Did Exploration-era sailors notice the "loss" in daily time when sailing from West to East?

I know that ships of that time period probably went too slow to experience "jet lag" as we know it today, but did the ships go fast enough, or was timekeeping accurate enough, to notice the change in how many hours were in the day? If a sailor left Spain on a ship bound for the Orient, when he arrived, would he notice that his recorded time was different than the time kept locally? If so, what did they think was happening?

Related(?) question, same era: did sailors notice the shift in seasons going from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern, i.e. summer in the North is winter in the South, and vice versa? How did they explain it?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

How famous was Jesus during his lifetime?

The popularity of Christianity surged for years after his death if I remember correctly. As another question, what was it that caused people to switch religions seemingly so quickly? Also to what extent were leaders aware of Jesus?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

Why where the seats of government of the viking age kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden not placed on the coast?

From what i remember learning in school, the seats of government of viking age Denmark and Sweden were Jelling and Old Uppsala respectively. Both of these cities lay close to the sea, with Jelling near Vejle fjord and Old Uppsala near Lake Mälaren (which drains into the baltic), but neither lies on the coast. Wouldn't the distance hinder preparations for raiding if the ships had to be kept in a different locale, seeing as the seat of government didn't have a port directly into the ocean? Did they have separate port cities for housing the ships? Did religious aspects, such as important religious locales, also influence the placements of the seats of government?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

Did the Gauls actually go into battle naked and with an erection, like Pliny the Elder alleged?

3 Answers 2017-07-12

Was the introduction to Christianity the reason for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire? (If not, what was the final nail to the coffin?)

I'm reading Edward Gibbon's book on the decline and fall of the Roman Empire and he seems surprised the Roman Empire lasted as long as it did. He also states the introduction to Christianity and its abuse seems to have been the beginning of the end of the Empire.

1 Answers 2017-07-12

How available was Western music in the Soviet Union & Warsaw Pact nations?

In the game 'Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain' the player is able to encounter several Soviet Red Army outposts (game is set during the Soviet invasion of afghanistan in the 80's), with most of those outposts having cassette players, which constantly play iconic western tunes from the time. Is this historically accurate? How available was western music in the USSR and in the other Warsaw pact nations?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

When was the Rupert's Land "trade" between the United States and Canada?

At some point, because of old territorial claims based on basins, drainages, or rivers (or something), parts of modern day northern Minnesota and North Dakota were Canadian, and parts of modern day southern Alberta and Saskatchewan were held by the United States.

At some time, these lands were traded between the two countries, forming the Western border between them along that one line of latitude.

I can't find anything online that says when that happened-- so, when did that happen?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

Was it true that Marie Antoinette was not supposed to be the queen of France?

I've forgotten where I read this, but from what I remembered her mother Therese promised another daughter to be married to Louis and the daughter died. So that was one of the reasons why Marie Antoinette was unprepared to be queen, her education was neglected.

Is this true?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

What did the people of 4th century (BC) athens eat?

My birthday is coming up and I want to eat like Demosthenes did. What would a 4th century athenian have eaten for dinner?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

Has there ever yet been an Islamic-majority country that did not have its laws influenced by the Quran? (Even today)

2 Answers 2017-07-12

How did crime and punishment work in the middle ages? If I had been sentenced for a crime like theft would I be incarcerated as I would be today? Or did they favor other forms of punishment?

As a follow up did any semblance of a judicial system exist to determine if I would be punished? Were trial by ordeals the go-to?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

Would the US have been prepared to use the atomic bomb in Europe if things hadn't gone their way toward the end of WWII?

Or at least do we have any record of this possibility being discussed while the bomb was being developed?

2 Answers 2017-07-12

What happens to family surnames when someone horrible becomes associated with it i.e Hitler?

[deleted]

1 Answers 2017-07-12

Why were swords used against chain mail and other armor?

