I'm quite confused by it. We don't really learn about WW1 in my history course, but we go into a lot of detail about Germany from 1919 to 1945.

...and why did America adopt this (as opposed to a more self-explanatory form of currency)

Seemingly one of the most important figures of European monarchies, Henry VIII, alongside the Tudor lineage as a whole, is brought up very often even by the biggest of laypeople.

I am curious, however, how much of this is attributable to Anglocentrism of history. Was Henry VIII, and I suppose the Tudors as a whole, really that important as to overshadow the other European monarchs of his era? I know that to call England a backwater of Europe, as I've heard some people say, is wholly incorrect. But at the same time was England really that important to the world stage as to elevate its monarch far beyond any others in Europe?

Where did the idea of Henry VIII being so important come from, if he wasn't? Or if he was, why?

Hello everyone. There is a principle in Islam called Ushr. It is similar to the Islamic principle of Zakaat (mandatory charity) however it is applied to crops, grains, and fruits where the farmer has to give 10% of his yield in charity. If a farmer grows 10 apples, he gives one apple to the poor. This is applied on Muslims only, contrary to what Wikipedia says. The thing which confuses the issue is that the name Ushr was also used for an import tax which the Muslim counties later imposed however this is not the Ushr I am talking about.

Anyways, there is a difference of opinion amongst the different schools of thoughts in Islam regarding what Ushr applied on and who needs to pay it.

PARTY A says that Ushr only applies to storeable crops like dates, grains, rice (crops which go bad quickly like tomatoes, apples, cucumbers aren't taxed) and the farmer only needs to pay if his yields exceed ~650kg that year.

PARTY B says it applies to all goods (storeable and non-storeable) and there is no minimum yield before you need to pay.

There are a few hadith in this matter and both parties have their proof, HOWEVER, the question is what was practiced upon during the centuries of Islamic rule? Is there any mention in Muslim or non-Muslim books regarding this issue? Its an issue which should be well known and well documented but we can't seem to find any information on it. Can you guys help? Thanks

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Alexander the Great travelled to the Prophet of Siwa and was told he was “…the son of a God…”; every reference I’ve found uniformly names that god as Zeus – King of the Gods. HOWEVER, I seem to recall that Michael Wood’s doco (don’t quote me, it’s been a while, ok?) named that god as Apollo. Considering the “bright” nature of Apollo AND the “volatile” personality of Alexander, Apollo seems a better ‘fit’ (Zeus always seems too remote). This being the case, the traditional Macedonian ‘sunburst’ symbol makes far more sense (historically) when perceived as a stylized Apollo/ sun symbol. Have I completely got the wrong end of the stick here?

Today when we go see a film we often look for the A list celebrities who play the main roles. Was this true for Shakespeare's plays? Did the Elizabethan Shakespeare fans go see one of his plays at the Globe theater because they want to see actor/actress "____" perform? Was there any famous actors in that era at all?

Were there any major wars being fought when the plague broke out, and if so how were they affected? Were any wars started during the course of the plague? Did trading continues? Were any borders closed or did any countries impose quarantines?

Who were the first inhabitants? What consideration went into founding it? Where they built on existing towns and cities or just made?

I was wondering if there are any Japanese generals who were genius' much like Rommel, Patton or Gunderian were? We never hear much about them, at least in basic academic circles. And, if there are or aren't, are there any good books that go into detail on the Chinese front and the Pacific?

As a non-Christian living in the US, I really struggle to understand a system of segregation based solely upon the church you attend. What prevented a Catholic (for example) from just lying and say they were Protestant?

I love Edward Ellsberg's 1929 book "On The Bottom: The Raising of the Submarine S-51" about the 1925/6 salvage operations that eventually raised the sunken US submarine.

During the salvage effort, the blacksmith(s) on board the repair ship USS Vestal, along with other machinists and smiths, was instrumental in creating tools on demand to fit the often odd needs of the salvage team.

By the 1920s, were blacksmiths only found on specialized ships like the Vestal, or would a cruiser or battleship also have counted a blacksmith among their on-board fabrication and repair team? And did the US Navy train sailors to be blacksmiths, or did blacksmiths join the Navy, and find themselves placed where their skills were most useful?

I would be interested in hearing likewise about other "smiths" such as the copper and tin smiths, who I know were used in the construction and maintenance of hardhat diving gear among other tasks. When do these specialties get phased out or swallowed up by "machinist?"

As far as I'm aware, it's a lot smaller than most other religions that are considered "major" religions, right?

Is it particularly historically significant? Did it have a major impact on world politics, country formation, etc?

I'm curious about how much ancient people knew about their own deep past. I know that they wouldn't have thought of it as "the Stone Age", but how did they think of it? Was there a sense of people living in a different way than they had in the past that was more grounded than the golden age-silver age-bronze age story or the Garden of Eden story, or was a sort of narrative about the deep past embedded in those myths somehow? Are there any accounts of the changes in tools and social structures as time went on?

I could have sworn that once I read a piece of work written by an Epicurean that spoke briefly about humans wearing raw skins and being hunted by animals before discovering fire and beginning to hunt the animals that had eaten them, and then learning how to work with wood and bronze and iron. I've been trying to find it but haven't had any luck. If anyone recognizes that or has any similar passages I'd be really grateful to hear about them.

Hi AskHistorians! I study bones, and this is my first time working on an archaeological group rather than forensic cases. This does not relate to my study, but I’m extremely curious. Why am I seeing people buried inside a monastery rather than the adjoining cemetery?

I’m currently working on a group of skeletons who come from a monastery in Southern France, dated to about 1390 CE from coins. All of these individuals were buried inside the monastery, right along the walls of the church.

Almost all of the graves have multiple people inside, and have evidence of being opened up and having new individuals added. I assumed that since this church functioned as a monastery, it would all be men inside the graves. However, half of the graves are women and or children! The graves are not fancy, they're rock cut and they don't have a marker of any sort (although this could have been lost over time).

Now, there is a cemetery beside the church, and putting graves there seems way more logical than cutting them into the rock of the monastery. Why were these individuals buried inside the church? Why would women and children be in a monastic church?