franklin_d_roosevelt_viewed_today/",
"pos... |
There are specialists in the histories of many subjects. American History, Victorian, Scientific, Economic, Soviet, Military, etc. Is there a branch of history that specifically deals with the subject of History? As in, History History? | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historiography | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qvb6a",
"post_id": "qvb6a",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qvb6a/there_are_specialists_in_the_histories_of_many/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qvb6a/there_are_specialists_in_the_histories_of_ma... |
Ataturk and the Progressive Dictator | First off, I highly, highly, highly recommend you read Şukru Hanioğlu's new book Atatürk: An Intellectual Biography if you haven't already. I think that the principles you've outlined as characteristic of Atatürk deserve some modification. Semi-official Kemalist doctrine has six "arrows": Republicanism, Popularism, S... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qvcnl",
"post_id": "qvcnl",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qvcnl/ataturk_and_the_progressive_dictator/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qvcnl/ataturk_and_the_progressive_dictator/",
"post_create... |
Russian-American War | Are you sure this happened? I've spent a good twenty minutes googling and can't find a single mention. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qvjmx",
"post_id": "qvjmx",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qvjmx/russianamerican_war/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qvjmx/russianamerican_war/",
"post_created_utc": 1331691635,
"question_se... |
How common were child soldiers in the ancient world? | Without gunpowder weapons, individual strength is pretty important in combat, though I can imagine children playing auxiliary roles. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qvngn",
"post_id": "qvngn",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qvngn/how_common_were_child_soldiers_in_the_ancient/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qvngn/how_common_were_child_soldiers_in_the_ancient... |
Has a serious Presidential candidate ever sincerely stated that they did not vote for themself? | Not that I am aware of. Despite displaying a sense of humor, making such a statement publicly would be a godsend to one's opponents, who could forever after point to you and say "Even he doesn't think he should govern!" | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qvv98",
"post_id": "qvv98",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qvv98/has_a_serious_presidential_candidate_ever/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qvv98/has_a_serious_presidential_candidate_ever/",
"p... |
Resources for Medieval Church/Choir Music | The answer sort of depends on exactly what you're looking for. Most of the music used in video games and movies is composed recently, it's not authentic medieval music. They get the same sound by using a lot of open fourths and fifths, but real medieval music would sound horribly boring in a modern video game. If yo... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qw1bu",
"post_id": "qw1bu",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qw1bu/resources_for_medieval_churchchoir_music/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qw1bu/resources_for_medieval_churchchoir_music/",
"pos... |
How come we always talk about the Jews, but never the Gypsy Genocide? | I assume that a lot of this has to do with numbers. At least six times as many Jews died in the holocaust than the Roma people, so from the outset, they're dwarfed numerically.
There's also the problem that the Roma traditionally have been semi-nomadic without a great tradition of record-keeping and with large rates ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qw9vi",
"post_id": "qw9vi",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qw9vi/how_come_we_always_talk_about_the_jews_but_never/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qw9vi/how_come_we_always_talk_about_the_jews_but... |
x-post from /answers: Can someone explain to me the details of the insurgency in Afghanistan? Is it homegrown, foreign, or a bit of both? Is there popular support? Ideological unity? Things like that, please. | The Afghanistan insurgency is fueled by the mistakes that the US-force led coalition did in the beginning of the war. If we look beyond the occupation and the incompetent ordinary forces that had no idea how to handle civilians in a counterinsurgency war, we find that the US couldn't build up a functioning infrastructu... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qwge1",
"post_id": "qwge1",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qwge1/xpost_from_answers_can_someone_explain_to_me_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qwge1/xpost_from_answers_can_someone_explain_to_... |
Music historians: If I had a time machine, a radio and some CDs, which historical era and culture would enjoy today's music most? | Hip-hop and rock wouldn't translate well at all. Almost none of it would really be "danceable" if you went back farther than the 1950s (and even that's a stretch for some things). Keep in mind that the principal instruments in popular music today are fairly new. Electric guitars were invented in 1952 by Les Paul, an... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qwroc",
"post_id": "qwroc",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qwroc/music_historians_if_i_had_a_time_machine_a_radio/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qwroc/music_historians_if_i_had_a_time_machine_a... |
What would happen if Allende's Project Cybersyn was continuously developed into the present? | So many questions.
