Or were you basically on your own? I have often wondered about the days when naval combat was prevalent, and what happened if your ship was destroyed. If you managed to live through the battle and you were clinging to a piece of wreckage, watching the last part of your ship slip below the ocean surface while the enemy ship sailed away, was that it for you? Did your country even bother attempting search and rescues if you were a lone ship during the height of the war? I ask this because I find it to be one of the most terrifying situations. In the middle of the ocean, alone, probably a very young man, and no possibility of rescue. It literally gives me goosebumps thinking of being in their position. Did they die without hope? Thank you so much in advance for your answers.

I was just told that only one in ten people had middle names 100 years ago. Is this true? If it is, why were they used by virtually everyone by 50 years ago?

And if true, why?

I ask this as a fan of the dark arts of bitter chocolate. How much do we know about how chocolate was consumed before the Spaniards introduced sugar. Was there much experimentation? Do we know enough to reconstruct a recipe or two at all?

Were there laws against public drunkenness or underage drinking? Could you go to the corner store and buy a bottle of Old Crow? Was the sale and consumption regulated? Thanks in advance for any answers. I'm sitting here doing shots while browsing this sub, and this question popped into my head.

If at all

I've been reading Master and Commander and the prospect of prize money for capturing a ship is a big deal.

Was there an equivalent in other branches of the military? Could the Infantry or Calvary expect bonuses for anything or was prize money strictly a naval thing?

It seems weird that christianity didn't beat islam to the punch and that judaism never got big at all.

Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, are these mystified versions of people who may actually have existed? Or are they purely fictional ?

For example some people believe that Ragnar Lothbrok (mythical Norse hero / protagonist of show 'Vikings') is a character based on several Norse kings who were all meshed together to create the myth. Is there a similar argument to be made for Achilles or Odysseus? Or do they have no more basis in reality than Gandalf or Aegon the conqueror ?

Where they discriminated against the same way Africans were discriminated against?

Whenever I see Civil Rights films, I never see any Asian presence...but there must have been Asians in America at that time. Especially since this was post world war two.

What ideological reasons did Hitler have for being a vegetarian? Did Hitler want all Germans to become vegetarians?

Where did they come from? Where did they go? Where did they come from, Single Eye Joe?

According to this line on the 'Taboo Food and Drink' Wikipedia article:

'In the book Daily life in China, on the eve of the Mongol invasion, 1250-1276 Jacques Gernet refers to restaurants that specialized in human flesh. From the context, it does not appear that this was a freak event associated with famine.'

I remember reading about this before and it mentioned the same source. Unfortunately, it cannot read the source online. Can't find much more info either on this apparently unique case of publicly acceptable cannibalism that did not take place out of desperation or for ritualistic purposes. Can anyone shed light on this?

Did Hitler hate the followers of Judaism or did he hate those who had Jewish ancestry and are there any people who served in his army who were followers of Judaism?

So, I know that the Bourgeoisie was an important group in the revolution. But what did they specifically do during it? What were their actions as opposed to say that Jacobins or the Sans-Coulettes? It seems like most of the reading I do mixes the actual actions of the groups together. Any sources would be helpful.