Isn't it just as plausible that the North Pole (and with it, the "top of the world") could've been placed in Antarctica, rather than the Arctic Circle? How did our convention of the "up" and "down" on our maps come about?

I was shocked to learn about these civilizations in a college class. My perspective of pre columbian indian life was limited to small hunter gatherer tribes. SO what happened to them? Did they evolve into the modern southeast tribes? Did the Spanish wipe them all out?

When was it first issued into service? How long was it used for? Cost, functions, and distribution? How come only officers received or possessed a Luger or is that untrue? Anything about the Luger would be greatly appreciated as the weapon has always fascinated me ever since I saw it on the "Weaponology" episode about the SS.

There have been a few front page posts about "gypsies" (I use quotes because I don't really know what this term mean) and they have elicited many anecdotes about bad experiences with "travelers" and people whom I imagine are Roma around Europe.

I have a vague idea about how Roma have been mistreated in France and around Europe since World War II, but I am thin on details and don't know if my impression is close to reality.

Maybe someone could give a bit of background on this situation and important things to know before we declare these people amoral con artists by nature. Unless they are, and I will accept that.

I know that it is incorrect to say that the CIA created AQ and the Taliban, but I'm curious as to whether there is any connection between these groups.

Is there a time in the past where prices were stable for generations? Or was there inflation even before currency (This sack of potatoes will now cost you 13 eggs, not 12...)

I guess the question can also be 'how big can an economy be before inflation appears?'

It seems that at least since the Six-Day War (and definitely since the Yom Kippur War) the IDF has a fairly impressive combat record and a reputation for military skill far outstripping its regional rivals. However, from the few things I've read on the early Israeli military (Haganah/1940s-1950s era IDF), it seems like that period was far more desperate for the Israeli army: lots of scrounging for surplus WWII equipment, lack of equipment/uniform standardization, etc. What was the process of transition like from a militia/resistance organization to a full-scale national army? Was the modernization of the IDF linked to the growth of the Israeli economy or were the two largely unrelated?

It seems to me that so many products that we take for granted nowadays were nowhere to be found in Europe before the 15th century.

Thanks !

I find this period of history really intriguing as often Colonialism isn't taught very thoroughly probably due to its dark and pretty un-pc content. Thanks

I'm aware that ancient Romans had spectator sports open to commoners - gladiator tournaments, fighting animals, ship battles, contests similar to the Olympics, etc. Romans had their favorite athletes and would go to see those particular athletes play / fight. They had organized athletic groups and established, purpose-built venues that existed primarily to entertain the crowd. Today we obviously see the same dynamic with sports teams, stadiums, etc. But what about in the middle?

How did that work with medieval games and tournaments? Were commoners invited to things like jousting tournaments? Were there sporting venues that existed primarily for crowd entertainment? What sports did they play? If not sports, did they do anything else (circuses?) to entertain crowds?

I have often read about how when European explorers first landed in North and South America they introduced new bacteria and viruses which native Americans had no immunity to, causing huge health impacts to the native populations. But wouldn't it also have worked the other way around too? Wouldn't the explorers also have been exposed to new bacteria and viruses from the natives? And wouldn't some of the returnees carry those germs back to Europe, causing health impacts in Europe?

I've been making my way through the "Revolutions" podcasts which is currently finishing up the American Revolution.

I'm stumped on something though. I can wrap my hand how a handful of distinct militias could be organized, drilled and eventually led as a professional army that could match the British.

What I'm confused about is how they were able to produce artillery pieces and guns. From my understanding, the forging and production of contemporary artillery pieces came from hundreds of years of metallurgical experience and industry that seem like it would be quite challenging to ad-hoc on this side of the Atlantic.

What about the training and expertise needed to effectively aim and maintain the guns?

Was it mainly captured guns (a la Ticandaroga)?

I assume that, when two pre-gunpowder armies composed of "identical" troops clashed, it would be next to impossible to distinguish friend from foe in the heat of battle. How did they prevent soldiers mistaking their own side for the enemy in the heat of melee?

I don't know if this is more of a human geography than a history question, but how did things like population, population density, and the locations of religious and linguistic communities affect partition in each of these two regions. Were there any interesting or notable differences between the experiences of partition in Bengal and Punjab?