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1vzpyo
Why is Julius Caesar a household name, but Sulla and Marius are not?
Why are Caesar, Antony and Pompey so popular, but Marius and Sulla are not?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1vzpyo/why_is_julius_caesar_a_household_name_but_sulla/
{ "a_id": [ "cexpefy", "ceycq4d" ], "score": [ 3, 5 ], "text": [ "I would say Shakespeare. \n\n\"Et tu Brutus\" is something everyone knows but cant actually be attributed to Caesar, but it was immortalized in Shakespeare's plays. Much like how Romeo and Juliet are household names but the ...
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[ [], [] ]
2typ4d
Apparently when shown footage of the Holocaust during the Nuremberg trials, Goering was shocked and speechless. Why would this be?
I've watched a couple of documentaries and they all show the same thing, Goering being very shocked when forced to watch film of Allied entrance into holocaust camps. Bodies, disease, etc. Was he faking it? It makes no sense because he was a pretty hardcore racist himself. (I'm not an anti-Semite by the way and certai...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2typ4d/apparently_when_shown_footage_of_the_holocaust/
{ "a_id": [ "co3lm63", "co3lq04", "co3lunj", "co3miyg" ], "score": [ 78, 227, 1626, 25 ], "text": [ "Do you have a link to a video showing his reaction? ", "No more guesses, posts that do not directly answer the original question or answers like : \"No historical info h...
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[ [], [], [], [] ]
29be3f
How did Americans react when they learned that Hirohito would not only escape prosecution but also keep the throne following WWII?
Looking at all the propaganda posters during the war, it seems Hirohito was by far the most hated man in America, moreso than even Hitler. The deal with the Emperor doesn't seem to have been something that affected Macarthur's career, either.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/29be3f/how_did_americans_react_when_they_learned_that/
{ "a_id": [ "cijgisd", "cijmdj7", "cijqk0e" ], "score": [ 132, 14, 3 ], "text": [ "I can give a little explanation of why and how the governments on both sides made sure there wasn't a massive adverse reaction, if not really what the reaction was.\n\nBoth the Japanese and the Ameri...
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[ [], [], [] ]
2zhrga
Where Can I Learn More About Maroon Communities?
Richard Dunn's *Sugar and Slaves: The Rise of the Planeter Class in the English West Indies, 1624-1713* mentions maroon communities and how they interacted with Indies colonial activities throughout the book, and even has a reference to something referred to in the index as the "Maroon Wars". However, he does not reall...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2zhrga/where_can_i_learn_more_about_maroon_communities/
{ "a_id": [ "cqeongr" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Richard Price's Maroon Societies: Rebel Slave Communities in the Americas is the classic text and covers maroons all over the Caribbean and the Americas. It came out in the 70s but has seen subsequent editions. A good place to start looking at th...
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[ [] ]
dgcxmd
When and where does the "stereotypical" image of a caveman come from? Why do we seem to all agree that cavemen wear cheeta skins, wield clubs, and say "ooga booga?"
Obviously nobody was around writing stuff during prehistory, so this image of a caveman had to come from someone's imagination. When, where, and why did this come to be the image of a caveman? My first thought was the Flintstones, but it seems like they relied on some familiarity with the imagery. Is this idea from col...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/dgcxmd/when_and_where_does_the_stereotypical_image_of_a/
{ "a_id": [ "f3b3149", "f3bqpkx" ], "score": [ 1179, 39 ], "text": [ "French paleontologist, Marcellin Boule, was the first scientist to describe the Homo neanderthalensis as ape-like in the 1920s, probably leading to the ooga booga part of your question (also, an 1886 short story by Andre...
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[ [], [ "osf.io/jtkn2" ] ]
dagy9h
Do you know any ancient or medieval recipes that you've cooked/might be worth cooking or maybe a list/book of recipes or general food and food preparation?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/dagy9h/do_you_know_any_ancient_or_medieval_recipes_that/
{ "a_id": [ "f1pven9" ], "score": [ 31 ], "text": [ "The website you want is [Medieval Cookery](_URL_1_). They've got:\n\n* Links to [digitized versions of actual medieval cookbooks](_URL_3_)--some in translation, some in the original languages. These aren't going to be recipes in the modern sense...
