Why did Republican Romans dress so lightly, while medieval Italians wore seemingly a lot of clothes, while living in the same climate?

2 Answers 2017-11-24

In the 1864 Presidential Election, Lincoln won nearly every state, except Kentucky, where he lost to McClellan by 40 points. Lincoln won nearly 80% of votes in the Army, except in Kentucky, where McClellan won 70% of the Army vote. Why did Lincoln do so poorly in Kentucky?

Lincoln also lost New Jersey and Delaware, but in a very close race in both states. Why was Kentucky such an outlier?

I assume this has something to do with the debate about continuation of the war, and that Kentuckians, who had seen fierce fighting by 1864, were unwilling to continue the war under a Republican administration and were keen to McClellan's approach of possible dialogue with the South. However, West Virginia went overwhelmingly pro-Lincoln, and had seen its own large share of fighting as well. That makes it seem like an incomplete explanation.

2 Answers 2017-11-24

Where did English rulers live between the White Tower and the Buckingham Palace?

And why did they move out of the Tower, anyway?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

The fastest car in 1938 had a land speed record of 432km/h. How did they record its speed?

You can see it very briefly at around 3 min in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL_mJeb6O04 (I can't name the brand, even though logo is clearly visible; I'm not a car guy)

1 Answers 2017-11-24

Why is Buddhism not a big religion in the country it was founded in?

[deleted]

1 Answers 2017-11-24

Question about a dish acquired in Sudan sometime in the 80's

My girlfriend's grandma had this in her house, and when I noticed it she said she'd no idea what it said, what it was intended for, or anything like that. Apparently it was a gift from her sister after a visit to Sudan, although as to its origins I'm not sure how positive we can be. Can anyone shed some light on this?

https://imgur.com/a/i71VN

Edit: Dish was acquired in the 60’s

1 Answers 2017-11-24

Why did the Ottoman Empire, already knowing the value of oil, never take control of the vast desert of Arabia?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

The direct distance between Siberia and Alaska is just about 60 miles. Why did the Russians or other Asian peoples not discover North America this way before Christopher Columbus in 1492?

Hey there, AskHistorians. I know that there supposedly have been earlier "discoveries" of North America by some Viking and Chinese seafearers before the time of Christopher Columbus, even if they did not result in permanent seettlements like we know them from the European settlers after 1492. But looking at a map I always wondered why the sea route from the west has not been discovered before the route over the Atlantic, since the distance between Siberia and Alaska is just 85km or 53 miles. What are the historical reasons for North America not beeing discovered by Russian or Asian settlers from the west before 1492?

Edit: My question is not about the genetic origin of Native Americans. My question regards permanent colonial settlements that were in contact with their country of origin. Just like the American colononies after 1492 were in contact with Portugal, Spain or England. Why were the Americas not discovered by the Western sea route by Asian powers that stayed in contact with their homelands? This route to America seems to be much shorter and the shorter distance to Siberia in perticular makes it seem strange to me that Russia in particular did not North America before the European powers.

1 Answers 2017-11-24

Looking at the how many UK-born members AC/DC had, I wonder, was Australia still treated as a de facto British settler colony well into the 20th c.?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

What is the difference between a Revolution and a Coup D'Etat?

I'm not talking about revolutions like the Industrial Revolution, or the Russia Revolution, I'm talking about smaller revolutions, like the Cuban Revolution, the Islamic Revolution (In Iran) or the Revolution of the Park. What is the difference between those kinds of revolutions and the Kapp Putsch, or the 1930 coup in Argentina?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

Why aren't savoury pies a thing in America.

I feel like pies are an English thing that America got from us. It seems crazy to me though that they took on desert pies (and probably in truth eat more sweet pies than we do, there's not many things more American than apple pie) but why not savoury pies? I'm sure you can get a good steak pie in America but they're no where near as prevalent. If I had to guess maybe it's something to do with the way America butchers animals (I know in England we used to butcher more based on getting the most out of the animal whereas America is more about time efficiency).

