Was suicide among "commoners" normal during time periods like the renaissance? Or is it something that became more prevalent recently?

3 Answers 2019-04-14

Why didn't Korea ally with Russia against Japan in the 1890s?

I read that Koreans were afraid of Russia’s deploying their troops in the north of Korea. But why didn’t they ally with Russia against the threat of Japan? Looks like a sensible solution.

Did Russia have a reputation of a strong European empire that would genocide East Asians? Because to me, it seems silly - even before 1905, everybody could have seen that Russia could not be a strong force with a single railroad.

Or is this exactly the rationale - allying with the failing Russia would have meant even more destruction at the hands of the Japanese?

2 Answers 2019-04-14

Was trial by combat a common thing in history?

I have seen this In many a TV Show and Movie. But did this actually happen often? (Sorry if this was asked before)

1 Answers 2019-04-14

Did 20th century art movements like cubism, surrealism and futurism influence music that much? Is there a reason why I have never heard any surrealist music?

1 Answers 2019-04-14

What did Hitlerohitolini plan to do once they won WW2?

[deleted]

1 Answers 2019-04-14

Both the Italian and German fascist models of government were lauded and envied for their resilience during the Great Depression. Is there any evidence that the fascist policies of the two nations had any bearing on their emergence from the depression?

1 Answers 2019-04-14

Why do so many non-monotheistic religions have a trickster god?

1 Answers 2019-04-14

Approximately when, and why/how, did Saturday become a traditional day off from work in North America and Europe?

Sunday, what with the Christian Sabbath, seems obvious. But what about Saturday?

1 Answers 2019-04-14

American Historians: How do you cover world history in the classroom?

1 Answers 2019-04-14

How influential was communist ideology and rhetoric on the civil rights movement in the U.S.?

I need to research this topic for my term paper. If anyone could give me any specific books or authors to look into or shed some light on this topic, I’d really appreciate it

1 Answers 2019-04-14

In *Jesus Christ Superstar* Judas scolds Mary Magdalene, saying that her "jar of fine ointment" could have been sold for 300 silver pieces or more. Judas later gets 30 for selling out Jesus. Do those numbers make sense in reality?

Lyrics for reference.

It seems to me a strange thing, mystifying, that a jar of what seems to be Myrrh sells for 10 times the value of Jesus's life. Is this a reasonable price for fine ointments? How much can you buy with that amount of money?

2 Answers 2019-04-14

In the time of the early Roman Empire, was there ever a "Colonel Kurtz" scenario where a Roman general or governor went rogue with the local population, and needed to be assassinated?

I recently re-watched Apocalypse Now and I cannot help but wonder whether this type of fictional scenario ever occurred in reality on the fringes of the early Roman Empire. If anybody doesn't know the film's story, Colonel Kurtz is a decorated and respected commander who goes mad during the Vietnam War and starts leading an army of locals, and he is then targeted for assassination by the US military.

Are there any historical parallels to this story, in the early Roman Empire?

1 Answers 2019-04-14

Gas lines and Historic Graveyards

So I'm sure it is a little late to do anything about it seeing as the last time I was at one of the locations they were already digging but I was curious if anyone could answer how gas companies are permitted to put lines through cemeteries? One if the two in question is the soldiers cemetery at Bushy Run Battlefield in Southwestern PA. Brief background, Bushy Run was the site of a battle during Pontiacs Rebellion. On August 5th and 6th 1763, a combined force of between 150-500 Mohawk, Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo and Huron ambushed a British column of 500 Regulars/Highlanders and several hundred militia with teamsters in tow, marching on Forbes road to the relief of the besieged garrison at Fort Pitt. After several exchanges and charges on both sides Col. Bouquet pulled his men back about 300 yards to a more defendable position, forming a redoubt on a hill near the road. On the sixth, he weakened his line drawing in the Native Forces and caught them off guard with a flank attack by the Highlanders. The Natives drew off and Bouquet limped to Fort Pitt with a large percentage of the fighting force made casualties. Unable to recover the KIA from the action and still be an effective fighting force, Col. Bouquet left them on the field. When he arrived at Fort Pitt and broke the siege, he sent a force back to the area to recover and bury the casualties. As the Natives recovered their KIA already the only ones left were about 50 British and American militia. Unable to take them back, they grouped then buried them on the hill of the first days fight next to Forbes Road. When I was younger and lived closer my parents would take me there fairly regularly. The area is well taken care of and the field staff are always helpful. It is one of the places that nurtured my love of history and being respectful of the fallen, the Union Jack flew over the hill the cemetery was on. So you can imagine my shock when I stopped for a brief visit a few weeks ago and there were pipeline crews digging straight through the crown of the hill. They had even removed the Union Jack. Now for a disclaimer, the hill the cemetery is on I believe is privately owned and since the park is small, the staff being volunteer, they have never had the resources to do very many digs in the area save the odd professional metal detector crew. So the only real evidence of the cemetery are the reports of Col. Bouquet and his officers that returned to the field later. Furthermore the entire field had been used as a farm for decades with people regularly visiting after the fields we're plowed and taking battlefield artifacts home with them, like swords, bullets and pieces of rifles. The second case is more recent. The cemetery is in the Mon-Valley and is dated to colonial time. There are, early settlers, Revolutionary War soldiers and even Native American graves in it. It was in use until the 19th century. Fell into disrepair and was virtually erased when the river flooded carrying away the gravestones. Now you would never know it was there unless a local told you, which is what happened to me. But it is there on older maps of the area and now has a small pipeline going through the center of it. I guess my question is how can they be able to dig the lines through these areas? I understand they are a fact of life but what is the big deal about rerouting the line around the cemeteries? Why does it become necessary to disturb the final resting places of war dead and those entered into graveyards overgrown or not? I guess the callousness of it on the part of gas companies just upset me. Makes me wonder is there anything that can be done about it to prevent it or correct it?

