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agzod7
Why did ANZAC troops in Vietnam seemingly forgo helmets entirely, despite helmets be in wide use among the Americans, the ROK, and the ARVN?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/agzod7/why_did_anzac_troops_in_vietnam_seemingly_forgo/
{ "a_id": [ "eeanojo" ], "score": [ 225 ], "text": [ "Some Australian units were issued with M1 steel helmets, both US and Australian made during the Vietnam war. Units known as ‘Mini Teams’, which were a type of small counter mine unit, were issued with M1 steel helmets and US Flak jackets. Mostl...
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/a95p4l/why_did_the_nva_use_pith_helmets_during_the/" ] ]
2ak8d2
Why did the Clinton administration (and Bush administration) have a policy of regime change in Iraq?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2ak8d2/why_did_the_clinton_administration_and_bush/
{ "a_id": [ "ciw0yq2" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "I am removing this question as it is in violation of [our 20-year rule](_URL_0_)." ] }
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[ [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/rules#wiki_no_current_events" ] ]
2zna4w
Was it common for 12th century cities to have guards on every corner, with full armor, just standing there to 'guard'? How common was this?
I am watching the movie 'The kingdom of Heaven' and I see guards everywhere. In palaces, on the street, in houses, courtyards, you name it. Was this common in the 12th century or is it just made up by the movie? Thanks in advance!
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2zna4w/was_it_common_for_12th_century_cities_to_have/
{ "a_id": [ "cpknvco" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "You may be interested in this past question: [Did real medieval cities have guards like in video games and fantasy fiction?](_URL_0_)\n" ] }
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[ [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1m8cvl/did_real_medieval_cities_have_guards_like_in/" ] ]
124b18
Has a presidential election ever been impacted by a weather event and if so, is voting delayed in the area impacted?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/124b18/has_a_presidential_election_ever_been_impacted_by/
{ "a_id": [ "c6s1i5o", "c6s4eko" ], "score": [ 6, 2 ], "text": [ "turnout is always affected by weather - i.e. bad weather means only the determined vote", "Harrison gave his inauguration speech in the rain, got sick, and died in a few weeks. " ] }
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[ [], [] ]
87cfet
I've heard the Disneyified versions of Grimm's Tales Americans are familiar with are highly sanitized (RRHood and Grandma are eaten by the wolf,Snow White is about necrophilia,it's Cinderella's family, not steps- tormenting her, that kind of thing).Is this true? Were children the target audience?
Why did they change the stories? Does this undermine the function the stories were accomplishing?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/87cfet/ive_heard_the_disneyified_versions_of_grimms/
{ "a_id": [ "dwc5oyz" ], "score": [ 64 ], "text": [ "Okay, so there are a couple of things going on here; I'll try my best to answer them all. \n\nFirst of all, there is no such thing as an \"original\" version of a fairy tale, unless it's a literary fairy tale with definite origins (such as Hans ...
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5wckif
Why did the ancient Egyptians remove all the major organs from the body during mummification, but not the brain?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5wckif/why_did_the_ancient_egyptians_remove_all_the/
{ "a_id": [ "de9zkta" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "The Egyptians did remove the brain. The difference between the brain and the other major organs is that the brain was not preserved in a canopic jar as the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines were. Instead the brain was liquefied via a crook ...
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[ [ "http://www.worldcat.org/title/egyptian-mummies-unraveling-the-secrets-of-an-ancient-art/oclc/46334148&referer=brief_results" ] ]
4aeyy0
Has a U.S. primary candidate ever won the most pledged delegates but then did not become the party's Presidential nominee?
With Americans being so anti-establishment this presidential election cycle and the establishment not wanting to give up power, I could see Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders winning the most pledge delegates but somehow losing the nomination through super-delegates or a brokered convention. Has this ever happened in the p...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4aeyy0/has_a_us_primary_candidate_ever_won_the_most/
{ "a_id": [ "d0zzi0e" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "The last time that happened was when Estes Kefauver won 13 of the 16 Democratic party primaries in 1952. 32 states, including the large states of Michigan and New York, did not hold primaries in 1952. The delegates for the national party conventi...
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1j7nud
After the French Revolution, was there ever a time in England when the monarchy came close to being overthrown?
The recent American fascination with Kate and William's baby got me wondering how Great Britain has managed to remain one of the only major world powers with a monarch.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1j7nud/after_the_french_revolution_was_there_ever_a_time/
{ "a_id": [ "cbbxga6" ], "score": [ 7 ], "text": [ "What you're thinking of is Republicanism. The monarchy is very secure right now, mainly because the Windsors' power is mainly ceremonial. Since the French Revolution, the royal family hasn't been in serious danger of being overthrown as the Bourb...
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1nku4q
Why did the United States want to open trade with Japan when they knew Japan didn't have many natural resources? (19th century).
Japan was never colonized by the Europeans because they weren't interesting enough in terms of natural resources. So why did Commodore Matthew Perry want to open trade with them? I mean the Europeans got there first and they didn't colonize. What made Japan interesting for the United States?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1nku4q/why_did_the_united_states_want_to_open_trade_with/
{ "a_id": [ "ccji4pp", "ccjis3k", "ccjmnnu" ], "score": [ 104, 23, 2 ], "text": [ "Because in the latter days of colonialism it was about opening markets, about selling their goods, not just natural resources. \n\nDeveloped nations were the only ones with factories belching out che...
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[ [], [ "http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Spinning_Jenny_improved_203_Marsden.png", "http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/20276/pages/3597/page.pdf", "http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Baines_1835-Mule_Jenny.png", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Slater" ],...
16cx1h
Naval Command in Ancient Roman times.
I've been listening to the History of Rome podcast, (thanks to this subreddit) and Mike Duncan was talking about Agrippa squaring off against Antony. He mentioned Agrippa being in command of some 400 ships. It got me wondering, how does one exactly command that many ships? My guess is it involves flags or something l...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/16cx1h/naval_command_in_ancient_roman_times/
{ "a_id": [ "c7uvr6y", "c7uwxno" ], "score": [ 4, 3 ], "text": [ "I'll defer to someone with a greater knowledge of Roman Naval activities than I, but from what little I do know I am aware that a crude system of code was in place, and flashed from ship to ship using reflective pieces of me...
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[ [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvus_(boarding_device)" ] ]
758igu
In East Germany, what happened to the families of those who went over the wall, or killed trying to?
Would the family have been even notified if he/she were able to escape? If they died, were they told that they had been killed by their own government, or was it covered up by saying it was some other cause, like the Soviets did with casualties in Afghanistan? Would having a family member try to escape be a crime even ...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/758igu/in_east_germany_what_happened_to_the_families_of/
{ "a_id": [ "do4n2rt" ], "score": [ 15 ], "text": [ "The act of unauthorized fleeing over the border- *Republikflucht*- was a crime under GDR law. This meant that there was a serious investigation into the perpetrator and his social connections whether it was successful or not. This put the famili...
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32at7q
What was the justification/cause of the ceding of Carpathian Ruthenia from Czecho-Slovakia to the Soviet Union?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/32at7q/what_was_the_justificationcause_of_the_ceding_of/
{ "a_id": [ "cq9ibgi", "cq9ix6c" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Ruthenia was ethnically Ukrainian. Ukraine was at the time a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, so they were joined. This was the same justification used for annexing large swaths of eastern pre-War Poland to the Bela...
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[ [], [] ]
p7gbu
I understand the Islamic golden age was from 750 to the 1200's. Why did it end? Gengis Khan?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/p7gbu/i_understand_the_islamic_golden_age_was_from_750/
{ "a_id": [ "c3n47v2", "c3n5net", "c3n9xt1" ], "score": [ 8, 5, 11 ], "text": [ "I would also say the Crusades had a bit to do with it. Though, I am told the main issue was 'closing the doors of itjihad'. Itjihad (from the root JHD, meaning 'to strive') was a way of using reason wh...
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[ [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Baghdad_(1258)", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasid", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merv", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliphate" ] ]
30dnhp
If Jesus (Yeshuas) was such a common name during the time of the Biblical Jesus, how can we attribute what is said in the Bible to one Yeshuas?
[Source](_URL_0_) of Jesus being a relatively common name > Many people shared the name. Christ's given name, commonly Romanized as Yeshua, was quite common in first-century Galilee. (Jesus comes from the transliteration of Yeshua into Greek and then English.) Archaeologists have unearthed the tombs of 71 Yeshuas fr...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/30dnhp/if_jesus_yeshuas_was_such_a_common_name_during/
{ "a_id": [ "cprm2i3" ], "score": [ 52 ], "text": [ "The answer is actually in the article you linked to.\n\n > Contemporaries would have called him Yeshua Bar Yehosef or Yeshua Nasraya. (That's \"Jesus, son of Joseph\" or \"Jesus of Nazareth.\") Galileans distinguished themselves from others with...