Even a cybernetically micromanaged planned economy would ultimately rely on artificially (that is, politically) set prices. Pretending to have "perfect information” doesn’t actually make the information you do have “perfect”. May god help you if you pretend to know all you need to know — while hav... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qwxgx",
"post_id": "qwxgx",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qwxgx/what_would_happen_if_allendes_project_cybersyn/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qwxgx/what_would_happen_if_allendes_project_cybers... |
What was life like for the average Aryan German during Nazi Germany? | My professor Dr. Devin Pendas at Boston College specializes in German history, especially during the Third Reich. He is a brilliant man and really knows this material well. I asked him this question and this was his response:
"This is actually a very complicated question, but the short answer is that yes, in many ways... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qx2oq",
"post_id": "qx2oq",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qx2oq/what_was_life_like_for_the_average_aryan_german/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qx2oq/what_was_life_like_for_the_average_aryan_ge... |
Was there more to England's turn to Protestantism? | I think you're misunderstanding a fundamental concept of religion. From a spiritual point of view, the biggest "benefit of converting" was not condemning your soul to eternal damnation. Religion wasn't exclusively a tool to be manipulated by the elite (although to pretend that it wasn't at all would be naive). Now, it ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qx7hh",
"post_id": "qx7hh",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qx7hh/was_there_more_to_englands_turn_to_protestantism/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qx7hh/was_there_more_to_englands_turn_to_protest... |
Reparations for African-American Slavery | Reparations from who? State governments? The descendents of slave-owners? Can you hold the federal government responsible, especially 150 years later (and after having fought the Civil War largely around the issue)? I also imagine it would be difficult to sort out claims of descent from slaves (and everyone will sudden... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qxa73",
"post_id": "qxa73",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qxa73/reparations_for_africanamerican_slavery/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qxa73/reparations_for_africanamerican_slavery/",
"post_... |
Historically, why the French do not like the British? | There's a long, complicated history between the two, starting after 1066. The English kings, being ambitious and wishing to overtake the prestige of the French crown, managed to marry into some very powerful families in France - Geoffrey of Anjou (from whom we get the terms Angevin and Plantagenet, *planta genesta* ) b... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qxqzp",
"post_id": "qxqzp",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qxqzp/historically_why_the_french_do_not_like_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qxqzp/historically_why_the_french_do_not_like_the/",
... |
How much would the romans stick to formation in a battle? | As the Romans fought throughout the battle they tried to hold formation as they fought because they understood the idea of an armored wall. So, if one Roman soldier was to fall, then another would step up in their place to create the wall again. Each soldier equipped with a shield, sword, and javelin/pike was to protec... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qxs3m",
"post_id": "qxs3m",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qxs3m/how_much_would_the_romans_stick_to_formation_in_a/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qxs3m/how_much_would_the_romans_stick_to_format... |
What are the earliest recorded observations of afterimages, blind spots, pins & needles, sleeping limbs, and other neurological imperfections? | Ceaser was considered to have Epilepsy. In fact, the word epilepsy comes from the Ancient Greek word for 'seizure', indicating that these conditions were known of thousands of years ago, Weather they were understood as such is another matter. Plutarch describes him as "suffered from distemper in the head, and was subje... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qxsax",
"post_id": "qxsax",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qxsax/what_are_the_earliest_recorded_observations_of/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qxsax/what_are_the_earliest_recorded_observations_... |
Which army of number of armies are most renowned for either a) combat ability or b) military tactics, and why? | This is a bit more complex question in many ways. First of all, there are three different types of prowess relevant to military success:
Military Tactics (like the wall formation)
Military Logistics/Organization (I can bring 50,000 men to the party against your 5,000 because you can't feed OR recruit 50,... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qxvzu",
"post_id": "qxvzu",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qxvzu/which_army_of_number_of_armies_are_most_renowned/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qxvzu/which_army_of_number_of_armies_are_most_re... |
When rapid cultural growth was happening in Mesopotamia during the early cycles of civilization, what was going on in India? | I'm curious what you mean by "every Western language owing its dues to the early Indians." The best guess of the origins of Indo-European places it around the Black Sea and central Asia.
Anyway, India in the Bronze Age seems to have had a highly developed civilization, on the order of contemporary Mesopotamia. Unfortu... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qxwep",
"post_id": "qxwep",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qxwep/when_rapid_cultural_growth_was_happening_in/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qxwep/when_rapid_cultural_growth_was_happening_in/",
... |
Ask Historians, tell me about any piece of history you feel the public needs to know more about. | The class perspectives of the Founding Fathers, as well as the role of class in the formation of racial ideology during colonial times. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qy2ul",
"post_id": "qy2ul",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qy2ul/ask_historians_tell_me_about_any_piece_of_history/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qy2ul/ask_historians_tell_me_about_any_piece_of... |
Latvia and the Soviet Union/Russian Revolution | in Orlando Figes' *A People's Tragedy* (a very good history of the revolution), the Latvian Rifle Brigades are referred to as 'the staunchest defenders' of the Bolsheviks in the Civil War, alongside the Kronstadt sailors and the Red Guards.
