question_title stringlengths 1 316 | body stringlengths 1 40k | metadata dict |
|---|---|---|
What sparked fear of communism at the beginning of the Cold War? | Fear of communism long predates the cold war. It was associated with violent revolutionary groups well before the Russian Revolution. One of the earliest instances I can think of is an accusation that Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was a communist plot. Once Russia fell to the Bolsheviks, the US (and others) support... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_riid1",
"post_id": "riid1",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/riid1/what_sparked_fear_of_communism_at_the_beginning/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/riid1/what_sparked_fear_of_communism_at_the_begin... |
How exactly did humans discover which plants we could eat? | That's a paleontological/pre-historic question. While you can ask this here, we can't answer the question as historians by profession. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rirvb",
"post_id": "rirvb",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rirvb/how_exactly_did_humans_discover_which_plants_we/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rirvb/how_exactly_did_humans_discover_which_plant... |
Imagine a Europe without WW2 as we know it | I think you may be looking for this sub-reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/historicalwhatif | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_riyjr",
"post_id": "riyjr",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/riyjr/imagine_a_europe_without_ww2_as_we_know_it/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/riyjr/imagine_a_europe_without_ww2_as_we_know_it/",
... |
How did widespread childhood mortality affect Western culture in the past hundreds of years? | One thing I noticed, from the study of my own family's genealogy, was that when a child died as an infant, the parents would reuse that name with the next child born of the same gender. Noticed this in birth registries I viewed dating from the 1850s to 1890s in eastern Europe. Don't know what significance to attach t... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rizkg",
"post_id": "rizkg",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rizkg/how_did_widespread_childhood_mortality_affect/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rizkg/how_did_widespread_childhood_mortality_affect... |
What if, during the formation of our solar system, two moons formed around the earth? | Thanks, but by my reckoning this belongs in either r/askscience or r/HistoricalWhatIf (though it would be fun to post in r/shittyaskscience)
That said, we would have some fun religious history to be digging around. Can you imagine some of the early religions that would have appeared if we had two moons? End of the ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rj1ic",
"post_id": "rj1ic",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rj1ic/what_if_during_the_formation_of_our_solar_system/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rj1ic/what_if_during_the_formation_of_our_solar_... |
Did Nazis actually refer to themselves as 'Nazis'? And what is the origin of the word 'nazi'?
| The word National is pronounced **nazi**onal in german | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rj2ou",
"post_id": "rj2ou",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rj2ou/did_nazis_actually_refer_to_themselves_as_nazis/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rj2ou/did_nazis_actually_refer_to_themselves_as_n... |
When did Churchill say "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it"? | I'm not saying he didn't say it as well, but that saying is from George Santayana's 'The Life of Reason.'
> Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
It's public domain and available [at project Gutenberg](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15000/15000-h/vol1.html#CHAPTER_XII_FLUX_AND_CONSTANCY_IN... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rjbdi",
"post_id": "rjbdi",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjbdi/when_did_churchill_say_those_who_fail_to_learn/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjbdi/when_did_churchill_say_those_who_fail_to_lea... |
Scientific clubs and societies that existed throughout history that met to discuss everything other than Science, does anyone know any? Did/do they even exist? | Can I ask you why you want certain groups to introduce some much-needed culture into our day to day? What are people missing now what people had back then? | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rjctg",
"post_id": "rjctg",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjctg/scientific_clubs_and_societies_that_existed/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjctg/scientific_clubs_and_societies_that_existed/",
... |
Is there a difference between antisemitism and anti-semitism? | The difference is purely a difference in orthography and not in meaning.
>But technically, by using a hypehn in anti-semitism, aren't you been against every 'Semite'? (i.e. not just Jews?)
By 'technically' you mean 'breaking down the constituent parts of any word in an attempt to distort the meaning of a word bas... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rjf0u",
"post_id": "rjf0u",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjf0u/is_there_a_difference_between_antisemitism_and/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjf0u/is_there_a_difference_between_antisemitism_a... |
How were Prisoners of War treated in World War 1? | The answer depends a great deal on what country you were from and where you were being held captive. During WWI there were approximately 6 million soldiers held as POWs, mostly on the Eastern Front: : 2.5 million held in Russia, 2.5 million in Germany, 916,000 in Austria-Hungary, 350,000 in France, 328,000 in Britain, ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rjj0k",
"post_id": "rjj0k",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjj0k/how_were_prisoners_of_war_treated_in_world_war_1/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjj0k/how_were_prisoners_of_war_treated_in_world... |
If Britain and Ireland were both settled at the same time, at the end of the last ice age, and by the same group of hunter gatherers; then how did Britain, specifically England, become so much more advanced, enough to dominate Ireland for hundreds of years? | DISCLAIMER: I am a modern historian, but have done some medieval history and have an interest in it. These are thus just my $0.02.
____________________________________________
When posing such historical questions, you have to consider that there will be no definitive answer. Societal development is a hugely complex p... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rjli0",
"post_id": "rjli0",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjli0/if_britain_and_ireland_were_both_settled_at_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjli0/if_britain_and_ireland_were_both_settled_at... |
What is the most uncertain accepted "historical fact" you know of? | Off the top of my head there's the thought that Columbus proved that the Earth was round and that his sailors thought they would fall of the edge of the world. It was known that the world was spherical for a long while. That's not what the problem was. The problem was that Columbus thought the world was much smaller th... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rjo4e",
"post_id": "rjo4e",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjo4e/what_is_the_most_uncertain_accepted_historical/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjo4e/what_is_the_most_uncertain_accepted_historic... |
What were medieval taverns like? | As with any question dealing with the Medieval period, it's important to keep in mind that the duration of the period is huge and the geographical scope sometimes includes every inch of the earth. That said, my general knowledge is geared towards late medieval northern Europe.
