[deleted]

Route 66 was the main road to get to the west but I’m curious to know if there was a major road on the east coast equivalent to Route 66

[deleted]

​

​

So I've been looking for an enjoyable read to give me a good overview of world history.

Durant's "history of civilization" series attracted me, and I've enjoyed reading it so far.

However, I've heard that it's content is dated, and biased, though a nice read.

​

Is there a better/more modern alternative?

Welcome to Tuesday Trivia!

If you are:

• a long-time reader, lurker, or inquirer who has always felt too nervous to contribute an answer
• new to /r/AskHistorians and getting a feel for the community
• Looking for feedback on how well you answer
• polishing up a flair application
• one of our amazing flairs

this thread is for you ALL!

Come share the cool stuff you love about the past! Please don’t just write a phrase or a sentence—explain the thing, get us interested in it! Include sources especially if you think other people might be interested in them.

AskHistorians requires that answers be supported by published research. We do not allow posts based on personal or relatives' anecdotes. All other rules also apply—no bigotry, current events, and so forth.

For this round, let’s look at: From earthworks to the sheds where you board roller coasters, humans are really good (and sometimes bad) at building things to live in, work in, play in! What are some kinds of buildings, or a specific building, that people in your era built?

Next time: A day in the work life!

***Adams'? Adams's?

We know that nearly all the founding fathers were slave owners. John Adams held a strong opposition to the practice and he never owned slaves even though it would have been easy to do so for a man of his means.

Was his anti-slavery position considered an extremely radical view at the time, among his contemporaries? Did other wealthy white men of his time consider his view to be far and away outside the normal? Or was it an opinion more widely held by other white men with healthy discourse and disagreement around it?

This also includes guerilla/asymmetric warfare as well. As long as it was used to attain a military objective it counts.

EDIT 1: Alright, I've decided to list answers below, as well as categorizing them in two groups, confirmed and unconfirmed.

Unconfirmed

• Soviet-Afghan War (1979-89) Reports of usage of Jezzails by mujahideen fighters
• Invasion of Tibet (1950-1951) Reports of usage of matchlock hunting muskets by resistance fighters.

I have heard stories, and seen paintings of a stirrup charge by the Scots Greys and the Blackwatch in St. Quentin in WW1, but I've also been told that it was all propaganda and never really happened. What's the truth?

This question ultimately is inspired by recent political events, but it is not meant to be political. I understand if it must be removed though.

Question:

Why does there seem to be a fairly widespread opinion that the Concentration Camps were all about the Jewish people? Is this an accurate opinion on the subject?

I ask because I have been familiarized with the Holocaust because of being brought up in a religion that was imprisoned in the camps. I was raised to have interest about other groups imprisoned in them along with the Jewish people. I know that prisoners consisted of:

Jewish people

Soviet people

Gay people

POWs

Disabled people; and

Jehovah's Witnesses (this is the religion I was raised in and am no longer a part of)

So why does the sentiment that concentration camps were all about the Jewish people exist?

It seems fair to me to say that the Holocaust was about Jewish people because Hitler's whole platform was about solving "the Jewish problem." But to say that comparing something today to a Camp belittles the suffering of Jews or is somehow anti-Semitism doesn't make sense to me.

May I read some thoughts and opinions on this?

Was the NIBMAR a tale of Britain trying to maintain control over Rhodesia and delay its independence, or a genuine attempt to tackle racism and discrimination?

Why did Japan invade Indochina and then launch their multi-pronged December 7th 1941 attack before they were done with their fighting in China during WWII?

It seems illogical to me that the Japanese would start more campaigns of conquest without getting a total capitulation from the 2nd Chinese United Front, even if they were overwhelmingly successful against them. They are just spreading their forces apart in a campaign that already required massive over extension to removed Allied presence in the Pacific. Is there some cultural or strategic factor that I am missing, or was the Japanese invasion of China not well thought out?

After rewatching Titanic (the movie) I can’t help to question why they left the sewage passengers to drown?! Did the crew really lock them away, even guarding the exits of stairwells and what not, to the extent as in the film. Additionally if they did, was White-Star line ever punished or the crew members?

What are some possible effects of the judicial branch being viewed as the weakest? For example, could it lead to judicial overreach? What was the main purpose of the judicial according to Hamilton?

It is also possible that the quote refers to the general doubt of the truth of his documented travels. If there is more evidence to support this interpretation, then I would like to ask what aspects of his travels did people doubt during his time?

This is a history-of-history type question, and I don’t mean for it to be limited to the topic areas listed. I know there are some historiographically problematic assumptions in that question, but I hope it spurs some discussion. Has the conversation gotten any better in the last 50 years, or just noisier?

Hi there, I’m very curious about the historical side of witch trials, and I’m wondering if basically there were any specific activities or actions which would get you tried for it in Early Medieval England (around 1000 or so). I’m also curious about the process of being tried for witchcraft, if anyone is able to shed a little light on it. Thanks so much!