Had a curiosity to why Rapiers became wide in use during the late 1400s to the 1800s. Why did they beat out weapons such as a short sword or long sword (one handed). Is it because the lack of armor or because of another reason?

Anyone off the street could name several kings, religious figures, warriors, poets, philosophers, and other famous people from countless cultures and time periods, but if you ask them to name a famous musician from history, they'll all say "uhhh... Beethoven?", and will be unable to think of any others. Why is this? Why do the names of only 18th century European composers roll off of the average person's tongue when it comes to the history of music? Why can't he name an ancient Greek or Chinese musician or something?

I see a photo of what is supposed to be a Nazi soldier aiming his rifle at a mother protecting her baby. But I've seen counter-claims that it's a Yugoslavian soldier. I'm sorry If I'm being vague, I didn't see an image post link.

Hey guys. I am a tankie and I have a question. For many of the questions of the USSR, I would be answering through my point of view(but with non communist sources). Is this fine with you guys or am I supposed to answer with the mainstream consensus?

So I recently finished the series World War II in HD Colour on Netflix. Episode 8 focused on the eastern front in 1943. Something that surprised me was the degree to which the Red Army had achieved dominance over the Wehrmacht by the end of 1943. Notably, the show claimed that the German military command had essentially concluded that they had lost the war against the Soviet Union by the end of the year.

I found this interesting because, if true, it would pretty significantly change my interpretation of the Allied invasion of western Europe. The typical narrative is that the Allies invaded France and Italy in 1944 in order to increase the pressure on the Nazis and to relieve the pressure for the Soviet Union on the eastern front. This doesn't really make sense if it was known that the Soviets had essentially defeated the Nazis by the end of 1943.

So, is it plausible that the Allies invaded western Europe primarily to oppose the Soviets?

Particular in this space I'm curious about are:

• Is it correct that the Red Army had essentially defeated the Wehrmacht by the end of 1943?

• If this was the case, was this widely known?

• What effect did the perception of the intermediate results of the war between the Soviet Union and Germany have on western military planners' goals for western Europe?

• More broadly, to what extent did the western allies (US and UK primarily) treat the Soviet Union as a threat during WW2 and particularly in 1943 and 1944?

I got an idea for a book, the main character is a Latino singer. Could he sing at a bar that was whites only in the 60s?

What were the alternatives presented to Truman instead of dropping the bomb on Japan? The only argument I've ever heard against the bombs is that Japan was ready to surrender but the arguments don't seem to be supported by the information available to Truman at the time. Was he even presented with an alternative or did the military make sure Truman wasn't told about anything other than 1.5 million allied deaths in the event of an invasion?

It seems as though the concept album was largely confined to the 70s – The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973), Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974), Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters (1974), Animals (1977), Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds (1978) and The Wall (1979), to name some of the most prominent examples. Yet, looking at the 80s, I can't really think of any concept albums of note. Why, then, did they take off, and why haven't they made a major comeback?

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I find it fascinating that tomatoes are associated with Italian cuisine, despite tomatoes being a new world food. Same with potatoes and the Irish. I understand that these foods became popular in those respective countries after trade with the new world. However, chili peppers seem to have an even stronger foothold in many asian dishes, with many asians having a high heat tolerance. I learned only recently that all chilis are native to Mexico and have spread around the world since the discovery of the new world. How did this happen in Asian? Was it the same as it occurred in Europe? and what did these peoples eat before the introduction of these new foods?

I'm fascinated about early Sumerian society and culture. As someone that wants to learn as much as possible from reliable sources, what would you recommend reading?

Thanks, and I'm looking forward to your suggestions!

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A constant criticism of the US seems to be its incessant meddling in the affairs of other countries. I was talking to a friend about this and he brought up the Taliban, referring to the US backed Mujahideen as the source of it. While, it could be argued that Al-Qaeda (in particular Osama bin Laden) were linked to previous Mujahideen, the Taliban seemed to be something entirely different. So, the question I’m asking would be regarding US and it’s involvement with the Taliban.

There is a narrative travelling the Internet now that Sir Isaac Newton was actually gay, had a lifelong relationship with another man, and had a mental breakdown when said relationship ended.
And of course, a counternarrative that that was just a friendship, and Newton was too Puritan for that.

What does the evidence - and historians - say about that?

Typical recommandation booklist with an emphazise on German side. May I get spoonfeed please?

I asked this question before, but got no response so am trying again. The Wikipedia page is very bare. It mentions a previous massacre of foreigners a hundred years before by pirates and then the fact that a rebel army again massacred the foreign merchants in the city.

I am just wondering if I could have a bit of background into the city, the regional issues, etc. Considering how closed off china has been, such a large foreign population seems even bigger. I'm guessing it was a trade port, but for what? And if it had been previously massacred within a hundred years, why did people come back and remain unprotected?

The English name for Germany is... well, Germany. I know that Julius Ceasar (not sure if it was him though) 'invented' the term Germans and just threw together all the tribes from that area. Like this he created one big enemy he would be allowed to fight ('defend') against. The French and Spanish call Germany Allemagne/Alemania, which comes from the Alemanni, and the Germans themselves say Deutschland from, I guess, the Teutons.

I don't know if there are other examples, but my question is this:

Did every country/kingdom just randomly choose one of the German tribes and named this whole area after them or is there a deeper reason for the different names?