More specifically, how extensive is my knowledge of how steel and bronze work. Do I understand that iron has gaps that are filled by carbon in the production of steel? Or is it I just know it works?

I just finished Alison Weir's book "The Life of Elizabeth 1" what else should I read to get a better understanding of this time period? Speically her relationship with King Henry VIII and Bloody Mary?

During a discussion of California's current drought and how the modern water-intensive agriculture is affecting water supplies, I wandered onto the topic of Native American agriculture and realized I had no idea if Native Californians practiced agriculture. I'm mostly interested in native Californians and Oregonians, but any information about tribes west of the Rockies and the sorts of agriculture they practiced would be great. Thanks!

I know both happened to an extent, but I don't know that extent exactly. Recommended sources would also be great as I would like to look further into it on my own after.

I'm particularly curious what sort of admissions process would have taken place at colleges like Yale, Princeton, etc. when the university system wasn't quite so selective and universal. How would Taft have applied to Yale?

I hear a lot that the idea of a nation-state is a primarily European one, stemming from the mid 18th century. However, I've never really understood how it differed from the traditional views of kingdoms or empires. Why would Rome, Medieval England, or Ancient China not be considered nations?

Although arbitrary and simplistic, the idea of defining decades is a prominent convenience for understanding the past in broad terms. But I only know generalizations of the Roaring Twenties and after. Did historians make generalizations about the decades before? If so, were these generalizations as well known to the average person as recent decades are to us? And what were some examples of these generalizations?

Apologies if this has been asked before. I've heard things ranging from the Generals callously throwing away their men's lives, to the idea that they had little alternative in a radically new form of warfare.

Were there any certain imported spices that were more sought after or worth more per pound than other spices?

Hey folks!

It's my first time posting here and I'd just like to say that it thoroughly love your subreddit for its impeccable quality. That being said, I'm trying to educate myself on modern middle eastern history and how current relationships between that region and the West came to be. Yesterday I read an article within Foreign Affairs magazine titled ,"What really happened in Iran?" In which the author makes the attempt to dispel the notion that the US AND Britain had a heavy hand in the reinstatement of the Shah, and his subsequent downfall in the he Islamic Revolution of 1979. The author argues that it was PM Mossaddeq's reluctance to concede in negotiations with the British with regards to their oil acquisitions and his attempt to consolidate his power at the expense of the shah that really created his downfall. He mentions that the shahs brief a leave of absence led to incredible amounts of civil unrest independent to that instigated by the CIA and MI6, displaying the Iranian populace' favor towards the monarchy.

How much veracity is their in his piece? In the article he discredits almost every narrative/text/historian that's come to speak or write on the matter as propagating a myth and that their exists a need for the current relationship to rid itself of this false foundation.

Thanks for the help! Also are there any texts that you would recommend with regards to middle eastern history/politics that would be most enlightening with regards to our relationship with that region today?

Thanks!

"The regulars of the British staff entertained an implicit contempt for the rapidly trained new men of "Kitchener's Army", largely recruited among workingmen from the Midlands. The planners assumed that these troops - burdened for the assault with 66 pounds of equipment - were too simple and animal to cross the space between the opposing trenches in any way except in full daylight and aligned in rows or "waves". It was felt that the troops would become confused by more subtle tactics like rushing from cover to cover, or assault-firing, or following close upon a continuous creeping barrage"

From "The Great War and Modern Memory" by Paul Fussell

The particular quote was about the Somme offensive particularly the first attack by British forces where many thousands died (he then spends the next few pages blaming Haig about his lack of imagination and his part in the slaughter).

EDIT: Spelling

For instance, when English, Yiddish, and Russian were written down, they borrowed pre-existing scripts of their religions-- Latin, Hebrew, and Cyrillic, respectively. Are there any examples of cultures in, oh, the last 500 years, creating their own alphabets instead of borrowing existing ones?

The time frame would be around 60 to 30 B.C.

I'd like to learn about the history of Washington DC. Does anyone have suggested reading? Things I'm curious about:

Where/who did the land come from?

What was there before GW and L'Enfant got to work?

How was the river modified over time?

What were the stages of growth?

Why did Virginia get Arlington and Alexandria?

Why isn't it a state when that seems like direct contradiction of the founding father's principles?

Like I said, happy to do the reading just don't know where to start that isn't wiki. Thanks!

Was it like an honor thing where if you went back on it, you would be exiled or something? I just want some clarity to how people made sure other people held up their end of any deal.

Hello!

After the massive leak of celebrity photos yesterday and its simultaneity with the crises in Ukraine and the Middle East, I got thinking about how ordinary civilian life progressed in the weeks leading up to the outbreak of the First World War. What were the big-breaking news stories in the civilian world and was much attention being paid to the normal course of events in the run up to the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914?

I might turn some of this material into a comment article for my university newspaper so I will be very grateful for links or sources you have to hand!

Thanks!