After watching a lot of movies I believed that you could pierce chain mail with a sword, but recently I learned that it is very difficult and that cuts/slashes were basically pointless against it.

This got me thinking, why were swords so prevalent when chain mail was commonly used? Especially when the opponent has a helmet, it seems pretty ineffective to use a sword, isn't the only possible places to attack basically just their legs and their hands? Why didn't these swordsmen use axes or something? An axe to the chest will be effective regardless if it cuts through the chain mail or not.

What do swords have that axes and other blunt weapons don't that makes them so attractive?

3 Answers 2017-07-12

Was Barcelona named after Hannibal and the Barcid dynasty? Would there be any cultural legacies of that founding in modern Barcelona and Catalonia?

It seems almost obvious given the name and that Hannibal and his brothers operated in the area, but I don't recall any city of that name while reading about the later Roman Republic. And it seems like the Romans would definitely go out of their way to rename a recently founded city if it were named after their greatest enemy.

1 Answers 2017-07-12

Why is the president the only elected official with term limits at the national level?... ( ie: why don't senators and congressmen have term limits?)

1 Answers 2017-07-12

How did supporters of President Nixon react with each new development in the Watergate scandal?

I'm interested in determining any parallels or differences between today's political climate (surrounding Trump's supporters and the Russia investigation) and the political climate surrounding the events leading to the resignation of President Nixon in 1974. Were there Nixon supporters who believed he was "vindicated" at every step of the way, or were the American people more open to the possibility that their favorite President might have committed crimes?

Disclaimer: I ask this not in a partisan manner or to make a point, but rather out of curiosity for how public opinion changed throughout the growing Watergate scandal.

1 Answers 2017-07-12

What was the practical difference between Napoleonic Imperial rule and Ancien Regime? Was it just the same monarchy with a different name?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

How did the Protestant Reformation affect Judaism?

I have heard previously that, it had some theological affects on Judaism, but I know nothing about it.

1 Answers 2017-07-12

Why did France conduct the nuclear test in 1996, and did they achieve what they intended?

France last detonated a nuclear wepon January 27, 1996. I remember lots of intetnational criticism and consumer boycuts because of this. Why did they conduct the test, and did they achieve what they intended?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

When the 15th and 16th century European explorers like Columbus discovered unknown land, what was the general protocol regarding the ship?

Would the lead explorer get off the ship with the crew? What percentage of the crew would initially set foot on land? When they were on an extended stay on land, would there still be people on the ships? Were there any examples of Natives stealing or destroying an explorer's ship?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

What was the Muslim world's view of the Protestant Reformation?

Did any prominent Islamic scholars or figures record any opinions on what was occurring in Europe or did the Islamic world mostly ignore the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

Did Romans use urine to whiten their teeth?

I came across this post in /r/Portugal https://np.reddit.com/r/portugal/comments/6mprzw/hea_os_romanos_importavam_urina_portuguesa_para that claimed that Romans used Portuguese urine to whiten their teeth. Is there any truth to this statement?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

Members of the protestant Clergy were one of the major driving forces for legalizing abortion in the US. Without work from the ministry, there is a good chance abortion would not be legal today. What changed?

http://time.com/4758285/clergy-consultation-abortion/

This was a really eye opening read for me.

I had no idea that members of the clergy were such a driving force behind providing abortions when they were illegal, as well as working to legalize it.

Was this a small but vocal minority? Or was this fairly in line with protestant values of the time?

I can't seem to find a lot of information to indicate that outlawing abortion was ever a religious issue back in the early 20'th century. It just seemed to be the prevailing social attitude of the time.

Is this still largely in keeping with main line protestant values? Are the abortion opponents the loud minority now? Or has the church done a 180? If the church has done a 180, why did that happen?

I realize that speaking about "the church" as one unitary body is flawed, but as I non-religious person I'm trying to understand this history better.

2 Answers 2017-07-12

How did British Parliament become so rowdy and... silly?

1 Answers 2017-07-12

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