I'm trying to learn more about Africa, both contemporary and history, but the university I go to doesn't have a single class on Africa (it sucks) and I don't know where exactly to go for information, especially since I want the history that includes more beyond colonialism/slavery since Africa is more than that.

Anyone have any documentaries/podcasts/articles/books/whatever they would recommend?

If it was, that is. I think I’ve read somewhere that it was, or rather the large slices or fancy stained glass was. But, why? Was it because they didn’t know how to make it, and just found clear slices on the ground? Or was glassblowing hard to perfect? Technology was insufficient to make the large panes?

TLDR: title says it all. I hope this is on the right subreddit.

I've heard of the Nuremberg Trials for the Nazis, and also the tribunals which held the Japanese accountable for war crimes in the east.

However, it is inconceivable that the Allied Forces were themselves innocent of any violation of the rules of combat. For instance, they had firebombed Dresden resulting in extensive civilian casualties.

Were there any kind of tribunals set up to hold the Allied Forces accountable as well? And if not, how would it be justified?

I'm curious about revenue collection in the early Caliphate states. My understanding is that they largely maintained the existing Roman and Sassanian tax structures in their new regions, which gradually transformed into a land tax and the poll tax on adult non-Muslim men of military age, the jizya.

My question is, was the jizya a significant enough revenue stream to the state that officials would rather have the tax income from a non-Muslim than a new convert? Were there significant barriers to entry into the new religion? Especially in the early days of the Umayyads when a large proportion of the population were non-Muslim. It seems like a really interesting situation where faith and money are directly pitted against each other.

I'm happy to hear about this dynamic in any Islamic nation throughout history, but figured these specific locations would be most relevant as they would be the first and biggest nations to deal with this.

I'm currently reading Karl Friday's Japan Emerging: Premodern History to 1850 and it has a ton of interesting information regarding the strong Korean influence on the history of early Japan:

Japanese scholars suggest that at least a million Koreans poured into the Kinki region during the fifth and sixth centuries along with these items, to the degree that, according to Shoku Nihongi, eight or nine out of ten residents in the Nara basin claimed to have descended from Paekche. Korean scholars, priests, scribes, and skilled bureaucratic functionaries were assimilated into the upper levels of Yamato society.

(...)

Still, there is no disputing the influx of all kinds of craftspeople and court nobles to the archipelago during the extended wars on the peninsula. The fact that the ninth-century Shinsen Shōjiroku lists one-third of aristocratic families as having non-Japanese origins attests to the great capacity of Yamato to absorb and use the skills and knowledge of the refugees. Yamato court scribes of the late fifth century were Paekche immigrants, facilitating the beginning of the aristocratic household records that would eventually be collected into the Nihon shoki.

My question is: shouldn't there be significant linguistic evidence for this massive movement of people? As far as I understand it Korean and Japanese share very few cognates, and their language families are completely unrelated. But if scribes and scholars and aristocrats are coming from the Korean peninsula and being rapidly integrated into Japanese elite society, shouldn't there be traces of this in Old Japanese? Especially if Koreanic speakers are the ones writing literature and compiling court records?

It's enough to make me speculate that these refugees actually spoke a Japonic language, since Japonic speakers obviously came from the Korean peninsula earlier...but linguists seem fairly certain that Baekje spoke a Koreanic language. So what's going on here?

Israel won wars with countries of the Arab League including the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War. Thereafter, Arab countries were incapable of winning wars with non-Arab countries in the 20th century. What reason made defeat of Israel by the Arab countries difficult? Was it because of Israel's ally the US?

With it being so much relatively closer than to Europe, how come Asian counties or Russia hadn’t sailed east prior to Christopher Colombus’s discovery?

Does anyone know if the documentary "The Greatest Story NEVER Told" is based on actual fact or is it all conspiracy? I don't want to start a fight in the comments. I just want to know if it's true or not.

I understand the reasoning for why he was able to have a third term, but I wasn’t sure if Americans of that time showed any outrage for extending term limits

Or was it?

For example: I know that the anarchist Bakunin fled to Switzerland, as well as some other Russian communists and socialists.

I'm discussing this with a friend.

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She is convinced Japanese women were significantly more suppressed and submissive in society compared to their Chinese counterparts, who were more often more independent and even took on stereotypically masculine roles, such as being warriors.

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I say, women were treated pretty much equally in both places throughout history. The first significant difference occurring with the appearance of communism which accepted women in a more egalitarian way.

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What do historical facts say?

Asking this because more than once I've read that the Anglo-Saxons were able to assimilate the Britons because after the Romans left Britain's urban society collapsed. Why is that so?

Speaking in regards to the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986.

I have many doubts that I am going to study, I am always very interested in history, it is one of the things that I like the most but I don't know if it is for me, if you can answer these questions you would be helping me a lot.

What tasks do you do in your work day by day? How do you feel about that? How was your experience at the university? Can you live on this? Is there demand in the labor market? What job options do you have?

Beyond the title question, two more related questions:

1. What religious freedom, or lack thereof, would a commoner in 16th Century England have?

2. What doctrinal differences did the Pilgrims have from the Church of England? Why did they feel that they needed to leave England to practice their religious belief?

