Some questions people have just don't require depth. This thread is a recurring feature intended to provide a space for those simple, straight forward questions that are otherwise unsuited for the format of the subreddit.
Here are the ground rules:
- Questions which ask about broader concepts may be removed at the discretion of the Mod Team and redirected to post as a standalone question.
- We realize that in some cases, users may pose questions that they don't realize are more complicated than they think. In these cases, we will suggest reposting as a stand-alone question.
- Academic secondary sources are prefered. Tertiary sources are acceptable if they are of academic rigor (such as a book from the 'Oxford Companion' series, or a reference work from an academic press).
Would Tolkien have known that potatoes and tobacco were New World products when he included them in his writing?
I am Dutch. We tell time relative closest to the nearest half hour. E.g. 5:35 would be said as "5 over half 6" ("five past half six"). 4:20 would be "10 voor half 5" ("ten before half five").
Why do we do this or where does this originate from? It seems like something that only we do.
What is the historical average of populations within fortresses? To clarify-say a rather large fortress or castle is being besieged. At its max, what kind of numbers would be available to resist invaders?
How does one, without writing a book, turn personal experience into usable information?
US Reactions Toward Vietnam:
I once read that before and during the Vietnam War, the average American could not point to Vietnam on a map. Is this true? Thanks!
(Being able to point to Vietnam on the map = being able to find Vietnam on a map without using borders or labels as hints.)
What were more commonly used in 19th century Europe, Greek or Roman names for the pantheon of Greco-Roman gods? Why?
Were Flak-88 crews trained for both anti-tank and anti-aircraft roles? Or did different crews specialize? Similarly, were all Flak-88 guns supplied with both armor-piercing and flak rounds?
This might be the dumbest question ever, but what is it called (or the term) when you read true historical accounts from say, Ancient Greece? (Exactly like the website Eyewitnesstohistory)...I've tried googling different meanings, but nothing shows up as to what I'm looking for. (They all give me the history of accounting and such)
I really love seeing history from the view of someone who was actually there and I can't find a website or video similar to what I'm looking for. Sorry if this seems silly, but after 30 minutes of searching on the internet I just wanted to ask.
What are the oldest known specifically Homo sapien remains?
D-Day has come and gone, and I had the opportunity to explain Operation Overlord to some friends who didn't know much about it. As usual, this highlighted for me how little I really know about the subject.
Are there any particularly good/authoritative books you might recommend that cover Operation Overlord, from planning through execution, covering the critical battles and outcomes?
Also of interest is Operation Market Garden. "A Bridge Too Far" comes to mind, of course -- do historians generally consider this a strong source for information about the battle?
Why were poisoned bullets never used in war? I know they were banned by the first Hague Convention, but so was the use of gas and that was widely ignored in WWI. Compared to a lot of the weapons of the late 19th and early 20th century, something like a bullet coated in cyanide seems not obviously "more barbaric" in a way that would prevent its being used.
Why does Wallonia speak French if it isn't part of France? Was there ever a time apart from the Napoleonic era that it was part of France?
US Education:
I once read a YouTube comment that said he was taught in school that the lie about General Pershing and how he dealt with Islamic terrorists in the Philippines was true. Is it true that US Education used to teach this lie about Pershing was a real fact? Thanks!
I'n currently reading Postwar (Tony Judt) and I encountered a story that sounds apocryphal. I did a quick Google Scholar search and came up with nothing relevant. While a source would be great, I'd be happy with a response from someone with the knowledge to comment on how likely or unlikely the below story might be.
Soviet-bloc agriculture slipped further and further backwards, its occaisionally surrela inefficiencies exemplified in the USSR by the bueraucrats in Frunze (now Bizkek, in Kirghizstan) who in 1960 encouraged local peasants to meet their (arbitrary and unattainable) butter delivery quotas by buying up stocks from local shops...
Do you allow questions on alternate history?
If the Japan had surrendered earlier in WW2 would the U.S. Marines been redeployed to the European Theatre? Was there a plan for this?
Have any other Attorneys General, besides John Mitchell, faced criminal prosecution?
In musuems is everything donated to them by people, or do musuems also buy items to display?