Some other quotes from Figes that might be interesting - 'The only real troops... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qy505",
"post_id": "qy505",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qy505/latvia_and_the_soviet_unionrussian_revolution/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qy505/latvia_and_the_soviet_unionrussian_revolution... |
Did Japan have any indication/intelligence that we were going to drop the bomb? | Per Ken Kotani, "Japanese Intelligence in World War II", Pages 17 and 18, Lt. Colonel Eizo Hori, a senior staff officer of the Japanese Army Intelligence section later wrote:
*At 4:00 hrs on the morning of August 6, we caught a call sign for B-29s. They sent a message, "we are going off the mission." We had known the ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qybx4",
"post_id": "qybx4",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qybx4/did_japan_have_any_indicationintelligence_that_we/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qybx4/did_japan_have_any_indicationintelligence... |
What is a good topic that happened before the american civil war in america? | The Mexican-American war and more specifically the events leading up to it. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qysn1",
"post_id": "qysn1",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qysn1/what_is_a_good_topic_that_happened_before_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qysn1/what_is_a_good_topic_that_happened_before_the... |
The Mongols and Islam | yes, yes i can, for this is what i do.
you will be wanting Rashid al-Din's compendium of chronicals, translated by wheeler thackston (what country are you in? this can be hard to find as the publishers went bust, but i know there are copies at SOAS, Oxford and Cambridge (not in the British Library), as well as Harvar... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qysos",
"post_id": "qysos",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qysos/the_mongols_and_islam/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qysos/the_mongols_and_islam/",
"post_created_utc": 1331865017,
"questio... |
Constantine's "conversion?" | Mommy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_(Empress) | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qytkm",
"post_id": "qytkm",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qytkm/constantines_conversion/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qytkm/constantines_conversion/",
"post_created_utc": 1331866068,
"que... |
What was the first time we were able to directly observe atoms? | Well Perrin's work essentially proved the existence of atoms by finding an extreme correlation in the value of Avogadro's number from quite a few different experiments, a few variations on Brownian motion experiments, others on black bodies and a few others (some nice examples with bubbles as well). I recommend reading... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_qyvre",
"post_id": "qyvre",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qyvre/what_was_the_first_time_we_were_able_to_directly/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/qyvre/what_was_the_first_time_we_were_able_to_di... |
Germany's infrastructure works pre and during WW2 and their sustainability - what were they, and how were they financed? | > What other infrastructure projects were there?
The Reichsautobahn was the only large-scale inter-regional infrastructure project that was actually (partly) implemented. Another project that was partly implemented was the East-West Axis in Berlin (today Straße des 17. Juni).
Other than that, they had grand plans... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r01pm",
"post_id": "r01pm",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r01pm/germanys_infrastructure_works_pre_and_during_ww2/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r01pm/germanys_infrastructure_works_pre_and_duri... |
When was the term 'World War' first used? | "New York Times," Dec. 16, 1898:
>"If through fear of entangling alliances the United States should return the Philippines to Spain, Mr. Page asserted that the predatory nations would swoop down upon them and a world war would result."
Regarding WW I, specifically:
"England has Thrown Lot with France in World War... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r03y9",
"post_id": "r03y9",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r03y9/when_was_the_term_world_war_first_used/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r03y9/when_was_the_term_world_war_first_used/",
"post_cr... |
Why do so many people refuse to believe the Armenian Genocide happened? | I'm only aware of denial being the official Turkish government position (there's plenty of Turkish intellectuals and ordinary people who don't deny it) I think outside Turkey there's a pretty broad consensus that the Armenian Genocide took place. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r0c43",
"post_id": "r0c43",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r0c43/why_do_so_many_people_refuse_to_believe_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r0c43/why_do_so_many_people_refuse_to_believe_the/",
... |
How successful were British and American governments in lessening unemployment during The Great Depression? | You're extrapolating from present ideological strains here: The Welfare State in the US was introduced in this period via FDR's New Deal policies (Social Security, for example). Most of Britain's present-day Welfare State didn't exist yet (the NHS was founded in 1946, for example). FDR's predecessor, Hoover, had adopte... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r0eua",
"post_id": "r0eua",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r0eua/how_successful_were_british_and_american/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r0eua/how_successful_were_british_and_american/",
"pos... |
AMERICAN Civil War | The parties have changed immensely over the past century and a half, but even then the Republicans being associated with the south is relatively recent. The south switched over in the 70s due to the Civil Rights movement. The Democrats supported an end to segregation and were responsible for passing the Civil Rights Ac... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r0grv",
"post_id": "r0grv",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r0grv/american_civil_war/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r0grv/american_civil_war/",
"post_created_utc": 1331959996,
"question_self... |
How was Pericles the 'ruler' of Athens if it was a direct democracy? | He was hardly the "ruler," although he was influential enough that it could be easy to see him that way.
