I read Antony Beevor cite the standard 40,000 civilian death toll from the week of air raids on Stalingrad in 1942. Beevor is a credible author, but could that death toll really have been so high? That figure is a little below Hamburg in 1943, and a little above Dresden in 1945 by most tallies. This makes Stalingrad the second most lethal air attack series in Europe of all of WWII.

Sure, the Soviets probably lacked quality bomb shelter networks. But the raids against Hamburg and Dresden were done by big four-engine US and British bombers. Stalingrad was bombed with two-engine JU-88's and HE-111's. That, and Stalingrad was no Hamburg population-wise. And you could say refugees added to the total, except Dresden also had refugees. Finally, 40,000 is a round enough number to be suspicious. Thanks for your thoughts!

I know they were a variant of Christianity, but do we know what they thought about the unquiet dead? Was there continued belief in traditional Chinese spirits, exorcisms, and all that, or closer to European Christian practices or what?

Before the advent of our taken for granted economic systems, central banks, and such, how were prices and inflation regulated?

Peasants in the middle ages still went to the market to buy food and so on. And kings constructed navies. Etc. How was the aggregate economy and prices organized essentially ?

Just sensing how people in America right now are getting a bit resigned to the fact that something might happen and people are saying we're kind of in this cold war civil war period-- so what was it like the first time around? Were people getting ready for it? Did they know it was coming? I'm guessing they didn't just BOOM start fighting out of nowhere.

I have heard a lot about the legendary Infantry and cavalry of Prussia during the Napoleonic period, but have not heard much of it’s artillery. Is there a reason for this?

What were different tribes doing during the civil war? Who’s territory was affected by the war? Did the North or South treat native peoples “better”?

Hello Ask Historians:

I am asking for your help in finding sources / back text to a story I once heard. I will try to be as descriptive as possible, but unfortunately, the crucial details escape me and that is where I am asking for your help.

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Essentially - Post WW II Black Americans return to their homes in the South (its a specific Town). There, they find corrupt leadership(local level) and are forced to take up arms against the this falsely installed local leader. I could have been south like Texas, or Florida, or Louisiana. But I almost certain I have seen historical account of this story.

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Thank you very much in advance for your time.

I have been rewatxhing several documentaries about Egypt and I was wondering. Are there written accounts of this exodus in other cultures are geographical locations? Not in biblical texts?

There is a hypothesis that Sumerian was somehow connected to the Dravidians of southern India, i.e. the Indus valley civilization. Is there any concrete evidence on this or just a loose theory based on proximity?

Long title, I know, but it's wort asking. We see it time and again where the Gauls/Goths would just absolutely devastate Rome, who had advanced granaries, the breadbasket of the Mediterranean, cavalry, tactics and strategies, excellent fortifications, and who were first and foremost a war-like nation.

The Roman Legions adopted the Maniple/Phalanx and other strategies, and sometimes won, sometimes lost against barbarian tribes. What is it that made the Barbarians so fearsome as warriors? Was it a genetic height difference, or dietary difference that bred them to be taller/stronger and therefore negating or at least answering to the technological/strategic superiority of the Romans? Were the barbarians also quite technologically sophisticated? Was there some advantages to living in the hardier northern conditions?

From what I can understand, most major governments had abandoned the process after what seems like a half hearted attempt . Why did the world not push harder to hold Germany accountable for WW2 and why were many Nazis and associated institutions not more forcibly wiped from existence?

The memorandum was a key document during the Nuremberg Trials, considred as a proof of Hitler’s projects of warfare. However, the note was modified through the years, and even after Hossabach wrote it Hitler refuse to review it claiming it was unimportant. So was the conference’s real aim to prepare war (if so, more people would have taken notes)? And does the memorandum we have today even is a realist transcription of the conference? I’m really confused by it, it’d be great if someone could help me inderstand it!

So what happened with all this local "Aztech" (I use this term, because don't have better) nobility that sided with conquistadors, after fall of Aztech empire? Did they betrayed? Did they become part of new nobility/administration and keep their status?

Until it died down. Is that the true story?

The title kind of says it all, but my essential question is what did cultures think of ancient monuments before the widespread knowledge of history and archaeology.

For example, what did the Arabs think of the pyramids, or the Catholics about Roman colosseums?

Did they think the creators were heretics? Did they have any myths / legends about them? Or were they just generally ignored until people started caring more about history?

Sorry if this question is too broad. My professor (political science--history is not his specialty) said that while revolutions are often portrayed as the singular moments of change, feudal hierarchy and capitalist hierarchy sometimes existed in the same region and had small-scale conflicts. I think it was a vague passing comment to think of the change in power relations in more gradual terms, rather than looking for singular moments of change, but it got me wondering if there were any examples of such conflicts.

Basically did the king make his presence available to peasants or regular folk? Would he give speeches to the masses? Would the average Londoner recognize him without a crown on?