Taverns, or more accurately ale houses, s... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rjq1f",
"post_id": "rjq1f",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjq1f/what_were_medieval_taverns_like/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rjq1f/what_were_medieval_taverns_like/",
"post_created_utc": 13... |
To all the historians on here with a tag/flair, please give me one or two super awesome bits of history from your respective areas of expertise. | Hey, I got singled out, awesome!
So...something interesting about pirates...ah how about "The Pirate Code"?
Many have heard of it (probably from Pirates of the Caribbean), but have never seen a full copy, or understand it's major importance as one of the first democratic charters in the Western Hemisphere.
Now, fi... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rk76c",
"post_id": "rk76c",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rk76c/to_all_the_historians_on_here_with_a_tagflair/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rk76c/to_all_the_historians_on_here_with_a_tagflair... |
Were oubliettes real or were they just drainage systems with tourist potential? | Real, but only as "normal" prison cells. The whole torture thing etc. is nonsense and a modern tourist attraction/invention. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rkc9b",
"post_id": "rkc9b",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rkc9b/were_oubliettes_real_or_were_they_just_drainage/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rkc9b/were_oubliettes_real_or_were_they_just_drai... |
Left-handed knights? | well, in some areas the lefthanded fighters had *distinct* advantages such as assaulting inside castle fortifications which were designed to remove the advantage of the oncoming forces. Also, soldiers were sometimes trained to fight with their left arms in the off chance that their right arm/sword arm was crippled.
**... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rkeuv",
"post_id": "rkeuv",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rkeuv/lefthanded_knights/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rkeuv/lefthanded_knights/",
"post_created_utc": 1333079355,
"question_self... |
Why didn't Native Americans advance nearly as quickly as Europe? | There are many theories:
1) the Guns, Germs, and Steel argument: Larger landmass of Eurasia allowed many larger societies to coexist, and cross fertilize their innovations from wheat, to the wheel, to gunpowder.
2) the long view argument: Indian societies weren't that far behind European societies, considering ho... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rkhlj",
"post_id": "rkhlj",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rkhlj/why_didnt_native_americans_advance_nearly_as/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rkhlj/why_didnt_native_americans_advance_nearly_as/"... |
Why did we really choose to put year Zero where it is currently set? | There actually isn't a Year Zero in our Gregorian calendar system.
About 1,500 years ago, a Christian monk, [Dionysius Exiguus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysius_Exiguus), was trying to work out a system for calculating Easter every year, and he wanted a new way to count the years. He decided to count forward fro... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rkkmn",
"post_id": "rkkmn",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rkkmn/why_did_we_really_choose_to_put_year_zero_where/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rkkmn/why_did_we_really_choose_to_put_year_zero_w... |
Are immigrants more innovative the American citizens? | Here's a personal opinion: an immigrant is someone who makes the effort to move to a strange land to change their life. They're already self-selected to be motivated go-getters. I would therefore expect immigrants (in general, on average, overall, etc) to be more motivated in their new country, and work hard to achieve... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rklsv",
"post_id": "rklsv",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rklsv/are_immigrants_more_innovative_the_american/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rklsv/are_immigrants_more_innovative_the_american/",
... |
The Crimean War. What were its causes, what actually happened, and how (if at all) did it impact the world? | Russia has always wanted a warm water port. Shipping all the crazy natural resources Russia has available through port cities that they can only use half the year wasn't going to cut it. In the Crimean sea-which led to Istanbul and the Mediterranean they could have one. Problem was Turkey knew this full well and wasn't... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rkqg3",
"post_id": "rkqg3",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rkqg3/the_crimean_war_what_were_its_causes_what/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rkqg3/the_crimean_war_what_were_its_causes_what/",
"p... |
Past his public image, what was Gandhi really like? | What people generally misunderstand is that he very strongly believed in what he said. He had absolute faith in nonviolent but active resistance, far beyond what we consider feasible today. That is why people are shocked when they hear that his answer to the Hitler Counter (that is, how do you stop Hitler with nonviole... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rl2ec",
"post_id": "rl2ec",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rl2ec/past_his_public_image_what_was_gandhi_really_like/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rl2ec/past_his_public_image_what_was_gandhi_rea... |
Religion in Protodynastic Egypt? | Sorry I can't give you the names of specific books or collections that might help, but I can give you the names of poems and stories (I'm grabbing these out of on of my readers for an Egyptian Mythology class, compiled by the professor).
You are correct that many cities had their own patron gods and goddesses, and that... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rl9rc",
"post_id": "rl9rc",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rl9rc/religion_in_protodynastic_egypt/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rl9rc/religion_in_protodynastic_egypt/",
"post_created_utc": 13... |
AskHistorians, my dad and I are having a dispute. | Yes, it could happen from sudden pressure loss. The reason is because all the pressure in the suit and the divers lungs is supplied from the surface. A sudden loss of pressure would result in the collapse of that airspace as the pressure tries to equalize. At the depth of this test (300ft) the pressure is about ten atm... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rlci4",
"post_id": "rlci4",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlci4/askhistorians_my_dad_and_i_are_having_a_dispute/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlci4/askhistorians_my_dad_and_i_are_having_a_dis... |
If the Holocaust had never occurred, would Hitler be looked at as evil today? | Note: I'm counting the Holocaust as the murder of all the groups the Nazis purged, not just Jews.
Probably not. It was the murder of innocents that gave Hitler the awful image he had. If he had simply treated them badly, no one would have really batted an eye. Antisemitism was a common thing in Europe at the time. He ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rlgtb",
"post_id": "rlgtb",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlgtb/if_the_holocaust_had_never_occurred_would_hitler/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlgtb/if_the_holocaust_had_never_occurred_would_... |
Was the Black Death/Bubonic Plague as bad as its made out to be? | Just briefly -
The death toll varied from region to region, but it hit many/most places very hard.