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[ [ "http://medievalcookery.com/books.html?primary", "http://www.medievalcookery.com", "http://medievalcookery.com/recipes/", "http://medievalcookery.com/etexts.html" ] ]
1sun0m
Can someone help me identify this object? Possibly Native American (Fort ancient culture).
To me it looks like a generic ax head/chisel morphotype from the Hopewell or Fort Ancient cultures. My father and uncle found them as kids just after the first rain on a plowed and disced field just outside Fairfield Ohio. It is part of a larger collection found in the same area. [side view 1] (_URL_3_) [side view ...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1sun0m/can_someone_help_me_identify_this_object_possibly/
{ "a_id": [ "ce1hgj2", "ce1jjej" ], "score": [ 5, 9 ], "text": [ "Looks like a stone celt. _URL_0_\n\nAs a guess, I'd imagine it's an ax from the Adena culture, which inhabited the area you're talking about during the period in which axes similar to this one were in use. _URL_2_\n\nI'm not...
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[ "http://i.imgur.com/m2isIwD.jpg", "http://i.imgur.com/PhrnWjN.jpg", "http://i.imgur.com/V6w5gaB.jpg", "http://i.imgur.com/0HYRcpv.jpg" ]
[ [ "http://www.zuko.com/timeWarp/The_Ancients_of_North_America_Stone_Celts.asp", "http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=251", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adena_culture" ], [] ]
267he8
What happened in Turkey and C. Asia during WW2?
More specifically, Turkey and the -stans? I can't find anything pertaining to the political, social and economic situation of Turkey at that time, and C. Asia seems to be an industrial footnote to the Soviet war machine. Are there any books of note covering these subjects?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/267he8/what_happened_in_turkey_and_c_asia_during_ww2/
{ "a_id": [ "choiklu" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ "I can briefly explain Turkey: Turkey for the most part stayed out of the war, as it had allies on all sides and Atatürk had officially adopted a policy of \"[peace at home, peace in the world](_URL_3_)\" in the 1930's, which his successors carrie...
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[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necdet_Kent", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behi%C3%A7_Erkin", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varl%C4%B1k_Vergisi", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_at_Home,_Peace_in_the_World", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nam%C4%B1k_Kemal_Yolga", "http://en.wikipedia.org...
68iok9
What was a rare or weird culinary treat (for the poor, rich, or anyone between) in your time period and region of expertise?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/68iok9/what_was_a_rare_or_weird_culinary_treat_for_the/
{ "a_id": [ "dgysq7h" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Taking \"treat\" rather generously:\n\n > Looking back, I find that drinking, in this country at least, has been divided more or less definitely into various epochs, in each of which a different brand of poison and hell-fire dominated the thirst...
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[ [ "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1382135/", "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayltwUwpW04", "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGuoOyeUj-w" ] ]
8him3y
How historically accurate was the video game Red Dead Redemption?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8him3y/how_historically_accurate_was_the_video_game_red/
{ "a_id": [ "dykjgsn" ], "score": [ 14 ], "text": [ "To help others who haven’t played the game, can you be more specific about what part of the game you want to know if it is historically accurate?" ] }
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6pa927
Why was Baldur Von Schirach the only other Nazi war criminal kept imprisoned for as long as Albert Speer?
Yes, I know Hess was there longer
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6pa927/why_was_baldur_von_schirach_the_only_other_nazi/
{ "a_id": [ "dko0cwi" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "The immediate answer was that of the \"Spandau Seven,\" von Schirach was comparatively younger (bn. 1907) compared to the three prisoners released earlier before their sentences were up- von Neurath (bn. 1873), Raeder (bn. 1876), and Funk (bn. 1...
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58m9vl
Where can I learn more about the history of political Buddhism?
