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.
Here’s a batch of popular and/or interesting questions from last week which did not get an answer yet:
/u/SilverRoyce wonders what did it mean to be sailing under “Jerusalem colours” for ships around 1790
/u/chikindiner would like to get more information about Queen Victoria’s security detail
/u/19930423LDr wants to know more about Chinese gastronomy in the Middle Ages
/u/Iphikrates answered What was political relationship like between Sparta and Athens just before the Battle of Thermopolae, and how did those events change their relationship?
/u/Kieslowskifan answered When and why did military aircraft stop using camouflage? and Why is Pre-Revolution Russia often referred to as decadent? and Rhineland and Napoleon and Did Jews set up concentration camps for German civilians in 1945? and What the heck is a "Titus Pearl?"
/u/RioAbajo answered Did I locate an unmarked grave site?
I answered It used to be acceptable to dress young boys in dresses. Nowadays dresses are considered "feminine," and dressing a young boy in a dress would be cause for some side-eye. Why did this change? and How, in practical terms, did the creation of Versailles "domesticate the nobility"? (Yes, I have no shame.)
/u/Gobberpooper answered Is there any historical weight to the comparisons made between Jesus Christ and Krishna?
/u/Khosikulu answered This map of the Empire of Monomotapa shows an empire that covers all of Africa from the Zambezi down. How (in)accurate is it?
/u/Mikedash answered At any point between the end of WWI and the end of WWII was there ever a rise of supernatural beliefs in Japan? and In the time of Cleopatra were the Pyramids still being worshipped and kept in repair?
/u/AncientHistory answered I once read that Lord of the Rings was popular among hippie culture in States, how did this happen? And why was Lord of the Rings popular among hippie culture? Also, what other works of fiction was popular among hippies?
/u/Tiako answered the (now removed) Why did Polynesians just sail into the ocean?
/u/Restricteddata answered How do the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki compare to all other bombs dropped during WWII? and How did "Einstein" become synonymous with "intelligence" rather than any of his intellectual contemporaries?
/u/Itsalrightwithme answered a question on the Edict of Nantes in the AMA: The Era of Confessional Conflict
/u/Armdoc also answered I've heard a lot about European colonialism and Imperialism on the indigenous people of the Americas but what about Russia's interactions with indigenous people as it spread to the Pacific?
/u/Jetred answered When did the abolition of the death penalty first start to be considered?
/u/Textandtrowel answered Did the Vikings think the earth was flat?
Let’s have a new section - a look back at the theme of the week! What did we learn about material culture?
/u/chocolatepot wrote a great post about the supposed connection between cultural stability and fashion, focusing on the waistline of women’s clothing
/u/PapiriusCursor talked about public displaying of artifacts in republican Rome
/u/sunagainstgold wonderfully tackled the thread about English peasant clothing in the High Middle Ages
/u/AlotofReading answered Is development of nations really enhanced by east-west space rather than north-south space?
/u/RTarcher answered Did Monarchs of Nations Ever Marry One Another?
/u/The_Alaskan answered I've heard that wooden armor used to be common among native tribes in New England, Canada and the pacific NW, but fell out of use after the introduction of firearms. How much do we know about native american body armour and is there any evidence for this? and I've heard a lot about European colonialism and Imperialism on the indigenous people of the Americas but what about Russia's interactions with indigenous people as it spread to the Pacific?
/u/Catodarpa answered How did Æthelflæd come to be a female ruler in Anglo-Saxon England?
/u/PlinytheHipster also answered How did Æthelflæd come to be a female ruler in Anglo-Saxon England?
/u/Miles_Sine_Castrum answered If there were 3 general social classes in the Middle Ages then what classes do Tradesmen, merchants, etc fall into
Here we go!
/u/commiespaceinvader on "There is a thread on r/books about "High Hitler", a book about Hitler's drug use. Is this book considered to be accurate?" and "Are the nail marks made on the walls Auschwitz gas chambers real or not? Are they part of the reconstruction or were they made by tourists?"
/u/the_howling_cow on "Did all soldiers carry morphine in WWII? If so, was there a problem with soldiers using it to get high or for minor injuries?" and "Why is Omaha beach the most famous D-Day landing, when there were 4 other beaches taken on D-Day by American, Canadian, French and British troops?"
/u/the_alaskan answered "The Alaska Purchase in 1867 is often called Seward's Folly, dubbed so by detractors. Did many Russians oppose selling the land? If so, on what grounds?" on "What is the most recent consensus on the fate of skyjacker D.B. Cooper? Have any recent historical investigations offered anything new?" and on "I've heard that wooden armor used to be common among native tribes in New England, Canada and the pacific NW, but fell out of use after the introduction of firearms. How much do we know about native american body armour and is there any evidence for this?"
Would be grateful if someone took a look at my question on training of mid-Republic Roman soldiers.
I was pleased with /u/AmeriKek's question Did Otto Von Bismarck try to integrate Switzerland or Austria into Germany? and happy about my answer, because German Unification is totes fascinating.