"According to medieval historian Philip Daileader in 2007:
The trend of recent research is pointing to a figure more like 45 percent to 50 percent of the European population dying during a four-year period. There is a f... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rlhrv",
"post_id": "rlhrv",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlhrv/was_the_black_deathbubonic_plague_as_bad_as_its/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlhrv/was_the_black_deathbubonic_plague_as_bad_as... |
What exactly did the nazis stand for and how did those positions compare to other political positions 50-100 years ago? | >If not socialism, why the name? If it is technically socialism, what attributes made it socialism and how did it differ from other forms of socialism like communism and social democracy?
The Nazi party was opposed to classism. This manifested in odd ways, such as the SS breaking with the old Prussian tradition of... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rlidz",
"post_id": "rlidz",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlidz/what_exactly_did_the_nazis_stand_for_and_how_did/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlidz/what_exactly_did_the_nazis_stand_for_and_h... |
Raoul Wallenberg and other forgotten figures of WWII? | To be honest, here in Scandinavia, he's not unknown at all. Raoul Wallenberg is one that is highly talked about over here, with new books written about him every year and speculations as to what really happened to him in the end. So he's not forgotten at all. He's just not as well known in the rest of the world as, let... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rlinp",
"post_id": "rlinp",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlinp/raoul_wallenberg_and_other_forgotten_figures_of/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlinp/raoul_wallenberg_and_other_forgotten_figure... |
Mods: Can we help you compile a list of FAQs that could be linked to in the sidebar? | This is a very good idea, there are a bunch of other good ideas for an FAQ in [this thread](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/reo5e/the_recent_abundance_of_counterfactual_question/) I posted a few days ago.
The major points I remember were:
1) put some other subs on the sidebar, particularly [/r/Histori... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rljb1",
"post_id": "rljb1",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rljb1/mods_can_we_help_you_compile_a_list_of_faqs_that/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rljb1/mods_can_we_help_you_compile_a_list_of_faq... |
How often did slaves (of all time) commit suicide? | If we're talking about American slaves, not often, probably because of the societal attitudes toward it. Whereas people today think of people who commit suicide as the victims, back then, it was considered "pussying out" so to speak. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rlk6k",
"post_id": "rlk6k",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlk6k/how_often_did_slaves_of_all_time_commit_suicide/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlk6k/how_often_did_slaves_of_all_time_commit_sui... |
Did Russians drink antifreeze and nail-polish during Gorbachev's partial prohibition? | Antifreeze will kill you and nail polish isn't economical. Modern windshield cleaning fluid, however, isn't particularly dangerous, it's denatured to discourage people from drinking it, but at worst it'll make you throw up a lot. Hard to say how healthy the options would've been in '80s Russia, but there's always optio... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rlmfa",
"post_id": "rlmfa",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlmfa/did_russians_drink_antifreeze_and_nailpolish/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlmfa/did_russians_drink_antifreeze_and_nailpolish/"... |
I read something once about children historically being forced to memorize important things, then being thrown in a river afterwards to 'crystallize' the memory. Bullshit? | I would bet that this is untrue.
Not Specific time period, just randomly prior to the 20th century (apparently they leaders of the industrial revolution kept track of all types of trade and property with paper, but transferred land by whipping kids up until 1899
Americans revolutionized for multiple reasons, one of t... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rlmxg",
"post_id": "rlmxg",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlmxg/i_read_something_once_about_children_historically/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlmxg/i_read_something_once_about_children_hist... |
Did Greek men really have sex with each other before going to battle? | The sacred band of Thebes was the only notable unit which relationships between the soldiers was an essential part of. Among other cities and during different eras, attitudes varied. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rloqp",
"post_id": "rloqp",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rloqp/did_greek_men_really_have_sex_with_each_other/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rloqp/did_greek_men_really_have_sex_with_each_other... |
What happened to the natives Columbus kidnapped and brought back to Spain from his first voyage? | As far as I remember from my history classes, they died of disease pretty quickly, I think most of them faded quickly from the historical record though. Generally speaking, natives of the Americas were not considered valuable other than as a novelty since they died so quickly when exposed to so many new (to them) infec... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rlorx",
"post_id": "rlorx",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlorx/what_happened_to_the_natives_columbus_kidnapped/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlorx/what_happened_to_the_natives_columbus_kidna... |
Would Americans at the time of the revolution have spoken with a distinct non-British accent? | Yes, absolutely.
Benjamin Franklin's "American" accent was commented on during the Hutchinson Letters fiasco, for example. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rlv3j",
"post_id": "rlv3j",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlv3j/would_americans_at_the_time_of_the_revolution/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rlv3j/would_americans_at_the_time_of_the_revolution... |
Australian WW2 unit 2/1 Fort Signals | There are a few 2/1 Australian units, most notably the 2/1st Battalion. Here's a short history of them, see if you see anything recognizable: http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11252.asp | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rm8n0",
"post_id": "rm8n0",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rm8n0/australian_ww2_unit_21_fort_signals/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rm8n0/australian_ww2_unit_21_fort_signals/",
"post_created_... |
Diet during the migration period. | When I read the title of your post, I almost couldn't believe it, because one of my good friends just completed her PhD thesis on this exact topic. She is an archaeologist and her PhD was about stable isotope evidence for a dietary shift from the end of the Roman period to the Migration period. The short answer is that... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rmaei",
"post_id": "rmaei",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rmaei/diet_during_the_migration_period/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rmaei/diet_during_the_migration_period/",
"post_created_utc": ... |
Of gangs in late Middle-Ages : Free Companys. Does anyone know anything ? | I used to be part of a living history group that portrayed a free company. Not all of them were brigands. One of the golden ages for free companies was during the Hundred Years War between England and France. The fighting didn't last a solid 100 years, but was off and on over that period.