The reforms of Cleisthenes in the year 509 introduced democracy and a reorganization of the Athenian assembly and tribal systems. This left much of the power in the boule, or council, which prepared matters to be d... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r0ooo",
"post_id": "r0ooo",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r0ooo/how_was_pericles_the_ruler_of_athens_if_it_was_a/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r0ooo/how_was_pericles_the_ruler_of_athens_if_it... |
Analyzing a WWII propaganda poster. Did I miss
anything? [x-post from /r/AskHistory] | > 1 & 2 clearly symbol a defeated U.S. The flag is torn, its halfway up the pole, black smoke. Is this all referring to the same symbolism or am I missing something?
It's far more of a direct reference to Pearl Harbor. The black smoke would probably symbolize the aftermath of the attack and the flag, torn ye... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r13hy",
"post_id": "r13hy",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r13hy/analyzing_a_wwii_propaganda_poster_did_i_miss/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r13hy/analyzing_a_wwii_propaganda_poster_did_i_miss... |
What's your most interesting historical story/ fact that's actually pretty creepy? | This might be more anthropology than history but, Kuru/Laughing sickness. Fatal disease present in Papua New Guinea. Colonialist doctors are helpless not knowing the cause. Turns out it was the local tribes' practice of eating the dead.
Creepiest part for me:
The dysmorphism evident in the infection rates — kuru was... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r15t5",
"post_id": "r15t5",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r15t5/whats_your_most_interesting_historical_story_fact/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r15t5/whats_your_most_interesting_historical_st... |
Can anyone recommend a good biography of the Marquis de Lafayette? | I quite enjoyed Lafayette by Harlow Unger. It was exciting and paced really well. If I had a criticism it would be that it was a bit hagiographic. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r1brh",
"post_id": "r1brh",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1brh/can_anyone_recommend_a_good_biography_of_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1brh/can_anyone_recommend_a_good_biography_of_the/"... |
What's the history behind the development of quarantine practices worldwide? | To my knowledge, during Tudor England, every time the "sweating sickness" (an epidemic that swept the cities every summer, probably brought over from France by Henry VII's army) came, there were methods similar to quarantining. They would tie some mark (I think it was a bundle of straw) to the door of the house to warn... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r1cul",
"post_id": "r1cul",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1cul/whats_the_history_behind_the_development_of/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1cul/whats_the_history_behind_the_development_of/",
... |
What happened to the soldiers who were captured or surrendered during the American Revolution? | A good book for this is 'Fusiliers' by Mark Urban
some extracts about American Prisoners:
'when it came to those [americans] captured in the battles of 1776, many were released' ...'there was also the prospect of slow death instead upon one of the prison hulks in New York Harbour'
' it cannot be said that the Britis... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r1m1z",
"post_id": "r1m1z",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1m1z/what_happened_to_the_soldiers_who_were_captured/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1m1z/what_happened_to_the_soldiers_who_were_capt... |
What historical conflicts did the Scots and Irish have? | The English Civil War resulted in numerous clashes between Ireland and Scotland. The Irish Confederate Wars and the Irish Rebellions in 1641 are both examples of Irishmen fighting Scotsmen, albiet with the Scots often under the umbrella of English leadership. There are also of course actions undertaken by Scottish regi... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r1nmo",
"post_id": "r1nmo",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1nmo/what_historical_conflicts_did_the_scots_and_irish/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1nmo/what_historical_conflicts_did_the_scots_a... |
To what extent was Reagan's policy of increasing military spending responsible for the end of the Cold War? | The Cold War ended because both sides agreed for it to end, this was done before the breakup of the USSR. There were no winners or losers and the Soviet Union ended because Belorussia, Ukraine, and Russia made the decision to leave the Union, it was not a representative choice. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r1qdw",
"post_id": "r1qdw",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1qdw/to_what_extent_was_reagans_policy_of_increasing/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1qdw/to_what_extent_was_reagans_policy_of_increa... |
Which countries had good relations with both the Soviet Union and the US during the cold war? | Israel had strong support from both nations in its founding and early years. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r1ytg",
"post_id": "r1ytg",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1ytg/which_countries_had_good_relations_with_both_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1ytg/which_countries_had_good_relations_with_bo... |
Historians, what are your favorite oral history books? | Alessandro Portelli's *They Say in Harlan County* and *The Death of Luigi Trastulli* are both excellent.
