Short Answers to Simple Questions | April 04, 2018

by AutoModerator

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Please Be Aware: We expect everyone to read the rules and guidelines of this thread. Mods will remove questions which we deem to be too involved for the theme in place here. We will remove answers which don't include a source. These removals will be without notice. Please follow the rules.

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.

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  • The only rule being relaxed here is with regard to depth, insofar as the anticipated questions are ones which do not require it. All other rules of the subreddit are in force.

Artydome

I'm wondering about the prevailance of windows window panes (not the operating system) in the 14th century:

  1. What kind of people would have windows window panes (churches/monarchs, from what I can find out), if any?

  2. What alternatives did people use if they didn't have them?

resting__bitch__face

At some point I remember reading an account that the women aboard the Titanic "put on lipstick for courage" while waiting to board lifeboats. Is this even remotely true, and if so, where is it attributed?

LaMaupindAubigny

NSFW question here... I keep reading that the vibrator was invented by doctors who were tired of using their hands to induce orgasms and calm “hysterical” women. Erotic texts from the 1700s and 1800s (do a search of the top 100 books on Project Gutenberg, you’ll find them) use the word clitoris and describe women cumming from external stimulation (as well as/as opposed to penetration) So, were doctors really unaware that what they were doing was sexual?

corruptrevolutionary

Does the Sovereign Military Order of Malta have a legal claim to the island of Malta?

behind_you_right_now

About how much would the reward for an escaped slave be in the USA in the early-to-mid 1800s?

nooperchooper

How do I find out what slaves a given person would have owned in the antebellum south?

_Billy_Boy_

In Ancient Rome, did any Christians become gladiators?

EnclavedMicrostate

Are we aware of any severe birth defects suffered by the Ptolemies thanks to their inbreeding?

grantimatter

What was going on in the Canary Islands between 400 and 550 CE?

What language did people speak? What political powers were in place? Who lived there?

thenoogler

Does anyone here know of a quote along the lines of 'Since I will already be hanged for treason, I might as well see it through'? I'm under the impression that it was related to the American Civil or Revolutionary wars, or the French Revolution.

scarlet_sage

Meta: suppose someone asks a question, but there's another subreddit dedicated to the subject. Is it OK for general users to post a reply suggesting /r/AskAnthropology or /r/etymology or whatever, or can only moderators do that (so I'd assume a general user could modmail or report to request the redirect), or should it be only in a PM to OP?

NikKerk

What were the list of ranks (from highest to lowest) on a British warship in the 18th century?

erissays

I have seen this MLK quote floating around Facebook recently and just want to know where it's from so I can look at the greater context: "If any earthly institution or custom conflicts with God’s will, it is your Christian duty to oppose it. You must never allow the transitory, evanescent demands of man-made institutions to take precedence over the eternal demands of the Almighty God.”

Vespertine

I'm getting more and more papers come up on JStor as chargeable while logged in in the last few days. (But tons of stuff, especially older, is still free.) Not sure if I've hit some sort of ceiling for free alumni access programmes, if there have been changes to JStor, or what. I started putting some of the papers in a list, and they are all from 2015 or later, the newest is 6 months old, and none of them are pure trad history (they are stuff like environmental history, genetics, archaeology). Has anyone else noticed changes, or know anything more concrete?

drawmlady88

Why were the men so hesitant to give Wade morphine in Saving Private Ryan?

Vespertine

Another question tangentially related to the British empire: a short book about it suggests that Britain had an earlier and stronger state monopoly on violence than other European countries. Instinctively sceptical about this claim, but am patchy on C17th-18th political history. Pointers on other material to look at (especially articles rather than whole books) would be interesting.

taqfu

Are there history books about slave hunters? Like, if the abolitionist movement popularized slave escape tales, are there biographies about slave hunters or history books about that profession?

Jordedude1234

What exactly did the title "Genghis Khan" mean? I thought it meant something like Great King.

AguyinaRPG

Are there any good sites which have discussions on history books? I've read through the recommended list on this subreddit, but it's lacking in a few key areas for my interest (mainly cultural and media). Does anybody know of good places where historians actively debate and compare books, outlining what pieces of knowledge are best gained from what source?

Vespertine

There are quite a few publications on Classical education in Britain during the Victorian period and how this bolstered imperialism via accentuating comparison with the Romans - but is there anything covering the earlier period, as the empire was developing? (Perhaps some of the Victorian material has a chapter on that?)

CaliGurl209

I am looking for more information about daily life in the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of the 19. century. I would love something like the book "Daily Life in Victorian England by Sally Mitchell" where I can read all about social classes, types of occupations, buildings, health, fashion, food and so on. I am not really interested in the political background or nationalities, just something about how ordinary people lived.

scarlet_sage

Is it permitted to ask meta questions in this discussion? (Which is, of course, a meta question ...)

Daxtirsh

Hey guys,

What was the height of templar spears? Can't seem to find an answer.

UKCDot

Where can I find a historical currency converter/inflator? I'm trying to express £40,000 in 1916 terms, as well as £5000 (I assume the spread between shillings and pounds means you can't simply divide by 8).

stupidname91919

Were Inuit tribes aware of one another? Did they "know" about the new world before European contact?

Tambasticle

How did the Petticoat Affair impact/improve Van Buren's political standing and aid him to the Presidency?

just_the_mann

When people came to petition a king in court, was there any standard greeting? I'm interested in any kings court you have knowledge of

JabberwockyNZ

Hi everyone! I'm a high school student looking for some good resources on Emmett Till for an internal. If someone could link me to some resources that have relevant and useful information that'd be great. Thanks!