I recently listened to the AskHistorians podcast about Buddhism in Tibet and Bhutan, and the rise and machinations of people like Pagsam Wangpo and Ngawang Namgyal. I found this endlessly fascinating, particularly the way theological justification was given for things like resolving successions and inheritance, and the...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/58m9vl/where_can_i_learn_more_about_the_history_of/
{ "a_id": [ "d91p761" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Hi there! I was the interviewee for that episode and I'd recommend if you're interested in Tibet and Bhutan further, to take a look at the [_URL_0_](booklist.) \n\nBuddhism has always been mildly political. Remember that even in the earliest rete...
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books/innerasia#wiki_tibet_and_bhutan" ] ]
wgc50
What was the medical specifications of a British World War One CONSCRIPTED soldier?
ie. weight, size, eyesight requirements. I was literally thinking the other day wondering if I would have been conscripted - I am 22 and single but have quite bad sight in my right eye. I was kinda of looking for like a table of requirements or something. I think itd be pretty interesting. Also, how much were the rule...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/wgc50/what_was_the_medical_specifications_of_a_british/
{ "a_id": [ "c5d33zq", "c5d88rz" ], "score": [ 3, 3 ], "text": [ "_URL_0_\n\nFun little bit here on the rush to enlist at the war's beginning.", "I'll come back to this later once I find some good sources.\n\nThe physical requirements for British soldiers decreased as the war went on. ...
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[ [ "http://books.google.com/books?id=YPA1dGj_N18C&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=medical+requirement+british+1914&source=bl&ots=JDySSIGrpJ&sig=FmkGHceli2M90EzZiLO5wAcD6SY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kBv_T7DKLcbn0QGL_4XOBg&ved=0CFQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=medical%20requirement%20british%201914&f...
8dw7gx
Shinobi/Ninjas, Bushido and Seppuku
First of all, apologies for misspellings. Now onto the core of the question (Spoilers for the Danish novel 'Ternet Ninja' ahead). I've just finished a novel where a ninja doll is possessed by a ninja from the late 16th century. In the backstory to this ninja, he was charged with protecting the children of his vill...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8dw7gx/shinobininjas_bushido_and_seppuku/
{ "a_id": [ "dylt413" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Hey I meant to write you an answer a while ago, but life got in the way. I hope you'll still find this helpful. It's a bit of an info-dump with lots of links to previous answers and resources.\n\n > I still have reservations about the historical...
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6rja8q/how_many_koku_would_a_ninja_in_medieval_japan_get/", "http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_friday_0301.htm", "https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0071589", "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/52sewz/was_t...
1qfi3p
What did the ancients think menstruation was? How did they explain what it's function was?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1qfi3p/what_did_the_ancients_think_menstruation_was_how/
{ "a_id": [ "cdcarx0" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "There a lot of varying accounts in Egypt about what really caused menstruation, medicinal papyri say a lot of different things on menstruation, but there weren't any big theories on what actually caused menstruation. For the most part, menstruati...
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3g2uzu
Wooden plane parts?
Hello fellow history buffs! I'm looking for some information on some plane parts I found, they appear to be wooden frames skinned with navy blue painted plywood. They were found near Ewa Marine Airbase in Hawaii sometime in the 1960's. They look as though they were part of a plane that had been shot up. The only pr...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3g2uzu/wooden_plane_parts/
{ "a_id": [ "ctucobq" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "might as well post the pictures" ] }
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equx2l
How did Medieval Catholic Mass evolve to how it is today?
If I were to attend one, say, in the 14th Century or something, would there be a major difference?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/equx2l/how_did_medieval_catholic_mass_evolve_to_how_it/
{ "a_id": [ "feypt5c" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "Yes. To respond somewhat quickly to you there have been multiple iteration of the \"Mass\" throughout the history of Catholicism. If we were to isolate two key moments I would undoubtedly say the Council of Trento (1545-1563) and the Second Vatic...
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35wsyh
What stopped free blacks in the pre-Civil War American South from being re-enslaved by white people?