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[ "http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2008/12/happy_birthday_dear_yeshua_happy_birthday_to_you.html" ]
[ [] ]
8ox78c
Did Europeans bring African slaves to Europe in any significant numbers?
I know most of them ended up in plantations in Brazil or the Caribbean, but did Europeans bring slaves back to Europe? Either as a household slave or laborer? I assume free labor was still desireable in Europe as much as it was in the colonies.
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8ox78c/did_europeans_bring_african_slaves_to_europe_in/
{ "a_id": [ "e07lhuc" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "Yes, they bring. \n\nFirst of all, I would like to apologize for my English, I'm a Brazilian historian still improving my English knowledge, so my write will not be too much academic.\n\nPortuguese historian Filipa Ribeira da Silva wrote a great ...
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[ [ "http://www.periodicos.ufpb.br/index.php/srh/article/view/19809/10944", "http://www.slavevoyages.org/" ] ]
1u76k1
How did sales happen in the early days of the automobile in the USA? Did the car company sell directly or were there dealerships? Were there lessons for 1st time drivers?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1u76k1/how_did_sales_happen_in_the_early_days_of_the/
{ "a_id": [ "cef9u4i", "cefnnwu" ], "score": [ 23, 21 ], "text": [ " Early sales for mass market cars were done through dealerships, but not like you think. The dealer with a glass showroom, parking lot full of new cars for sale and parts and service departments did not exist. Dealers were...
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[ [], [ "http://www.bid123sold.com/Portals/0/Packard/1910%20Packard%20Model%2018%202404.JPG", "http://members.chello.nl/j.baartse/carpics/sears.jpg", "http://metzauto.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/1913-metz-model-22-roadster1.jpg" ] ]
2p9rnh
How does a "spring" anchor work?
I was reading about the [Battle of the Nile on wikipedia](_URL_0_) and at one point it mentions Nelson "ordered the fleet to slow down at 16:00 to allow his ships to rig "springs" on their anchor cables, a system of attaching the bow anchor that increased stability and allowed his ships to swing their broadsides to fac...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2p9rnh/how_does_a_spring_anchor_work/
{ "a_id": [ "cmut1i7" ], "score": [ 7 ], "text": [ "A spring line is a line run from amidships to the part of the anchor chain near the waterline, or to the pier near one or both ends of the boat or ship. \n\nBasically, if a ship is riding at a single anchor at the bow (front), the ship will swing...
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[ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Nile#Battle" ]
[ [ "http://www.tor.cc/articles/rode.htm" ] ]
11heti
Did/Do the English really consider chimney-sweeps to be good luck?
Is there any truth to the Mary Poppins song?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/11heti/diddo_the_english_really_consider_chimneysweeps/
{ "a_id": [ "c6mpz7s" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "I can't speak for the English, but in Germany it is lucky to meet one on New Year's, so a tradition has arisen that you give someone a little chimney sweep (a statue or he's made of marzipan) around that time - to wish them well into the New Year...
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bj8avw
What's the furthest down the Nile River any Roman traveled and are there any written accounts of what they saw?
I know Julius Caesar supposedly sailed down the Nile with Cleopatra but I haven't seen any accounts of what they say or of them interacting with the people. Are there any detailed accounts of Roman expeditions down the Nile?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/bj8avw/whats_the_furthest_down_the_nile_river_any_roman/
{ "a_id": [ "em6o5xq" ], "score": [ 30 ], "text": [ "I can only provide an answer here to the \"furthest\" part of the question, but I hope it acts a good starting point to build upon. As far as I am aware, there are no 'journal'-like accounts of travelling the Nile, only snippets and secondary de...
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[ [ "http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Appian/Civil_Wars/2*.html", "http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Plin.+Nat.+6.35&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137", "http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Julius*.html" ] ]
1x21uu
Why are the Scandinavian countries so seemingly progressive and how did they get there?
I always here about how the countries like Sweden and Norway are pushing the limits in progressive reform. Just on the front page there is a post about how good Norway's recycling programs are. How do these countries do what other countries can't, and how did they get to this position?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1x21uu/why_are_the_scandinavian_countries_so_seemingly/
{ "a_id": [ "cf7jt30" ], "score": [ 33 ], "text": [ "Some would say they got to this position by the various popular movements in the early 20th century, you had a movement against alocholism and for better working conditions. Its a bottom-up approach, when the common people organize and try to do...
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213n6w
During the American Revolution, were the Thirteen Colonies self-sufficient in their gunpowder production, or did it need to be imported?
If so how was it imported. And when did they become self-sufficient if they were not at the start of the war?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/213n6w/during_the_american_revolution_were_the_thirteen/
{ "a_id": [ "cg9iqfw" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "In December 1775, there was a major shortage of gunpowder in the continental army. To combat this, the continental army freely spread the \"recipe\" to create gunpowder among their supporters and began to encourage domestic manufacture, which lar...
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[ [ "http://www.universityarchives.com/Find-an-Item/Results-List/Item-Detail.aspx?ItemID=54674" ] ]
2fjvb3
How did the US federal government go about buying all the land for the interstate highway system without people banding together and holding out for higher prices? Was the land ever just taken with eminent domain rather than being sold voluntarily?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2fjvb3/how_did_the_us_federal_government_go_about_buying/
{ "a_id": [ "ck9xomn" ], "score": [ 19 ], "text": [ "First, the interstate system was not constructed by the federal government, but by the individual states, using 90 percent federal funding. A great deal of the needed land was in fact taken through eminent domain proceedings. This was less com...
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bbqx49
Most successful Spanish warship during the Spanish Empire?
I understand that successful can be a subjective term, however, you can interpret it in your own way i suppose. Also, when I say Spanish Empire I'm speaking to dates ranging from the 15th - 19th centuries. All answers are greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance.
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/bbqx49/most_successful_spanish_warship_during_the/
{ "a_id": [ "ekkuxd0" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Arguably Hernan Cortes' *Caravel* \\-- true it didn't win great battles, and Cortes seems to have burned it on the beach, but this is the vessel that delivered Mexico to the Spanish. Similarly, Pizarro's ship, whose name I can't find in my source...
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6l72od
Are there any records of cannibalism during the Irish famine?
I've read articles about how during famines in the Soviet Union and China that people had to resort to cannibalism. Are there any records of this happening during the Irish famine? If not does this mean it didn't happen and if not what was the difference between countries that did resort to cannibalism and Ireland?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6l72od/are_there_any_records_of_cannibalism_during_the/
{ "a_id": [ "djszz0s" ], "score": [ 11 ], "text": [ "Modern estimates put deaths from starvation during the Great Famine at over one million, and it would certainly be remarkable if none of those caught up in such desperate circumstances had resorted to cannibalism as a result – yet records of pro...
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[ [ "http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/sadlier/irish/May23.htm" ] ]
1nciab
I want to know about the history of Psychedelic usage. Where and when did it most prominently take place, throughout history?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1nciab/i_want_to_know_about_the_history_of_psychedelic/
{ "a_id": [ "cchxhy4" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Asking the maximum prevalence of something like psychedelic use throughout history is problematic, to say the least. Do you explicitly mean recreation use? Because that has any number of problems in assessing past use. Do you mean ritual use? If ...
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[ [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1dhvtk/what_types_of_pleasure_drugs_were_used_in_the/c9qsfln", "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/nativeamerican#wiki_party_like_it.27s_1491" ] ]
20z3j1
How did city-states (eg, Monaco, Vatican City, Lichtenstein) form, and why do they still exist? Is there some mutual benefit between the city-state and its surrounding countries?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/20z3j1/how_did_citystates_eg_monaco_vatican_city/
{ "a_id": [ "cg86onv", "cg877df" ], "score": [ 35, 15 ], "text": [ "I can only answer the portion of your question regarding Vatican City.\n\n**Why did the Vatican City form?**\n\nThe Lateran Concordat (or Lateran Accords, as it is also called) was signed in 1929 between the newly created ...
