Hey guys, I was curious if the US used captured enemy equipment a lot in WW2. Ik that the Soviets and Brits made extensive use of captured equipment, and that the Germans made very extensive use of captured gear, but what about the US? Considering that the US wasn’t really at risk of a mainland invasion and had all of its factories away from the front I don’t think they’d feel the need to deal with the logistical nightmare of using captured equipment extensively.

During the cold war, panic over the rise of communism was all the rage. Why then did the US just ignore that China was being taken over by communists?

When I hear the popular stories, it sounds like the Vikings just took their boats to a new place, raided, and went home. But there must have been a strategy behind it, right? How did they plan for a raid, and did they ever fail when they arrived?

So I've come across numerous accounts of doctors (with severely limited resources at their disposal) using maggots in infected wounds. Specifically to try delay or prevent gangrene setting in before a soldier could reach a proper hospital or medical center.

Firstly, was this true? And if so, did it actually work?

Secondly, where did this seemingly experimental medicine practice originate? It sounds like some kind of medieval shenanigans rather than something invented for WWII.

Thanks in advance!

Did they know that it was a tomb, and that knowledge prevailed as some sort of communal memory or was the pyramids' purpose forgotten until recent times and they just knew that it was "there" Curious as to know what Egyptians during this time period thought of the pyramids and other massive structures from Ancient Egypt

I often see in books phrases like "he paid XXX (in today's money XXX). How are these kind of things calculated if inflation in economic terms is based on a 'basket' of goods and services of today's economy?

[deleted]

I imagine the concept of the 7 day week comes from "God" creating reality in 6 days and resting on the 7th (Sunday). Was there a concept of a "week" before this time and how was it different?

Also, we name the days of the week after ancient deities (Saturnday, Moonday, Odinsday etc) - does this suggest there was a more ancient concept of a repeating day system (or "week" to use laymans terms)

I am aware that this is just the impression that I have from watching movies, games and series like Westworld. So I wouldn't be surprised if this is just a movie trope and has no basis in actual history.

But after the Europeans arrived in America and the horse was (re)introduced to North-America it seems that at least some groups/tribes adopted the horse. But somehow they didn't adopt the saddle and stirrup combo that the Europeans used on their horses. Is there a particular reason why they didn't use saddles?

We've all come across those wonderful individuals like Miserichord, Good-for-Nothing, If-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned, Through-Trial-And-Tribulation-We-Come-At-Last-To-Heaven and so forth. But what prompted Puritan parents to give their children such names? Were there no social stigmas, or were these just ignored? In a private setting, did they even bother with the full things?

One of the most wide spread stories about him, is the meeting of Diogenes and Alexander. Is this story actually true ? Or is it just a made up one ? What about others like the one where the sees a prostitutes son throwing a stone at people and telling him "Careful, son. Don't hit your father". There are many more but how do we distinguish the actual ones from made up stories ? If any story is true, how did it spread ? Did someone follow him around and record it ? it passed by word of mouth and someone recorded it ?

Just that really... by the middle of the 2nd century BC, after the destruction of Carthage, Rome had overseas provinces in North Africa, Spain and the Mediterranean islands. Plus they were making inroads east. Should I refer to this territory as 'the empire of the republic?'

Or, if not 'empire', then what was it? In the book I'm reading at the moment (slavery and rebellion in the Roman world), the author occassionally refers to it as an 'empire', but I'm not sure it's right.

Did he speak German during his trial while speaking and understanding English solely to inconvenience the court?

[deleted]

For context I am perhaps most interested in the Italian city-states of the medieval and renaissance periods. Though insight into others like the Hanseatic League could be interesting.

What caused these entites to form in the first place? Did certain conditions coalesce to support their formation? Did geography protect them from being gobbled up by larger neighbours?

I find city-states interesting in general so information about other examples would be welcome too.

I'm reading the Unger biography of John Quincy Adams and it makes a big point about how John Adams had to pull strings to get him into Harvard (p. 58). Why go through the trouble with access to schools like Oxford and Cambridge? What were they reading at Harvard that "...rendered her sons fit to serve their country"(p. 57)?

I read somewhere that the Zaporozhian Cossacks wrote the following letter to the Ottoman Sultan at the time, Mehmed IV, which later inspired a painting:

Zaporozhian Cossacks to the Turkish Sultan!

O sultan, Turkish devil and damned devil's kith and kin, secretary to Lucifer himself. What the devil kind of knight are thou, that canst not slay a hedgehog with your naked arse? The devil shits, and your army eats. Thou shalt not, thou son of a whore, make subjects of Christian sons; we have no fear of your army, by land and by sea we will battle with thee, fuck thy mother.

Thou Babylonian scullion, Macedonian wheelwright, brewer of Jerusalem, goat-fucker of Alexandria, swineherd of Greater and Lesser Egypt, pig of Armenia, Podolian thief, catamite of Tartary, hangman of Kamyanets, and fool of all the world and underworld, an idiot before God, grandson of the Serpent, and the crick in our dick. Pig's snout, mare's arse, slaughterhouse cur, unchristened brow, screw thine own mother!

So the Zaporozhians declare, you lowlife. You won't even be herding pigs for the Christians. Now we'll conclude, for we don't know the date and don't own a calendar; the moon's in the sky, the year with the Lord, the day's the same over here as it is over there; for this kiss our arse!

So my question is whether they actually wrote and sent that letter to the Sultan.

Hi,

I'm watching the season 1 of Viking and I would like to know if they were really sacrificing humans?

I know that in history there was a lot of traditions including sacrifices to the gods, but they were mostly prisoners, animals or they were giving money or foods to the gods… In Vikings tv show what is weird is that it seems like humans want to be a sacrifice and they are not scared of that. Maybe it's in their tradition and it's a good way to join the Valhalla?

Also, were Viking's priest like that (no hair and weird makeup)?

Thank you

[deleted]