I have noticed that many times in movies that archers are always ordered to fire in volleys and they never seem to fire when the enemy is far away, but only when the enemy is already charging at them.

did archers actually have to wait for the fire order after the battle started and why did they have to fire in volleys?

I'm curious because shields seem like they're used everywhere except in the east, and I've never heard about them being used in Japan. Seems like shields would be the natural defense against arrows. Please enlighten me.

They seem pretty innocent to me. They just wanted to take care of the poor and sick. Ive heard many stories of this but I wanna hear from here

Do we know when they originated/where they came from? How did this particular setup became so widely known? Are there any examples of the first knock-knock jokes?

I remember first coming across this idea that the US had supported the Vietminh from a scene in Apocalypse now. And then vaguely recall trying to look up whether there was any truth to it and I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that Bernard Fall asserted that there was a period of US support for the Vietminh against French colonialism but without much in the way of support.

Am I remembering this correctly? What was the Vietminh/US relationship like in the early years after World War II? Have any historians looked into this in greater depth since Fall?

You see this in movies and westerns. After the gunfight, the town coroner will prop the body upright in an open casket and put coins on the eyes. Did this actually happen and if so what purpose did it serve?

I myself am 1/4th English, ancestrally, and my English family members today are Catholics, as there was about 100 years ago some Irish on that side, as well as obligatory Anglicanism. My Grandma's mum is 100% ethnic English (Anglican religion), and her dad was half Irish half Swedish, hence the Catholicism (my Swedish Great Great Grandfather converted from what we believe to be Lutheranism). Anyways, I've realized that Catholicism has had place in the British Empire for a long time, and when looking to the Irish this is one of the many reasons they once fought with the English over their island and rule. I'm aware the French Canadians had in treaty allowance of their Roman Catholicism, but was it so easily maintained?

When Ireland was under UK rule, was their Roman Catholicism purged, or was it allowed? What of the catholic French Canadians once they became subjects of the British Empire? What of Jacobian Scots, or the Spanish of Gibraltar? I'm very curious. I'm aware that nowadays it is no big deal at all your religion in the UK or Commonwealth, but I'm wondering how it used to be.

Specifically, prisoner exchanges, for lack of better word.

I'm curious about the logistics of it. I've been reading about the Civil War lately and there are often cases of a number of soldiers, be they Union or Confederate being captured. So, for instance the CSA captures say 500 Union troops and then they're later exchanged for a number of CSA troops. How did that work?

I'm aware that both sides had prison camps. Did they "store" the soldiers there and then when needed count out the number they needed and march them to somewhere and exchange them? How much trust was involved? And would it be considered anathema to breach said trust?

And following from that, in Stephen Sears Landscape Turned Red he mentions an episode of a Union officer being paroled and a little later on meeting a column of Union troops and accidentally warning them before remembering that he was paroled and obligated to not take part in the war until such a time as an exchange could be made. But he seemed to be let go, the CSA trusting him to uphold his parole. Did they really do that?

Sorry for asking a bunch of questions instead of just one, but I'm really curious and the do seem related.

I intend to learn as much about Chinese history and culture as I can before I go.

I just wondered what religious institutions were doing during the Civil War era, and I realized that I didn't know where to look and that I don't really know the history after the puritans and before the religious right.

I've had this book for a while now and always wondered who it originally belonged to, if that could be determined. Its an epitome of Roman history, printed in Amsterdam in 1625, and the binding appears in every way contemporary with that. I included pictures of the other ownership marks inside. Some might be helpful or interesting. If anybody by chance recognizes this crest, or could point me towards a good resource I'd be very appreciative. I included the link in the first comment, thanks everybody!

P.S. - If this is the wrong subreddit for this I apologize.

What is the Askhistorians´s historians opinion on Ilan Pappés writings about the creation of Israel? Is he a credible source or is he a populist? I must admit I'm having a hard time separating criticism of his writing based on different political opinions vs. the criticism of his academic work.

I'm currently reading the Nimitz "Graybook" that the US Naval War College released. There are many references to Japanese prisoners taken during the various campaigns. I'm interested in learning about how those prisoners were treated and the cultural perception of them upon their return to Japan at the end of the conflict.

I am playing Call of Duty Classic and in one part of the game, there is a German voice over some intercoms offering the Russian soldiers a sort of free surrender. The German was saying the Russians would get hot food and water and would get to return home once the war was over.

Is this historically accurate? If so, did anybody actually give in to it?

Would they domesticate animals such as wolves and bring them on raids or even just keep them at home as a pet like we do with dogs?

Trying to put his fame into perspective.

Edit: Famous of an actor*