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[ [ "http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/treaty.htm" ], [] ]
cpczfq
Differences between Spanish and Portuguese colonial models (and maybe English too)
I made a question 10 days ago on r/mapporn about the differences in capital city placement comparing Spanish and Portuguese America. Let me copy & paste the post (original: [_URL_3_](_URL_1_)) > I find it interesting that while Portugal focused mostly on building fortified port cities, Spain seem to have had pref...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/cpczfq/differences_between_spanish_and_portuguese/
{ "a_id": [ "ewpwhtr" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "Part 1: \"I'm asking instead whether this difference in patterns reflects some difference in how the Spanish and Portuguese wanted to organize their empire and societies, or if I'm just seeing patterns where there aren't any.\"\n\nWell, there is ...
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[ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\\_of\\_capital\\_cities\\_by\\_elevation", "https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/cl1cm4/diachronic_spanish_empire_map_understood_as_the/", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_capital_cities_by_elevation", "https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/cl1cm4/diachronic\...
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17bnb3
What are the historical inaccuracies in the STARZ show 'Spartacus'?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/17bnb3/what_are_the_historical_inaccuracies_in_the_starz/
{ "a_id": [ "c84108s" ], "score": [ 14 ], "text": [ "All of it except the names.\n\nThat's a little flip of me, but really, there's so much wrong with that show that it's silly to list the inaccuracies. Spartacus, Batiatus, Crassus, etc, seem to have been real people doing things rather similar t...
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1g55na
Was chemical weapon use in ww1 ever used for a decisive tactical advantage?
Was a battle won or lost with mustard gas at any point or was it just another weapon in the arsenal?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1g55na/was_chemical_weapon_use_in_ww1_ever_used_for_a/
{ "a_id": [ "cagx2ht" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "This answers your question only obliquely, but there is an open question if any weapon could have led to a truly decisive advantage. The question regards logistics--could you get enough supplies to the front to do anything with this hypothetical...
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36xdce
North Sentinel Island
Hello, sorry if this does not exactly follow the post guidelines, but I was wondering some questions, such as, Who are the North Sentinel Island people? who first found them? How/when did they get to their island? What are good reasons for them being so territorial? What is their Language? Etcetera. Any information (as...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/36xdce/north_sentinel_island/
{ "a_id": [ "cri1m8t" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "You're probably going to be better off asking this on /r/Anthropology, honestly. " ] }
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4bqi4v
How did France go from an anti-monarchy, anti-Catholic republic, to an Empire under Napoleon I, crowned Emperor by the Pope?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4bqi4v/how_did_france_go_from_an_antimonarchy/
{ "a_id": [ "d1bzx3z" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Modified from [an earlier answer](_URL_0_) \n\nThere is an important step missing in this formulation: the Consulate. Far from a break with prior Revolutionary politics, this limited dictatorship was an evolved out the political culture of the po...
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2xg3d2/how_did_napoleon_convince_the_other_consuls_to/" ] ]
cxspio
What was worn under Japanese armor? Was there some kind of gambeson like clothing, or was it literally their robes that were underneath it?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/cxspio/what_was_worn_under_japanese_armor_was_there_some/
{ "a_id": [ "eyndw0d" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "The main under-armour clothing was a specialised arming jacket. These were usually made of multiple layers of cloth, and could include a layer of padding (cotton or silk wadding) - similar construction was used for European arming jackets (e.g., ...
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[ [ "https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0b/cf/92/0bcf92c2a7775210a7b1fb719990f5f5.jpg", "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kikko_manchira_5.JPG", "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samurai_kobakama.JPG", "https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2009/art-of-the-samurai/photo-gallery", ...
15sun9
How useful was a knights armor?
As I am not a historian, my only reference point is TV and movies -- obviously not the best source -- and they all look like only shields stopped anything, ever. In that line of thought, how useful were different types of armor? My understanding is that armor was very expensive so it wasnt that common- would the increa...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/15sun9/how_useful_was_a_knights_armor/
{ "a_id": [ "c7pmdts" ], "score": [ 12 ], "text": [ "Good armour was totally clutch. Until firearms made armour economically obsolete (i.e. it cost less to outfit and train a unit of musketmen that could counter the heavily armoured knight on a strategic level, cost-for-cost), a trained aristocra...
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1u41nf
How do we know Roman statues are copies of lost Greek originals?
I've seen this designation on many statues over the years including a few at the Art Institute of Chicago. Here is an example of Wikipedia page that references a lost Greek original: _URL_0_ IF the original is lost, how do we know that the one we're looking at was copied from it? Or who carved the original?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1u41nf/how_do_we_know_roman_statues_are_copies_of_lost/
{ "a_id": [ "ceebw6e" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "It'll vary a bit from statue to statue. In the case of the specific one you mention, (a) there are several copies of the statue, which points to a single archetype (and it often happens that the archetype in such cases is Greek); (b) we're told b...
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[ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Citharoedus" ]
[ [] ]
5ne76f
is there more information about this German soldier who was trapped in a bunker for 6 years past WWII?
news clipping from /r/ww2 _URL_0_
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5ne76f/is_there_more_information_about_this_german/
{ "a_id": [ "dcb2hak", "dcb5lmt" ], "score": [ 3, 4 ], "text": [ "This was an event I had read about in passing and tried to discover any factual basis for it. Unfortunately, all I could find were circular references which all referred to each other.\n\nHowever, tellingly there were two mo...
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[ "https://i.reddituploads.com/0c0c423bfd4c4d7ea61870b8bd5d63bc?fit=max&h=1536&w=1536&s=08c2bf9d57c3d641b0ca70bea0219ded" ]
[ [], [ "http://www.nytimes.com/1951/06/24/archives/entombed-german-dies-soldier-who-survived-6-years-underground-is.html", "https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiegel.de%2Fspiegel%2Fprint%2Fd-41760577.html&edit-tex...
yb6ip
Did the Spartans actually kill their weaker babies?
So I'm watching 300, and wondered this, searched it on the subreddit and found nothing, so sorry if it's been asked before but I didn't find the right keywords to find it. Anyhow, did the Spartans actually dispose of babies who were mutated or those that they deemed weak? Are there any sources to attest to this claim, ...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/yb6ip/did_the_spartans_actually_kill_their_weaker_babies/
{ "a_id": [ "c5tyw77", "c5u3h05" ], "score": [ 3, 2 ], "text": [ "'The historical Greeks considered the practice of adult and child sacrifice barbarous.[26] However, exposure of newborns was widely practiced in ancient Greece. In Greece the decision to expose a child was typically the fath...
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[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanticide" ], [] ]
442c9u
When did peer review become an important part of the scientific process?
I've heard stories of scientists a millennia or two ago getting very upset that people didn't accept their work without question, or myths accepted as fact simply because no one bothered to check what a scientist essentially guessed at. This is not to say we're past the point today of believing in myths or ever being w...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/442c9u/when_did_peer_review_become_an_important_part_of/
{ "a_id": [ "czn1siq" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "We should distinguish between the peer review process as it exists today (in which academic publishers require a review — sometimes anonymous, sometimes not — of a work before it is accepted for publication) and between the general task of other ...
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5ex5fc
How was the Chinese military able to grow from an ineffective fighting force (early WW2) to a formidable power (Korean War) in the span of just over a decade?
Granted, we are talking about the KMT at the beginning of WW2 and it was the CCP that we are talking about during the Korean war. I also understand that the CCP had better morale and Soviet arms and quite a bit of actual war fighting experience during WW2 and the Chinese Civil War. But if you look at the elite German...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5ex5fc/how_was_the_chinese_military_able_to_grow_from_an/
{ "a_id": [ "daga80a", "dagfjek" ], "score": [ 29, 3 ], "text": [ "I think the premise of your question is a bit flawed for a couple of reasons:\n\n* The KMT's military and the PVA that invaded North Korea were completely different beasts. The KMT army was a mechanised military that was or...
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[ [], [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3d730k/in_the_second_sinojapanese_war1930s1940s_the/ct2x8tj/" ] ]
2tw40x
What significant historical events or discoveries were overshadowed by WWI?
Between 1914 and 1918, surely humanity was doing more than just killing each other.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2tw40x/what_significant_historical_events_or_discoveries/
{ "a_id": [ "co3csd5" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "You might try following along at /r/100yearsago. I post on there daily and try to include non-war related things." ] }
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f0bo6g
Why was "Wingdings" invented and how did it become a standard word-processing font?
