Today:
Welcome to this week's instalment of /r/AskHistorians' Sunday Digest (formerly the Day of Reflection). Nobody can read all the questions and answers that are posted here, so in this thread we invite you to share anything you'd like to highlight from the last week - an interesting discussion, an informative answer, an insightful question that was overlooked, or anything else.
I would like to note both /u/Smilin_Dave and /u/International_KB 's respectful debate about Lenin's opinion of Stalin prior to the former's death. This is a somewhat thorny and politicized issue that is not entirely clear-cut. Both commentators respectfully presented their arguments clearly and an informative manner, which is most commendable.
I enjoyed both /u/funkyapplesauce and /u/banjoman74's answers to Is Bluegrass music racist?
Weekly Roundup!
/u/kieslowskifan answered "How did the industry in Italy change with Mussolini's economic policies?"
/u/sowser on "Role of Sweden in the transatlantic slave trade?"
I've started saving links that grabbed my attention, so here's a few:
The always impressive /u/kieslowskifan had a great explanation for why UN headquarters was built in New York City.
/u/the_howling_cow had two great answers on technical details about American encounters with Tiger tanks in World War II, then another nice response on self-propelled artillery in that same conflict. There's never a shortage of WWII questions around here, and it's nice to see someone giving quality answers.
/u/Reedstilt had a great answer about how knowledge of Europeans spread throughout North America in the 16th century. It's a question that pops up from time to time around here and blows up one of the myths that folks ask about.
And finally, I want to give credit to /u/baegodde-- for coming back and trying to provide sources on a question that was almost four weeks old.
Totally late to this thread, but I was traveling all day Sunday. I wanted to give a shout out to /u/Ambarenya for their answer to Why did the Byzantine Empire fragment after Constantinople was sacked by the Crusaders?. It was an interesting question, and one which my lack of 4th Crusade knowledge and limited access to my books prevented me from answering. Thankfully someone else was there to provide a much better answer than I would have! :)