1 Answers 2019-04-14

Is there any record of Berbers or Arabs being brought as slaves to the New World?

1 Answers 2019-04-14

Why did Jack Ruby kill Lee Harvey Oswald?

1 Answers 2019-04-14

Many people commonly call Kalashnikov family rifles “AK-47s”. How commonly used was the AKM in comparison to the AK-47? How much actual use did the AK-47 receive?

1 Answers 2019-04-14

How would worship of Janus manifest itself in Roman society?

1 Answers 2019-04-13

In what ways did the post-WWII “baby boom” affect the “crime wave “of the 1960s and 1970s - especially in the context of so many young, (disproportionately) black men coming of age in impoverished, segregated urban centers that had experienced massive white flight?

1 Answers 2019-04-13

How accurate is the claim that the Royal Navy ruled the waves?

During the American revolution the French Navy greatly aided the Continental Army to defeat the British. If the British enjoyed such supremacy how did the French do this? When did the English Navy become so dominant? Was there ever any real competition from other European powers or the US until WW2?

1 Answers 2019-04-13

In a recent post, it was mentioned that princesses did things like run spy rings to expose traitors. Can we get a run-down on that, please?

The comment seemed worthy of it's own post, rather than as a sub-note to the original post, so I thought I'd ask because a princess running a spy ring to expose traitors is 100% worthy of it's own post.

2 Answers 2019-04-13

AskHistorians Podcast 134 - The Adjunctification of Academic Life w/Professor Daniel Bessner

Episode 134 is up!

The AskHistorians Podcast is a project that highlights the users and answers that have helped make r/AskHistorians one of the largest history discussion forums on the internet. You can subscribe to us via iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS, and now on YouTube and Google Play. You can also catch the latest episodes on SoundCloud. If there is another index you'd like the cast listed on, let me know!

This Episode:

Today on the pod we're chatting with (tenured) Professor Daniel Bessner about the adjunctification of academic life: both its impact on academia and ways that people are fighting back.

You can follow Professor Bessner on Twitter @dbessner

Questions? Comments?

If you want more specific recommendations for sources or have any follow-up questions, feel free to ask them here! Also feel free to leave any feedback on the format and so on.

If you like the podcast, please rate and review us on iTunes.

Thanks all!

Previous episode and discussion.

Next Episode: u/AnnalsPornographie is back!

Want to support the Podcast? Help keep history interesting through the AskHistorians Patreon.

3 Answers 2019-04-13

History always mentions how diseases introduced by europeans nearly wiped out a lot of native communities. Did the native peoples introduce any new diseases to europeans?

And did they or why didnt they have the same impact

1 Answers 2019-04-13

Is there any significance to pouring concrete over graves?

I was doing some research into my family's history and one thing has me vexed. According to a local newspaper one guy poured concrete over the graves of his children before leaving for a new US State. I can't understand this. At this point we're well beyond vampire scares and before zombies were a thing. Surely nobody buried babies with grave goods worth looting.

I'm making the assumption the father was Christian given context, so why make an attempt to seal the tombs? Leaving the community is clearly a clue, as it was coincidental with the act and years passed between the internment and the concreting. But why, though? Why? I just don't get it.

1 Answers 2019-04-13

Curiosity question about interracial marriage

When interracial marriage was illegal in the U.S, did that only apply to people who were white and black? Or did it apply to other races? I'm curious because my great grandmother was native american, but my great grandfather was white. They were legally married sometime in the late 1800s. Why is it that they were able to be legally married, but a white/black couple couldn't be?

1 Answers 2019-04-13

Suggestion. T-minus 4 min till removed.

Found this channel. Love many of the questions, could be one of the more interesting parts of reddit. However, all responses seem to be “removed”. I get the standards are high, but as a newer (this is my first comment ever) reddit user I think I have to move on but don’t really want to. Maybe consider a “quick answer” period and then wait on a more substantiated explanation where you can then replace the other comments and lock it. Otherwise so many questions just sit with no ‘acceptable’ response. I love the cleanliness of the sub but without any answers I think you’re losing folks that are sincerely interested. Good questions without answers only provide more questions. Peace and blessins.

2 Answers 2019-04-13

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