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r/AskHistorians

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to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
Preview thumbnail for It is the TWELFTH BIRTHDAY of AskHistorians! As is tradition, you may be comedic, witty, or otherwise silly in this thread! image
It is the TWELFTH BIRTHDAY of AskHistorians! As is tradition, you may be comedic, witty, or otherwise silly in this thread!
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
In the infamously long wargame The Campaign For North Africa (estimated to take 1500 hours of play), Italian units need to be allocated more water because of their pasta habits. Was this a real thing? Did pasta affect the logistics of World War 2?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
During February 1746 in Great Britain, the ministry made by Lords Granville and Bath (after Pelham resigned) only lasted a total of two days. What happened?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
What was the role of unions during the Great Depression, and in particular what was their relationship like with the Civilian Conservation Corps, which used unskilled labor?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
A recent parody tweet about Chinese dynasties wrote: "QING: Kid everyone thinks is an exchange student but is actually just from an underrepresented clique. Wins the election after Ming graduates solely bc the other candidates were too busy smearing each other." How accurate is this?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
Megathread: A brief history of September 11th, 2001 and a dedicated thread for your 9/11 questions
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
Before FEMA was created in 1979, there were 100 or so federal agencies in the US involved in emergency relief efforts without a central authority. How was this handled?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
What caused the Great Smog in London of 1952 which supposedly killed thousands of people? How was it stopped? What changes were made in government as a result?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
The Soviets occupied the Porkkala Naval Base in Finland starting in WWII until 1956, when they withdrew. Why?
in Finland
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
When FDR took office, the banking system of the US was in ruins. What did he do specifically to fix it, why did it work, and why were previous efforts to help ineffective?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
The science fiction genre in Africa supposedly started in Cameroon with the 1932 novel Nnanga Kon and Nigeria with the 1934 novel Gandoki. What was the literary scene like in the two countries at the time? Is there any reason why those two countries in particular would be where things started?
in Nigeria
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
What did the Taiping think of Judaism and Islam?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
Is it true deaf people in Medieval Europe were barred from churches, since they "could not hear the Word of God"? If so, when (and why) did this start to turn around?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
Dr. John Dee, court astronomer to Elizabeth I, and Edward Kelley, a spirit medium, used the "Enochian" language supposedly given by angels. They wrote journals & an infamous magic grimoire in Enochian, but some parts have never been translated. Has there any recent progress on deciphering Enochian?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
In 1532, a former justice of the peace (William Tracy) had his dead body exhumed & burned by the church; his will, declared heretical. He didn't leave any property to the church and believed in salvation "by God's grace". What effect did "justification by faith" have on the death culture of England?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
META: An Historical Overview of 9/11, as the 20 Year Rule Enters 2021
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
This manuscript from medieval Spain is (according to the Met) "an attempt to calculate the numerical code of the Antichrist", with ANTICHRIST written four times and 666 written four times. What's going on?
in Spain
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
The incredibly odd-looking Tortuga tank came from Venezuela in the 1930s. Why did it have a "turtle-shaped" design, and even though it wasn't used in active service, do we have any idea how effective it would be?
in Venezuela
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
Until the wreck was found, it was uncertain if the Titanic went down in one piece or split into two. What did the splitting look and sound like to eyewitnesses and why was it uncertain it really happened?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
In New Zealand, was there really an incident where someone proposed that the country go to the winner of a board game?
in New Zealand
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
The founding of Holland was marked with a battle where Duke Godfrey suffered a major loss due to his army being impeded by swampland. How did armies in the early history of the region deal with swamps?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
How did Lord Jan van Abbenbroeck end up with a pair of underpants as a medieval coat of arms?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
During the "video nasties" moral panic in the UK, the 1987 videogame Soft & Cuddly advertised itself as "THE FIRST COMPUTER NASTY." Were there "video nasty" equivalents in other mediums (like music) at the time? Did any get banned or singled out in a similar way to the video nasties?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony is now considered one of the masterpieces of the 20th century, but on its premiere, Shostakovich's friend Sollertinsky felt as if it was made from the "waste matter" of the Fourth Symphony. What did he mean by that, and what specific musical connections are there?
to r/AskHistorians by jbdyer
9 months ago
In 1933, when Giuseppe Zangara attempted to assassinate FDR -- mortally wounding the Mayor of Chicago in the process -- he was executed only 35 days later. Was this a typical timespan between crime and death penalty for the 1930s, or did the high-profile circumstance make this case different?