Paul Thompson's *The Voice of the Past* and Michael Frisch's *Shared Authority* are both great theoretical explorations of the value of oral history.
It just struck me - Brooks's *World War Z: An Oral History of ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r259r",
"post_id": "r259r",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r259r/historians_what_are_your_favorite_oral_history/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r259r/historians_what_are_your_favorite_oral_histo... |
What is your favorite Ken Burns film/series? Why? | I go with "Baseball" as well, mainly because I normally give no fucks about baseball yet his film is so good it's enthralling anyway. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r2mxy",
"post_id": "r2mxy",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r2mxy/what_is_your_favorite_ken_burns_filmseries_why/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r2mxy/what_is_your_favorite_ken_burns_filmseries_w... |
Were tombstones all over the frontier/Old West clever and punny? | I am genuinely interested in this question, but alas, 14 hours and no answers! | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r2ree",
"post_id": "r2ree",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r2ree/were_tombstones_all_over_the_frontierold_west/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r2ree/were_tombstones_all_over_the_frontierold_west... |
What was President William McKinley's reasoning for his views on the issue of the annexation of the Philippines? | My understanding is he was sort of painted into a geopolitical corner. He hadn't really intended on taking the Phillipines, but now that he had them he couldn't give them to anyone else (because they'd just use them as a base for competition in China), couldn't give them back to Spain (because we had just beat the pant... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r2xqn",
"post_id": "r2xqn",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r2xqn/what_was_president_william_mckinleys_reasoning/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r2xqn/what_was_president_william_mckinleys_reasoni... |
Any truth to this? | If the point of the video was to show you how not to construct a historically based argument then it does a fantastic job. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r3080",
"post_id": "r3080",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3080/any_truth_to_this/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3080/any_truth_to_this/",
"post_created_utc": 1332130501,
"question_selfte... |
Every dictatorship has their share of positives. What good has the Taliban movement done to Afghanistan? | I question your assumption that "every dictatorship must have some positive impact." | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r33v5",
"post_id": "r33v5",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r33v5/every_dictatorship_has_their_share_of_positives/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r33v5/every_dictatorship_has_their_share_of_posit... |
Changing notions of the Opposition in Bolshevik ideology? | I think an interesting place to start is the Mensheviks (Меньшевики́) and the Kronstadt revolt. Both the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks were part of the Russian Social-Democrat Worker Party, but had an ideological split prior to the Bolshevik Revolution. As the name suggests, the Bolsheviks were the majority and the Men... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r39v9",
"post_id": "r39v9",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r39v9/changing_notions_of_the_opposition_in_bolshevik/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r39v9/changing_notions_of_the_opposition_in_bolsh... |
Is it true that Zionists was part of the early Nazi movement? | That would not mean they were part of the movement. You misunderstand the events. The Nazis were not the first (or second or 10th) to advocate expulsion of the Jews. European countries have a long history of expelling Jews. They also have a long history of other sorts of violent hatred against Jews. So there were some ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r3bq8",
"post_id": "r3bq8",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3bq8/is_it_true_that_zionists_was_part_of_the_early/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3bq8/is_it_true_that_zionists_was_part_of_the_ear... |
Causes of the Vietnamese famine of 1944/45? | Part of me wants to just say "gee, right at the same time Japan is being pummeled?".
There is far more to it than this, but this was the largest single contributing factor. Other factors included the continued presence of colonial French, who had a priority on grain (remember that with the Vichy french in power, the ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r3e8y",
"post_id": "r3e8y",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3e8y/causes_of_the_vietnamese_famine_of_194445/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3e8y/causes_of_the_vietnamese_famine_of_194445/",
"p... |
What was the reason behind invading Afghanistan in 2002 and why are we still currently there? | Never expected this question to show up on AskHistorians. This is more a matter of not following news and politics the last 10 years.