Unless my early schooling memories deceive me, this question sneaks in just before the 20 year cut-off (but apologies if not). But an offhand comment just made me wonder why on earth a font like Wingdings became such a longstanding part of word processing software. Why was it even invented in the first place? Why did i...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/f0bo6g/why_was_wingdings_invented_and_how_did_it_become/
{ "a_id": [ "fgt236d" ], "score": [ 40 ], "text": [ "You can think of wingdings as the predecessor to emoji. It was introduced by Microsoft in Windows 3.1 as a way to be able to include symbols in their word processor. Most of them are commonly understood symbols gleaned from icons they license...
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74nhe6
AskHistorians Podcast 096 -- European Military Orders and their History
[**Episode 96 is up!**](_URL_2_/askhistorians-podcast-097-european-military-orders-and-their-history) The [AskHistorians Podcast](_URL_2_) is a project that highlights the users and answers that have helped make /r/AskHistorians one of the largest history discussion forums on the internet. You can subscribe to us via ...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/74nhe6/askhistorians_podcast_096_european_military/
{ "a_id": [ "do0f0ie", "do0x9aq", "do20i6w", "docltag" ], "score": [ 7, 6, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Do you think you will get your podcast on Spotify in the near future?", "I made a post but might as well ask here as well. Why was Templar Cyprus an immediate failure when the ...
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[ "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJudPwztZyg2BQjhetw_bww", "https://www.patreon.com/askhistorians", "http://askhistorians.libsyn.com", "https://play.google.com/music/podcasts/portal#p:id=playpodcast/series&a=100831514", "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/72dgww/askhistorians_podcast_95_th...
[ [], [], [], [ "http://www.jstor.org/stable/41166860?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=The&searchText=New&searchText=Frontier:&searchText=The&searchText=Role&searchText=of&searchText=the&searchText=Knights&searchText=Templar&searchText=in&searchText=...
eb4un2
Floating Feature: Travel through time to share the history of 1482 through 1609! It's Volume VIII of 'The Story of Humankind'!
AskHistorians
https://i.redd.it/zxea1mhn5v441.png
{ "a_id": [ "fcu8xuz", "fcu9l1w", "fcud0xh", "fcufppt", "fcumovm", "fcvnyij", "fcwaxeh", "fdcsehv" ], "score": [ 174, 71, 37, 82, 52, 33, 3, 6 ], "text": [ "Elizabeth’s most secret agent\n\nIf one wishes to grasp the dark and immeasurably com...
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[ [], [], [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7o6iam/mestizos_living_in_spain_in_the_1700s/ds8k9ku/?context=3", "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/behgik/why_did_african_slavery_and_plantation/el65uci/" ], [], [], [], [], [ "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/wh...
10p17l
What cultural values were most highly regarded in your area of study? Were there any values in particular that the nation explicitly disregarded or opposed?
First off, I gotta say thank you guys for the amazing work in this subreddit, i literally have this set as my bookmark instead of the front page due to the consistently intriguing and passionate content I've come to expect :) I ask this question based on some interesting points brought up in The Teaching Company's cou...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/10p17l/what_cultural_values_were_most_highly_regarded_in/
{ "a_id": [ "c6fgu0e", "c6fj76x" ], "score": [ 4, 3 ], "text": [ "My specialty is 19th century continental Europe, so I really don't have much to contribute to this conversation, but out of curiosity, could you link the work that you are referring to?", "My specialty is Jewish history....
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1k5x9y
Did the Spanish actively search for "El Dorado?" Or is it a story created after the exploration of the Americas?
How much money was devoted to the exploration to find El Dorado if the Spanish truly looked for it, and where did this rumor of a city of gold even start?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1k5x9y/did_the_spanish_actively_search_for_el_dorado_or/
{ "a_id": [ "cblu64d", "cblwcw1", "cbm4zlr" ], "score": [ 3, 21, 5 ], "text": [ "On a related note, how much effort was devoted to the finding a fountain of youth?", "I don't know about other areas of the New World, but the search for Seven Cities of Gold was one of the motivat...
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1ebcwu
Was it ever common to tattoo people with important maps and/or information?
Seems like a common fantasy trope, I'm curious if it has any historical basis.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1ebcwu/was_it_ever_common_to_tattoo_people_with/
{ "a_id": [ "c9yoe6c", "c9yqwc3" ], "score": [ 5, 3 ], "text": [ "There are [examples](_URL_0_) of people tattooing themselves with their Social Security number when the system was first instituted.", "Herodotus states that Histaeus tattooed his instructions for Aristagoras before the ...
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[ [ "http://i.imgur.com/79rxvjC.jpg" ], [] ]
45yepu
Have scientists/doctors inadvertently learnt anything unexpected about nuclear technology (and the effects of radiation) from the likes of atomic bombings or nuclear meltdowns?
A radiologist today mentioned to me that a great deal of our knowledge about radiation tolerance in medicine (say, in judging appropriate doses or an acceptable number of scans) is derived from atomic bombings or disasters like Chernobyl. This seems reasonable - we all know of Marie Curie and I imagine that health and...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/45yepu/have_scientistsdoctors_inadvertently_learnt/
{ "a_id": [ "d01cms7" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the inadvertent contamination of the Marshallese with fallout, and accidents like Three Mile Island all present what scientists call \"experiments of opportunity.\" They were not planned experiments, per se...
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alpxvh
How true is it that England was briefly Orthodox before the Norman Invasion?
Two years before the Great Schism, the Archbishop of Canterbury was excommunicated and his position invalidated. I'm not sure, but it sounds like King Edward the confessor was under this bull too, and the Norman invasion essentially a crusade. At the same time, Edward and his ancestors had begun using more Greek and By...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/alpxvh/how_true_is_it_that_england_was_briefly_orthodox/
{ "a_id": [ "efg9qgi" ], "score": [ 14 ], "text": [ "AFAIK absolutely not, though I'm not specialized in the latest period of ASE. \nSorry, but most (I afraid all) of your premises mentioned in OP have at least some problems, in light of recent historiography: \n\n* Archbishop Stigand's positio...
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[ [ "https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/transactions-of-the-royal-historical-society/article/why-were-some-tenthcentury-english-kings-presented-as-rulers-of-britain/87FE6DAC8D8BD4228A1E784A89DC1B37" ] ]
7hqfe7
Historicity of the Islamic Religious Significance of Al Quds/Jerusalem?
What is the history/historicity of the Islamic religious significance of Al Quds/Jerusalem? Today, Muslims all rank Jerusalem as the site with the third greatest religious significance after Mecca and Medina. Was that always the case? Was that the case prior to the emergence of the Zionist movement? I have read claim...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7hqfe7/historicity_of_the_islamic_religious_significance/
{ "a_id": [ "dqt9tqt" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Jerusalem holds significance in Islam for many of the same reasons that Christianity and Judaism hold it as significant, mainly to the city and area's connection to the key figures of the Abrahamic religions such as David, Solomon, and the prophe...
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[ [ "https://web.archive.org/web/20110728001911/http://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Abusway_0.pdf" ] ]
3dbgi3
When William 'the bastard' and Harald Hardrada invaded England how did they justify a dynastic claim(if at all)
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3dbgi3/when_william_the_bastard_and_harald_hardrada/
{ "a_id": [ "ct3no1t", "ct3rdh1" ], "score": [ 11, 8 ], "text": [ "I leave Harald Hardrada to someone else, but as for William ...\n\n**TLDR:** Edward the Confessor is thought (it's under dispute by some historians as the only contemporary source we have is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) to ha...
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[ [ "http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witenagemot" ], [ "http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/bt/images/tree.gif" ] ]
2m90j6
Was the library of Alexandria limited to higher class citizens or was it open for all of the public?
Writing an essay on the freedom of information that the internet brings us, I have limited time to research. Thanks in advanced!
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2m90j6/was_the_library_of_alexandria_limited_to_higher/
{ "a_id": [ "cm27vuy" ], "score": [ 22 ], "text": [ "Most individual libraries (like Aristotle's library) and those belonging to philosophic schools, remained private property (if you'd like to read up on Aristotle's library, see Strabo 13.1.52 and Plut. *Sull.* 26.1-2). Institutional libraries b...
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drfas5
How did The rules of chess evolve through Time. Were there some additional rules that were erased afterwards, and how/when did The more complex rules (such as en passant) become official?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/drfas5/how_did_the_rules_of_chess_evolve_through_time/
{ "a_id": [ "f6jy3uj" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "The scope of this question surpasses my ability to answer in a a Reddit thread, as chess has evolved over 1500 years in dozens of locations. I've answered some snippets of these questions over the years, and will link to them instead.\n\n[Here](...
