This is probably the wrong sub but it genuinely piques my interest.

Maybe in the Victorian Era, were there spotlights? Could the lighting fade in and out?

Not quite sure if this is too recent of a development/breaks the rules, but if anyone has an authoritative resource on this it'd be greatly appreciated!

Hi r/AskHistorians! I've wondered this question for a long time, but I'm having trouble finding an actual answer that isn't purely speculation with no background research.

When Ftizgerald writes about "the green light" in The Great Gatsby, does anyone know what the light would have actually looked like? The book was published in 1925, and I've tried researching things like "dock lights from 1925" but that hasn't given me much information either.

It's one of my favorite books, and I would really love to know a factual answer. If this isn't the most accurate subreddit to ask, I'm sorry!

Keep in mind I'm not only talking about the US, other large countries such as Australia (as far as I know) apply to this as well. But how come some large countries are as good at keeping themselves unified as they are, while others are struggling with it?

I was told yesterday the John Gray is my ancestor. I was told he was a captain had his house burnt down by the Brits. I googled John Gray and he is the last revolutionary veteran to die in 1868. Should I think that all that is about one person? Could there be 2 John Greys that fought in the revolutionary war? What else can you tell me please? Would a Captain know people like Washington or other well knowns of the time?

I am really excited to have him as an ancestor.

Ask Europeans why, say, African countries are so much poorer and less developed than we are, and many of the answers will be along the lines of 'because we robbed them blind during colonialism'. On the face of it this sounds plausible, and yet there are some countries which were also European colonies but are doing just fine. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US (sorta) are all industrialised countries with democratic governments and excellent standards of living. What's up with that?

I've noted some similarities between these countries, but none of them seem to make sense as an explanation to me:

• British Master Race – All the countries mentioned were British colonies. However, if the British were so much better at colonising than everyone else, shouldn't other British colonies like Nigeria and Pakistan be just as wealthy and stable as Canada?
• Get Rid of the Pesky Natives – All four are places where the native population was decimated and marginalised. This in contrast to most colonies in Africa and Asia where the native population remained the majority and homegrown social and political structures continued to play a significant role during and after European colonial rule. However, if genocide really is the answer, then why aren't the former Spanish and Portuguese colonies in Latin America rolling in money, security and good governance?
• Gotta Have Elbow Room – Australia, Canada and the US are all huge countries with plenty of natural resources. However, Australia is notoriously inhospitable to human settlement; New Zealand is comparatively tiny and doing just as well; and on the other side, a place like the Congo has had nothing but misery from its valuable ore deposits.

So, do any of the historians here have an idea how to explain this difference? (I know that the above is based on common layman's "knowledge" of history and geography – which is why I'm asking this question and not answering it – so I apologise if any of my premises are wide off the mark.)

I'm currently taking an attic greek course in college right now and I began to wonder about this and also a followup question; if attic greek speakers recognized the differences between the homeric greek of the iliad and the attic greek that they spoke, would they also be aware of the fact that languages can change over time?

While I've only checked Wikipedia; I've noticed a distinct lack of Stealth Aircraft fielded by the Soviet union. Were they really that confident about their field intelligence, or is their stealth technology still classified?

Other than a joint Anglo-Japanese action to seize the German naval base at Tsingtao and a few other minor campaigns against German colonies in the south Pacific, I've heard almost nothing about Japanese involvement in the Great War, beyond an aborted plan to send an expeditionary force to Europe. Were they involved in any other major actions?

So I have been reading my textbook and I can't get my head around a concept and it's really bugging me. Basically I want to know what's the difference between Marxism-Leninism (dictatorship) and Marxism-Leninism- Stalinism (Totalitarianism) I've tried and research this on google but I can't find any suitable results. In my textbook it clearly says that there were three strains to Marxism-Leninism, that is: The idea of superstructure, Labour Theory of Value and the Dictorship of the proleriat. My textbook then goes and says that Stalin adjusted these guidlines but says almost the same thing?

I'm particularly curious about fiefs such as duchies, counties, baronies and more, as well as the sizes of whatever a viscount or marquess may hold.

What I do know is that duchies are more often than not a bundle of counties, be it two or three, and counties(for earls and counts) are what we know today the size of a province.

So, what are the sizes of fiefs, most commonly?

I have recently realized all I know of the old religions is Thor had a hammer. I would like any book recommendations on the Norse, Celtic, Greek, Roman etc pantheons/religions. A quick google has led me to suspect ALOT of garbage has been published on the topic, so please help me separate the wheat from the chaff as it where.

i mean, i don't even know who came before or after him, but me, someone who has never been in the USA knows most detalis about his personal life and family.

If I was born as a dirt-poor peasant in the medieval ages, what were my chances of getting an education and joining the clergy? Maybe becoming a monk or joining the Church?

I asked this question seven months ago and got exactly zero comments. But it did get 5 upvotes so I know the interest is there :)