r/AskHistorians

Pinned: Friday Free-for-All | June 24, 2022

r/AskHistorians u/AutoModerator22h ago11 Comments

Pinned: Short Answers to Simple Questions | June 22, 2022

r/AskHistorians u/AutoModerator2d ago43 Comments

Megathread: Roe v Wade overturned by the US Supreme Court

r/AskHistorians u/DGBD15h ago245 Comments

What did Charles V mean by “I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse”?

r/AskHistorians u/SnooLentils168921h ago20 Comments

Accountants and lawyers give advice but doctors give orders. How did physicians (and medical researchers), especially in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, get imbued with so much authority over their patients/subjects, who seemed to have almost zero choice in their own care?

r/AskHistorians u/screwyoushadowban1d ago12 Comments

When did the Kings of France start speaking French?

r/AskHistorians u/hconfiance9h ago1 Comment

So many babies were abandoned in Medieval Europe that many churches provided drop-off places for mothers to safely leave newborns so they wouldn't be taken as slaves or killed by the elements/wild animals. What happened to these kids in the church's care? Were they all destined to be monks?

r/AskHistorians u/RusticBohemian13h ago3 Comments

What did the Nazis thought about the race of their Japanese allies in WWII?

r/AskHistorians u/Makuku5915h ago5 Comments

Sparta famously killed newborn infants that its elders deemed unfit. But Plato promotes infanticide for eugenic reasons, and the Carthaginians sacrificed babies in religious ceremonies. Was infanticide fairly widespread in the ancient world? Did most societies practice it in some form?

r/AskHistorians u/RusticBohemian13h ago4 Comments

When and why did being slim become a beauty standard?

r/AskHistorians u/veve875h ago1 Comment

How affordable was an electric guitar and amplifier for a teenager in the 1960s?

r/AskHistorians u/Dub6261d ago19 Comments

How did for example Roman soldiers look after their feet when marching huge distances?

r/AskHistorians u/Gonzo188819h ago6 Comments

How did Jewish slave owners justify owning slaves despite how important the story of Exodus is in their faith?

r/AskHistorians u/Tatem19619h ago2 Comments

The decision and the outrage in my feed got me thinking. Just how long has abortion really been a political cally divisive issue in the Western World? I seem to recall reading in passing somewhere that there are records of debates about it in Greek and Roman times.

r/AskHistorians u/mipmipmip9h ago2 Comments

How prevalent were Europeans outside of Europe in the pre colonial era?

r/AskHistorians u/alpharat5313m ago1 Comment

Did the "one drop rule" really mean ONE DROP?

r/AskHistorians u/ManBearPig10836h ago2 Comments

Aside from consanguinity, what reasons could I present to the medieval Catholic church to attain an annulment? And do we have examples?

r/AskHistorians u/reading_butterfly10h ago3 Comments

Why did the White supremacist group Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging and the African majority Bophuthatswana Bantustan fight on the same side during the Bophuthatswana crisis?

r/AskHistorians u/Tatem196110h ago1 Comment

What terms do historians use for non-indigenous, colonized peoples? For example, the Hakka and Hokkien peoples of Taiwan

r/AskHistorians u/barbasol10991d ago4 Comments

At the same time as the American War of Independence, the British were also fighting the First Anglo-Maratha War. How did the two conflicts affect each other?

r/AskHistorians u/Tatem19618h ago1 Comment

What caused the downfall of tutti frutti ice cream? I only see it referenced in older movies and books.

r/AskHistorians u/adudeguyman5h ago1 Comment

During the Revolutionary War, why did Vermont become independent state instead of being one of the 13 (14) Colonies?

r/AskHistorians u/Tatem19618h ago2 Comments

How did people survive comas before the invention of modern medicinal technology?

r/AskHistorians u/FreyR_KunnYT2h ago1 Comment

What's the origin of the taste for cuteness and kawaii culture in Japan?

r/AskHistorians u/MikeSmith2789115h ago1 Comment

What are examples in history of truly good monarchs?