I also dont think that we should make your homework. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r3eqv",
"post_id": "r3eqv",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3eqv/what_was_the_reason_behind_invading_afghanistan/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3eqv/what_was_the_reason_behind_invading_afghani... |
Reddit, do you know any good books about the history of China? | I was told to read The Search for Modern China by Jonathan Spence. I have only ever read one chapter but it appears to be quite good. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r3l1m",
"post_id": "r3l1m",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3l1m/reddit_do_you_know_any_good_books_about_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3l1m/reddit_do_you_know_any_good_books_about_the/",
... |
When and how was Buddhism introduced to China? | [Almost entirely because of the Silk Road](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_transmission_of_Buddhism). A lot of ideas and technologies were transported across Asia by the Silk Road; Buddhism was one of many. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r3man",
"post_id": "r3man",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3man/when_and_how_was_buddhism_introduced_to_china/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3man/when_and_how_was_buddhism_introduced_to_china... |
Did they have a "plan b" during the 1300's? Was that possible given the time period? | A few months ago, there was a thread about "historical mindfucks", I think. One of the posts brought this one up.
[Silphium](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silphium) is presumed to be an extinct plant that was "worth it's weight in silver" ("denarii", silver coins, to be precise) throughout the "classical" world. It is ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r3py6",
"post_id": "r3py6",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3py6/did_they_have_a_plan_b_during_the_1300s_was_that/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3py6/did_they_have_a_plan_b_during_the_1300s_wa... |
Are things really "worse than ever" in America? | you can see the chicken little effect here on reddit: r/panichistory.
everyday its a new crisis, a new catastrophe, a new opportunity for fascistic communistic zionist freemasonic oligarchic totalitarianism.
Yes, the Patriot Act sucks with it's warrantless wiretaps. Yet the [Sedition Act of 1918](http://en.wikipedi... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r3t2v",
"post_id": "r3t2v",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3t2v/are_things_really_worse_than_ever_in_america/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3t2v/are_things_really_worse_than_ever_in_america/"... |
I noticed the new Assassin's Creed game takes place during the American Revolution, but the main character is wearing a white robe and hood. Is that historically accurate? | Hi, historical costumer here.
I haven't played the AC games, but as far as I can tell, the main characters are members of a semi-historical group, the Hashishim, later Anglicized to "Assassins." Our knowledge of the group is riddled with misinformation and disinformation, and I've been unable to uncover any inform... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r3ulk",
"post_id": "r3ulk",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3ulk/i_noticed_the_new_assassins_creed_game_takes/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3ulk/i_noticed_the_new_assassins_creed_game_takes/"... |
Reading on the history of roads? | [On Roads by Joe Moran](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roads-Hidden-History-Joe-Moran/dp/1846680522) is supposed to be very good. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r3wuw",
"post_id": "r3wuw",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3wuw/reading_on_the_history_of_roads/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r3wuw/reading_on_the_history_of_roads/",
"post_created_utc": 13... |
What do you consider the biggest "forks in the road" of history? | Alexander the Great's premature death would be up there for me.
Or, at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in November of 1955 in Hill Valley, California. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r49mg",
"post_id": "r49mg",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r49mg/what_do_you_consider_the_biggest_forks_in_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r49mg/what_do_you_consider_the_biggest_forks_in_the... |
What were the scientific philosophic opinions of chaos and the atom in 1900-1915 Vienna/Prussia? | First off, entropy received a probabilistic interpretation in 1877, it had already made numerous appearances earlier in the work of Boltzmann, Clausius, Maxwell etc. If we're talking statistical mechanics/ kinetic gas theory the assumption is purely that molecules exist, there was no need to get into the nature of them... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r49un",
"post_id": "r49un",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r49un/what_were_the_scientific_philosophic_opinions_of/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r49un/what_were_the_scientific_philosophic_opini... |
United States involvement in the Irish War of Independence/Irish Civil War? | Could you define to me what exactly you mean with the US: US as in the official US or US as in the people, i.e. Irish-Americans?