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/862w6m/how_much_has_the_strategy_of_chess_evolved_over/dw2cghw/", "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/dcna3o/how_did_chess_rules_like_en_passant_and_castling/f2a9so9/", "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ar4xbt/chess_is_famous...
154k1a
How long has China had paper currency? Was it a Chinese innovation or was it copied from/imposed by westerners?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/154k1a/how_long_has_china_had_paper_currency_was_it_a/
{ "a_id": [ "c7jaauw", "c7jb2yi" ], "score": [ 3, 2 ], "text": [ "China had paper currency before Europe, but also gave up on the idea before Europe adopted it. Marco Polo was very impressed with paper currency in China, and by then (13 century) it had already been in use for a couple of ...
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[ [], [] ]
319e6i
Was segregation in the United States expensive?
In school we are reading a lot about segregation in the 50's and 60's ,but was it worth for big corporations at the time? Where they losing money because of it and overall was it worth it for the federal government to enforce this, by constructing two separate buildings? Correct me if i'am wrong.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/319e6i/was_segregation_in_the_united_states_expensive/
{ "a_id": [ "cq0mdzd" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "The short answer is an unequivocal \"yes\". Segregation as legal policy is horribly expensive for any society, regardless of reason but particularly when it is conducted for totally arbitrary ones (which \"race\" most certainly is). It's terrib...
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[ [ "http://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Army-Soldiers-Oxford-Paperbacks/dp/0195079035/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428113714&sr=8-1&keywords=hitler%27s+army+soldiers+nazis+and+war+in+the+third+reich" ] ]
9t0oaz
What are main evidences of early humans playing games to entertain themselves?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9t0oaz/what_are_main_evidences_of_early_humans_playing/
{ "a_id": [ "e8tki7l", "e8t9s7c" ], "score": [ 10, 37 ], "text": [ "You could also try this question at r/askanthropology\n", "I suspect you will get a better answer if you more carefully define ”early humans’\n\nThe species vastly pre-dates the historical era and if you are interested...
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1pmgjm
Can anyone link me to some primary sources about why the Jamestown settlement had failed so many times before it found its footing and what life was like when they tried to settle?
I've found plenty of secondary sources. I just need to find the time period of between 1605-1615, really.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1pmgjm/can_anyone_link_me_to_some_primary_sources_about/
{ "a_id": [ "cd3tjnb" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "[Jamestown Narratives: Eyewitness Accounts of the Virginia Colony, the First Decade, 1607-1617](_URL_0_) is an anthology of such writings.Google Books doesn't offer a preview, but Amazon does. You can use its table of contents and sources to sear...
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[ [ "http://books.google.com/books?id=Xl_RAAAACAAJ" ] ]
29o6u7
How involved were Germany, the US, and the USSR in the Chinese Civil War, and how much did they impact the war?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/29o6u7/how_involved_were_germany_the_us_and_the_ussr_in/
{ "a_id": [ "cimwhin" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "Allow me to say that this is an extremely complex question as we're talking about a 20-30 year period with inconsistent policies and, you know, WWII in the middle of it. That being said, let's see what we can do.\n\nTo start with, the Chinese Ci...
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223rnc
Was the Soviet naval strategy of massed anti-ship missile attacks a legitimate threat to US carrier groups?
I was reading up on the [Kirov-class battlecruisers](_URL_0_) and their complement of 20x [SS-N-19 Shipwreck](_URL_1_) missiles. My understanding is that the Soviets couldn't compete in the carrier game, so they decided to focus on carrier-killers. Their anti-ship missiles seem to be extremely capable. Was this strat...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/223rnc/was_the_soviet_naval_strategy_of_massed_antiship/
{ "a_id": [ "cgj4cup", "cgj4tdy", "cgjr6yd" ], "score": [ 22, 35, 5 ], "text": [ "It was a valid threat. The Ticonderoga class cruisers and the AEGIS radar system were developed to counter that threat. \nSoviet doctrine envisioned countering the carriers with submarines such as the...
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[ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirov-class_battlecruiser", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-700_Granit" ]
[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegis_Combat_System" ], [], [ "http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/b192139.pdf", "http://www.dtic.mil/get-tr-doc/pdf?AD=ADA133333" ] ]
3gab3f
Why did Pompey flee to Egypt after the Battle of Pharsalus?
Pompey is said to have made clients out of entire kingdoms during his campaigns in the East after defeating Mithridates. If Pompey's power base was so large in the East, why would he choose to flee to Egypt after losing to Caesar at Pharsalus? Why not Syria or the Province of Asia? Since Egypt was still technically ind...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3gab3f/why_did_pompey_flee_to_egypt_after_the_battle_of/
{ "a_id": [ "ctwdw35" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Egypt was a client state of Pompey's. During his proconsulship of Syria Gabinius, one of Pompey's most important partisans who had sat as consul with Caesar's partisan and father-in-law Piso, was sent by Pompey illegally into Egypt to restore Pto...
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sppbi
Why did Ben Franklin prefer the turkey to the Bald Eagle for a national animal? Was he a vocal proponent of this or is his support for turkeys an exaggeration?
I've also always wondered the specific reasons he liked turkeys enough to make them a national symbol. It is an odd choice and I'm wondering about his motivations for it. I don't know where to begin my search other than google. Unfortunately I don't know what I can trust there so I come to you, history people of reddit...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/sppbi/why_did_ben_franklin_prefer_the_turkey_to_the/
{ "a_id": [ "c4fyz5q" ], "score": [ 10 ], "text": [ "[Link](_URL_0_)\n\nFranklin's Letter to His Daughter (excerpt)\n\n\"For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may ha...
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[ [ "http://www.greatseal.com/symbols/turkey.html" ] ]
53ighb
Why did Latin become the language of the Catholic Church as opposed to Greek, which had more usage by Christianity's original founders?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/53ighb/why_did_latin_become_the_language_of_the_catholic/
{ "a_id": [ "d7ucbt2" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Latin superseded Greek in the West through a \"clientele change\", so to speak. The knowledge of Greek itself began to die out among the Westerners after the fall, contributing to some of the challenges that would lead to the Great Schism. \n\nGr...
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1wxr3v
Historians, how do you go about researching the history of a residence or household, especially those lesser known, in your area?
I have been attempting to research old houses and the like in my area and I have been finding it difficult at times. One I have specifically been having difficulty with is the first 200 years or so of history regarding Belvedere House located in Drumbo, Northern Ireland. I was wondering if you could pass on some tips a...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1wxr3v/historians_how_do_you_go_about_researching_the/
{ "a_id": [ "cf6bpim", "cf6cii6", "cf6dgim" ], "score": [ 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Hello there.\nI had a similar project to do for university and my lecturer told me that county libraries and record offices were always a good place to start. \nAt my local library those documents are s...
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1skwfh
Do any Native American/First Nations peoples have any oral traditions or tales about the Vikings?
Vikings had fleeting contact and settlement in Northeastern North America around 1000; did any stories, legends, or myths develop within the native cultures of the region that catalog those incursions?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1skwfh/do_any_native_americanfirst_nations_peoples_have/
{ "a_id": [ "cdyqsjo", "cdyrqpv", "cdyt67x", "cdyva9y", "cdyy00i" ], "score": [ 119, 4, 30, 358, 2 ], "text": [ "[This](_URL_0_) is the only thing I could think of. It was an Iroquois legend and there are multiple explanations (including some people thinking it is r...
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[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Saguenay" ], [], [], [ "http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/inu/tte/tte2-055.htm", "http://www.hulu.com/watch/181088", "http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/inu/tte/tte2-054.htm" ], [ "http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore60.html" ] ]
54gphr
If early humans settled the Americas via the Beringian land bridge, why are the earliest settlements not in North America?
Wikipedia has a list of the oldest cities in the Americas, [here](_URL_1_). As you can see, the vast majority are in Central and Latin America - particularly Mexico, Peru, as well as Guatemala and Colombia. Yet [the explanation for how humans came to settle the Americas](_URL_0_) is that humans crossed over the Bering...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/54gphr/if_early_humans_settled_the_americas_via_the/
{ "a_id": [ "d81yhn7" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "There are a number of factors at play. \n\n1) Latin America is very constricted geologically. Mexico down through Chile is a very very small geographic area on the slopes of the American Cordillera. The US (and Northern Mexico) has significantly ...
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[ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settlement_of_the_Americas", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_the_Americas_by_year_of_foundation" ]
[ [] ]
w6n7q
We hear a lot of the Enigma machines and Colossus, but what systems of encryption did the Allies, and specifically Britain, use during WW2? And were the Germans able to crack it?
