Before timezones were around in America what dictated the time of day?

1 Answers 2014-06-08

Rather than a mother as caretaker society, has there ever been a father as caretaker society?

In most cultures that I have seen, it appears that the mother would be the care taker. I see it a lot when I look at modern history, with propaganda, especially with WWII, where a mother is always protecting their children from a foreign(male) invader.

As a bonus question to this, do we ever see any art where a father is depicted as a caretaker?

1 Answers 2014-06-08

Has the US Military ever contracted out their man power?

Like sell their man power as hired guns, etc?

1 Answers 2014-06-07

How did free blacks in Antebellum South/US prove their status?

I was told to redirect my question from /NoStupidQuestions

I am reading an article on the language ability of African Slaves in the 18th century and the author is referring to some sort of slave owners' gazette where they post about run-away or captured slaves.

Anyone, one quote had me thinking "Committed to the gaol (jail) of Lancaster county, a negro man named JAMES, who says that he is free and will not own (up to) having any master...he has past(sic) as a freeman for several months."

Now this is an ad from a writer in Pennsylvania, a free-state, preparing to send a man "down the river" literally. So, as there were free blacks in the North AND the South, how did they prove this? Yes, I know about 12 Years a Slave and he was captured by crooks specifically to be sold.

But what could that man, arrested by a civil authority, do to prove his freedom?

1 Answers 2014-06-07

Is the United States a terrorist country?

2 Answers 2014-06-07

What were the generally accepted conventions of "parenting" in the past?

1 Answers 2014-06-07

Are there any real facts out there in regard to the Cagots, Europe's Untouchables?

I find them fascinating but there is just so little information on them.

1 Answers 2014-06-07

How socially acceptable was antisemitism before the second world war?

1 Answers 2014-06-07

What was the lead up to Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear attacks. What caused them and how were such acts justified?

Hi guys,

I've never studied history beyond the minimum possible in school. I never enjoyed the subject due to the learning-for-exam mentality killing the appeal of the subject for me.

As such I am an ignoramus with regard to everything history my question posed is one I'm sure is very well known. I am hoping you kind folks in AskHistorians can help me.

I'm specifically interested in the events leading up to the bombings, why they were carried out and how such extreme measures were possibly justified.

If this is already covered somewhere I apologise, a brief search didn't throw up anything for me.

1 Answers 2014-06-07

"Will no-one rid me of this troublesome priest?" When did this quote enter into popular tradition surrounding Thomas Becket's murder?

I'm reading The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England by Dan Jones, and he makes a claim in the section about Thomas's murder:

On receiving the news, [Henry II] uttered a phrase now among the most infamous in history: "What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and promoted in my household who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a lowborn clerk!" (This is often rendered incorrectly as, "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?")

The parenthetical statement is what has me hung up. First of all, this claim is made without any citation whatsoever. The "Further Reading" section contains no information about any contemporary source material. Second, I was under the impression that the quote was just part of the oral tradition of the circumstances surrounding the murder. Where would Jones have found this "original" quote that makes it more credible than the traditional variation(s)? I looked through Fordham University's Internet History Sourcebook, and only found one direct reference to the meeting in which the phrase was supposedly uttered:

In the year of the incarnation of the Lord 1170, Henry king of the English, son of Empress Matilda, held his court in Normandy at Bur, keeping the day of the Lord's Nativity, saddened and troubled greatly because the archbishop of Canterbury did not wish to absolve the English bishops whom he had bound with the chain of excommunication. And since the above-mentioned king thus angry was in ire, four knights of his household, on account of the disturbed spirits which they saw in him, desiring to defend him, secretly, without the knowledge of the king, hurried to the sea to cross the channel to England. And when they had crossed the channel, they seized their journey with hastened course toward Canterbury.

But, as you can see, there is no quotation. Simply a mention of Henry's anger.

So, I then became curious as to when any of these quotes entered into popular tradition. Was it a contemporary story? Or did it come about later? Are any of them really credible?

1 Answers 2014-06-07

What did the American public think of Russia during WWII?

