What did they use to prevent sunburn in the medieval ages

Seems like the surfs spent a lot of time outside during the medieval ages. How did they keep from getting sunburn and skin cancer? Thanks historian bros.

1 Answers 2020-07-27

How often were weapons such as battle axes and maces actually used in medieval warfare?

I have read that Spears were by far the most dominant weapon used in battle prior to the invention of gunpowder. However, I would like to know is how often were maybe more unconventional weapons such as axes, maces, and flails? What were the advantages of such weapons? Were there specific time periods when they were used more than others?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

Did Christopher Columbus in his lifetime knew he land in the Americas or did he died before knowing that he landed in Americas believing that he landed in Asia?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

How important was wheat or non-rice grains in Japanese food before the introduction of Western cuisine?

European-style bread is ubiquitous in Japan now, but was bread, or other wheat products, a significant part of the Japanese diet before European interaction? If so, how was it used? Chinese cuisine features breads like the mantau or the pau, but there doesn't seem to be an equivalent in Japanese food. Why did Japan not adopt Chinese-style bread?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

I have seen claims that Stalin wanted to remove himself from power multiple times, but was repeatedly kept in place by the Soviet population wanting him to remain in power. Is there any truth to this claim?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

Why do alot of People think serbia and rest of ex yugoslavia is either part of russia or some east bloc country, when it was a western allie durning both world wars and cold war, did 90s nationalists and wars make this false impression or something else?

2 Answers 2020-07-27

What (if any) impact did the US invasion of Grenada in 1983 have on Cold War geopolitics? [repost]

I'm listening to an old lecture by a US military college professor (recorded around the time the first Gulf War was still in present tense) about Clausewitz, and at one point, when discussing Clausewitz's "war is a continuation of politics" dictum, he gave the example of the 1983 US invasion of Grenada as an example:

I think when historians look at the Grenada operation, they'll say this was an operation that had great political significance. It sent a powerful political message to the Russians that the Vietnam syndrome was over, that we had a president who was not afraid to use deadly force. And remember this attack came three days after the incident in Beirut, and so from the Russian point of view, when Ronald Reagan starts talking about Star Wars and a trillion dollar buildup, Russians believe him and they stretch their system to the breaking point to keep up with them.

In his analysis/assertion here, he seems to be making at least two points: that the Grenada invasion had a major domestic impact on US military culture (moving past the Vietnam syndrome), and that it had a tangible external messaging impact on the Soviet Union and broader Cold War geopolitics (especially in the context of the Star Wars program).

Given this is a 30 year old lecture and that the prof also seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder about Vietnam, I'm interested to know to what extent his assessment of the Grenada invasion's military and geopolitical impacts hold up to scholarly historical scrutiny in 2019. Do scholars today think that that operation truly had great political significance in those two aspects?

2 Answers 2020-07-27

Why did those colonizing the Americas kill off so many natives, then bring slaves over from Africa, instead of enslaving the natives.

Note: Slavery is terrible and no group should have been forced into Slavery. I'm just genuinely curious.

2 Answers 2020-07-27

WW II naval communication

In the film “Greyhound”, at a few points the German u-boat captain gets on the US destroyer’s loudspeaker and taunts the allied sailors. Is this realistic? Are there cases where German (or other) naval personnel gained access to enemy ships’ communications in this way?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

The Sun is a masculine entity according to Greek mythology (Helios/Apollo) but did other ancient cultures see the Sun as a feminine celestial body instead?

Upon stambling on this gorgeous artwork from u/captainbertbert, I read the following comment from u/crimsonultra:

In his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell notes that the feminine sun is a relic of a much older heritage, echoing the cultures before the rise of more patriarchal patterns that came with agriculture. Besides Germanic culture, feminine Sun stories have survived in Japanese culture as well.

The reasons for this switch may be due to a shift in focus from the divine feminine to the divine masculine.

If anyone can, I would like to receive more context:

  1. Which ancient heritage is J. Campbell referring to? Materially speaking, do we have any archeological evidence to support it?
  2. Could more be said about the Sun's switch from a feminine to a masculine entity? What are the main milestones of that cultural history?

I'm mostly used to Greek mythology where the twin gods Apollo and Artemis respectively represent a masculine Sun and a feminine Moon. I would love to know if that ancient gender allotment of celestial bodies wasn't universal. How? Why?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

When and why did slavery go from being about whoever you could enslave to being specifically about their race?

