Was America named after Amerigo Vespucci?

I need help in a reddit argument. My opponent doesn't believe in Wikipedia or previous related posts on this subreddit.

1 Answers 2015-03-21

The judeo-christian god is often described as seeming to have two personalities. Can this be attributed to a merging of two older gods?

So the narrative here seems to paint El as a loving fertility god from the north and Yahweh as a vengeful warrior god from the south that eventually merged into one. How accurate is my interpretation here?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

from where does the habit of tapping your foot when you're impatient come from?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

How accurate is the idea that "1 in 10" or some similar number of soldiers in a battle were responsible for the disproportionate amounts of killing?

I've heard several times that throughout history, warfare was dependent on a few elite individuals who were willing and capable of killing others, when the majority of other men would not. Is this idea accurate? And does it very greatly throughout cultures and time periods? Thank you

3 Answers 2015-03-21

Did the Japanese ever plan on invading Hawaii during World War II?

If the war had gone really well for them, would they have invaded Hawaii or other U.S. land (besides what they actually did invade)?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

What are the origins & history of Al-Qaeda? Why was it formed?

What are the origins & history of Al-Qaeda? Why was it formed? I've heard controversies from this BBC news article & Wikipedia page about whether the CIA played a part in the creation of Al-Qaeda, specifically that the CIA recruited and "trained" Osama Bin Laden, Is there any truth in this?

What has the Soviet-Afghan War got to do with Al-Qaeda? If anything? Why were the Soviets in Afghanistan? Has all of this caused any animosity between followers of Al-Qaeda & Russia, America, Russian/American intelligence?

Has Soviet/Post-Soviet or American ideology influenced Al-Qaeda & vice versa? Thanks everyone :)

Hopefully the mentioning of the BBC article (published in 2004) doesn't break the 20-year rule, if it does feel free to remove my post.

1 Answers 2015-03-21

How Much Was Nixon Involved in the Bugging of Watergate?

Did Nixon give the order for it, was there a call for impeachment just because people close to him did it, or was it plausible deniability?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

U.S. Expansion and the "Indian Wars"

I'm looking for a comprehensive history of the treatment of Native Americans by Europeans and the U.S. Government and its citizens. (Something equivalent to Richard J. Evans's three part history of the Third Reich.) Any recommendations?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

Why does South Africa have multiple capitols?

According to this map, South Africa has 3 capitols. Why is this?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

The Chinese Government/Empire from pre-Imperial inceptions to Modern day - how it stayed together?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

Benedict Arnold is regarded as the biggest traitor of the American Revolution. I've heard that he was treated poorly by America beforehand though. What's his story?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

The names of European sailing ships from the Age of Discovery are well known in modern popular culture. But what about the exploration ships from other cultures? Are there many primary sources detailing ships e.g. from Zheng He's fleet, or ships commanded by a Magellean-esque figure from Arabia?

Earlier, I was thinking about the various sailing ships that are famous for their achievements in exploration. Cook's HMS Endevour, Resolution, and Adventure; Columbus' Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria, Magellan's Victoria and Trinidad.. but these are all European ships. It makes sense: I'm European and so my history lessons were naturally biased towards European ships.. but surely there are just as famous, just as accomplished, vessels from other cultures. I know that the Islamic Golden Age had it's own little Age of Discovery; with voyages to China and India.. but what about the ships they used?

So, is there any reference to these unknown non-European ships out there? What were they?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

What happened to Italian POWs after Italy switched sides in WW2?

Were they recruited or released? Were they kept in POW camps until the war ended?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

How 'unique' is Greek philosophy and learning (geometry, mathematics, science, medicine, etc.)? What evidence exists of borrowing from other cultures? Asked another way, how much of the Greek (Western) "portfolio" is novel?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

What were some "middle fingers" that existed in the past?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

Did people in the older days view the changing of a King as a change of era sort like we today view it when changing political leadership from one party to another?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

In one my my professor's lectures, he mentioned that Japan tried to surrender before Hiroshima, and the US rejected the proposal. After Nagasaki, they accepted a nearly identical proposal to the one they rejected. Is this true?

This was years ago and I just assumed it was a little-known fact among historians. The other day I was trying to find more information about the treaty that was rejected, and I wasn't able to find out if the version of events he told was true or not.

I think that this article may have summed the story up:

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2008/08/hiroshima_hoax_japans_wllingne.html

Basically saying the idea that Japan may have tried to surrender before Hiroshima was an appealing story after WW2 that became popular during the Vietnam War, but that the story was inaccurate. However, I'm not familiar with the site or that author, so I'm not sure if he's using choice quotes out of context and misrepresenting the debate.

Is there any truth to the claim that Japan tried to surrender before Hiroshima or Nagasaki?

6 Answers 2015-03-21

Often times in movies taking place in ancient history, war leaders (Leonidas, Alexander the Great, etc) have scenes where they dominate the battle field, defeating dozens of men single handily. Are there any actual instances of a leader being so supreme in battle?

Movies often have a scene where an army leader will take on dozens of men and beat them all in exciting fashion. Are there any historical instances of a man who was so much better than the competition that they dominated in such fashion?

3 Answers 2015-03-21

Who is the Ecuadorean figure that is being compared to Hathor on Facebook?

I found this pic on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tehnewrenaissance/posts/492394990800844

Who's the figure on the right?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

During WW2, how did Washington DC regard their Japanese-gifted cherry blossoms trees?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

Are "assassins for hire" real, or were they ever?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

How historically accurate are movies such as Fury, Saving Private Ryan, etc.?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

How did the Soviet Union 'vet' and approve the Communist Parties that took power in the post-WWII Eastern Bloc?

2 Answers 2015-03-21

During the Seven Years' War, Great Britain comprehensively defeated France. Pitt the Elder wanted to continue fighting for one more year - what more did he hope to achieve?

During the Seven Years War, the British defeated the navies of both France and then Spain at sea and grabbed a whole lot of colonies in the process. When George III came to power, the new administration made efforts to end the war, sidelining Pitt in the process and causing his resignation. Pitt wanted another war, hoping to make more conquests. He also blasted the Treaty of Paris in the peace negotiations, claiming the British should have pushed for more territory.

What parts of the world did Pitt want to make part of the British Empire that weren't achieved in the Peace of Paris? Why did he want to continue fighting?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

How big were "Little Boy" and "Fatboy"?

I was wondering how big were the atomic bomb impacts on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, how many casualties were there on the first day and later on. I had a discussion in class, and I am really interested, did the Tokyo bombing take more casualties and did more pressure than atomic bombs?

1 Answers 2015-03-21

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