I read in the Wiki that lions used to live in Europe, but that doesn't strike me as a specific answer. Bears, boars, and lots of other large scary animals lived in Europe too. Why did lions come to be such a common symbol and not these other animals?
What about the rest of the world? Why are lions so popular?
1 Answers 2014-10-04
As far as I am aware many landmarks throughout London were not destroyed e.g Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, St Pauls etc..
2 Answers 2014-10-04
I am looking to study history for my undergraduate degree but i'm not sure what is the best way to go about doing it. I am 20 and about to return to college with a renewed passion for learning, and my subject of choice is history.
My question: What would you recommend a person knowing before diving in to history as a major, and what are your personal experiences with studying history at the university level?
Many thanks! (please let me know if the question is unclear, I have a lot that I want to ask but I didn't want to make a long and rambling post..
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How much authority did Westminster have over the government of Hong Kong?
Also, I am aware that non-British Hong Kong residents were not given the right to elect their governor, but were they given any other political power?
2 Answers 2014-10-04
I speaking generally about the representation of countries/factions/city-states. Why have banners become sort of depreciated in favor of flags?
1 Answers 2014-10-04
It was suggested that I post my questions here. This was the original post: http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2i5sqb/eli5_if_slaves_in_america_were_so_expensive_why/
Although I appreciated all the comments, it did not really answer my questions regarding the economics surrounding slavery in America. Needless to say, we can all agree that slavery was terrible. There is no need to reiterate this fact. I think it is interesting to study the economic factors involved.
A few sources have suggested that a slave may have cost around $1200 around 1860. In today's terms, this would have been around $30,000. Put in perspective, a slave may have cost as much as a good car. Being relatively expensive, it seems that this industry spawned a related financial industry dedicated to loans (mortgages) on slaves. Much like a house, an individual slave was used as security (or collateral) on these loans. All this makes logical sense, but I still have a few gaps in understanding:
Were the slave owners really so wealthy that they could kill something worth the cost of a modern car for no good reason? Even most modern wealthy people don't go around destroying $30,000 cars for fun.
Using slaves as security to back loans seems like very unwise collateral. A simple farming accident could render the security completely worthless. Present banks loan money on real security such as land and buildings which are obviously far more secure than a human life. Why would a bank in the 1800s even consider such a risky form of security?
In the event of a default, were the foreclosures or repos on slaves? Would the bank come and take the slaves if payments were not made on the mortgages?
After the abolition of slavery, I assume that the value of the security dropped to zero. Were there massive defaults? Did it bankrupt many once rich and powerful families and companies? Or, did the banks and financial institution simply write off the losses now that their collateral was worthless?
3 Answers 2014-10-04
I recently learned about Anacharsis, an ancient philosopher from Scythia. This got me thinking, how many other philosophers come from the barbarian world?
To clarify, by barbarian I'm talking about anyone who wasn't Greek or Roman. I'd prefer if the discussion is centered around classical Europe.
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In, for example, 15th Century England, did butcher shops in London have a sign that read "Butcher Shop" or would it have been pointless considering how few people could read?
2 Answers 2014-10-04
Alot of the history I've read about the slavery debate indicates that in there was a belief at the time that if slavery in the US could not expand, it was doomed. Therefore, opposition to the expansion of slavery amounted, in a roundabout way, to abolitionism. Why did people believe that slavery required expansion? And, (hopefully this isn't too much of a counterfactual) to what extent were they right?
1 Answers 2014-10-04
Aside from royal families, whose lineages are part of recorded history.
For example are there any active families today that can trace their roots back 500 years? 1000 years? Using actual records and documents of course.
2 Answers 2014-10-04
In Ken Follet's fictional book Pillars Of The Earth, a monk who visits the king of England during a civil war in the 11th century is forced to change clothing with the king so that the king may survey the enemy fortifications without risk of attack. While this story obviously never happened, are there any known examples of noblemen in times of war who purposefully disguised themselves so as to avoid being targeted by their enemy?
2 Answers 2014-10-03
I have so many questions about the topic, but to narrow it down: Was there any resistance to Spanish rule? And if so how long did it last? How long did it take for the natives to adopt Spanish language and culture? How long did it take the Spanish to fully control the large regions of Mexico and the Andes?
1 Answers 2014-10-03
From what I can tell, in both the Winter war and Continuation war the Red Army took massive casualties despite outnumbering Finnish Forces many time over. Why? Did the Finnish have better equipment or training? Did the Soviets underestimate them? Any information is appreciated.
3 Answers 2014-10-03
Something really accessible to the lay person, like the "Shattered Sword" of the Battle of Kursk, for example. Assuming such a book exists.
It could be about tank warfare generally or a significant tank battle (eg Kursk) or battles.
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And other similar theories such as early African/Asian contact?
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So a full 18 takes maybe 4 hours to play today, with modern balls and clubs plus often a cart (and dependent on general skill and number of allowed Mulligans), but how long did it take with the older equipment (which can't hit as far) and strictly walking? How early in the morning would Bertie Wooster and his layabout friends need to start the round to make lunch at the Drones?
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Was Germany seemingly facing defeat or were they realistically about to take Paris, and if so would they have likely have been able to force a more favorable peace?
Where were they in terms of manpower/military equipment at that point as compared to the Brits and French? What was the general direction of the front lines moving in the few months prior to American involvement?
I hope this isn't too much of a historical what if as of course anything could happen, but there was a big debate on a TIL about it and I'm curious how the community here sees it.
Is there a better way to look at this question?
2 Answers 2014-10-03
I need to find headlines for pivotal times in the history of Ukraine such as:
The forming of the USSR Invasion of Germany The collapse of the USSR
Thanks!
1 Answers 2014-10-03
I just finished reading Archer, Jules (1973, The Plot to Seize the White House and in it he argued the J.P. Morgan amongst others were involved and it was hushed up through the powers of the elite national press. How much Fascist sympathy were there in the US 1932-3 as answer to the depression?
2 Answers 2014-10-03