What was a schoolweek like for a typical elementary school student in the 19th century? I assume Sunday has always been a day off?

[deleted]

Was there ever a design of an aircraft that incorporated armour covering the entire surface of the machine? I'm not talking about plates designed to protect the pilot/engine or other defensive measures increasing the chance of survival of the aircraft and it's operator. Just armour preventing penetration of the entire structure.

If so, was the Umayyad Caliphate a non-literate society or is there evidence the Abbasids systemically destroyed older histories?

Considering that the nations where these ideologies grew the most were their allies.

A recent NotTheOnion thread claimed that peasants had more vacation time than modern Americans. How accurate is that idea? Did they actually have many days that their feudal lord didn't require their labour, and could they realistically relax during that time or would they need to spend those days working hard for other life necessities?

The question might sound a little weird but let me explain: In the Western culture, especially in movie, video games (nowadays) and art, there is always those "bad guys". Today for example, it is either the Russian nationalists or North Korea. A few years ago, it was Al-Qaida and other Middle-Eastern terrorists groups. A few decades ago, it was the East: Russian and Chinese communists and their nuclear bombs. Then, the Nazis, and to some extent (in my country, France, especially) the German Empire.
But did this notion of "bad guys" is a typically modern thing, or was it already existing before ?

Christianity was the state religion, but what proportion of people were Christians? What other religions were popular at the time and how were they treated by the Empire?

Did some ethnic groups and regions have notably different religious demographics?

What divisions were there among Christians at the time? Was there already a split between Catholic and Orthodox churches?

What kind of religious officials were there? Were priests of the old Roman gods allowed to continue worship? How about other religions?

Were there monasteries and nunneries at that time?

Were there mystery cults and similar mystical organisations?

And on a slightly related note... what kind of mystical or magical beliefs did people have? Was belief in witches, demons, etc. widespread? Did Christians believe that pagans had magic powers and vice versa?

Today, in most Western states, the local police force and the military are separate organizations with different missions and agendas. Generally, just by looking at equipment and uniform, a local can determine whether someone is military or police. I’m wondering whether this distinction would’ve existed in the Roman Empire (any period).

Would those conducting internal security within domestic territories like the city of Rome itself be distinguished from soldiers in terms of chain of command, dress code, or mission? Or would the “police” force be just another military branch, or perhaps a temporary assignment for soldiers?

[deleted]

After the US Civil War, General Ulysses Grant commanded an army one million strong. He also had capable and ruthless generals such as Sherman and Sheridan. This would also presume some very capable Confederate generals and commanders who may fight for the American cause. From what I know, the concept of “total war” was sort of invented by Sherman and Grant, and new war technology was in use such as hot air balloons for recon, iron clad ships, as well as railway and telegraph. Last but not least, the men were battle hardened and experienced.

I’m ignorant as to the state of other world powers at the time, and how they would have matched up against the American army at this point in history. But it seems like the US was quite strong and advanced at the time in terms of modern warfare, raw amounts of men, and the support infrastructure

[deleted]

In particular, did any churches (e.g. Quakers) lead any protest movements?

It strikes me that a lot of the Reconstruction Era's aspirations were curbed or defeated because of the quick reincorporation of the Confederate states and their white citizens. Did Lincoln or the Republicans ever seriously consider temporary disenfranchisement, or was reuniting the Union too important to jeopardize with this kind of authoritarianism?

[deleted]

[deleted]

During WWII*

I'm currently reading Mary Beard's "SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome." In it, she frequently references Rome's accessibility to outsiders, and its willingness to allow individuals born outside of Rome to serve as consuls, and eventually, as emperors.

This seems to go against the implications of the word 'hostis,' used to describe foreigners and enemies alike.

I know that to be "Roman" was to signal certain virtues and principles, and did not necessarily denote a place of origin, so does that imply that everyone else was just pooled together into 'hostis?'

Maybe I'm over-thinking it; I'd certainly appreciate some context/insight into how ancient Romans may have thought about this seeming contradiction, nonetheless.