American media stereotypes homeless and/or poor people by having them drink alcohol in brown paper bags. What is the history of this stereotype? and historically (before 1997) is it a proper presentation of these peoples' drinking habits?

As a reminder, this subreddit has a 20 year rule and a no anecdotes rule. And just for consistency, let's talk about homeless people in the USA between 1945-1997.

Thanks!

1 Answers 2017-06-14

Secretary Mattis said "Alexander the Great would not be in the least bit perplexed by the enemy that we face right now in Iraq". Did Alexander ever face a guerrilla insurgency espousing a radical, suicidal doctrine? If so, how did he handle it?

I'm just wondering what a historian might make of this comment. Ty

1 Answers 2017-06-14

In many Medieval strategy games, the army is segregated by weapon type (spearmen, swordsmen, halberdiers, etc.). Was this always the case in Medieval armies or did some armies have mixed arms?

4 Answers 2017-06-14

How much is a historians pay? I'm a lover of medieval history and I would like to be one.

2 Answers 2017-06-14

Has there even been a peaceful or nonviolent revolution that has successfully replaced a government or have all insurgencies been violent in nature?

2 Answers 2017-06-14

In feudal Japan, how did the Shinto and Buddhist religions coexist when their fundamental beliefs don't seem to line up?

I've tried to look this up but can't really find much about it, but this is a question that has been on my mind in recent times.

Basically, it is clear to me that Shinto and Buddhism coexisted peacefully, with many of their core beliefs lining up. One conflicting belief, though, stands out to me. In Buddhism, the cycle of rebirth is a central belief, and the focus lies on future lives as much as the current one. In Shinto, it is believed that deceased ancestors would pass on into the other world and be able to visit the present world and protect their descendants.

To be this seems like a rather big contrast. One religion focuses on the present life as well as the future life after rebirth, whereas the other one honors their dead for many generations.

How did these two religions manage to coexist peacefully while their core beliefs about the afterlife didn't seem to line up? Or am I missing something about their perspectives on the afterlife that does make them work well together? Or did the Japanese people simply 'pick' one of the two beliefs?

2 Answers 2017-06-14

How was La Grande Armée organized in during Napoleon Bonaparte's "tenure" as Emperor of the French? Are there any techniques or strategies from the Grande Armée currently adopted by modern militaries? If so, two countries or so would be nice.

Mainly found it interesting as to how a man of low aristocratic birth could rise to such a status and bring France, a country with nothing but defeats in their recent times before he took power organize such a force in such a short amount of time.

1 Answers 2017-06-14

When is America's actual birthday?

It's a question that came up in discussion of this year's Fourth of July celebrations. Basically, is America 227 years old because the Constitution was fully ratified in 1790, or is America 241 years old since the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776?

1 Answers 2017-06-14

What happened to the Tlaxcalans?

According to what I learnt at school, Cortés came from Spain, and conquered the Aztecs with minimal help from Tlaxcala. According to what I gather from my reading as an adult, it's mostly the other way around: Tlaxcalans, with some help from Spain, destroyed the Triple Alliance. In any case, then they appear to have simply vanished as an independent state, without any fuzz.

Looking through Wikipedia all I can gather is that they enjoyed higher status than other natives during the colonial era. However, it still doesn't explain how this independent state that had just crushed the main regional power (yes, with outside help, but still) just rolled over immediately and accepted a new foreign overlord.

So what happened to Tlaxcala after the fall of Tenochtitlan? When and how were they integrated into the Spanish empire and why did they go with it?

1 Answers 2017-06-14

Reading material for Pacific war

Am writing a dissertation on was Midway the turning point in the Pacific war. Just have NO books on the topic and can't find any.

Does anyone out there know any good books or documentaries or anything that covers the Pacific war and tries to answer why Japan lost?

Any help would be greatly appreciated ! Thanks.

2 Answers 2017-06-14

In Wonder Woman, Diana is frequently mentioned to be extremely physically attractive. Would she have actually been considered conventionally beautiful by WW1-era European standards?

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1 Answers 2017-06-14

How did the Nazis treat the huge Arab and Black population in France during WW2?

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1 Answers 2017-06-14

Any information that can be given with regards to Soviet attempts to enter the Axis in 1939 and 1940?