>To what degree were the United States in general and Irish-Americans in specific involved in the planning, financing, and execution of the Easter Rising in 1916 and the IRA's guerilla c... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r4c8v",
"post_id": "r4c8v",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4c8v/united_states_involvement_in_the_irish_war_of/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4c8v/united_states_involvement_in_the_irish_war_of... |
The earliest days of Jericho - Walls before Agriculture? | Well considering the location of Jericho, wouldn't it be possible that the walls are either to protect a consistent source of well water, or to protect against the unpredictability of flooding of the Jordan River? You might not be growing crops yet, but you like to have a place to stay that is close to a good source of... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r4kuc",
"post_id": "r4kuc",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4kuc/the_earliest_days_of_jericho_walls_before/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4kuc/the_earliest_days_of_jericho_walls_before/",
"p... |
Why do Spain and Portugal have different languages? | It's not just Spanish and Portuguese as we know today that existed and still exists in Iberia. Catalan is still spoken widely in Catalonia, although it's technically closer to Occitan (the Counts of Toulouse used to rule the area all the way to around Barcelona). Same for Galician. Basque is a very different language, ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r4nvk",
"post_id": "r4nvk",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4nvk/why_do_spain_and_portugal_have_different_languages/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4nvk/why_do_spain_and_portugal_have_different... |
Slovenia in WWII | You may be struggling with searching for sources as Slovenia wasn't a state (or even one of the states of Yugoslavia, which were Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia) before the outbreak of war. Slovenes were mostly situated in northern Croatia. After Hitler's conquest of Yugoslavia Slovenia was split 2:1 between the German ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r4o9t",
"post_id": "r4o9t",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4o9t/slovenia_in_wwii/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4o9t/slovenia_in_wwii/",
"post_created_utc": 1332219454,
"question_selftext... |
When and how did mint become associated with cleanliness? | It originally comes from coin collecting. Coins that were perfect condition looked like they had left the mint, or were 'mint condition.' | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r4owx",
"post_id": "r4owx",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4owx/when_and_how_did_mint_become_associated_with/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4owx/when_and_how_did_mint_become_associated_with/"... |
Do you feel revolution is possible in "Western" countries such as Canada/US? | This kind of question would be better suited in quite a few other subreddits.
r/Askhistorians is for questions about history, not current events. It is also not a springboard to launch your political philosophies off of, nor a place to gather ammo for debates on current affairs (because the history of ancient roads a... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r4rw6",
"post_id": "r4rw6",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4rw6/do_you_feel_revolution_is_possible_in_western/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4rw6/do_you_feel_revolution_is_possible_in_western... |
How far do you believe we would have advanced as a civilization if the "Dark Ages" would never have happened? | As Germanarchaeologist says, using "the Dark Ages" as a term is quite problematic.
To start with, what period exactly does it refer to? The period between the collapse of the Roman Empire and the start of the Renaissance in Italy? It is not possible to write off 700-800 years of history like that.
For one thing it im... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r4tw9",
"post_id": "r4tw9",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4tw9/how_far_do_you_believe_we_would_have_advanced_as/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4tw9/how_far_do_you_believe_we_would_have_advan... |
A few questions about Pre-Norman and Norman Ireland. | I'm going to sort of reply to the second half of your post, if that's ok (does anyone know how to cross-link this to the sub Irish History?)
The piece of cynicism I think needs to be injected in response to post-Kinsale/FotE hypotheticals is the level of Anglicising that had gone on specifically through the reigns of ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r4wdq",
"post_id": "r4wdq",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4wdq/a_few_questions_about_prenorman_and_norman_ireland/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r4wdq/a_few_questions_about_prenorman_and_norm... |
What does the Holy Roman Empire have to do with Ancient Rome, if anything? | "The Holy Roman Empire," quipped Voltaire, was "neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire"!
The name was more an invention to legitimate the emperors as emperors, like the old caesars were in the Roman Empire. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r5382",
"post_id": "r5382",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5382/what_does_the_holy_roman_empire_have_to_do_with/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5382/what_does_the_holy_roman_empire_have_to_do_... |
The Nazis put a lot of effort into the Holocaust. Would this effort have made a difference to the outcome of the 2nd World War had it been directed at actual war effort? | I think that in terms of troops and such it would have made no impact. Some scientific factors that the Jewish people contributed to the Allied war effort would have benefited Germany if they remained in the country. But, for this to happen the Nazi's would have had to have no anti-Jewish policies either before or duri... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r548u",
"post_id": "r548u",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r548u/the_nazis_put_a_lot_of_effort_into_the_holocaust/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r548u/the_nazis_put_a_lot_of_effort_into_the_hol... |
How have Indian and Chinese populations been able to remain so large throughout their long histories? | china hasn't always been so large. if i remember my econ of china class, there's a great correlation bewteen rice yields and a jump in population during the qing dynasty.
it's current size is largely due to an unprecedented growth rate between the 1950s and 1990.
also, you're talking about the two largest countries ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r5fqj",
"post_id": "r5fqj",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5fqj/how_have_indian_and_chinese_populations_been_able/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5fqj/how_have_indian_and_chinese_populations_b... |
Can anyone help with identifying WWI German shell/trench art? | A photo would be very helpful.
From what I've gathered MAI 1915 is the manufacturing date (May 1915) and you're correct, Patronenfabrik Karlsruhe is where the shell was manufactured.