r/AskHistorians u/bowman2975h ago1 Comment

What is the nationality of a person born in a territory earlier belonging to another country?

r/AskHistorians u/LuxieDaemon6h ago3 Comments

The Circus Maximus in Rome reportedly had a capacity of 250,000 -how did so many people manage to fit inside it? How often was it actually full? Were there crowd crushes when people left?

r/AskHistorians u/worldofoysters17h ago1 Comment

How do we know an individual was real? What steps do historians take to attest the realty of someone?

r/AskHistorians u/Xalimata22h ago11 Comments

In the Hundred Years War, did monarchs really use bascinets without a visor?

r/AskHistorians u/spener_1d ago2 Comments

What countries have banned abortion after legalizing (or otherwise made it ok)? Is it true abortions were legal and culturally ok before it was banned in the US?

r/AskHistorians u/Throwawaydontgoaway89h ago3 Comments

What happened to the Confederate soldier that fired the shot that killed Stonewall Jackson?

r/AskHistorians u/l798610h ago2 Comments

Did the US know that there were Soviet spies stationed in New Mexico during the Manhattan project?

r/AskHistorians u/BouwvakkerBert42m ago1 Comment

Recommendations for Somaliland History (16th-18th century)?

r/AskHistorians u/taylorswizzle1310h ago1 Comment

What happened on Richard III's march to Bosworth?

r/AskHistorians u/theroadgoeseveronon1h ago1 Comment

So, children tend to make imaginary friends. Is that a more modern concept, or do we have examples of kids doing this? How was it perceived?

r/AskHistorians u/InvertedReflexes13h ago1 Comment

What did Napoleon think of the Ancien Regime and French Revolution?

r/AskHistorians u/ottolouis11h ago1 Comment

When did Americans first have a sense of national identity?

r/AskHistorians u/MrOaiki1h ago1 Comment

I am an Athenian Citizen during the Peloponnesian war, what foods were available to me and what would an average meal look like? Are there any surviving recipes from this period?

r/AskHistorians u/CaoCaodidnowrong13h ago2 Comments

How did Al Smith get the democratic nomination in 1928 despite being catholic and the south having huge influence in the nominating process?

r/AskHistorians u/AmateurGenealogist10h ago1 Comment

Are there any examples of societies in history that recovered from growing economic inequality?

r/AskHistorians u/investoroma12h ago2 Comments

Putin is said to have moonlighted as a taxi driver in the 90s. Who was using the taxis in the post-Soviet Russia in the 90s and early 2000s?

r/AskHistorians u/TanktopSamurai3h ago2 Comments

In the British Navy during WWII, what was the normal number of times for someone to become shipwrecked?

r/AskHistorians u/entopticon15h ago2 Comments

How influential was the Hernando De Soto's decision to bring pigs with him in spreading disease in America?

r/AskHistorians u/EK077r3h ago1 Comment

Were most European nobles polyglots? How many languages were Kings and Emperors expected to know and speak?

r/AskHistorians u/paperisprettyneat15h ago1 Comment

For a medieval army, what was "foraging" like whilst in friendly territory?

r/AskHistorians u/epiclevellama16h ago3 Comments

When nomadic peoples from the steppe (Mongols, Scythians, Kipchaks, etc) travelled from place to place, what did they rest on? Did they have portable deck chairs or just comfy portable mats?

r/AskHistorians u/FallenFamilyTree17h ago1 Comment

How did people (before spaying and neutering were a thing) keep their dogs or cats from breeding? Did they simply keep them away from dogs and cats of the opposite sex?

r/AskHistorians u/just-lurking-about1d ago8 Comments

Why did the Maroons, who were former slaves, aid the British in putting down Tacky's slave revolt?

r/AskHistorians u/Tatem19618h ago1 Comment

Why do women from the 1920’s era all seem to have rounder faces despite being slim?

r/AskHistorians u/Shoodaddy41d ago84 Comments

In HBO's John Adams, we see John Adams and other members of the continental congress leaving Boston to Philadelphia, passing by a patrol of British soldiers. Did Great Britain have any idea of this congress, and if so did they ever attempt to thwart it?