I recently went to Bletchley Park, which was full of info about British efforts to intercept and decypher German messages. I was just curious about this from the other perspective. Thanks in advance for any answers.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/w6n7q/we_hear_a_lot_of_the_enigma_machines_and_colossus/
{ "a_id": [ "c5asjsp", "c5aszox", "c5at0fz", "c5at0kl", "c5atk9g", "c5awyqz", "c5b0o5x" ], "score": [ 12, 3, 4, 2, 3, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Well there were the Navajo code talkers in the Pacific Theater. I'm not sure what was used in Europe.", "Bit...
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[ [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typex" ], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cryptography#World_War_II_cryptography" ], [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIGSALY" ], [] ]
5x09u3
Why was post war reconstruction so successful in Japan and South Korea in comparison to other places America has intervened?
Edit: I understand how essential this is to separate the sub from politics, but the '20 year' limit here kinda restricts the scope of the discussion. So additionally, are there really any good examples of failed US reconstruction anywhere > 20 years ago, and if so why did they fail in comparison?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5x09u3/why_was_post_war_reconstruction_so_successful_in/
{ "a_id": [ "deegyvm", "deehnbg", "def2jkt" ], "score": [ 72, 7, 2 ], "text": [ "Depends on what you mean by \"Intervened.\"\n\nIf you look at places like Western Europe, I would argue that reconstruction has been just as successful in those places as they were in Japan or Korea. \...
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[ [], [], [] ]
9f1xjx
In 2018, 17 years after 9/11, every school in America holds commemorations. Did they do that for Pearl Harbor in 1958?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9f1xjx/in_2018_17_years_after_911_every_school_in/
{ "a_id": [ "e5tp8vo", "e5ujwmv" ], "score": [ 27, 118 ], "text": [ "It is against our subreddit rules to respond to questions with personal anecdotes. The mod team has deleted a number of anecdotal responses to this question already. For more info on this rule, please consult this [Rules ...
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/40mle4/rules_roundtable_3_explaining_the_no_personal/" ], [] ]
bwx24n
Mid 13th Century knight kit
Greetings! Over the last year I have been planning to replicate the outfit of a mid 13th century French (lesser) nobleman and then from there assemble a suit of armor one might find a knight wearing in the Maciejowski/Morgan Bible. I decided on 13th century because 15th century is way too expensive and 14th centu...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/bwx24n/mid_13th_century_knight_kit/
{ "a_id": [ "eq27apx", "eq2b1s6" ], "score": [ 3, 3 ], "text": [ " > I see a lot of conflicting information regarding undertunic/cote length. According to The Medieval Tailor Assistant, nobility would wear their cotes/undershirts to their ankles, but I don’t see how someone could fight wit...
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[ [ "https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Symphonia_Cantigas_Sta_Mar%C3%ADa_160.jpg", "http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4454/8413/", "https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Falconry_Book_of_Frederick_II_1240s_detail_falconers.jpg" ], [ "https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ac/cb/2b/accb2b8ff8859c83480a3f14...
fu7snq
Why did Japan ban the consumption of meat, but not Korea or Japan?
Read an article [here](_URL_0_) about the causes and history of Japan's ban on meat. At the end of the article it mentions that Japan absorbed "meat-based dishes from Korea, China, and the West.". Was Korean agriculture so much richer that it could support the consumption of meat? Or was there some difference in the ...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/fu7snq/why_did_japan_ban_the_consumption_of_meat_but_not/
{ "a_id": [ "fmb4ft8", "fmedk99" ], "score": [ 18, 9 ], "text": [ "\\*The title says \"Why did Japan ban the consumption of meat, but not Korea or Japan?\"\n\nIt should say \"Why did Japan ban the consumption of meat, but not Korea or ***China***?\"", "The bans on meat eating (or perha...
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[ "https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/japan-meat-ban" ]
[ [], [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/asz87q/no_beef_eating_in_japan/", "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/81d8gf/what_was_japanese_cuisine_like_during_sengoku/" ] ]
a2yukt
How did they decide when year 0 was?
So from what I've learned the gregorian calendar was introdused in the 16th century by some pope, but how did they determine that Jesus was born x years ago?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/a2yukt/how_did_they_decide_when_year_0_was/
{ "a_id": [ "eb2pdv7" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "There actually isn't any such thing as a year 0 -- the BC/AD calendar goes from 1-1. But that said, you may be interested in [this section of our FAQ](_URL_0_), particularly this answer: \n\n[How confident are we that the year is actually and exa...
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/language#wiki_calendars", "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5izv93/how_confident_are_we_that_the_year_is_actually/" ] ]
1r52f9
Did the assassination of JFK spark a debate about gun control, gun ownership, the second amendment, etc. in the weeks and months after his death?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1r52f9/did_the_assassination_of_jfk_spark_a_debate_about/
{ "a_id": [ "cdjrbjw", "cdjvcii", "cdk3eyg", "cdk4lrz", "cdk9of7" ], "score": [ 557, 130, 88, 9, 2 ], "text": [ "The Gun Control Act of 1968 was rooted in reactions to the Kennedy assassination. I'm hard pressed to find a non biased interpretation of events, and my ...
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[ [], [], [], [ "http://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/flatview?cuecard=1112" ], [] ]
op9ri
Special Operations Executive/WWII espionage?
Hi there! I'm an undergraduate history student and I was thinking about writing my first research paper on the SOE because it grabbed my interest as soon as I started reading about it. My question is, did the SOE play a significant role in the outcome of WWII? I'm not asking for answers or guidelines for my essay; I'...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/op9ri/special_operations_executivewwii_espionage/
{ "a_id": [ "c3izggd" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "The SOE could be considered a major contributor to the outcome of the Resistance in France, though I'm not sure how far you could say to the outcome of the war itself. The organization was responsible for providing the French Resistance with weap...
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[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Grover-Williams", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welrod", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Jedburgh" ] ]
1pe0xj
Who are the historians/works that i need to know while thinking about Christopher Columbus as a "hero or a villain"?
I am trying to think about Columbus in a historiography sense. I want to see what people have said about him over time but there are a lot of historians talking about him. I was hoping someone here could help me find the most prominent figures in this debate.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1pe0xj/who_are_the_historiansworks_that_i_need_to_know/
{ "a_id": [ "cd1dck2", "cd1jl5w", "cd1lkhr" ], "score": [ 4, 4, 3 ], "text": [ "There was a fairly big debate on this sub when The Oatmeal created a webcomic about Columbus. You may have already seen this.\n\n_URL_0_\n\nAs discussed, The Oatmeal draws heavily on Howard Zinn's *A Pe...
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[ [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1o3uek/the_oatmeal_just_released_this_post_about/" ], [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1o3uek/the_oatmeal_just_released_this_post_about/ccoo9vc", "http://books.google.com/books/about/Colonial_encounters.html?id=GjkYAAAAYAAJ" ], [...
3u09gz
I remember hearing that in medieval Christian Europe, sexual activity (especially premarital sexual activity) among the general population was much more pronounced than the Christian ideal. Was the same true in medieval Islamic cultures, especially the Umayyads?
Like, did people medieval Islamic nations also tend to have premarital sex, in contrast the the religious ideal?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3u09gz/i_remember_hearing_that_in_medieval_christian/
{ "a_id": [ "cxbb8zd", "cxbbvf7", "cxbchn6", "cxbi4sr", "cxbka4s", "cxbkqgd" ], "score": [ 73, 124, 6, 3, 2, 44 ], "text": [ "If I can ask a follow-up, how is sexual activity in historical societies assessed? I assume relying on primary written sources such ...
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[ [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
453cq7
What would a returning troop transport or cargo vessel be carrying during WWII?
So after a ship made it's delivery to Europe, I am assuming most then made a return trip to the US. I have a couple of questions regarding this. 1. What if anything did they carry on the way back to the US? Seems like it would be a waste to send them back empty, but I also can't imagine what might be sent back? Were t...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/453cq7/what_would_a_returning_troop_transport_or_cargo/
{ "a_id": [ "czuym9d" ], "score": [ 11 ], "text": [ "Not a complete answer but an interesting one. A small part of Manhattan (on the East River) is actually made up of literal English soil and houses that transport ships brought back from Bristol. They needed some ballast to stabilize the ships so...
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[ [ "http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bristol-basin" ] ]
1s9ql9
Are there any historical events that textbooks frequently get wrong or misrepresent?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1s9ql9/are_there_any_historical_events_that_textbooks/
{ "a_id": [ "cdvefn9" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "I wish I had more time to write just now since the [Glorious Revolution of 1688](_URL_0_) is very widely misrepresented and misremembered. One of the most common errors, which was included in my AP Euro textbook a few years ago, is the mistaken ...