"Ke" with a crown was the quality control mark used by Patronenfabrik Karlsruhe until the end of 1915. After that it switched to "Sp" ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r5gr6",
"post_id": "r5gr6",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5gr6/can_anyone_help_with_identifying_wwi_german/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5gr6/can_anyone_help_with_identifying_wwi_german/",
... |
Pre-1918 Germany superimposed over 2007 Polish election results. Can someone explain the history behind this? | This has actually been discussed a month ago (very interesting read):
http://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/oxhsa/pre1918_german_empire_borders_and_2007_polish/ | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r5gwg",
"post_id": "r5gwg",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5gwg/pre1918_germany_superimposed_over_2007_polish/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5gwg/pre1918_germany_superimposed_over_2007_polish... |
When did steel supersede iron as the go-to metal for weapon and armor crafting? | Depending on where and what type of steel. It didn't all rise up at once.
It varies as much as a 1000 years between China and Africa. The oldest is something like 4000 years old, but it isn't true steel. India had the first carbon alloy steel in like 400 B.C. Roman usage starts about 300 B.C.
Best guess would be... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r5kw0",
"post_id": "r5kw0",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5kw0/when_did_steel_supersede_iron_as_the_goto_metal/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5kw0/when_did_steel_supersede_iron_as_the_goto_m... |
Early human migration | If we use recent and modern hunter-gatherer populations as a guide, then your answer is: it depends.
I'm going to stick to actual humans here and exclude our hominid ancestors to keep the variables down. I'm also going to stick to an annual measurement, because I'm not sure why bi-annual would be more relevant. I'm al... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r5m6t",
"post_id": "r5m6t",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5m6t/early_human_migration/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5m6t/early_human_migration/",
"post_created_utc": 1332276164,
"questio... |
Is there a particular reason as to why Tutankhamen's tomb wasn't discovered before 1922? | Multiple reasons, as far as I can tell. I don't think it had much to do with his father (by which you mean Akhenaten, I imagine), despite the stigma that we assume came with his progenitor's name. After the glamor and chaos of Akhenaten's rule, and compared to the pharaohs of the past, Tutankhamen (formerly Tutenkhat... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r5mnl",
"post_id": "r5mnl",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5mnl/is_there_a_particular_reason_as_to_why/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5mnl/is_there_a_particular_reason_as_to_why/",
"post_cr... |
What were social norms/medical practices from the Victorian/Edwardian era that are frowned upon now-a-day? | Well medically that period was a mixed bag. It was one of the starting points for reforming medical practices but many old traditions were held over. There were some really bad medical practices simply because people didn't know better. A good example of this would be sterile surgeries. For a long time, surgeons were n... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r5nvz",
"post_id": "r5nvz",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5nvz/what_were_social_normsmedical_practices_from_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5nvz/what_were_social_normsmedical_practices_fr... |
Sorry to bother you all with a simple question, but... | I think it was Galileo who said this. At the time he came out with the fact the earth was moving when the church said we are the centre of the universe. He was placed under house arrest for the rest of his life and forced by the church to admit he was wrong and that the Earth did not move. He is suppost to have muttere... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r5tfx",
"post_id": "r5tfx",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5tfx/sorry_to_bother_you_all_with_a_simple_question_but/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r5tfx/sorry_to_bother_you_all_with_a_simple_qu... |
Boy kings | Generally, a regent would rule in the "interest" of the king until he came of age. At least that is how it worked for the Byzantines.
[Constantine VI](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_VI) is a good example of this, he took the throne at the age of 9 and his mother [Irene](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_of_... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r663p",
"post_id": "r663p",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r663p/boy_kings/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r663p/boy_kings/",
"post_created_utc": 1332298561,
"question_selftext": "I've heard... |
What was the Nazi racial policy towards Slavs living within Germany and Austria proper during World War II? | The Nazi ideology considered Slavs as "Untermenschen", not to be exterminated, but to be held as slaves and pushed eastwards. But on the other hands, there were many people living in Germany, in Eastern Germany, but also in the Ruhr region who were German of Slavic ancestry. It was quite common for those to have Polish... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r68r2",
"post_id": "r68r2",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r68r2/what_was_the_nazi_racial_policy_towards_slavs/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r68r2/what_was_the_nazi_racial_policy_towards_slavs... |
Help with WWI history project? | Really? I found Google to be [very helpful](http://lmgtfy.com/?q=siege+of+namur).
And, who the hell leaves their research to an hour before the project is due? | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_r6cq1",
"post_id": "r6cq1",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r6cq1/help_with_wwi_history_project/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/r6cq1/help_with_wwi_history_project/",
"post_created_utc": 133230... |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.