If you were a professional s... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rmah7",
"post_id": "rmah7",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rmah7/of_gangs_in_late_middleages_free_companys_does/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rmah7/of_gangs_in_late_middleages_free_companys_do... |
Why did Japan surrender? | That might be a compelling thesis if it didn't ignore the Potsdam Declaration, which was the result of the Potsdam Conference which the Soviet Union participated in. Even though Stalin's name wasn't on the formal declaration since he wasn't formally involved in the war with Japan at that time, the Japanese would have k... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rmc3g",
"post_id": "rmc3g",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rmc3g/why_did_japan_surrender/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rmc3g/why_did_japan_surrender/",
"post_created_utc": 1333199376,
"que... |
Why didn't the USA ever drop The Bomb on anybody else? | Killing tens of millions doesn't go over well with the rest of the world. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rme0t",
"post_id": "rme0t",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rme0t/why_didnt_the_usa_ever_drop_the_bomb_on_anybody/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rme0t/why_didnt_the_usa_ever_drop_the_bomb_on_any... |
The Founding Father's failure to resolve the issue of Slavery, the primary cause of the American Civil War? | Was slavery even an issue that the founders *could* resolve? They had a pressing need to create a unified country, and it was pretty clear that they were not going to be able to accomplish that if they dealt with slavery at the time. The alternative would seem to be to have had two separate countries which would almost... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rmge0",
"post_id": "rmge0",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rmge0/the_founding_fathers_failure_to_resolve_the_issue/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rmge0/the_founding_fathers_failure_to_resolve_t... |
How was the quality of life in Napoleon's French Empire compared to in the other major European states at the time? | I'll give a more detailed answer later when I have time but basically revolutionary and Napoleonic France introduced a lot of laws and practices that in theory should have increased the quality of life of the average person and increased equality in French (and French dependencies, etc) society.
However France was rec... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rmkx5",
"post_id": "rmkx5",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rmkx5/how_was_the_quality_of_life_in_napoleons_french/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rmkx5/how_was_the_quality_of_life_in_napoleons_fr... |
How far, technologically speaking, could a society advance without access to metal? | That would depend almost entirely on what sort of alternative cutting tools they could come up with.
Advanced technologies depend in large part on precision engineering only possible with the ability to make a clean cut. Some types of stone and ceramics might take the place of metal cutting tools, but they would be b... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rmoly",
"post_id": "rmoly",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rmoly/how_far_technologically_speaking_could_a_society/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rmoly/how_far_technologically_speaking_could_a_s... |
Why didn't the Romans conquer Ireland? | This question was submitted 5 days ago:
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rdlb2/why_didnt_the_romans_ever_conquer_ireland/ | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rn0a4",
"post_id": "rn0a4",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rn0a4/why_didnt_the_romans_conquer_ireland/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rn0a4/why_didnt_the_romans_conquer_ireland/",
"post_create... |
If we found a way to travel to nearby stars, Would the process be similar to Colonialism of the Americas? | You may have a better time asking about obstacles in AskScience.
The theme of the homeworld exploiting colonies on different planets and stars is a common one in science fiction. That kind of speculation is all we can really do here, absent Asimov's (fictional) psychohistory. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rn414",
"post_id": "rn414",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rn414/if_we_found_a_way_to_travel_to_nearby_stars_would/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rn414/if_we_found_a_way_to_travel_to_nearby_sta... |
What kinds of peoples inhabited pre-Turkic Anatolia? | Inner Asia Minor has been occupied by some interesting groups of people. It's impossible to convey a complete sense of the varieties of peoples, simply because of the inconsistency with which ancient peoples defined themselves. There was no real sense of "national" ethnicity - people did not identify themselves necessa... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rn93y",
"post_id": "rn93y",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rn93y/what_kinds_of_peoples_inhabited_preturkic_anatolia/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rn93y/what_kinds_of_peoples_inhabited_preturki... |
How come its always the jews? | This answer is mostly going to be confined to England and doesn't cover everything, not even close.
First, keep in mind that being a minority population with a different religion is almost always going to be shitty, especially in, say, England in the 1300s where there's no modern concept of civil rights like freedom o... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rncuh",
"post_id": "rncuh",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rncuh/how_come_its_always_the_jews/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rncuh/how_come_its_always_the_jews/",
"post_created_utc": 13332539... |
Which Country has won the most battles and wars? Is there a list of said battle with the outcomes of who won/lost? | I think the hardest part of answering this is that your definition of country doesn't really come into place until at least the 18th century. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rnjqf",
"post_id": "rnjqf",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rnjqf/which_country_has_won_the_most_battles_and_wars/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rnjqf/which_country_has_won_the_most_battles_and_... |
Why shouldn't we buy a donkey which brays as recommended by The Instructions of Shuruppak? | I'm no historian, I admit. I will tell you, as someone that has been around a lot of donkeys, some of them like to talk. If donkey a. brays, donkey b. will respond. And back and forth, all day, every day. They can hear each other from incredible distances apart. Other donkeys however, will only bray when hurt or s... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rnpww",
"post_id": "rnpww",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rnpww/why_shouldnt_we_buy_a_donkey_which_brays_as/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rnpww/why_shouldnt_we_buy_a_donkey_which_brays_as/",
... |
What's the most irritating misconception Timeline has brought to light today? | Not really irritating, but it is pretty amazing how astonishingly little many--especially in the United States--know about the Victorian period. Apparently all that happened was Jack the Ripper, Irish potato famine, Darwin, and women who couldn't show their ankles. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rnyjk",
"post_id": "rnyjk",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rnyjk/whats_the_most_irritating_misconception_timeline/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rnyjk/whats_the_most_irritating_misconception_ti... |
Why did Americans hate Communism so much in the mid-20th century? | Zrk is exactly right. To elaborate, there's a quote that I like by Upton Sinclair: "The American people will take Socialism, but they won't take the label." He goes on to describe how he ran for governor of California twice, polling 60,000 votes as a Socialist candidate and nearly 900,000 on the ticket of End Poverty I... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_ro166",
"post_id": "ro166",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ro166/why_did_americans_hate_communism_so_much_in_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/ro166/why_did_americans_hate_communism_so_much_in... |
Why where catholic italians willing to fight against their own pope in wars like the War of the Eight Saints? | Without having read up on the the [War of the Eight Saints](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Eight_Saints), the papacy in the Middle Ages was not the same institution we know from today. It was a lot more worldly and, therefore, also included aspirations to power in this world. A good example would be [Alexander... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_ro2cz",
"post_id": "ro2cz",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ro2cz/why_where_catholic_italians_willing_to_fight/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/ro2cz/why_where_catholic_italians_willing_to_fight/"... |
I'm writing a story set in the American Interbellum period and would appreciate advice. | NaNoer here, I'd be happy to help out a fellow mad writer. =D
To sum up your request, you're writing a story about an upper-class family (British or American?) that owns a business producing military vehicles, with an important female character working in that concern?
