What did native pacific islanders believe lay beyond the sea, if anything?

Of course, many islands means many answers. What are some of the more interesting?

1 Answers 2014-07-20

Have there ever been two countries or cultures that had the same name by coincidence?

3 Answers 2014-07-20

Where did the British go after they surrendered?

Were the British held in camps or were they sent back to England? Or were they executed? Edit : us revolution

4 Answers 2014-07-20

What are some cool pre-battle rituals from any era that you would like to share?

1 Answers 2014-07-20

What German military group would be responsible for gathering information on and eliminating rural, mobile resistance groups such as the Comet Line?

Also, bonus question--what books would you recommend reading that discuss the Comet Line?

1 Answers 2014-07-20

I've seen it argued that medieval peasants actually lived a more leisurely life than is popularly thought - truth to this?

See here - http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/rauch/worktime/hours_workweek.html

Popular opinion seems to be that pre-industrial peasants worked grueling hours/days and lived short, miserable lives. I've searched around this sub a bit and surprisingly haven't seen much on this topic.

3 Answers 2014-07-20

Why was there such a prevalence of graffiti in major American cities in the 1980s, and when/why did become so much rarer?

I was pretty young in the 80s, but I remember (and have seen films from) that time, and there was graffiti, often very large and garish, almost everywhere. I recall seeing subway trains in New York and Chicago utterly covered with it. While it's still seen, it seems to be much less obvious these days. What gave rise to it in the 1980s, and where has it gone?

1 Answers 2014-07-20

Why was America named after Amerigo Vespucci?

I was taught in school that Vespucci is the namesake of the Americas, but what was his significance in leading to his name being chosen for the New World?

4 Answers 2014-07-20

Meta: History as science or “No current events” policy.

The question: Why historians stay away from historical analysis/interpretation of current events or policy making think tanks?

The rationale: We all know expression: “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Many historians quote this to stress the importance of their field of work. Indeed, even amateur history lovers (such as me) can notice parallels between, say, French revolution and Russian revolution (see Reign of Terror).

And yet, when I asked a professional historian the question above, he said it would be inappropriate for historian to participate in such activities. The /r/AskHistorians subreddit rule states: "No current events; To discourage off-topic discussions of current events, questions, answers and all other comments must be confined to events that happened 20 years ago or more (1994 or older). "

As scientist (biology) I am puzzled, why would professionals who can offer deep and unique perspective in analysis of current events and probably most suited to predict outcome of the new policies stay away from such activities?

12 Answers 2014-07-20

40 years ago to Turkey invaded Cyprus, were there British troops on the island at the time? If so what did they do?

2 Answers 2014-07-20

Rivers often form the natural border between countries/states. Have the courses of rivers ever been purposely altered with the sole purpose of gaining land from a bordering region?

1 Answers 2014-07-20

Before modern surgery, how did humans fix their broken bones?

The only thing I know, vaguely, about this question is that when people where shot in the American Civil War, they had their limbs amputated. I know breaking our bones is a normal occurrence ever since humans were on this Earth. I'm just curious how humans fix their broken bones throughout history. I want to know the surgical procedures or techniques that people had done back in those days.

2 Answers 2014-07-20

Request: Napoleonic Wars documentary Recommendation.

I'm looking for a a documentary or a documentary series that covers the origin, progession and outcomes of the Napoleonic Wars.

Any ideas are welcome.

1 Answers 2014-07-20

Can you explain why such a wide variety of weapons (swords, axes, maces, etc) were used during Medieval times in Europe? Was there true parity in combat that created a paper-rock-scissors ecosystem for weapons?

I've always been interested in why there was such a huge variety, and what distinct advantages lied with each sort of weapon. I.E. in what instances was an axe favored over a sword? A morning star over a sword? A sword over a mace? I know much of it had to do with mounted vs. unmounted combat. Also, you see in movies these huge swords like Scottish Claymores, and bastard swords, were these REALLY viable? They seemed 1) impossible to carry and draw, 2) totally impractical in combat due to the strength needed to swing them, and how slow they would be moved.

6 Answers 2014-07-20

How did the racial beliefs of the Nazis compare to 19th Century European Imperialists?

Specifically, their views on non-whites, namely Africans and Asians. How did each see themselves, in relation to other races?

1 Answers 2014-07-20

How did the Islam spread to Indonesia and Malaysia ?

and what religions were there dominant before ?

2 Answers 2014-07-20

What major inventions were created between 1912 and now?

2 Answers 2014-07-20

What was the last empire that fell and broke into today's countries?

2 Answers 2014-07-20

Did planes carrying diplomatic leaders get special privileges to not be shot down during WWII?

In particular, when Churchill flew to Moscow in August 1942, did his plane fly over German occupied Russia, or did it just take the long route through the Arctic?

2 Answers 2014-07-20

How reliable are the sources from the Romans about the Belgae?

The most written sources we have about the Belgae (or other tribes for that matter) are written by the Romans. How reliable are they? We know that de bello gallico is for a big part propaganda. Are there any other more reliable sources? Are there any other written sources that are not from the Romans?

1 Answers 2014-07-20

How accurate is Caligula: 1400 Days of Terror and/or how much of the Caligula legend is bs?

Here's a link to the documentary in question. We're watching it on the teevee right now and some of the stories sound pretty dubious. Also, they referred to a vomitorium as involving actual vomiting, so I have doubts, but it's a part of history I don't really know much about.

2 Answers 2014-07-20

What happened to the guillotine in the Place de la Revolution?

After the French Revolution and Reign of Terror, what became of the guillotine in the Place de la Revolution that executed Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, and Robespierre? Was it dismantled, transferred, lost, or something else?

4 Answers 2014-07-20

How old is the notion of Palestinian Identity? Are most of the Palestinians relatively recent immigrants that region?

I have heard many of my friends during discussions about the current conflict in Israel/Palestine about the legitimacy of claims to the land, and several of them said that the majority of Palestinians were simply arabs who immigrated to to the region of Palestine in the mid-19th century. I have had other friends who went to Palestine talk with Palestinians who claim that their family had been had lived in the same village for 8 centuries. What do the Historical records tell us about demographics in the region and how well do these separate but related claims meet historical fact?

3 Answers 2014-07-20

What treatments did countries try to use before they learned to prevent Scurvy?

Scurvy was a problem for sailors worldwide, but there's a distinct focus on Western practices due to my location. So before people learned about the importance of Vitamin C, what did sailors and nations try to use in places such as the Middle East, Africa, and Asia?

1 Answers 2014-07-20

When did mankind stay to shave, and why?

Edit : stay = start

1 Answers 2014-07-20

6505 / 7255

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