Is it that they were deemed able to own themselves, and so were protected under property law? I'm just trying to understand the social and legal constructs that allowed for some blacks to be free (though second-class citizens) during that time.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/35wsyh/what_stopped_free_blacks_in_the_precivil_war/
{ "a_id": [ "cr8nf5e" ], "score": [ 29 ], "text": [ "There are numerous examples of this actually happening to black people. Not just in the South, but multiple free black men in the North were kidnapped and sold into slavery down South. If you didn't have documentation on you that said you were f...
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6mgzr0
Are Julius Caesar's remains still extant?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6mgzr0/are_julius_caesars_remains_still_extant/
{ "a_id": [ "dk1kblp" ], "score": [ 19 ], "text": [ "Julius Caesar's remains are not extant, because he was cremated, not buried. The Temple of Caesar was built on the site of his cremation, in the main square of the Roman Forum, but only the altars remain of it now. There was also a wax-statue di...
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14ah6s
How was 18th century Britain interacting with the Arab world?
I'm thinking in terms of commerce, intellectual and literary exchange, etc. How was 18th century Britain influenced (if at all) by this part of the world? Any information you could share would be useful. I am also grateful for any books or articles you could recommend on this topic. Thank you!
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/14ah6s/how_was_18th_century_britain_interacting_with_the/
{ "a_id": [ "c7bg30c" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "Arabia was part of the Ottoman Empire. As such, that would be your frame of reference.\n\nTry Gerald Maclean, [*Looking East: English Writing and the Ottoman Empire Before 1800*](_URL_0_). But the development, progressively, of an orientalist p...
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[ [ "http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/137331447" ] ]
2divti
Why did the British and Ottomans and French team up against Russia in the Siege of Crimea?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2divti/why_did_the_british_and_ottomans_and_french_team/
{ "a_id": [ "cjq2ub6" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "After the Battle of Sinope, Russian Navy dominated the Black Sea, which brought up the threat of Russian attack on Bospor and subsequently Dardanelles, thus opening the way into Mediterannean, something British and French governments and elites t...
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4am850
Before around the 1980s or 90s, most countries only had one, two, or three TV channels, but starting in the 80s and 90s they began to proliferate. What changed in that time?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4am850/before_around_the_1980s_or_90s_most_countries/
{ "a_id": [ "d11savt" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "In the Middle East the big difference was the launch of the first telecommunications satellites in the 1980s and 90s like Arabsat. This was combined with the launch of some of the first independent (i.e. non-state) TV enterprises around the same ...
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29fu3a
I'm home with pharyngitis and craving entertaining, accurate and can't-look-away historical documentaries.
Preferably ones I can access on YouTube. Ive seen all by Mary Beard -- I love those! Any suggestions? Apologies if this is not an appropriate question for this sub.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/29fu3a/im_home_with_pharyngitis_and_craving_entertaining/
{ "a_id": [ "cikk0au" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Here are a few that stick in my mind as being more entertaining/compelling; you should be able to find them online or at your library:\n\n* BBC series *Voyages of Discovery* (2006) - hosted by enthusiastic Australian explorer [Paul Rose](_URL_1_)...
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[ [ "http://www.afilmunfinished.com/", "http://www.paulrose.org/voyages-discovery.html" ] ]
3fjbtb
Why is Anglicanism not as prevalent in former British colonies as Catholicism is in former Spanish/Portuguese colonies?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3fjbtb/why_is_anglicanism_not_as_prevalent_in_former/
{ "a_id": [ "ctp7n8j" ], "score": [ 14 ], "text": [ "In a word, Time. The first European powers to reach the New World were Spain and Portugal, these two heavily Catholic nations led the way in colonial expansion for a good two hundred years before the United Kingdom had left Britannia giving them...
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15qinq
Soviet Russian USSSR experts, what can you tell me about this real photo double postcard?