Well, to start off, the military contractor pre... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_ro5wh",
"post_id": "ro5wh",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ro5wh/im_writing_a_story_set_in_the_american/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/ro5wh/im_writing_a_story_set_in_the_american/",
"post_cr... |
When/where did the Christian concept of hell first originate? How long was it before it became a major part of Christian doctrine? Were there/are there today sects of Christianity that don't emphasize hell very much, if at all? | I'm not 100% sure if this is your question, but the Christian conceptualization of hell from the middle ages onwards was hugely influenced by Dante Alighieri's *Divine Comedy*. As far as I can tell, this conceptualization has endured. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rod97",
"post_id": "rod97",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rod97/whenwhere_did_the_christian_concept_of_hell_first/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rod97/whenwhere_did_the_christian_concept_of_he... |
Book recommendations for the Dutch War of Independence? | Unfortunately, as a small country, The Netherlands' film industry isnt large enough to make movies that can portray the 80 years' war realistically, and film industries from other countries are not really interested in it.
Which is a shame, because the 80 year's war is a quite epic war, and feautured crucial devel... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_roexk",
"post_id": "roexk",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/roexk/book_recommendations_for_the_dutch_war_of/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/roexk/book_recommendations_for_the_dutch_war_of/",
"p... |
Was being a doctor always regarded as a wealthy/prestigious profession? | In European history this question is complicated by the fact that *Doctors*, *Surgeons*, and *Physicians* were three separate and distinct fields. IIRC Barber-Doctors had the least prestige. They were men who knew a little medicine and could pull teeth, possible help poor folk, maybe bleed someone, etc... Surgeons were... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rohqj",
"post_id": "rohqj",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rohqj/was_being_a_doctor_always_regarded_as_a/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rohqj/was_being_a_doctor_always_regarded_as_a/",
"post_... |
Has there ever been a peaceful transfer of land between countries/peoples? | Hong Kong returned to China?
US giving up control of the Panama Canal to the Panamanians (although it would remain neutral). There was an incident where people were killed although this took place a decade before the treaty transferring control. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rok7z",
"post_id": "rok7z",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rok7z/has_there_ever_been_a_peaceful_transfer_of_land/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rok7z/has_there_ever_been_a_peaceful_transfer_of_... |
How many people have ever been painted/photographed/carved since the dawn of man? | 245678759...it took a while to count them all. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rokhq",
"post_id": "rokhq",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rokhq/how_many_people_have_ever_been/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rokhq/how_many_people_have_ever_been/",
"post_created_utc": 1333... |
How did the Medieval Warming Period affect societies in the Middle Ages? | There was a population boom fostered in part by it, and a rather bad set of famines once it ended. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_roq75",
"post_id": "roq75",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/roq75/how_did_the_medieval_warming_period_affect/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/roq75/how_did_the_medieval_warming_period_affect/",
... |
Thucydides account of the Peloponnesian War: Fact or Fiction? | (Donald Kagan)[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Kagan], a renowned Yale History prof, has written a well-regarded account of the Peloponnesian War, derived primarily from Thucydides' account, but also from other sources. It should be noted that Thucydides dies some time before the war's conclusive end, offering no p... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rovl9",
"post_id": "rovl9",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rovl9/thucydides_account_of_the_peloponnesian_war_fact/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rovl9/thucydides_account_of_the_peloponnesian_wa... |
What did Mandela actually DO to help end apartheid in South Africa? | Well, the thing is, he helped broker peace between three very different factions of the ANC, and managed to sit down and broker peace between the ANC and govt, which despite all appearances was not held by a moderate NP, but by a leader from what was seen as its conservative side.
And one must not forget that Madela w... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rox7l",
"post_id": "rox7l",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rox7l/what_did_mandela_actually_do_to_help_end/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rox7l/what_did_mandela_actually_do_to_help_end/",
"pos... |
Can anyone recommend any biography about Hitler that best deals with his youth? and that is also reliable. | William Shirer's *The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich* isn't exclusively a biography of Hitler, but it gives an accurate and detailed account of Hitler's youth in the course of describing the history of the Third Reich. Use caution when evaluating Shirer's opinions about German national character, but you can rely on ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_royru",
"post_id": "royru",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/royru/can_anyone_recommend_any_biography_about_hitler/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/royru/can_anyone_recommend_any_biography_about_hi... |
How did anti-Catholic sentiment in the United States during the 1800s influence the Mexican-American War? Book recommendations are welcome. | I've never read a book that cited anti-Catholicism as a cause of the Mexican-American war.
The Mexican-American war was largely contrived by Polk to get more land out of the annexation of Texas. Religion had little, it anything, to do with it. John Schroeder's book "Mr. Polk's War" actually argues that the religious ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_roz83",
"post_id": "roz83",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/roz83/how_did_anticatholic_sentiment_in_the_united/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/roz83/how_did_anticatholic_sentiment_in_the_united/"... |
What was the ideology of the republicans during the Spanish civil war? Why were there so many different groups and how did they work together? | Book recommendation: [George Orwell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_orwell#The_Spanish_Civil_War_and_Catalonia) - [Homage to Catalonia](http://www.george-orwell.org/Homage_to_Catalonia/0.html). He fought there, and details some of the squabbles between the different groups. The book is also the source of one of my... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rp5eo",
"post_id": "rp5eo",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rp5eo/what_was_the_ideology_of_the_republicans_during/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rp5eo/what_was_the_ideology_of_the_republicans_du... |
When/Why did April First become April Fool's Day? | According to Wikipedia:
Precursors of April Fools' Day include the Roman festival of Hilaria, held March 25,[1] and the Medieval Feast of Fools, held December 28,[2] still a day on which pranks are played in Spanish-speaking countries.
