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.
In the middle of the night yesterday I put together a belated answer to the question of the Persian Emperor/Great King's role in Zoroastrian theology by /u/lcnielsen which I'm pretty happy with!
Greetings one and all! I've been away on a mini vacation, and in the spirit of mini vacations everywhere it's left me more tired then when I started. Hope your all having a fantastic times yourselves this weekend.
Let's start by plugging some of the regular, irregular, and overall fantastic group threads.
In Tuesday Trivia: Iconic Duos of History! there are some fun stories about famous, and no as famous, pairs in history. From sacred twins to calculus.
Running right this very moment is The World War II Battlefield V Panel AMA. There's a brand spanking new game out, and there's no doubt plenty of you wondering just how historically accurate it is.
The Friday Free For All is a weekly classic, and this one had an interesting discussion on a number of subjects.
There was a Floating Feature this week as well. This one was a discussion about the plummeting numbers of history majors graduating.
And the final shout out is to the AskHistorians 2018 Holiday Book Recommendation Thread. Looking for a new history book? Recently read a really great history book? Here's where you can post your recommendations and ask for new ones.
Last week I asked about Fu Hao, I read about Fu Hao/Lady Hao in a book and I’m fascinated by her role as a military general and high priestess during the Shang dynasty.
She also was apparently one of King Wu Ding’s wives.
I can’t seem to find any more info on her other them generalized “she won many battles”.
Are there any more details out there?
Also, how do you pronounce her name? Is it FOO-HOW?
/u/BedsideRounds answered "The physician in the autopsy of Charles II gave some very... colorful (if not medically impossible) descriptions like "heart the size of a peppercorn" and "did not contain a single drop of blood." What was going on in these autopsies?" as well as "The Book of Leviticus in the Bible contains detailed instructions for what to do in the case of a "skin mold" appearing. Was this a common ailment in antiquity? Also, what was the condition, most commonly?"
/u/Sirjohnpmacdonald answered "Harry Truman held the lowest approval rating for a President that Gallup has ever measured, at 22%, in his final year in office, yet he is generally regarded as 'great or near-great' when historians are surveyed*. What accounts for the discrepancy? What do we see that contemporaries missed?" and also "The 'fairness doctrine' was abolished in 1987, leading to a transformation of the 'news' marketplace into the creature it is today- what exactly changed, and how? Was the impact felt immediately? What was the rationale for the change? Has it played out the way those that drove the decision hoped?"