Did any cultures besides the Hindu Indians develop a similar sexual text to the Kama Sutra?

1 Answers 2015-01-16

What did black American organized crime look like in the first half of the 20th century?

Who were the Crips and Bloods of the 20s? Where were they? What did they do? Were they a major threat? Did they even exist?

1 Answers 2015-01-16

A telemarketer told me today that "World War II ended with a phonecall" - did it really end that way? How did WWII actually end?

1 Answers 2015-01-16

Is it true that Norsemen gave kittens to newlywed brides as part of essential household items?

I just read this on tumblr, which I realize makes it pretty unlikely, but I am curious to know if it's true.

2 Answers 2015-01-16

How were women portrayed in Othello?

1 Answers 2015-01-16

I Really Need Some Answers Here Please! Fashion Help!

Dear Historians,

I am an amateur writer and historian and I have tried to run down the answer to my questions on my own but it was a no go.

One of my characters is going to a ball and I would like to know what highborn women of the time of the early middle ages ('round about the time of Edward the Confessor, perhaps a little earlier or a little later).

Specifically:

  1. How many layers would a woman be wearing if she was a noblewoman?

  2. What might she be wearing, if anything, to support her breasts?

  3. What would the layers be called (ie. Today a woman might wear undergarments [bra/panties], a shirt, trousers, socks, shoes and maybe a coat)?

  4. If she wanted to have a nice vibrant red or a deep blue color what dyes would be needed?

  5. What materials /fabrics would be used?

  6. How might she wear her hair?

  7. Sandels or shoes?

  8. Jewelry?

Please and thank you in advance!

Edit: Thank you for all the replies.

As for the clarifications some have asked for. This story is not period set, more like a costume ball set circa 1994, but the character who will be wearing this outfit is a stickler for historical accuracy (just like myself actually).

As for specifics:

The character is 15 years old, unmarried but with a boyfriend, of English origins, white skinned, brown haired.

Thank for your help!

3 Answers 2015-01-16

History of Prayer in Public Schools

Does anyone have good recommendations for relatively unbiased accounts of the history of prayer in public schools?

I am looking to read up on the subject, but so far I have mostly come across partisan nonsense.

1 Answers 2015-01-16

What is the history (or exceptions) to the forbidding of depictions of the prophet Muhammed?

Due to Charlie Hebdo, and Boko Haram etc. I'm curious. What is the history behind the prohibition to the depictions of Mohammed? Were there exceptions within Islam of this? Any information would be handy.

I've also heard that the spread of Iconoclasm within the Eastern Roman Empire was partly due to support from the Islamic World. What's the truth to this? Is this at all influenced due to this Islamic rule?

2 Answers 2015-01-15

Can you recommend a book on historical perception?

People tend to romanticize the past; some describe it in a much more flattering light than it likely was in reality. How common was it throughout history to always view the past as 'better' than the present? How misguided is this way of thinking?

I've just begun Stephen Pinker's 'Better Angels of Our Nature' and I'm enjoying the fresh perspective on the current state of things. If I keep reading this, will it discuss the things I'm after, or do any of you have another book in mind?

1 Answers 2015-01-15

Would Germany have been better off declaring war against the Soviet Union in 1940 or 1942? Did the invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941 or the splitting of forces necessarily mean defeat?

1 Answers 2015-01-15

Were there any large IRA raids/attacks against British forces in Northern Ireland during World war two?

1 Answers 2015-01-15

Are there any records of anyone attempting to view Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldren through a telescope as they landed the Eagle on the Moon?

1 Answers 2015-01-15

There is a new documentary coming out about new evidence that the exodus happened as recorded in the bible. What evidence could he be referring to?

http://www.patternsofevidence.com/en/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eie7TaCS_Ok

2 Answers 2015-01-15

How did North Korea get into the position it's in?

I'm trying to figure out how a country could get into the shape it's in. I started with the present but the further I go back the less information I can find. An example of one of the questions I'm trying to answer is how could a personality cult like the one we see establish itself? How were people who were alive during the beginnings of the cult not think it was all bullshit?

6 Answers 2015-01-15

Is there any known case of a Roman army neglecting to build a camp after a day's march?

Hi guys - cheating and writing from my history seminar. A visiting prof made the point that every damn night the Romans built a camp. Is that true or is it one of the myths that just gets propagated as an example of Roman discipline?

1 Answers 2015-01-15

How did Nazi death camp survivors recover from malnutrition and starvation?

6 Answers 2015-01-15

Are books like "1421: The Year China Discovered The World" actually historically accurate?

1 Answers 2015-01-15

Do we have any idea what mental diseases like schizophrenia were like for hunter gathers and early humans?

3 Answers 2015-01-15

It's often said that the Pharaoh in the book of Exodus is Ramses II. How accurate is this, and why is Ramses II the go-to for our conception of the historical Pharaoh in the Exodus?

1 Answers 2015-01-15

Are the Finnish Kalevala and the Estonian Kalevipoeg authentic folk tales?

I've recently begun reading Kalevipoeg and The Kalevala, but I've begun reading about them as well. I'm aware that they were written in the 19th century, each by a single man (Lönnrot and Kreutzwald) who based their respective stories on folk tales they collected from their regions. So how is it that they managed to create true "epics" out of scattered stories? It seems more likely to me that they based their epics on tales they collected, then filled in the gaps to form a cohesive narrative. But how much, exactly, did they add, and how much was "authentic?" Were they more Tolkien, or more Homer? Were Lönnrot and Kreutzwald even similar to each other? Did one base their work more on authentic folk tales than the other?

1 Answers 2015-01-15

Why does US I-40 go around Fort Smith(Second largest city in AR), AR by a mere 5 miles, but goes through downtown Russelville, Conway, and Little Rock?

I've always wondered why I have to drive down US64 through Roland, OK, or have to drive through Van Buren, AR, and take I-540 south 5-10 miles.

1 Answers 2015-01-15

Is Hitler's Secret Book (Hitler's Zweites Buch) a good primary source?

So I've been reading Hitler's Secret Book, and I was wondering if one of you guys could tell me whether it is good for learning about what Nazi Germany's foreign policy was, and in turn whether Hitler actually planned for the war.

1 Answers 2015-01-15

Did Winston Churchill approve of Alan Turings punishment ?

I recently found out that churchill thought turing made the biggest contribution to ending World war II which, made me wonder if he knew that Turing was punished for being gay and if he did anything about it.

3 Answers 2015-01-15

Who was the most senior Allied (maybe Axis also) officer killed in combat (or assassination) during WW2?

I'm excluding Patton who died in a car accident and Rommel who was allowed to commit suicide.

Thanks

9 Answers 2015-01-15

How did those in support of the Shogunate in the Boshin War rationalize going to actual war against their own God-Emperor?

Marginalizing a monarch seems like one thing, but outright war against the divine Emperor's wishes seems like another entirely.

1 Answers 2015-01-15

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