I know about the Non-Aggression pact that the Soviet Union and Nazi German signed as well as the spheres of influence they both set up in Eastern Europe, but I am looking for documentation and more information about the Soviet Union's attempt to join the Axis, especially in 1940, as it is to my understanding that Molotov visited Berlin on November 12, 1940 in order to discuss the USSR's official entry.

Other supporting information such as trade deals and research cooperation would also help, as it is to my understanding that the Soviet Union shipped raw materials to Germany which fueled the Wehrmacht, and am looking for more evidence of the such.

Thanks!

1 Answers 2017-06-14

I found this "Transcript of Surreptitiously Taped Conversations among German Nuclear Physicists at Farm Hall (August 6 - 7, 1945)". Is it genuine? If so, then how was it recorded/taped? Can you also elaborate on the context?

Here is the document: Transcript of Surreptitiously Taped Conversations among German Nuclear Physicists at Farm Hall (August 6 - 7, 1945)

1 Answers 2017-06-14

Hieroglyphs Translation help

So I was browsing the Assassin's Creed sub-reddit and found that the wall of Hieroglyphs from the Ubisoft Conference contains a message. I'm currently taking a class on Middle Egyptian so I recognize many of the symbols, but I'm not adept enough to translate them. As far as I know no one over there has translated the symbols. I was wondering if anyone here could help?

1 Answers 2017-06-14

Need Help Identifying the Firearms used in This Video (British Commando's WWII Stuff)

Video

1 Answers 2017-06-14

During the liberation of concentration camps at the end of WW2, many freed prisoners died from eating rich food after an extended period of starvation. How quickly did word of this get around so that the Allies could implement a solution? Was this a common issue?

1 Answers 2017-06-14

So "The Valley of Fear" was an undercover cop/detective mystery novel that came out in 1914/15. Was it the first novel of the undercover officer genre?

While technically a Sherlock Holmes story, the Valley of Fear was actually about (spoiler) an undercover Pinkerton detective infiltrating a gang in a mining town before turning them in(and then being murdered by Moriarty.... spoilers again).

I know there a fair few spies stories throughout history, but pretending to be a criminal to join a criminal organization and then betray them to the law? Was this a literary thing before Doyle?

2 Answers 2017-06-14

Where did the ancient Egyptians mine all their gold?

2 Answers 2017-06-14

Do we know what conversation topics were common amongst people living in 17th-18th century Europe?

Today, it seems like much of the topics that bond us together are relatively modern: television shows, sports, world events, etc. If I were a person sitting down in a pub or meeting someone in a public place, what would we talk about to establish rapport?

As a corollary, is the premise of my question fundamentally flawed? Was rapport not necessary until cities became large and the number of strangers interacting grew exponentially?

1 Answers 2017-06-14

How much of Hawaii's food come from outside of the island? Has the state ever had a food crisis?

1 Answers 2017-06-14

Why were the Ptolemies paying tribute to Rome?

Would Egypt not have been extraordinarily difficult to defeat for the Romans? Even more so than Carthage?

I guess a lot of the downfall could be attributed to the decline of the Pharaonic family, itself. The first couple Ptolemies seemed to be quite good leaders.

Surely, the Egyptians could have fielded a formidable host to prevent invasion. Was it threat of Roman naval power controlling trade routes that the Egyptians feared? Just curious on the deeper intricacies of the whole scenario.

Would the Ptolemies been able to stand up the tests of time against the Romans had they had stronger, more unified leadership, as they had under Ptolemy I-III? Instead of infant kings and various regencies?

1 Answers 2017-06-14

Can a classical studies degree be considered complete if you don't learn either Latin or Greek?

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2 Answers 2017-06-14

In medieval Europe, nobles had tournaments where they could showcase and test their martial prowess. Did similar events exist in Medieval Islamic World?

I am aware that Islamic world is a very large area. I am mainly interested in what is today called the Middle-East but I would also interested in others areas such as Iberia, Persia and Central Asia.

2 Answers 2017-06-14

With dominoes dropping against slavery all throughout the 18th and 19th centuries did Southerners expect slavery to stay in the South forever?

2 Answers 2017-06-14

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