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[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorious_Revolution", "http://www.worldcat.org/title/1688-the-first-modern-revolution/oclc/301706128&referer=brief_results" ] ]
7710gd
What is the historicity of Judas and his betrayal of Jesus Christ?
While there's plenty online about the historicity of Jesus, I couldn't find anything that seemed unbiased about Judas Iscariot. So, do we have sources that make it likely that he existed (such as Josephus and Tacitus for Jesus)? And do those sources conflict with the biblical story of the betrayal?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7710gd/what_is_the_historicity_of_judas_and_his_betrayal/
{ "a_id": [ "doidwfj" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "Since you're asking about _historicity_ I will be dealing with the canonical Gospels here as they're closer in time to the event and leave the \"Gospel of Judas\" out.\n\nJudas is a difficult character to work out, especially from a modern moral ...
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[ [] ]
1u89ex
If I were an apolitical manufacturer of non-military widgets in Northern France in 1940 how would my life be different during the occupation?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1u89ex/if_i_were_an_apolitical_manufacturer_of/
{ "a_id": [ "cefgisr" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "As a followup question, were non military manufacturers converted to military manufacturers in Europe in a similar fashion to the way they were in the USA? Examples including Singer Sewing Machine making pistols, Rock Ola Juke Box making M1 Carbi...
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28n21d
AMA- Pre-Islamic Arabia
Hello there! I've been around the subreddit for quite a long time, and this is not the first AMA I've taken part in, but in case I'm a total stranger to you this is who I am; I have a BA and MA in ancient history, and as my flair indicates my primary focus tends to be ancient Greece and the ancient Near East. However, ...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/28n21d/ama_preislamic_arabia/
{ "a_id": [ "cicgqyr", "cich7eg", "cichebp", "cichl7c", "cichvm8", "cichzeb", "cici0qv", "cicif08", "ciciwoc", "ciciyoc", "ciciz6m", "cick28l", "cick6ln", "cick9q3", "cicl2f6", "cicl38j", "cicl753", "cicl7by", "ciclegv", "cicloy6", "c...
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[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6bekli_Tepe", "http://en.wikip...
1nqsd5
Why didn't we know that Greek statues were colorful before we used technology to examine it?
Surely there'd be some written account calling the statues "vibrant" or "colorful" or "flamboyant". Or were there not?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1nqsd5/why_didnt_we_know_that_greek_statues_were/
{ "a_id": [ "ccldfg2", "ccll9qk" ], "score": [ 22, 7 ], "text": [ "I guess it depends on who 'we' are. The [Smithsonian magazine](_URL_0_) and [Harvard magazine](_URL_2_) both give a good simple history of the historiography of colorful Greek statues. Basically, there were written descript...
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[ [ "http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/true-colors.html", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_fresco_from_Boscoreale,_43-30_BCE,_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art.jpg", "http://harvardmagazine.com/2007/11/dazzlers-html", "http://farm1.staticflickr.com/28/63058399_bb4f15ee2c_z.jpg" ], [ ...
2w3bz0
Did Greek or Roman style heavy infantry ever catch on in the Middle East?
Did Greek or Roman style heavy infantry ever catch on in the Middle East? I always imagine Persian, Arab, and Turkish armies with comparatively lighter infantry supplemented with cavalry. Is this a misconception?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2w3bz0/did_greek_or_roman_style_heavy_infantry_ever/
{ "a_id": [ "consor1", "conyw20" ], "score": [ 6, 2 ], "text": [ "Heavy infantry *originated* in the Middle East, with the Sumerian and Assyrian infantry. The idea that Persian armies were untrained, undisciplined, poorly-equipped levy hordes with cavalry (which the internet likes to think...
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[ [], [ "http://www.mpfilmcraft.com/mpfilmcraft/Khwarazmian.html", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-%CA%BFAw%C4%81%E1%B9%A3im" ] ]
4hwj7o
I found a documentary about history never told in schools from WWI - JFK - 9/11. Historians of reddit: what do you think about this video? Does it have basis?
I'm not a historian, so I'm not sure whether I should believe what the guy says in the video or it's just another conspiracy theory among the many others. Historians of reddit what do you think about this [video](_URL_0_)? Edit: format
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4hwj7o/i_found_a_documentary_about_history_never_told_in/
{ "a_id": [ "d2sy1l1", "d2sy30e" ], "score": [ 4, 8 ], "text": [ "I clicked to a random part of the video and it started talking about how the Illuminati picked Hitler, at which point I immediately quit the video to preserve my sanity.", "Considering that the video was uploaded by some...
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[ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Qt6a-vaNM" ]
[ [], [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e_RfFzyris" ] ]
2wj2tk
How similar were the lives of American slaves and Russian serfs?
Let's just say in the year 1820 to put a timeframe on the question. After having learned about both American slavery and Russian serfdom this year, some details about the two institutions struck me as remarkably similar. What I am wondering is whether serfdom and slavery really were so similar, or whether the similari...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2wj2tk/how_similar_were_the_lives_of_american_slaves_and/
{ "a_id": [ "corld9q" ], "score": [ 7 ], "text": [ "The biggest difference is that serfs are legally tied to the land. If you were a boyar and you bought an estate, the serfs came with it. You could not sell a serf to another estate. Serfs also had legal families, a privilege slaves were not entit...
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[ [] ]
34dplj
It was mentioned that the Romans adopted silence as a method of marching into battle rather than the more common yelling and beating of shields. How effective was this and did other armies ever take note of it?
I understand that it may be quite unsettling to see a silent army when all armies were always trying to make as much noise as possible. Has there been any records, preferably but not exclusively, from non-Romans? I'm just really curious what their reactions would be. Although if there is a lack of non-Roman sources, ...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/34dplj/it_was_mentioned_that_the_romans_adopted_silence/
{ "a_id": [ "cqts50e" ], "score": [ 29 ], "text": [ "That's something of an exaggeration, I recently wrote a comment [here](_URL_0_) relating to it. Both war cries and the beating of weapons against armor are well-attested--Polybius even goes so far as to say that it's a *custom of the Roman peopl...
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[ [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/346ivq/were_beserkers_actually_effective_in_battle_or/cqsl43l" ] ]
t9zvy
Norse etymological roots as days of the week; why not Greek or Latin?
There was recently a thread about Thor being the etymological root of Thursday. [In the comments](_URL_0_), the other roots of the days of the week (in English at least) were discussed, and they are primarily Norse in Origin. How or what were the cultural or historical reasons behind something as common as the days of ...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/t9zvy/norse_etymological_roots_as_days_of_the_week_why/
{ "a_id": [ "c4kss9b", "c4kvhvt" ], "score": [ 12, 5 ], "text": [ "Well it's norse per se, but rather germanic. The Norse, just like the other germanic tribes - including the Angle or Saxons, all had the same Days of the weeks named after the Germanic Gods.\n\nIt's the same in German, and ...
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[ "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/t1j6t/is_the_day_thursday_really_named_after_thor/c4iss06" ]
[ [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_Old_Norse_origin" ] ]
25rb1g
Since the diamond engagement ring wasn't popularized until the 20th century, what were common pre-20th century engagement rings like?
What were some of the more popular ring styles before the diamond became the standard? Were they largely gem-free?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/25rb1g/since_the_diamond_engagement_ring_wasnt/
{ "a_id": [ "chkigwu" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "In the early and late 1700's the Clauda Ring was considered an engagement ring in Irish culture, it also works as a friendship and promise ring, even today it's still used for that purpose " ] }
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2gsn53
Why weren't the Spanish affected by diseases from the Aztecs/Incas during the conquest of these empires?
I've always learned that during the Spanish conquest of the Americas that the native populations were plagued by diseases native to the Spanish, such as smallpox, because they had never built immunity to such diseases. Aside from the emergence of syphilis in Europe that seems to have originated from Latin America there...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2gsn53/why_werent_the_spanish_affected_by_diseases_from/
{ "a_id": [ "ckm6d03" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "You may be interested in our FAQ section on [Native Americans and \\(European\\) Diseases](_URL_0_)." ] }
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[ [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/nativeamerican#wiki_native_americans_and_.28european.29_diseases" ] ]
vrfuc
Creating a unit on the colonial period to the constitution; looking for book suggestions.