_URL_0_
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/15qinq/soviet_russian_usssr_experts_what_can_you_tell_me/
{ "a_id": [ "c7ow2kb", "c7ox1vb" ], "score": [ 3, 5 ], "text": [ "Do you have an alternate way of sharing that image? It prompts me to sign into Yahoo.", "Translation: Solemn meeting on the day of the opening of the Dnerperoges 10 Oct 1932.\n\nIt was apparently taken at the opening of...
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[ "http://i.imgur.com/TOmKf.jpg" ]
[ [], [ "http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ru&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.calend.ru%2Fevent%2F4107%2F&act=url" ] ]
4oh8ft
were Americans allowed to own cannons under the second amendment?
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." basically, did the term "arms" refer only to the individual firearms of the time, or would it have been acceptable for an average person to own a cannon? are there any rec...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4oh8ft/were_americans_allowed_to_own_cannons_under_the/
{ "a_id": [ "d4cpccu", "d4ctsm1" ], "score": [ 145, 27 ], "text": [ "Yes, private citizens were allowed to own cannons, and many did. It was very common for private merchant ships (for example) to be equipped with cannons. They were called \"armed merchantmen\" - so yes, \"arms\" definit...
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1wdg5z/could_someone_fact_check_this_short_video/cf17gqb" ], [] ]
5wlc7n
What was flying like in 1960s America for African-Americans?
I'm having a little bit of trouble researching this topic. The novel I'm writing has a scene where our main character, who is black, is supposed to fly from a fictional city to Chicago in 1968. He is portrayed as an average middle class African-American boy. Is it unrealistic for him to be flying? And how far, in advan...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5wlc7n/what_was_flying_like_in_1960s_america_for/
{ "a_id": [ "debea1z", "debni9m" ], "score": [ 176, 110 ], "text": [ "In the sixties air travel wasn’t quite as popular as today; [travel by air was much more expensive than by rail or bus](_URL_1_); travel by bus cost $2.73 rail $0.71 and air $34.13 (Unadjusted for inflation). [With the a...
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[ [ "https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/america-by-air/online/abaImage.cfm?webID=308.p7", "https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_03_18.html", "http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/aviations-jackie-robinson-16161631/...
2ug9xm
When did it become an acceptable practice to be in debt?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2ug9xm/when_did_it_become_an_acceptable_practice_to_be/
{ "a_id": [ "co84ktz" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "As you no doubt know, debt used to be a crime punishable by imprisonment and other measures. The first inklings of change started to happen as early industrialization took hold; to engage in industrial efforts, capital needed to be accumulated in...
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eo560j
Were left-handed swordsmen in the middle ages more valuable?
I read online that it was advantageous to have them on your side when invading a fortress so they were often awarded signing bonuses when recruited.
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/eo560j/were_lefthanded_swordsmen_in_the_middle_ages_more/
{ "a_id": [ "fe9dbyy" ], "score": [ 16 ], "text": [ "What we know of the historical fencing sources from the early modern period is that opinions seem to differ! (If you know fencing instructors, this is the most unsurprising thing ever)\n\nLiechtenaur (one of the earlier sources c. 1400) makes p...
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[ [ "https://spanishsword.org/files/method.of.teaching.of.masters.translation.pdf" ] ]
2qqclb
During the age of sail, what was the procedure for a reasonably sized ship to weather a hurricane?
The main thing I was thinking about is, with the helm being open to the elements, was some poor, unfortunate soul required to remain topside to steer? Or is there some mechanism to use below decks? But I'm also looking for more general procedure that they would follow in an effort to survive.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2qqclb/during_the_age_of_sail_what_was_the_procedure_for/
{ "a_id": [ "cn8iat6", "cn8ieig", "cn8pm1t", "cn9j2rk" ], "score": [ 6, 6, 10, 3 ], "text": [ "Given that the age of sail spans human history up until say 1840 or so, that's a broad question :-) but generally, stay stern to the winds, either by setting a small headsail or a...