In particular, was there any move by anarchist in Hungary to regect all the weak, unsuccessful and narrowly supported governments that tried to take control of the country, and create self-governing communities according to anarchist principles, like in parts of the former Russian Empire, and what was destined to happen in Spain in 1936?

Recently I've come across a comment online which talked about the materials used by Viking era shipwrights. Specifically about the materials used to join the hull's planks. It said that although iron rivets were indeed a popular material, they were not nearly as popular as wooden pins (I don't really know how to call it, since the comment wasn't originally written in English, but you get the idea - a long, wooden bolt). So, I went online searching and found a lot of conflicting information on that topic. From what I've gathered, the comment was wrong and the more popular material was indeed iron, which you can, for example see on the Oseberg wreck. But still, I have mixed feelings about it and would like a second opinion from someone that knows more about that topic.

I've been reading Eric Hobsbawm's book "The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991" and wonder, what other similar books worth the effort there are.

I am interested in works by authors with different perspectives and agendas, say, conservative, liberal, anarchist, Marxist, libertarian socialist and so on (but not propaganda).

A friend's father was a in a Tank Destroyer in Europe in WW2. His operational areas were incredible. D-day, Operation Goodwood, Huertgen Forest, crossing Bridge at Remagen while it stood, Liberating Nordhausen, right up to the Oder River at war's end. Because he was in the vehicle, he took his own photos throughout, throwing exposed rolls in a bag. All were developed when he got home. All beautifully sharp and pristine snapshots now rest in an old album.

TLDR: The short question is, the family has asked me, a WW2 enthusiast friend, to make recommendations on what they should do with it? They have made their copies, and want the originals to "go to some museum and be preserved." I applauded their instincts, and now seek input on choices to recommend. So that's the broad question, and thx in advance for input.

Now for other detail mentioned in my hopefully attention-getting headline...and a more narrow question, but one I think is more fascinating to consider. About 10 years ago, while this amazing vet was alive, I asked to meet him and talk. I knew he was "in a tank in WW2" but apparently that is most all he really ever said. No details to his family even, as well as my dad, who was his close friend.

After some careful prep, he opened up to me and brought out his album. I recorded hours of interviews. The album was incredible. But he didn't understand its significance. It IS significant. All the battles I mentioned are covered, except DDay is light (he was 6th wave, Utah Beach). All pics incredible, but some are jaw-dropping. The scenes at Nordhausen -- his unit was there w/in 24 hours after liberation -- are proof positive of the horrors, and the death, of the slave laborers in that system. The standing bridge at Remagen pics are among the best I have ever seen.

But my jaw fell most when, turning a page, I saw four clearly German soldiers posing with smiles in front of an operational Panther tank. They were in their all black wool unis; the Panther's unit insignia is clearly identifiable. Then more photos followed of these same soldiers, in casual and battlefield photos. The men are clearly facially identifiable. I asked the man what are these? In his standard gruff, but totally matter-of-fact way, he said, "Oh just some Krauts."

I asked, but why do you have them?? He shrugged, and explained. The next page showed a knocked out Panther. It was the same one. He said he took the camera off a dead crewman. He said he "liked it" and it had film left, so he shot the rest of the roll, then put it in his bag with all his others to be developed when he got home. And that's how these smiling German tankers are in a US Army vet's photo album from 1944.

Sadly, literally within weeks of these sessions, after I left to start editing the tapes and thinking of what to recommend happen to this album, the man passed. (A responder I know attended the EMT call to the local senior home. The vet dropped with a heart attack. As he lay on the floor, his last words were: "The f***ing Nazis didn't kill me, and this won't either." This, from a man who never spoke openly about his service -- after 60+ years, the thing at the top of his mind as he lay dying was the war. Just incredibly telling.)

After that, the family -- living distantly -- did not want to take the issue up, and I didn't force it. Now, flash ahead years later. They have reached out and asked the question I posed above. But I have another one. Does anyone have input on whether it would be worth it to try and ID those German soldiers? To try, perhaps, to return them to the families? If so, how would I start that (without going to Germany)? I have the battle diary of the US unit (Tank Destroyer 899). I am fairly certain where the tank kill occurred. The Panther photos are clear. I think the idea has a chance. But I am intimidated on where and how to start. The family does not appear to be interested in this angle. I believe I could get their agreement, but wouldn't want to try to convince them unless I have a realistic plan.

So that's it. Another TLDR. Two questions. What org is best to preserve and value an incredible collection of WW2 soldier personal photos of the European theatre from 1944-45? And, is there a legit interest, and path for success, in returning to their families the photos taken by German soldiers, who later died in the war, that were ultimately developed by the soldier who created this album? Thanks for considering!!

hi guys, I'm currently a first year undecided student at nc state university. I'm heavily considering dropping my considerations towards stem and going for what makes me happy, which (I hope obviously) is history. however, I think a good option for me would be a B.S. in history, which my university offers. I have a few ideas but I'm not sure yet- what is the general consensus on history major with a genetics minor?

I thought the whole point of William's invasion of England was that he saw himself as the rightful king and did not recognise Harold's claim to the English throne. Why does the Bayeux Tapestry seem to acknowledge him as King of the English?