I was wondering when and/or why slaves went from whoever was a member of that country you just conquered to specifically whoever belonged to a certain race?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

I've heard that the adoption of agriculture led to significant decreases in health levels for those who adopted it. Is this true, and if true, why was it still adopted?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

Did the United States have to import anything for its war industry during World War 2?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

The Ottoman Empire decriminalized homosexuality in 1867. At the same time, Ottoman rule extended to the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Have there been accounts of what life was like for homosexuals in those cities at the time, and was homosexuality tolerated there?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

Did any ancient civilizations engage in archeology?

A 5,000 year old site, so a 3,000 year old civilization is still 2,000 years old. And we still get excited about new Saxon ruins in Europe.

I'm curious if any of the older civs invested time and energy in archeological endeavors, and if they did what kind of methods they used.

1 Answers 2020-07-27

“As the Founding Fathers said, [slavery] was the necessary evil upon which the union was built.” - US Sen. Tom Cotton. How accurate is this statement?

The larger quote is

"We have to study the history of slavery and its role and impact on the development of our country because otherwise we can’t understand our country. As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction."

Source

1 Answers 2020-07-27

Should I go to graduate school?

Hey all, I'm graduating college this summer and seriously considering pursuing a history PhD (concentrating in 20th century US political and intellectual history). I'm fully aware of the awful state of the academic job market and probably don't plan on entering academia (my ultimate ambition is to become a writer/author). My logic for going to grad school is mostly (1) my fascination with US history and gaining intellectual fulfillment in its further study (2) having a PhD from a top tier school probably wouldn't hurt (I'm going to restrict my applications to 5-6 mostly Ivy League grad program - likley Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, UChicago, and possibly UWisconsin or UMichigan).

Is this plan unwise? Is it not worth spending 6-7 years in a PhD program, even if it's from a top tier university? I've also heard troubling things about history PhDs making people <less> employable outside of academia, due to fears of overqualification etc. How accurate is this and would a PhD be a liability when trying to obtain a job, say, in research or publishing?

(As a side note, I'd welcome any suggestions for books/reading lists on 20th century US intellectual history; I'm particularly interested in historiography, American liberalism and the intersection of US political and intellectual history).

2 Answers 2020-07-27

In Japan, houses are considered depreciating assets that are nearly worthless after a few decades. What factors led to this? It's different from every other country I'm aware of.

Edit:

To the people PMing me: No, this isn't a result of Japan's negative birth rate, as it predates that development by decades.

2 Answers 2020-07-27

[Les Misérables] Was Jean Valjean's punishment of 19 years of prison and forced labor for stealing a loaf of bread (and his subsequent escape attempts) an accurate punishment for that crime in that time period? Or was it exaggerated in the book/play?

2 Answers 2020-07-27

From which regions of Italy did Italians immigrating to the United States generally hail?

I heard that the Italians who immigrated to America in the late 1800s/early 1900s were mainly from Southern Italy. This makes intuitive sense to me, because southern Italy historically has been poorer than northern Italy. Is this true?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

Looking for archives of the National Guardian

I believe my grandfather, Alan Schaffer (he may then have been using the first name "Alfred" or "Flip") was a columnist for the National Guardian during its first year of publication in 1948. But I can't find any archives for that newspaper that go back far enough; most of them seem to start in the 60s. Are there any suggestions as to where I might look? I have a university affiliation so I should be able to get access to most such things.

1 Answers 2020-07-27

George Washington died on December 14, 1799. If I am a poor farmer in Georgia at that time, how long would it take for me to learn about Washington’s death and in what ways did this news move through the country?

2 Answers 2020-07-27

Germany and Japan had their cities bombed to rubble and millions of their civilians and soldiers killed. Did all this destruction succeed in breaking their morale in any way that really mattered (willingness to surrender, etc), or did it just numb them and inure them to suffering and violence?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

Assuming I lived in a culture were eunuchs were common, would I recognize one when I saw him (clothed)?

In other words, did castration result in eunuchs having common physiological changes?

Also, how common would they have been in China or Persia ( the two areas I've heard them most associated with. )?

1 Answers 2020-07-27

English, Spanish, Italian and French are all in some way derived from Latin. What is the root language of Arabic? And are there the equivalent of English to Spanish within that family of language? Also I know that Muslims had control of Spain for a time and I am curious if there is any overlap.

1 Answers 2020-07-27

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