Recently having a conversation about Pence taking over from Trump and how he probably wouldn't be able to do much in this term. Saw someone mention that he wouldn't, and used the example that Gerald Ford wasn't able to do much either. Is this true?

I read the 1001 Nights and was surprised to see so many tales that included drinking alcohol.

I believe these tales were compiled several centuries after the time of Muhammad, and that the prohibition against the use of alcohol dates from the time of Muhammad.

I even remember some of the tales where the pious character states that he doesn't drink alcohol because of Muhammad's prohibition against it (so the storytellers were definitely aware of the prohibition).

Did the Muslim people of the time of the compilation of the 1001 Nights drink alcohol (so the tales reflected the audience), or was drinking in the tales meant as a message to the audience, or some other explanation?

King George V has a personal French chef who arrives with a large retinue in the movie to cook and serve the King and Queen, who are visiting. It seems odd to me that the King of England would have as his personal chef someone from another country... wouldn't there be a scandal? I'd expect the King and Queen to only use the very best British chefs.

So I guess my question is, did British Royalty commonly use non-British personal chefs for their meals, and if so, did anyone, from folks in Parliament down to the average British citizen, ever care?

Inspired by a deleted comment I briefly spotted about Europeans being awed by Mali.

Hello,

I am right now writing about how Vasco da Gama traveled to India in 1498.
I have started out good with why he wanted to travel and which route he took and why etc.
But I'm having a hard time finding some first-hand sources talking about his experience in the Calicut. I was talked by someone that he thought the people there were Christians, though I cannot find the primary source stating it.
Can somebody help me?

The Luftwaffe seemed to be dominant in the Mediterranean in 1941 (as during the invasion of Greece and Crete), but surely it would have taken ships to land all the troops and motorized equipement of Rommel's Afrika Korps. According to Antony Beevor's The Second World War, the Royal Navy was dominant in the Eastern Mediterranean at the times of the invasion of Crete. Was it equally dominant in the Western part? If so, how did Germany managed to land in North Africa?

Backstory: my dad bought a house in Kentish Town (London) back in the 90s. He found a binder in the loft filled with documents relating to raid procedures that should be followed in a local subway station.

There are over 20 pages dated from July 1939 to August 1939. The documents contain various station worker names and their responsibilities in the event of a raid and essentially documents various procedures to be undertaken. Here are a few excerpts for clarity:

"The Station alarm will bem Six rings on the fire bell"

"Key foreman to see that goods, especially foodstuffs, liable to contamination are covered before the staff take shelter"

All pages are similar to the above.

I don't want them to hide away for another 9 decades, so who should I contact that could shed more light on these? And any specific advice for me when dealing with documents like this?

Thanks.

I may be making some assumptions here, so let me know if my initial premise is wrong.

I'm assuming that, as information started to circulate in DC about what happened with Watergate, Nixon enjoyed support from at least some in his own party. I'm also assuming that this support eventually fell away as it became apparent what was happening during the investigation of the facts.

So my question is: What is the timeline here? How long did it take for Nixon to go from being supported to being unsupported?

I’ve noticed depictions of late medieval infantry (mainly pikemen) often show them without fully enclosed helmets and I was wondering why this was? Sometimes they are even shown without leg armor or greaves and instead colorful pantaloons. Are these usually artistic depictions accurate, and if so why?

I've heard it said that in times of persecution by the Roman Empire (which I know was sporadic and never actually widespread), Christians would hide in the Roman catacombs and worship in secret. But is there any evidence of this?

Perhaps I first of all should specify what I'm not asking about. I am not asking about cults or remnants of actual worship of the gods, although that would be interesting. I am asking about beliefs and stories involving old pagan gods in the folklore after the conversion to Christianity.

The reason I am asking is because I've read a few stories involving, allegedly, Norse gods in later folklore. One is a story about a rider, supposedly Odin, hunting a naked woman/skogsrå in the woods.

Another was not exactly a story but the account of a farmer from Southern Sweden, I think, about Freya occasionally causing thunder and lightning. He also said it wasn't as dangerous when she did it, when compared to Thor.

So to the question, did the old gods often reappear in European folk tales or legends? Or in some other way? I only intended to ask about the Nordic stuff, but if anyone knows about Slavic gods or whatnot it would be a shame to limit the scope.

If anyone wonder about the source of what I mentioned above I think it was Folktrons ABC by Ebbe Schön. As far as I know it doesn't exist in English though.

I know that the first three Caliphs are demonized in Shia Islam, and many Umayyad Caliphs are hated too (e.g. Yazid). I can't imagine they have the best outlook on the Abbasids either. How do Shi'ites then interpret the many military and cultural achievements attributed to these Caliphates?

Obviously there weren't any kinds of census on reading ability, but Jewish religion and culture places a great deal of emphasis on the importance of the written word and the exact transmission and interpretation of the text as received. Is there evidence that this was reflected in a greater-than-average level of literacy among Jewish people compared to Christians, who were often not expected to read the Bible, in Latin or the vernacular? Were there socio-economic factors (i.e. lack of schools, increased level of tradesman with limited ability to read and write, etc.)?

So I'm really into history and am currently studying at an A level and was wondering if anyone knew any good books, websites, podcasts or anything like that for German and English history from about 1800+ which would be useful.

I'm also super interested in Norse and Viking history and would love to find some stuff on them too if anyone knows anything.

Until the rise of the Achaemenid empire, we hear of the Babylonians, Medes and Lydians. However, after their conquest by the Achaemenids, they seem to disappear completely. On a side but related note, the Ionains are only mentioned in the Ionian Revolt and maybe in Alexander's conquests but I can't remember specifically. Does anyone know what happened to these people, or did they really just disappear of the face of the earth? If anyone can answer this, that'd be much appreciated.

A few months ago i came across a popular post on a popular subreddit that pretty much claimed that the aboriginese basically lived in an anarchists paradise without borders or conflict, that theyr way of Life was totally sustainable etc.

How true are these claims?

Hey all, I was wondering if you all could recommend some books on mining history and mining labor history. Colorado is what I'm really aiming for but I understand some resources will be relevant that and will help me enjoy my research that aren't Colorado specific. I appreciate this page so much!