What is the first record we have that says "Hey, those apes sure look like us"? For that matter, what did explorers of various cultures first think when encountering chimps/gorillas/orangoutangs?

I have been looking at many photos of German soldiers in WW2, however I am unable to identify which units they belong to. I have noticed that they don’t seem to have many patches or identifying logos clearly visible. How can I identifying which unit a soldier is from?

While the term "Night of the Long Knives" is now usually used to refer to a few days in 1934 Nazi Germany it can also be used to describe an event in Australia in 2010 and was used to describe the "meeting" Hengest and Horsa had with British natives during the Germanic invasion(s) of England. This got me to wondering, how many other "Nights of the Long Knives" are there and which was the first? Is the story of Hengest and Horsa the first reference we have or are there other, earlier references - from Ancient Greece or Rome perhaps?

During the time of discovering the Americas the Atztecs, Maya and Inca (well mostly their predecessors) lived in big cities, built pyramids, had organized political systems and generally seemed to have been much more advanced compared to the "Indians" in the north.

If the reason is geographically why is it the other way around than Europe and Africa (if you can even compare that)?

Edit: *Were

I can think of an abundant amount of music from the American civil war, like When Johnny Comes Marching Home, or The Battle Cry of Freedom and many others, but when I think of music from the revolution, all that comes to mind is Yankee Doodle Dandy and The Star Spangled Banner. Is there a treasure trove of music I've never heard before, or were there just not many contemporaneous songs written about the revolution?

A thought just occurred while reading this joke yet again the other night. The logistics and cost of gas and natural resources (e.g. coal for the transportation of jews to the concentration camps) MUST have been paramount. I was just wondering, how did this cost manifest itself to the ones in power at the time? Was it personally Hitler's debt and responsibility? Any clarification would be very much appreciated.

Knights in Medieval Europe were famed for fighting on horseback, but something that has been mentioned in a few places is that knights in England, specifically from the Norman era onwards, often fought on foot whereas knights in other countries mostly fought on horseback. Can someone tell me why this is the case? I understand they also fought on horseback and continental knights fought on foot when necessary, its just that English knights seemed to be particularly fond of it.

I've read that soldiers of China, throughout all timeframes, never really adopted the use of mail for armor despite being repeatedly exposed to it. Why is it that the Chinese never adopted it, while most of the rest of the old world adopted it?

I'm asking for creative writing purposes. Like, were some models designed for long rides?

Do we live in the time that we can record everything we see with video and TV so 'our' history becomes quite 'obvious'? What makes today's history so different from other periods? Do you feel it will ever come to a halt?

From a military perspective and from a social perspective, why was attrition allowed? Were people back home simply not aware of the high casualty rates until after the war? Did military commanders believe this was the only way to victory? Or, did they genuinely not care about their men?

The MFA in Boston is having a special on Goya and I researched him a little bit. His later work about the French occupation and the peninsular war is very moving, but it got me thinking about Spain’s violent colonial past not long before Goya’s period. Did he ever discuss this or paint about it?

I checked the sidebar and FAQ's but didn't find what I was looking for. Primary/diplomatic documentation on the subject would be amazing but I know that's asking a lot, so if anyone could just provide a historiographical summary with sources that would be so, so helpful.

Thanks!

Hello Historians and History Addicts,

I have just a few questions regarding the legal tender of the 1920s, which I know was a time of hyperinflation and the tossing around of money like it was nothing. Once again, I am asking for United States currency. But my question more has to do with the money itself.

1st: What would be considered a large sum of money in that time? Like to have in a bank account?

2nd: Can anyone direct me to a site that has pictures of both the front and the back of legal tender notes? I tried searching on Google, but I had a tough time finding what I was looking for.

3rd: Any sort of interesting information you may have on 1920s money that you're just itching to tell me, I'm all ears.

Thank you so much for reading this post and I wish you all well.

Sincerely, Jacob S. Tucker

Hey guys, couldn't find a list(or anything related, really) of movies about Japan's feudal era(Sengoku-Jidai and the like). I love the period, though most of my knowledge was gained in Total War Shogun 2 and Wikipedia research. :p

What do you recommend?

Did colleges have test score requirements? Did people with lots of money just pay tuition and begin their course of study? I am very curious about this since some of our institutions have been here for 200 plus years.

I have a feeling I'll read the answers here and go "ah, but of course!", but my mind is in winter mode...