In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392), the "Nun's Priest's Tale" is set Syn March ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rp7r7",
"post_id": "rp7r7",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rp7r7/whenwhy_did_april_first_become_april_fools_day/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rp7r7/whenwhy_did_april_first_become_april_fools_d... |
What was the situation at the German embassies in America and Britain during WW2? | Article 44 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations , whch governs all such matters, states:
The receiving State must, even in case of armed conflict, grant facilities in order to enable persons enjoying privileges and immunities, other than nationals of the receiving State, and members of the families of such... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rpamk",
"post_id": "rpamk",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpamk/what_was_the_situation_at_the_german_embassies_in/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpamk/what_was_the_situation_at_the_german_emba... |
If Hitler's last name was something like Smith would it be as taboo? | Well, the surname Hitler wasn't common at all, but his given name, Adolf (or, as also common, Adolph), was pretty widely used, and has since fallen out of favour.
Edit:
> [Old Adolf...that name died out, dinnit?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsY7rs4wkvM) | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rpbuo",
"post_id": "rpbuo",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpbuo/if_hitlers_last_name_was_something_like_smith/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpbuo/if_hitlers_last_name_was_something_like_smith... |
Pre-History of "Hackerspaces"/Productive enthusiasm for technology by amateurs | What do you mean? Where does the line between "Hackerspace" and an educated man doing experiments in his free time begin? take Benjamin Franklins work with electricity in his free time, he certainty wasn't doing it for industrial purposes. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rpj5p",
"post_id": "rpj5p",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpj5p/prehistory_of_hackerspacesproductive_enthusiasm/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpj5p/prehistory_of_hackerspacesproductive_enthus... |
How and when did the tradition of nodding the head for 'yes' and shaking horizontally for 'no' begin? | Even in wester society there are variations of this, and in some cases it is even reversed. In southern-Italy they "throw" their head for 'no', and in Bulgaria they shake for 'yes' and nod for 'no'.
The same variations exist all over the globe from culture to culture. Some shake and nod the same way westerners do, so... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rpjip",
"post_id": "rpjip",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpjip/how_and_when_did_the_tradition_of_nodding_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpjip/how_and_when_did_the_tradition_of_nodding_the... |
WWII experts, what are your favorite Navy stories? | The bio of [German sub ace Lieutenant Commander Günther Prien](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_Prien) is full of these. Even though he is famous for managing to intrude on [Scapa Flow](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapa_Flow#World_War_II), the story I always have to think of is [the one where is got his sub s... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rpk9v",
"post_id": "rpk9v",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpk9v/wwii_experts_what_are_your_favorite_navy_stories/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpk9v/wwii_experts_what_are_your_favorite_navy_s... |
Most interesting, somewhat obscure event that happened during 300 BCE to 1000 CE? | A little biased towards my topics here, but take them for what they're worth:
Greeks in Afghanistan becoming occupied by Indians in the early 3rd Century BCE, retaining their own language but converting to Buddhism, and lasting as a distinctive community in Afghanistan and India until about 300 AD or thereabouts.
Gree... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rprcy",
"post_id": "rprcy",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rprcy/most_interesting_somewhat_obscure_event_that/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rprcy/most_interesting_somewhat_obscure_event_that/"... |
Why was Buddhism in Korea during the Joseon dynasty suppressed? What happened to Buddhist monks and the religion during this time? | Buddhism became very politically corrupt by the end of the previous dynasty, Goryo. What the Joseon dynasty did was to restrict Buddhist monks from politicking around in the palace grounds, but freely permitted them to live in the mountains (as per their own Buddhist traditions).
The Neo-Confucians were actually very... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rprf5",
"post_id": "rprf5",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rprf5/why_was_buddhism_in_korea_during_the_joseon/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rprf5/why_was_buddhism_in_korea_during_the_joseon/",
... |
What were Roman-Persian relations like? | Complicated. Depending on how you count it, Rome deployed more legions against the Persians (both the Parthians and later Sassanians) than anywhere else. They fought wars with some regularity, and while it wasn't the constant conflict that some portray it as, war was frequent enough that the Romans always had to keep t... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rps5h",
"post_id": "rps5h",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rps5h/what_were_romanpersian_relations_like/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rps5h/what_were_romanpersian_relations_like/",
"post_crea... |
How did Japan deal with Korea during WWII? Was it an out and out hostile occupation, were there collaborators, was it similar to Germany and France? | As others have said Korea was a colony of Japan not a war conquest, but however you put it, the Japanese were pretty horrible to people they controlled.
One specific crime that leaps to mind was the practice of recruiting "comfort women" from Korea and other places. These women were basically forced to be prostitutes ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rpvn5",
"post_id": "rpvn5",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpvn5/how_did_japan_deal_with_korea_during_wwii_was_it/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpvn5/how_did_japan_deal_with_korea_during_wwii_... |
What topics are hotly debated among professional historians? | Heated debates:
- Were all/most Germans guilty of the Holocaust? Was Hitler singularly evil or just a product of his times?
- Why do empires (e.g. the Romans) rise and fall?