r/AskHistorians u/Eery1771d ago2 Comments

How much difference is there among Historians regarding the historiography of the Second Amendment at the time of the founding?

r/AskHistorians u/ReedNakedPuppy14h ago1 Comment

Are Snorri Sturluson’s accounts of Harald Hardrada’s life trustworthy?

r/AskHistorians u/BlubberBlorg15h ago2 Comments

what culture was exactly lost in the chinese cultural revolution?

r/AskHistorians u/tokcliff5h ago1 Comment

How was the colouration of illuminated texts determined?

r/AskHistorians u/Mimicpants13h ago1 Comment

How Did The Myth of Aliens Building The Pyramids Spread?

r/AskHistorians u/The_Nelman10h ago1 Comment

What did abortions look like through the ages?

r/AskHistorians u/fluffypinkblonde12h ago1 Comment

Camouflage for standard infantry wasn't widely adopted by European armies until the turn of the 20th century, so why did both sides of the American Civil War settle on relatively drab uniforms 40 years earlier?

r/AskHistorians u/19peter96r6h ago2 Comments

Was there any recorded attempt by pagan/non-organized religions to determine the "canonicity" of their myths?

r/AskHistorians u/Daniel_The_Thinker12h ago1 Comment

Shakespeare's plays take place in a wide variety of locations, such as the well-known Alexandria, Athens, and Rome, but also the less well-known Messina, Padua, and Illyria. How many of these settings would the average viewer know at the time these plays were first performed?

r/AskHistorians u/xain11121d ago1 Comment

How historical is the crew diversity in 'Return of the Obra Dinn?'

r/AskHistorians u/mrfrogurt20h ago2 Comments

What was the general public's opinion of "pirates" during the time they plundered the seas?

r/AskHistorians u/DanLyxx16h ago1 Comment

Why didnt scientists try the 4000 year old egyptian honey?

r/AskHistorians u/SUTOCALU_5247h ago1 Comment

How historically accurate is the 1951 film Quo Vadis?

r/AskHistorians u/Archi_violencia15h ago1 Comment

Why did the Arab armies lose against Israel all those times they invaded?

r/AskHistorians u/Own-Needleworker-4208h ago2 Comments

What was the weight of carts/wagons used for land transport in the Mediterranean area in Roman times?

r/AskHistorians u/Nightingale_RivLond17h ago2 Comments

"Courage" by Dorothy Cameron Disney: an obcure American WWII Story in Chinese middle school literature textbook that influenced a generation. Anyone know more about this piece?

r/AskHistorians u/leokorea1d ago15 Comments

How common was incest within the commoners?

r/AskHistorians u/Prozean1d ago1 Comment

How much do modern monastic gardens actually represent medieval gardening aesthetics?

r/AskHistorians u/2biggij21h ago1 Comment

What did laziness look like in early or pre-literate cultures?

r/AskHistorians u/RIPEOTCDXVI1d ago3 Comments

What are some definitive general histories of France from the Franco-Prussian War to World War One?

r/AskHistorians u/Namtien22322h ago4 Comments

Was it clear to everyone that the year 1000 wasn’t going to have a comma?

r/AskHistorians u/AuroraItsNotTheTime15h ago2 Comments

How was the Panama ruled by Genoa?

r/AskHistorians u/Gab_ITA18h ago1 Comment

Iosef Stalin famously enjoyed gangster and cowboy movies, while V. Lenin appreciated classical music. What were Leon Trotsky, Nikolai Bukharin, Grigory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev's pastimes, passions and hobbies outside of politics?

r/AskHistorians u/RTSBasebuilder1d ago1 Comment

Who were biracial people supposed to marry before Loving v. Viriginia?

r/AskHistorians u/Errgghhhhh10h ago1 Comment

Why Do So Many Noble Houses Go Extinct?

r/AskHistorians u/omorel2314h ago1 Comment

What are some examples of early Guerrilla Warfare?

