England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are usually referred to as countries, and not provinces or territories. If this is the case, what does that make the UK? A Kingdom? What is the difference between a Kingdom and a country? And after the Acts of Union of 1707, how do England, Wales, and Scotland even exist as separate political entities? My understanding is that they, as political entities, were joined under one government. Sure, the cultural separation is still there, but were they separated again governmentally/politically at some point? And if they're separate, how does Great Britain, the entity created by the 1707 Acts of Union, fit into all of this?

I'm sure there's a ton I'm missing, and I might just need to do some reading on my own. If there are any recommendations, I'm happy to take them!

"According to an ancient tradition, God preserves humanity despite its many transgressions because, at any one period, there exist ten just individuals who redeem mankind, without being aware of their role."

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What ancient tradition is Kissinger referring to? And what is the story behind it?

I assume kings were mostly subject to the morality decent conduct rules of their region, but sometimes when I read about how Carolingian kings treated their enormous territories like their own private property and split the territories among their sons, it seems like these kings' power knew no bounds.

I am entirely baffled by how the entire population of the Carolingian empire thought it was OK that kings and their sons fought endless civil wars over territory while Vikings and Magyars plundered the empire dry of silver.

Am I reading simplified accounts of medieval history where authors simplify and attribute all events to a single person (ie. "Charlemagne re-wrote the gospels") or were kings really so all-powerful?

I specifically gave the example of the Carolingians because that's what I'm learning about right now, but feel free to answer with examples of another region and time in the middle ages.

Are there any recommended books about Jewish life in England in the middle ages?

This has been a ... Surprisingly hard question to google, at least for me, unskilled in the way of google-fu. First thing that came up said that the whale had to be chained on the right side of the boat but... How do you get chains around a whale? And how does that prevent them from diving? And why the right side? It just creates more questions than answers, especially when you realize that people were doing this in prehistoric times with canoes. What is the secret? Or am I just seriously overestimating the size, intelligence, and strength of a whale?

Did any of the kings during the colonial period traveled to the Americas either New Spain or Peru?

And if not, why?

I was somewhat alarmed by a person I came across on Twitter the other day - someone who bases their criticism of Israel and the idea that Jewish people are indigenous to the area (which I understand is a semi-contentious idea) on a denial that ancient Israel existed at all. I provided examples of the four known Iron Age inscriptions that mention Israel or its nobles houses, which they would find some article of some random person or screenshot a footnote somewhere of someone some anecdotal disagreement of the consensus view. I share a lot of views that are not favorable to contemporary Israel, but this whole exchange seemed rife with a new form of denialism I've never before encountered.

The view that was asserted was that the overwhelming majority, if not all, of ancient Israelite history is from religious texts alone (with nothing to corroborate it) -- which seems quite obviously untrue. What archaeological sites are there, what historical text is there that confirms ancient Israel's existence, especially as an established state?

Not wanting political comments, I'm purely interested in the historical aspect.

The first use in warfare I’ve read is generally attributed to the Spanish Nationalists in 1936, but kerosene and glass bottles had been around long before then. It seems very strange to me that nobody before that point had the idea to make a simple firebomb of that design, when the materials were so commonplace.

It seems to be used on the battlefield primarily as an anti-tank weapon, which I originally thought was my answer (that there wasn’t a need for it because of the lack of tanks), but surely it is effective enough against infantry, and particularly structures, that that cannot be the answer.

I'm looking to bolster my summer reading list and I think that this lot would be a great place to pool from. I'm looking for hidden gems that only the person with an extensive reading list about a particular area would be able to introduce. Thank you so much for your time and effort on this question.

Hello! I am writing a research paper about how the liberal order worked to discredit communism and socialism from 1947 through today. Obviously the second red scare is unavoidable in this subject however I am having a difficult time finding sources for the red scare in Western europe. Was there a red scare in europe in the 1950s? How did liberal countries react to US anti-communism in the 1950s? Thank you!

Great Britain is the only country which the first historical ruler that comes to my head is a queen.

Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Anne, Queen Victoria, even now Queen Elizabeth II is one of the most well knows political figures in the world, despite not having much real power. There were some powerful non-British Queens like Catherine the Great or Maria Theresa, but they were a pretty rare exceptions. A lot of European countries never even had a single queen.

Was there anything particular about England/Great Britain that made it more common for women to ascend to the throne? Or is it just a coincidence that so many British queens became so well know?

Talking to people who were adults in the early-to-mid 1980s, they still mention going to the disco and listening to disco music. I thought disco lost popularity by 1980? Of note, these people are black and latino.

Was disco still popular amongst latinos and black people in the 1980s? Growing up in the late 90s and 2000s, I never realized disco was seen as dorky. All the oldies are disco, soul, and funk. Was disco just dead amongst white Americans?

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In researching Tudor England, I can find lots of information about Queen Mary's marriage, false pregnancies, and religious policies, but I haven't been able to find anything else. What did she accomplish in her 5 year reign aside from the reunification with Rome and the loss of Calais?

Hi all, I’m wondering if anybody has any good book recommendations to learn about Ancient Egypt. I’m interested in mainly anything ancient Egypt, so I would love some suggestions. Also, i’d prefer if there was a ebook version. Thanks so much!

Ok this sounds like a stupid question but what was the difference in treatment to your average Jew and average Slav under nazi occupation was. I know the nazis wanted slavs to be slaves and didn't treat them well but what exactly would happen to a slav? Were they sent to death camps? What were the conditions like? They wanted to kill all jews and enslave slavs as far as i am aware but what was the difference in their camps, what happened to slavs? Sorry if this is stupid. Also a small question that isn't really related, what would the nazis have done to someone who was mixed race but not mixed with white? Thanks