- Is there such a thing as absolute morality, or were some things just unthinkable in certain times (e.g. slavery, jingoism, colonial mindset... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rpzpn",
"post_id": "rpzpn",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpzpn/what_topics_are_hotly_debated_among_professional/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rpzpn/what_topics_are_hotly_debated_among_profes... |
Can you tell me how France became a Nation-State? | When the feudal levy system fell out of favor and the army became a professional force relying on taxation for pay. All of the people under the military commanders' purview became subject to such taxation and were thus a nation. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rq1m8",
"post_id": "rq1m8",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rq1m8/can_you_tell_me_how_france_became_a_nationstate/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rq1m8/can_you_tell_me_how_france_became_a_nations... |
What were the early arguments to seek to define life, or personhood, with respect to abortion? | It's been a difficult matter for a very long time. I cannot speak to the matter from a purely scientific perspective, as the "science" of the time was neither especially concerned with answering nor actually able to answer such questions, but I can point to some cultural and religious touchstones in the West, at least... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rqa2d",
"post_id": "rqa2d",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rqa2d/what_were_the_early_arguments_to_seek_to_define/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rqa2d/what_were_the_early_arguments_to_seek_to_de... |
Can someone describe to me the economics of the 1940s U.S.? | Fairly simple, really. First half was an enormous boom, I believe GNP doubled from '38 to '45 or so. Unemployment was more-or-less zero, wages, prices, and profits were up- as is typical, profits much more so than either of the others. You can say a lot of things about wars, but they sure as hell put people to work.
... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rqd4s",
"post_id": "rqd4s",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rqd4s/can_someone_describe_to_me_the_economics_of_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rqd4s/can_someone_describe_to_me_the_economics_of... |
When was the first trial (by jury or by judge) and/or what pre-dated the trial that eventually evolved into the modern western version of a trial? | The western version originated with the Germanic [Thing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thing_(assembly). Read the history of [Alfred the Great and his reforms](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_the_Great#Legal_reform) thereof. The Anglo-Saxons in England developed a sophisticated system. Everybody knows the Sherif ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rqi21",
"post_id": "rqi21",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rqi21/when_was_the_first_trial_by_jury_or_by_judge/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rqi21/when_was_the_first_trial_by_jury_or_by_judge/"... |
Books on Islamic Spain? | Referring only to my bookshelf, try Amin Maalouf, *Leo Africanus* for really thoughtful historical fiction; Perry, *The Handless Maiden*, or Nirenberg, *Communities of Violence* are more scholarly works. The first will probably be most interesting for you, the second and third are really about the politics of religion ... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rqnms",
"post_id": "rqnms",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rqnms/books_on_islamic_spain/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rqnms/books_on_islamic_spain/",
"post_created_utc": 1333424068,
"quest... |
Who was right: The Bosians and the international community/NATO who claimed the Bosnians were victims of the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina, or the Serbs who claimed they were avenging prior victimization? | That is a false dichotomy. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rr5o3",
"post_id": "rr5o3",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rr5o3/who_was_right_the_bosians_and_the_international/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rr5o3/who_was_right_the_bosians_and_the_internati... |
How can I become a Historian? | >What are the Masters and PhD programs like?
A lot of reading.
>Does it matter what my major was?
Somewhat.
What languages can you read? | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rr6i7",
"post_id": "rr6i7",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rr6i7/how_can_i_become_a_historian/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rr6i7/how_can_i_become_a_historian/",
"post_created_utc": 13334623... |
How has the view of the future changed over time? Has it ever been accurate? | I'm also interested in this, from what I've heard the concept of "the future" as we understand it is actually quite recent. For long periods of human history scientific and technological progress was slow enough that it was hardly noticeable in the average persons' lifetime, so there wasn't much reason to imagine a sig... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rr8ny",
"post_id": "rr8ny",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rr8ny/how_has_the_view_of_the_future_changed_over_time/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rr8ny/how_has_the_view_of_the_future_changed_ove... |
Religion in China: What did they believe in the past and how has it changed over time? | Traditional Chinese religion was pluralistic because ancestor worship, tenet-based systems of belief such as Confucianism, and later, Buddhism frequently ran hand in hand. There's even a Chinese saying, "hugging the buddha's feet in times of need", that explains the attitude of the Chinese towards most religions.
Typi... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rr9hv",
"post_id": "rr9hv",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rr9hv/religion_in_china_what_did_they_believe_in_the/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rr9hv/religion_in_china_what_did_they_believe_in_t... |
Why don't we (Americans) see more people these days like our founders? i.e Thomas Jefferson etc. | No. We're not. Remember that there are a very limited number of these polymaths in history, and at the time, most of the population are close to illiterate, reading only out of their bibles, with not even secondary education and certainly not speaking 5 language and inventing things.
The fact is, every age has its br... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rrc0j",
"post_id": "rrc0j",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrc0j/why_dont_we_americans_see_more_people_these_days/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrc0j/why_dont_we_americans_see_more_people_thes... |
Is a PhD worth it? | As has been said already, those articles in the Chronicle are not kidding, but there is some variance among subfields. If you want to focus on American history, particularly the 20th century, it's not really worth it unless you're at a top (read: Ivy or damn close) program, not because there aren't smart, successful p... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rrgyg",
"post_id": "rrgyg",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrgyg/is_a_phd_worth_it/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrgyg/is_a_phd_worth_it/",
"post_created_utc": 1333475313,
"question_selfte... |
When did the concept of a museum become a common thing? | The rest of the gang have the market cornered on the ancient story, so I'll tackle when museums became "a thing." (As a side note, I'll be talking about buildings filled with historical objects, not with artwork. I'll leave that to an art historian.)
Generally the [Ashmolean Museum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashm... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rrles",
"post_id": "rrles",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrles/when_did_the_concept_of_a_museum_become_a_common/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrles/when_did_the_concept_of_a_museum_become_a_... |
Which building is the oldest in the world, but not a ruin and is still used? | Interesting question, but you run into the Ship of Theseus problem.
Off the top of my head, the Pantheon in Rome was built around 120 CE and has been in continuous use, first as a pagan temple, then a church, and now a museum.
And then there is a question of how you define use. The Temple of Hephaestus in Athens was... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rrmht",
"post_id": "rrmht",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrmht/which_building_is_the_oldest_in_the_world_but_not/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrmht/which_building_is_the_oldest_in_the_world... |
Where Can I Find Primary Sources About "Non-Modern" Wars? | For the hundred years war the most renowned primary source is Jean Froissart's Chronicle.
