For example, how did people keep their fingernails from getting too long, or how did people get rid of acne?

I have wondered this for a long time, actually. Most parents today take for granted some degree of privacy, and this leaves time and opportunity for sex. Based on the rate of births in most of history, it seems like a ton of sex must have been happening. But how?

Were kids just witness to it? Were kids out playing in the woods alone? Did ma and pa sneak off periodically during the farm labor or whatever?

Obviously I know the answer would vary by time and culture and social status. But this seems like a fundamental part of human life that just gets ignored in most discussion of history. Especially in the very puritanical societies, I don't really understand how they maintained the birth rates they did. Surely someone wrote accounts of this at least in passing?

Edit: spelling

I was just watching a documentary on the history of the imagery of Queens. They were talking to a costume historian about Elizabeth I's image and her use of clothing. Have any of her famous gowns survived in museums ?

I am interested in this area of Roman history and Carthage has always interested me, and of course the Punic Wars are an extremely important time for carthage. So i wanted to ask what the armor, weaponry and life of an Carthaginian soldier was actually like. Were any records kept from Carthage's point of view?

In the video game Assassins Creed: Black Flag, there are certain missions where your character is asked to kill various slavers, plantation masters or free slaves. Your ship's mate is also an ex-slave. (In downloadable content you can play as the ship's mate where his history as a slave is revealed.)

Historically is there any record of pirates or privateers ever fighting on behalf of slaves or acting on their behalf, freeing them or having them join their crews?

Is there any historical record of famous/infamous pirates who had been slaves prior?

From what I understand the Barbary pirates did the exact opposite and took both African and European prisoners and sent them to the slave trade.

Also a follow up question; were pirates only interested in money, gold and plundering or did they have any social or politically driven ambitions?

I've always thought it absurd that most of Central America is Christian/Catholic, despite the history on the Americas being brutally conquered by Christian conquistadors being obvious. How did wide acceptance of Christian Doctrine become a thing? Was there ever any retaliation against this movement or a call against it?

I think this question can also be asked of Islamic Africans. How did this come about?

This title isn't probably the best title and I couldn't figure out a better way to explain it. But I wanted to know why Monaco is a country today and how long and just all the different details you guys could explain to me.

Thank you!

How did Turkey have 4 coups over 37 years? Was it to protect the people or a power grab by the military?

Compared to Europe, food in Asia consists of lots of small bite-sized pieces. Why is this?

First of all, I'm really excited I found this subreddit :) I'm doing some research on the Puritans that moved to America back in the 1600s. What are some books or websites that you guys may recommend for me? I'd love to read on pretty much everything about that time. What it was like to live in a Puritan village, what the people did each day, etc. I'd appreciate any helpful info you guys can point me towards!!

Thank you in advance!

The Battle in question was The Battle of Glendale (Frayser's Farm), and my family members (there were a few) fought for the Confederates. According to letters we have, he was Company F and H, Second South Carolina Rifles, Moore's Rifles. The family member in question died storming a battery of artillery on a hill, he died of a minnie ball to the head.

The Kingdom intrigues me. How did the Gaelic populace obeyed so well under the Nordic rule (especially before the Norse were christianized). When did the Kingdom dissolve? Was it considered a major power in the the Britsish Isles and among the chieftains of Ireland and Scotland? Is there any king worth noticing? Hell there are so many questions. Feel free to add all you know.

Did they have people who worked there, trying to get people addicted, like modern drug dealers? How did it work in England around the same time, who sold opium there? Was it legal in England or were there criminal elements dealing it? Do you have any good sources to learn more about the criminal and social aspect of opium in 19th century China and England?

Thank you!

I was walking through a park today and noticed a birdhouse. I fondly remembered back to when I was a young kid: building a birdhouse out of scrap wood with my father and then watching it become inhabited by a mob of decidedly unbird-like squirrels.

It suddenly occurred to me that birds don't need a house! Where did the idea of a birdhouse come from? What need was it supposed to fill? Who popularized the activity of building and hanging birdhouses?

Making birdhouses is such a strange thing to do when you actually stop and think about it. I can't think of many other wild animals we create public housing for!

A quick Google search says that William Ogden was the first mayor of Chicago, but to me that doesn't account for the enormous number of Ogdens I've run across. Is this just the Dunning-Kruger Effect at work or this there something interesting behind the name Ogden?