A Recap of AskHistorians 2023-04-20 to 2023-04-27

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Popular This Week: You might have clicked too early, so here are the responses to some of the most upvoted questions from the past week:

• "In Scottish law, a person can be found "guilty", "not guilty", but also "not proven", which I've heard half-jokingly called "not guilty and don't do it again". What are the origins of the "not proven" verdict in Scottish law?", response by /u/__gentlegiant__

• "The American Midwest seems filled with beautiful structures, such as court houses and universities, made with marble and intricate craftmanship, in even small towns, all built 1910ish. If these were built today the material and labor would make costs so high. How did these small towns do it?", response by /u/itsallfolklore

• "What is the cultural context of the infamous Japanese painting 'The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife'?", response by /u/bbctol

• "What's the origin of the children's game where you see a Volkswagen Beetle and punch another child?", response by /u/jbdyer

• "What were restaurants like in the USSR ?", response by /u/Lithium2011

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Things You Probably Missed: Great stuff flies under the radar every week! Here is a selection of responses the Mod Team enjoyed, but didn't get the attention they deserved:

• "Why was Antarctica difficult for explorers to find? The antarctic waters are rough, but any route that trends south will get there, eventually", received two responses! One by /u/​​sterboog and a two parter by /u/debrisslide

• "How did medieval Europeans (especially Saxons) view same-sex relationships?", response by /u/Kelpie-Cat

• "Did Julie D'Aubigny really kill a bunch of dudes and seduce a nun?", response by /u/gerardmenfin

• "What were the “bizarre allegations” made in the satanic panic, and where could I find transcripts?", response by /u/mikedash

• "How did the Ancient Greeks perceive Odysseus?", response by /u/KiwiHellenist

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Still Looking for an Answer: Sometimes great questions don't get answered. Yet. Maybe you have the chops to give these the answer they deserve though?

• "How easy was it to give a fake name when under arrest before digitized and internet connected databases?"

• "In the book "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" by Fannie Flagg, members of the KKK harrass the protagonist because she sells food to black people "out the back door" even though they don't come inside and eat. Was this actually something that people would have had a problem with?"

• "Noblewomen from the ancient world or Asia are often portrayed with a leopard, panther, or some other big cat as a pet. What is the origin of this artistic convention?"

• And if you have only a few minutes to kill, be sure to check this week's "Short Answers to Simple Questions" thread, as you might see something you can help with!

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Flair Profile of the Week:

We were saddened to learn of the loss of a member of our flair community this week, /u/when_ducks_attack, who studied the Pacific Theatre in WWII. Among their many contributions to the sub are this Tuesday Trivia post answering, “Was the Battle of Leyte Gulf unwinnable for the Japanese side?”, this answer to the question, “After the attack on Pearl Harbor, were trapped (alive) soldiers ever rescued?” and this non-WII answer to the question “What impact, if any, has Fenway Park's Green Monster had on the career statistics or tactics of the Red Sox?” He was also an active contributor to r/WarshipPorn and you can read a tribute to him here and his obituary here.

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Features and Conversations You Might Have Missed:

• 2023-04-25: “AMA: ‘Mass government surveillance in WWI Britain and France: Origins of the modern surveillance state’ with Dr. Gary Girod

• 2023-04-28: “META: “What quality does this sub strive for in experts and historians? How is bias avoided and how does it prevent those seeking to spread an agenda/propaganda?”

• 2023-04-22: "META: Which question that never got answered had the most upvotes?"

• As always, don't forget to say "Hi" in Today's Friday Free-for-All

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Pet Paradise

Stop looking at me, dog!

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Plenty more you might have missed though, so as always, don't forget to check out the most recent Sunday Digest or else to follow us on Twitter! For a complete archive of past newsletters, check out /r/BestOfAskHistorians.

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