The first couple of books are completely lifted from the earlier work of Jean Le Bel, but the rest covers the campign at Crecy and the Battle of Poitiers amongst other details.
Whilst this is a great source, if you are looking fo... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rropa",
"post_id": "rropa",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rropa/where_can_i_find_primary_sources_about_nonmodern/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rropa/where_can_i_find_primary_sources_about_non... |
What did the Romans know about the Chinese? | There is this [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romano-Chinese_relations) article, for what it's worth. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rrp87",
"post_id": "rrp87",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrp87/what_did_the_romans_know_about_the_chinese/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrp87/what_did_the_romans_know_about_the_chinese/",
... |
What are some of the greatest moments of irony in the history of mankind? | A three minute fifty second song about irony reaches #1 on the charts, when in actuality nothing it talks about is ironic. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rrrch",
"post_id": "rrrch",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrrch/what_are_some_of_the_greatest_moments_of_irony_in/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrrch/what_are_some_of_the_greatest_moments_of_... |
How did the the crime rates of the "Wild West" compare to today? | In reality it was significantly less than popular media would lead you to believe. I don't have the numbers at the moment, but actual murders in the "wild west" were very rare. Significantly less than you would see in contemporary eastern cities, I believe. The majority of the violence was tied to specific times and pl... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rrs2t",
"post_id": "rrs2t",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrs2t/how_did_the_the_crime_rates_of_the_wild_west/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrs2t/how_did_the_the_crime_rates_of_the_wild_west/"... |
What was it actually like being a spy in the Cold War? | Also not my area of expertise completely, but while doing the Cold War you do run into them quite often:
1 ) Gentlemanly and cultured spy - they existed, but not quite in the same way you might want them to exist. No suave, gun-totting and womanising Bond but educated men such as the Cambridge Five. Their communist co... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rrxbx",
"post_id": "rrxbx",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrxbx/what_was_it_actually_like_being_a_spy_in_the_cold/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rrxbx/what_was_it_actually_like_being_a_spy_in_... |
What awesome historical events would be perfect for movies? Example: Naumanchia (naval battles in amphitheaters) | The French Revolution. There have probably been History Channel specials and the like about it, but the story of it all - the characters vain and glorious, the high drama, the hope of victory, the slide into madness, the terrible end, and a new beginning - is pure Hollywood. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rs0y3",
"post_id": "rs0y3",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rs0y3/what_awesome_historical_events_would_be_perfect/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rs0y3/what_awesome_historical_events_would_be_per... |
Question about early agriculture in SE Asia. | Emmer wheat was cultivated extremely early in what's now Israel --- potentially around the time of the last ice age. Rice collection started around the same time, but in the Yangtze valley.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice#History_of_domestication_and_cultivation
It's striking t... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rs4ly",
"post_id": "rs4ly",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rs4ly/question_about_early_agriculture_in_se_asia/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rs4ly/question_about_early_agriculture_in_se_asia/",
... |
Is there any truth to this Kurshchev anecdote? | No idea, but did you know that Khrushchev's (or however y'all spell it in English) name starts with a H? Хрущёв, Hrushchev, but "ё" is pronounced with an o rather than an e, ergo: Hrusshov, with a faint hint of z amid the s's, and a slight y before the o.
Now, I realise that the usual English pronunciation starts with... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rs68v",
"post_id": "rs68v",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rs68v/is_there_any_truth_to_this_kurshchev_anecdote/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rs68v/is_there_any_truth_to_this_kurshchev_anecdote... |
What (if any) native Indian language used the term "How" as a greeting? | It seems to be a greeting used by men in the [Lakota language](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakota_language#Phrases)
EDIT: And here's a [screenshot from the OED on the English word](http://i.imgur.com/XzFiV.png) | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rs8kx",
"post_id": "rs8kx",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rs8kx/what_if_any_native_indian_language_used_the_term/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rs8kx/what_if_any_native_indian_language_used_th... |
Ties Between Ben Tillman, his Democratic Party, and the Tea Party Movement of Today... | I actually go to Clemson and have studied Tillman alot. We even have a giant memorial to him on campus in the form of a clocktower ಠ\_ಠ
That being said it is important to remember that Tillman was a populist, in that he believed the common farmer was the true leader of the state. Also, redeemers w... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rsaq0",
"post_id": "rsaq0",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rsaq0/ties_between_ben_tillman_his_democratic_party_and/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rsaq0/ties_between_ben_tillman_his_democratic_p... |
How did Russian spies operate in American during the Cold War? | very sneakily. | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rsau1",
"post_id": "rsau1",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rsau1/how_did_russian_spies_operate_in_american_during/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rsau1/how_did_russian_spies_operate_in_american_... |
Why is the Korean War considered "The Forgotten War?" | I can't say for sure, but off hand could it be because it is squashed between WWII and Vietnam, two wars that had profound impacts on the US? Korea, although horrible, had little impact on American day to day lives, not like WWII and Vietnam. I could be wrong, but this is something I've wondered too as I think North Ko... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rsgwz",
"post_id": "rsgwz",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rsgwz/why_is_the_korean_war_considered_the_forgotten_war/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rsgwz/why_is_the_korean_war_considered_the_for... |
Did the Soviets ever commit ground troops to Cold War conflicts? | The Soviets sent pilots to fight in Korea, advisors in N. Vietnam. I think they may have sent advisors to some African socialist/independence movements but I'm not positive--they did give heavy aid to those though.
There's Afghanistan but I don't think that qualifies for what you're asking about. Other than that I can... | {
"source": "reddit",
"subreddit": "AskHistorians",
"post_name": "t3_rsifd",
"post_id": "rsifd",
"post_url": "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rsifd/did_the_soviets_ever_commit_ground_troops_to_cold/",
"post_permalink": "/r/AskHistorians/comments/rsifd/did_the_soviets_ever_commit_ground_troops... |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.