I asked this question around Christmas but nobody answered. Now that we are all at home and have a lot of time on our hands, probably I will have more luck. Here is a copy of my Chrisrmas post:

I have always had it as a given that Caesar had epilepsy - that's what we were taught in school. This has made Caesar look especially fascinating - because not only did he conquer Gaul and subjugate the Roman Republic, but did so while suffering from a potentially debilitating illness.

However, today I was reading a Wikipedia article on Ceasarion and this paragraph made me wonder:

" In some medical literature, Caesarion is said to have suffered from epilepsy, a neurological condition apparently inherited from his father. This thesis has been disputed by paleopathologist Francesco M. Galassi and surgeon Hutan Ashrafian, who have argued that the first mention of potential epileptic attacks can only be found in 20th-century novels, instead of ancient primary sources. "

So, some people seem to say that there are no documented ancient cases of epilepsy - meaning that Caesar was not epileptic. What is the consensus among historians on this (may 2020 edit), if any?

As the title states it, I recall hearing a "fact" that there were African American business owners who supported segregation in the south due in part to the big fish in the small pond idea. They apparently held an absolute monopoly on key businesses in their community. Thus ending segregation in the south would have theoretically eventually put them out of business in the long run as a result of this chain of thought (not sure what the end result was). If their were, were they few and far between or was this a very widespread thought among this demographic?

I have tried a little digging on my end to see if I could find such an article or scholarly paper discussing this topic, but fell short. I guess googling "African Americans segregation business owners" will typically bring up article after article on the struggles of the era rather than the topic I am trying to read up on.

Anything leading me in the right direction will be greatly appreciated.

The riddle can be found in Judges 14:14: "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet."

Hi. What I mean by this question is were there any unwritten rules saying that the soldiers should not aim and shoot at these "musicians" during battles. I know that when you walk in a straight line against your enemy you do not really care where you are shooting but still. I hope you get my point.

Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru (possibly more) Each declared war on the Axis in 1945. What did they have to gain from this?

Surely they didn't expect to be granted spoils. Was it simply to be on the "winning team" and gain future benefits such as closer relations to the US or a place at the UN? Lend Leases?

What was the Allied reaction to this? Was it noticed by the major powers? These nations were already (Mostly) aligned with the allies in trade and unfriendly to Germany, so did a declaration of war in 1945 really change anything?

We all know about about the men in charge, but I’ve never heard about any women in positions of power, or who committed similar atrocities.

If so, who are they and what did they do?

I just finished Antony Beevor’s ‘Stalingrad’ and loved the book, especially the amount of time that went in to the preceding political events and their implications leading to the battle of Stalingrad. I love WWII history and would like to read more on the War in the Pacific. Any recommendations for a book covering the events leading to, and the actual war itself? Thank you!

I mean, the only time we ever see any reference to him is when people are talking about that one time he broke Egypt’s economy with charity

How accurate is this? Were the British really this uneccesarily cruel, shooting children and burning down bystanders homes?

Edit: for clarification the movie takes place during the American revolution.

Did the Dutch (Indonesia, except for one sultanate) and French (Vietnam) enforce the use of Latin scripts more and the British opted for a dual script use? And why does Malaysia seem to be the odd one out of the ex-British colonies?

I find it sad that Vietnamese and Indonesian isn’t regularly written in their native scripts anymore.

They were briefly mentioned in class so now im really curious about the health details of Ming Dynasty eunuch life. Since medical knowledge was different then from how it is today, how did they ensure the man wouldn't die/be unable to pee? Anything y'all know about the standard castration practice, please tell me.

I'm completely new to reading Revolutionary history, and getting overwhelmed by so many choices that all seem excellent - Philbrick, Ketchum, Fischer, McCullough. Could anyone point me to a work that discusses in detail the specific battles I'm interested in?

In particular, I'd like to learn more about the fall/winter of 1776 - starting with the defeat at the Battle of White Plains, and including battles at Fort Washington/Fort Tryon and Fort Lee. For now, less on Trenton - (which is not to say I'm at all disinterested)

Having recently moved to Harlem, I've been really captivated by what I've learned walking through Fort Tryon Park - (and intrigued to learn it's named for an especially vicious enemy commander.) I've also had different occasions to travel through the Hudson Valley, including hiking around Hessian Lake, on trails named for significant dates and people, lodging by West Point, retreating at Garrison, visiting friends in Fort Lee, school trips to White Plains - so I've been in and around sites significant to the war for years without realizing it.

I'm reading for an exam in British Civilization and I'm wondering how the IRA got all their money. We're talking massive amounts of bombing equipment and weaponry so I'm really curious. Thanks!

In Jane Austen's Emma, the heroine is at a ball with her brother-in-law, when the following dialogue occurs:

“Whom are you going to dance with?” asked Mr. Knightley.

She hesitated a moment, and then replied, “With you, if you will ask me.”

“Will you?” said he, offering his hand.

“Indeed I will.  You have shown that you can dance, and you know we are not really so much brother and sister as to make it at all improper.”

“Brother and sister! no, indeed.”

My question is - what would be seen as "improper" about a brother and sister dancing together at a ball?

I know that dances were seen as a chance for courtship, but certainly not exclusively so - there are references to married men dancing with other women or women dancing together, so dancing was clearly not seen as inherently sexually charged. And in any case, it seems unlikely that Emma would actually be referring to incest. So what is improper about it?

You always hear that it was “surprising” that Hamilton got killed by Burr in a duel, since it was tradition to miss your shot (but therefore saving your honor)

So, was that really the case? How often did someone just blast the other (unsuspecting) person? Did duels occur regularly?

PS: I grew up in DC and drove past the place where Hamilton and Burr had their duel regularly, kinda wild to think of.

Hello everyone hope everyone has been well amongst the World current state, but for some reason this made me think about events that changed parts of the world such as: the french revolution. This lead me to thinking about if the golden age of piracy had any effects on the world and i couldn't really think off anything major off the top of my head. Could you please help and provide a bunch of examples as well as a source if possible so i can find out even more about the events. Thanks all

Would they have known about people such as Caesar, Charlemagne and Napoleon, among others? Or would it simply not be something they were taught/cared about?

My Great Grandfather fought on the German side in WW2. We know he fought on the eastern front but handed himself over to US forces at some point later in the war (he didn't want to go to war in the first place). if anyone could direct me to where I could get online records or info that would be great! thankyou in advance.