2 Answers 2017-11-24

Friday Free-for-All | November 24, 2017

Previously

Today:

You know the drill: this is the thread for all your history-related outpourings that are not necessarily questions. Minor questions that you feel don't need or merit their own threads are welcome too. Discovered a great new book, documentary, article or blog? Has your Ph.D. application been successful? Have you made an archaeological discovery in your back yard? Did you find an anecdote about the Doge of Venice telling a joke to Michel Foucault? Tell us all about it.

As usual, moderation in this thread will be relatively non-existent -- jokes, anecdotes and light-hearted banter are welcome.

9 Answers 2017-11-24

Was the phenomenon of " Can you believe 2007 was 10 years ago" going through history? or is it simply because we started a new millennia and people override small numbers?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

Why did the Soviet t-34 tank have side and rear armour as thick as the front armour?

Obviously there was a limit to the amount of armour that could be on the tank, due to weight and cost considerations amongst other things. Unlike many other tanks of the era, the t-34's front hull armour was not thicker than the sides or rear of the tank. Why did the designers not move some of this armour to the front of the tank where it was presumably most likely to be hit in combat? Why did they consider a uniform armour thickness to be optimal?

Edit: I am asking about why the Soviet engineers who designed the t-34 decided to have a uniform thickness to the hull, rather than placing more armour frontally and less to the side and rear. I am not asking about the concept of sloped armour, which is redundant given the t-34's armour was sloped at the front, side, and rear of the hull.

1 Answers 2017-11-24

East Berlin and East Germany had the Stazi secret police. Did West Germany, particularly West Berlin have a similar organization to protect against spies or terrorists?

Bonus question: how did West Berlin work if it was divided into three zones, each run by the three major Allied powers?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

when did we start putting clocks on churches?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

Being sewn into clothes for winter

I have heard that in medieval times people would sew themselves into their clothes to retain heat. Is there any truth to this and if so where was this commonly done?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

For those, (if any) versed in mediaeval eastern history, what was the historical significance of the Tibetan Empire, and how did it impact the world?

Apparently, there was a period of time (Wikipedia says 618-842 CE) in which the Tibetan Plateau and a significant portion of land outside it was united under a single empire. After a civil war, the plateau was never again unified. What kind of mark or significance did the Tibetan Empire have on human history? Would anything have changed should it persisted past its end in some form or other?

2 Answers 2017-11-24

Why didn't the Qing Dynasty universally ban footbinding?

It would make sense at first glance since it would differentiate Han women from Manchu ones, but the Qing dynasty had made Manchu fashion compulsory for all Chinese men with the hair queue and Manchu robes for officials so why did they allow the practice to continue?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

How did English end up without any special letters whereas German, French and other languages did?

4 Answers 2017-11-24

When did we start using different words for the meat we eat?

When and why did cow become beef? Lamb and mutton instead of sheep? Pork and ham for pig and why did chicken stay as chicken?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

How were borders of ancient states marked and how exact was their recognition?

I was looking at a map of the Roman Empire and what struck me was the fact that the borders seem so precisely defined. But remember, there were no accurate maps, no GPS, no satellites to provide people in those times with detailed images of the Earth. How accurately marked were borders ? How were they marked in desert, jungle or other sparsely inhabited areas? What happened when two neighboring states had "overlapping" borders, due to their inexact definition?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

How did the extensive use of Pervitin (methamphetamine) during Nazi Germany effect the German people after WWII?

I know a lot of it was sent to the front lines in order to increase the alertness/energy-level/ability of the soldiers, but what happened once those soldiers came home? Somewhat-related, I know that the methamphetamine that was synthesized in the 1990s in the US after the government started to crack down on the precursors to methamphetamine was called "Nazi-style." Was there a particular way that the drug was manufactured there? Or is this term just used because methamphetamine was fairly ubiquitous during the Third Reich?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

How was civic order maintained in ancient Rome without a police force?

2 Answers 2017-11-24

When did revolution (to turn) become a term for a regime change and why?

1 Answers 2017-11-24

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