During the Cold War, the average American looked at the Soviets as rivals and enemies. Was this the common perception during WWII? If not, when and how did this attitude start?

1 Answers 2014-06-07

Was Germany a particularly antisemitic country pre-1933? How does it compare to the allies?

Also, was there a system of institutionalized prejudice against the Jewish people in any other nations?

1 Answers 2014-06-07

Why did both General Patton and Richard Nixon dislike Jews so much?

2 Answers 2014-06-07

Help Identifying Dagger

Hi all, Im trying to get more information about a dagger that was just passed to me by my mother. http://imgur.com/a/v0Ik8 [1] [1]

Story goes, my Great Uncle was in an engineering crew working on airfield construction in the middle east somewhere and somehow ended up with this dagger. I have been told its a Turkish Officers, however looking at it it looks handmade, and something tells me its not quite right. (possibly made as a tourist item?)

Was wondering if anyone had seen it before?

The white areas look like a snake skin, and the rest is leather. The engravings look primitive, and the sharpening of the blade isnt even. Not sure what the scorpion or dog (not sure) is all about and seems to have writing next to it.

Thanks for viewing and if you have any suggestions on where i should x/post to please let me know.

Cheers

1 Answers 2014-06-07

Why was centrifugal enrichment not used by the Manhattan Project?

Several uranium enrichment options were considered in 1942 and 1943 by the Manhattan Project, but centrifugal enrichment was discarded early on. Today, this type of enrichment is considered the easiest path to an atomic bomb. Why did the Manhattan Project miss the boat?

3 Answers 2014-06-07

In Islam, the practice of financial interest is prohibited but research shows that this was often flouted in Islamic states like the Ottoman Empire. How did they do this?

1 Answers 2014-06-07

What steps did/do ship captains take to prevent mutiny?

I was recently reading about mutinies and I read that captains frequently kept the ship's course and location a secret, so that if anyone tried to mutiny, they wouldn't be able to get back to port.

What, if any, other precautions did captains take to prevent mutinies?

1 Answers 2014-06-07

Help finding references to historical events from WW2 to the present!

My teacher wants me to find references to history in TV shows from WW2 to the present and explain the reference. Anything involving Nazis are excluded. (My teacher said that was just too easy)

However, I'm having a hard time finding any clips with references that I can use. Please help! Thanks in advance

1 Answers 2014-06-07

Would there have been any possible way for the German people to have halted the rise of the Nazi Party?

1 Answers 2014-06-07

How many years in a row has Passover been celebrated?

Has Passover been celebrated every spring since the exodus? Do we know how the holiday's recognition has changed over time?

1 Answers 2014-06-07

Why is the canonical starting date for WWII the invasion of Poland in 1939 and not the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1937?

Just curious as to how this definition came about, and whether it's based on some Eurocentric construction of events or if there's some legitimate historiographical reason for this.

2 Answers 2014-06-07

Was the spread of the Islamic Empire extremely bloodthirsty in comparison to other empires?

Somebody was trying to convince me that the Islamic empire was the most bloodthirsty murder machine the world has ever seen. I asked for evidence or even historical references. All I got was this -

http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/05/the_greatest_murder_machine_in_history.html

2 Answers 2014-06-07

Did the Roman Army have "Special" Units?

As the title says, for lack of a better term, did the Roman military contain any sort of "elite" units à la the special forces of today's warfare, or the Persian Immortals?

I understand the term "Special Forces" may not be the most accurate when talking about an ancient military, but the question still stands. Did they have any units well-adapted to certain tasks like shock troops, heavy infantry, or asymmetrical warfare?

I think a good comparison for what I am looking for would be the Praetorian Guard, but whatever I know about them is fuzzy, and any more information on them is also appreciated

Thanks in advance!

1 Answers 2014-06-07

Why did France create a French Foreign Legion?

Why not recruit foreigners into their regular army? Why did they want a separate group?

3 Answers 2014-06-07

What is the origin of the traditional cap and gown that people where to academic graduation ceremonies?

2 Answers 2014-06-07

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