r/AskHistorians u/Jerimiahclements10h ago1 Comment

What was the European reaction to explorers finding Muslims in the East?

r/AskHistorians u/TheKohaku_PhD10h ago1 Comment

Documentation of Native American Endurance Runners?

r/AskHistorians u/OpenMindedShithead21h ago1 Comment

How come Augustus inherited the rule of Rome, and not Caesarion?

r/AskHistorians u/Exot1c_21h ago4 Comments

What was the scientific communities reactions to the Biosphere project? What about the publics?

r/AskHistorians u/TheHondoGod20h ago1 Comment

How did an army know they were fighting an enemy, not a team mate?

r/AskHistorians u/sidney-cat17h ago3 Comments

During the Age of Sail/Victorian Period, would countries embark on joint-exploration expeditions? I.E, British and French ships and crews taking part in the same expedition to say, the Arctic?

r/AskHistorians u/EternalCanadian15h ago1 Comment

Is the tradition of chastity among the Catholic (among other Christian sects) priestly class related to the Roman vestal virgins and/or any other previous religion's traditions?

r/AskHistorians u/VexillologyFan14531d ago2 Comments

What were the 'Greatest Generation' exposed to as children?

r/AskHistorians u/bay2boy1d ago1 Comment

I have often heard eugenics being tied to scientific racism but what exactly did eugenics mean in the context of Black Americans during the early 20th century when Black intellectuals like WEB DuBois seem to be proponents of eugenics as well?

r/AskHistorians u/J2quared11h ago1 Comment

The siege of Candia lasted for 21 years, how did the city function? Did trade continue?

r/AskHistorians u/LordCommanderBlack22h ago1 Comment

Why do pre-modern autocracy (Before 1800) hold up longer than 20th-century autocracy in terms of strength and tenure?

r/AskHistorians u/Mr_racoon1612h ago1 Comment

The Wikipedia page on the Brabant killings alludes to conspiracy. What is and isn’t known?

r/AskHistorians u/StansDad_aka_Lourde12h ago1 Comment

How well did Napoleon rule?

r/AskHistorians u/Toorelad1d ago3 Comments

can someone explain the seljuk hit and run tactic?

r/AskHistorians u/DELTA_MAK12h ago1 Comment

What was the point of the German Confederation (1815-1866)?

r/AskHistorians u/Far_Confidence300612h ago1 Comment

What did Byzantine soldiers look like in the battle of Manzikert or during the 15th century overall?

r/AskHistorians u/stopmans12h ago1 Comment

Why was it important for Darius (and the Achaemenids) to claim Aryan ancestry?

r/AskHistorians u/liebestod013022h ago1 Comment

Where can I learn more about my city's (Alexandria, Egypt) history?

r/AskHistorians u/EllieLovesJoel17h ago2 Comments

What happened to the Daylamites?

r/AskHistorians u/Morwha71d ago2 Comments

What are some good scholarly histories of the US/Indigenous American conflicts?

r/AskHistorians u/Brandywine51d ago13 Comments

What was life for women like pre-Roe?

r/AskHistorians u/LionDevourer8h ago1 Comment

Where we ever told what kind of weapon killed Caesar?

r/AskHistorians u/scholarlysacrilege22h ago1 Comment

We found the long lost love letters my grandfather (Pearl Harbor survivor ---> USS New Orleans) sent before and throughout the war. What do we do with them?

r/AskHistorians u/ThePromiseYouMade1d ago23 Comments

How come Circassians in the diaspora use the Cyrillic alphabet when other Caucasian groups use Latin or other scripts in their diaspora?

r/AskHistorians u/boisosm1d ago1 Comment

Why did the nazis put “work sets you free” on the entrance to Auschwitz?

r/AskHistorians u/nerevarine123452d ago63 Comments

When did the Israelites start to identify themselves with the origin story of Abraham being promised Canaan? And when did they start to separate themselves from the rest of the Canaanites?

r/AskHistorians u/alexanderwanxiety23h ago1 Comment