This isn't for a class. It's a part of my own curriculum of independent study. I'm also looking for non-book suggestions. I've watched the American revolution documentary from the History channel as well as John Adams on HBO (which is really good btw). Here's what I plan to read so far: [*Origins of the American Revol...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/vrfuc/creating_a_unit_on_the_colonial_period_to_the/
{ "a_id": [ "c56z3cu" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "I'm not sure exactly what you're trying to do. It sounds like you're just interested in reading some books over the summer. Are you in high school? I don't know why you need a strict \"stopping point\" if you're just reading for your own edificat...
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[ "http://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-David-McCullough/dp/141657588X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340916916&sr=1-1&keywords=john+adams", "http://www.amazon.com/The-Adams-Jefferson-Letters-Correspondence-Jefferson/dp/0807842303/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340917045&sr=1-1-spell&am...
[ [] ]
1ekduo
What was the public response in the US, Cuba, and the rest of the world to the Bay of Pigs invasion?
I'm writing a paper on the Bay of Pigs and my professor suggested that I find some info on the public's reaction. I'm having a tough time finding some good sources and data, so I'd thought I'd ask you guys. Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer suggestions.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1ekduo/what_was_the_public_response_in_the_us_cuba_and/
{ "a_id": [ "ca14ecx" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "For public reaction in the United States to the Cuban Revolution, up through the Bay of Pigs and beyond, I'd recommend *Where the Boys Are: Cuba, Cold War America, and the Making of a New Left*, by Van Gosse, if you can get your hands on it. Addi...
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1ci526
Did the Romans have a system of mail? If so, how were these delivered to the right addressee?
[EDIT]: I would like to place more importance on the latter part than the former. In addition, I mean "mail" not only to officials but also to the average, common man, if available.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1ci526/did_the_romans_have_a_system_of_mail_if_so_how/
{ "a_id": [ "c9grz8f", "c9gs3mg", "c9h03e7" ], "score": [ 329, 19, 4 ], "text": [ "Probably we're out of luck on the \"common man\" bit. The level of literacy among the masses is hotly debated, never mind whether they sent thank you notes.\n\nAmong the elite though, we have lots o...
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[ [ "http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0022%3Atext%3DA%3Abook%3D1%3Aletter%3D16", "http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0022%3Atext%3DA%3Abook%3D1%3Aletter%3D9", "http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0022...
1z7upg
Were there any slave rebellions in pre-civil war United States? Did black slaves ever have their Spartacus?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1z7upg/were_there_any_slave_rebellions_in_precivil_war/
{ "a_id": [ "cfrd4z0", "cfrfscs", "cfri2wg", "cfriyin" ], "score": [ 23, 8, 8, 2 ], "text": [ "Wow. I say wow because I saw this question *as I was reading about this in a history book*. The book, by the way, is a textbook I have for my Antebellum (Pre-Civil War) America co...
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[ [], [], [ "http://kasamaproject.org/history/2779-11haiti-the-slave-army-of-toussaint-l-039-ouverture" ], [ "http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/626831/Denmark-Vesey" ] ]
39q4n7
Were there any pacifists during the civil war?
Just curious what the mood was like. Were there folks saying violence doesn't solve the problem? Or were the citizens generally ready to go to war?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/39q4n7/were_there_any_pacifists_during_the_civil_war/
{ "a_id": [ "cs5ryde" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "There was a large contingent of individuals in the North known as \"Copperheads,\" who genuinely opposed a violent reunification of the nation for various reasons. These tended to revolve around accusing the Lincoln administration of sacrificing...
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3739ne
Could anyone recommend a book giving an overview of English bourgeois life in the 1790s?
and gentry life?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3739ne/could_anyone_recommend_a_book_giving_an_overview/
{ "a_id": [ "crjf7y6" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "you use the reference of the next author, although you can to search the version in english. E. J. HOBSBAWN, las revoluciones burguesas volumen I." ] }
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1q7wso
How did old people look 2000 years ago?
+-2000 years ago, when people lived to be about 40 years old (is that even accurate?), what did they look like at that age? Did they look like elderly people in today's age, or did they look like modern day 40-year-olds?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1q7wso/how_did_old_people_look_2000_years_ago/
{ "a_id": [ "cda3z4x" ], "score": [ 13 ], "text": [ "Hey there! You've fallen prey to an extremely common misconception of the term \"Life Expectancy.\" The term is used to denote the *average* lifespan of a person - however, that also includes infant mortality rates. So, for example, in Rome (2,0...
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[ [ "http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Marco_Porcio_Caton_Major.jpg" ] ]
48r0ox
Why did the French Revolutionary reject religion in favor of reason? If the problem was that they thought the Catholic Church was too in league with the monarchy, why wasn't Protestantism an option?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/48r0ox/why_did_the_french_revolutionary_reject_religion/
{ "a_id": [ "d0lv05z" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "That's a rather simplistic view. There was no typical \"French Revolutionary\", hence suggesting that the French Revolutionaries rejected religion is a gross generalisation. Some French Revolutionaries were simply atheists, some were humanists, s...
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4bmkbe
How were daughters used by their father to help gain status and influence in the Middle Ages?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4bmkbe/how_were_daughters_used_by_their_father_to_help/
{ "a_id": [ "d1awher" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ "I want to talk first about Catelyn Stark and Cersei Lannister. In the show (GOT) and even more so in the books, we see an interesting relational calculus. On one hand, they are thrust into marriage for political reasons, for the benefit of their ...
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1nh1dx
Viking Names, the English Language, and their Translation.
I was reading into some of the Norse kings which raided and ruled Great Britain. I soon came across names such as Eric Bloodaxe, etc. This got me thinking: how and why do Norse names translate so well into English? Please excuse me for my relative lack of knowledge of this period. My focus is modern history, with a spe...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1nh1dx/viking_names_the_english_language_and_their/
{ "a_id": [ "ccioohn" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "Well, modern English is influenced a good bit by Old Norse. The bynames and patronymics you talk about are, because of that influence, easily translated to English.\n\nFor example:\n\nEírikr bloðöx = Eric Bloodaxe\nEírikr rauði = Eric the Red\nI...
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30nnjo
Was there private property in Marxist Russia or China?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/30nnjo/was_there_private_property_in_marxist_russia_or/
{ "a_id": [ "cpu88of" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "Perhaps you could clarify a bit? There was always private property in the sense of clothing, money, personal effects, etc -- even on the communal farms(kolkozes) during the Stalinist era. In both Russia and China, there were limits on private p...
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cwgeqy
Why did the Soviet Union industrialize unethically before ww2, even though they had a command economy?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/cwgeqy/why_did_the_soviet_union_industrialize/
{ "a_id": [ "eyb1krl", "eybcypn", "eyemek1" ], "score": [ 4, 20, 2 ], "text": [ "Hi there. Could you clarify what you mean by \"unethically?\" Was that a typo or did you mean to ask that in your question?", "I have never seen any source that suggested that the Soviet's industri...
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19navn
How many US Presidents could be considered alcoholics? And did their alcoholism at any time have a marked impact on US affairs?
My understanding is Ulysses S. Grant was an alcoholic. And Nixon may have hit the bottle when Watergate was blowing up.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/19navn/how_many_us_presidents_could_be_considered/
{ "a_id": [ "c8pmdeq", "c8pmv95", "c8pmvpe", "c8pn4ms", "c8pnh2e", "c8pnjoi", "c8pnkdc", "c8pp3wn", "c8ppb4b", "c8pprhf", "c8pqo2a", "c8prz0f", "c8ps685", "c8pswiq", "c8pu1wj", "c8pvssc", "c8pw5p2", "c8pztcs", "c8q3l6t" ], "score": [ ...
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[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1989146,00.html" ], [ "http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/05/kissinger-and-nixon-in-the-white-house/308778/", "http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white_house/jan-june07/nixon_05-21.html" ], [], [ ...
57l1rd
How did the word "guinea" come to be a derogatory term for Italians?
I've heard it used in some shows as a derogatory slang term towards Italians in shows like the Soprano's. What's the relationship between Italians and the word?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/57l1rd/how_did_the_word_guinea_come_to_be_a_derogatory/
{ "a_id": [ "d8ta6bt" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "From the 1600s onwards, Guinea was used as a geographic term for [the coast of west africa](_URL_1_). That terminology survives in the modern republics of Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Equatoreal Guinea.\n\nAccording to [the Online Etymology Dictiona...
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[ [ "http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Guinea&allowed_in_frame=0", "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Negroland_and_Guinea_with_the_European_Settlements,_1736.jpg" ] ]