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[ [], [], [], [ "http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/beaufort.html" ] ]
3w7onf
Why did the Warsaw Pact intervene in Czechoslovakia in 1968 but not in Poland in 1980?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3w7onf/why_did_the_warsaw_pact_intervene_in/
{ "a_id": [ "cxu1y57" ], "score": [ 11 ], "text": [ "There were several reasons for this, the Soviet Union went from initially tepidly in favor of intervention to firmly against intervening.\n\n1) Unlike in 1968, the Soviet Union at the time was already engaged in a war in Afghanistan which was es...
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3amxuv
What are some Biblical figures, that can be historically confirmed?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3amxuv/what_are_some_biblical_figures_that_can_be/
{ "a_id": [ "cse7ena", "csekzw1", "csf20ib" ], "score": [ 60, 4, 5 ], "text": [ "The rulers of Babylon, mentioned in the Old Testament book of Daniel, have independent, local, primary sources that confirm they were actual historical figures. Unfortunately, the book of Exodus does n...
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[ [], [ "http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/50-people-in-the-bible-confirmed-archaeologically/", "http://www.antiquities.org.il/article_eng.aspx?sec_id=25&subj_id=240&id=4122" ], [ "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Maccabee...
fhsoar
Did Ancient Peoples observe Galaxies?
I wonder if the Swastika could be a representation of Andromeda or even the Whirlpool Galaxy.
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/fhsoar/did_ancient_peoples_observe_galaxies/
{ "a_id": [ "fkddyer" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "There are few naked-eye visible galaxies. Other than the Milky Way, the only galaxies brighter than 6th magnitude are the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellenic Cloud, the Andromeda Galaxy, and the Triangulum Galaxy. Of these, the LMC an...
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329vu0
"Of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them" Is this true? If so, what years where those? If false, when was the last year without war?
This is a commonly repeated factoid that seems to come from the 2003 book [What Every Person Should Know About War](_URL_0_) by Chris Hedges. Is it true? When, exactly, was the last year in human history where two governments were not fighting each other?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/329vu0/of_the_past_3400_years_humans_have_been_entirely/
{ "a_id": [ "cq983hp", "cq9umo8" ], "score": [ 3, 4 ], "text": [ "Hopefully someone will drop by to address that specific claim, but meanwhile, you may be interested in this post from the FAQ \n\n_URL_0_", "Isn't this an unanswerable question? For much of that time we don't have any so...
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[ "http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/books/chapters/0713-1st-hedges.html" ]
[ [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1j0etg/what_is_the_longest_span_of_time_the_world_has/" ], [] ]
z3wi6
Questions Related to Pyramids (Egypt, Mexico)
I just saw the [The Revelation of the Pyramids](_URL_0_). It blew my mind when they started to talk about Pi/Golden Number and Astrology. But then i read some comments on this video and I got confuse. My questions are 1. How authentic this documentary is ? 2. Are there any possible links of Pyramids of Egypt with May...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/z3wi6/questions_related_to_pyramids_egypt_mexico/
{ "a_id": [ "c61xh5y", "c61bxno", "c61e68a" ], "score": [ 3, 8, 3 ], "text": [ "An interesting fact about the Egyptian pyramids is that the first pyramids weren't perfect, they were step pyramids. For example, [Sneferu's pyramid](_URL_1_) at Meidum was the first attempt at a pyrami...
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[ "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooy2LTJoMVM&feature=player_embedded" ]
[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Castillo,_Chichen_Itza", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pyramid_of_sneferu_Meidum_01.jpg", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Saqqara_pyramid.jpg" ], [ "http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/mann-text", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C...
49yyjg
What did the Mughals call their empire?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/49yyjg/what_did_the_mughals_call_their_empire/
{ "a_id": [ "d0w44gl" ], "score": [ 10 ], "text": [ "\"Gurkani\" or \"Gurkaniyan\", which means \"son-in-law\". A reference to the fact that Timur married a Chinggisid, which meant he was a \"son-in-law\" of sorts of Genghis Khan; legitimacy from the Chinggisid line was important in Central Asia w...
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fncl75
Could Chile having the best economy in latin america be attributed to Augusto Pinochet's reign?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/fncl75/could_chile_having_the_best_economy_in_latin/
{ "a_id": [ "fm3kof9" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "This is a difficult topic because there hasn't been enough time passed to decide a definitive answer. Where one stands on the issue is likely attributed to one's political views. As I'm sure you know, Pinochet solicited the help of economist Milt...
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1bonj1
How exactly was the famine in Ukraine ended?
Through my research I have come to understand that the famine was kept hidden from the public and media, people were writing fake articles to essentially satisfy the public and keep Stalin safe. Then I read about a guy named Gareth Jones, who went into Ukraine illegally and wrote articles about what he saw and what was...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1bonj1/how_exactly_was_the_famine_in_ukraine_ended/
{ "a_id": [ "c98t150" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "How the Holodomor ended is easy. The Soviet Union stopped exporting so much grain. The Soviet Union exported 1,730,000 tons of grain in 1933, and it exported smaller and smaller amounts of grain until 1940, when...
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7nvqfe
What do we know about author of Epic of Gilgamesh?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7nvqfe/what_do_we_know_about_author_of_epic_of_gilgamesh/
{ "a_id": [ "ds51m5f" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Hey there!\n\nThere is actually a great thread on the Epic of Gilgamesh over at /r/history.\n\n[Follow this link!](_URL_0_)" ] }
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/7njejb/is_the_epic_of_gilgamesh_the_oldest_story_out/" ] ]
3hxcbe
How did the tribes allied with Cortez react to his sacking of Teotihaucan?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3hxcbe/how_did_the_tribes_allied_with_cortez_react_to/
{ "a_id": [ "cubeta5" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "Do you perhaps mean Tenochtitlan?" ] }
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ee033w
How instrumental was the ‘ever victorious army’ in putting down the Taiping Rebellion?
For those who are curious, the Ever Victorious Army was an army that participated in fighting the Taiping Rebellion between 1860-1864. It was a Chinese force that was led by European/American officers. I have no idea if it was formed by the Qing government or grew organically from the foreign districts in Shanghai. Fr...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ee033w/how_instrumental_was_the_ever_victorious_army_in/
{ "a_id": [ "fbo81ij" ], "score": [ 10 ], "text": [ "For important context, the basics of the Ever-Victorious Army are as follows. In June 1860, in response to a recent Taiping campaign on the Lower Yangtze that would reach Shanghai in mid-August, an American mercenary named Frederick Townsend War...
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[ [ "https://web.archive.org/web/20190522092800/http://www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk/gems/general-gordon-the-hero-of-khartoum" ] ]
b25evn
Why and when did we associate green with "go" and red with "stop"?
Was there some delegation that decided or was it more intuitive than that?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/b25evn/why_and_when_did_we_associate_green_with_go_and/
{ "a_id": [ "eirbasz" ], "score": [ 137 ], "text": [ "This was [also asked recently on the Short Answers thread](_URL_0_). I provided an answer to it [here](_URL_0_) from a linguistic perspective." ] }
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/aq6wna/short_answers_to_simple_questions_february_13_2019/egknq21/" ] ]
318uvk
Prior to contact with Europeans during the Age of Discovery, were firearms known in India and Africa?
Supposedly knowledge of firearms and gunpowder were transmitted along the Silk Road from China to Europe. Did it spread along the trade routes to India and Africa as well?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/318uvk/prior_to_contact_with_europeans_during_the_age_of/
{ "a_id": [ "cpzrd91" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ " Yes they were. Gunpowder was adopted by the Arabs early on and since they had conquered North Africa it spread throughout that region.\n\nIndia was much closer to the Chinese who most likely came up with gunpowder in the first place, and either ...
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4mn98t
What were the major influences of Danish on the Norwegian language?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4mn98t/what_were_the_major_influences_of_danish_on_the/
{ "a_id": [ "d3x3ier" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "The different German languages and dialects. Germany(back then only as a cultural enitity) being a large power and a neighbour to Denmark naturally influenced the Danish languages up until the 20th century when English became more dominant. Germa...
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