In doing research for this question I was really amused to come across this passage in Britain’s Revival and Fall in the Gulf Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the Trucial States, 1950–71 by Simon C. Smith.

The reaction to the Suez war on the Trucial coast was considerably less extreme than in the more politically sophisticated Shaikhdoms of Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain. With the exception of the Union Jack being stolen from the car of the Political Agent in Dubai, the Trucial States remained relatively peaceful. The Ruler of Dubai promised his unequivocal support, while the Abu Dhabi ruling family expressed satisfaction with British actions, the Ruler’s brother, Shaikh Zaid, reportedly punctuating BBC news bulletins with cries of ‘come on Israel’. 54 Zaid also told the British political officer in his state that Britain should have ‘done to Cairo what the Russians did to Budapest’.

Certainly not something you would come across in any official histories today!

Two things: Firstly, I learned that during WWI there were a total of 14 African-American women in the United States Navy and I really want to know their story.

Secondly: After a while of debating with myself I finally have decided to start writing the script for a video essay series on WWI's representation in video-games, what means in relation to cultural memory, etc... (it's not really going to be an x piece of equipment wasn't used so the game is inaccurate or bad sort of thing, it'll be actual analysis about what their interpretation of the war says).

It's likely going to be longer and more difficult to put together than when I first envisioned it but I'm enjoying the writing process and putting this thing together. Hopefully it turns out well.

edit: Also, /u/itsallfolklore I really enjoyed your story about your book and it reminded me some of the papers I was writing my senior year of getting my BA (so last year!). As my flair says, my area is submarine warfare of ww1, and for a couple of papers at school I was doing original research into the American submarine fleet in the war. As it turns out, there's really only one paper written on the subject and it was written in 1920 by an English Professor at the Naval War College. And the President of the Naval War College at the time was the Admiral who commanded American Naval Forces in European waters, and he personally felt that the usage of submarines was of vital importance and one of the most effective ways to tackle the U-Boat threat.

So my papers ended up essentially taking the opposite stance from his, that the US subs were ineffective at their job - I think due to his circumstances (both in time from the war, and where he worked) it may have been more difficult to see that. But it was really cool because as I was doing that research I was looking at some of the same documents he had for his paper. So hopefully I do what Gary E. Weir wishes there was in the conclusion to his book Building American Submarines 1914-1940 that he wishes there was a work that gives actual analysis about the sub-fleets performance, because at the end of the day Alden's book is light on analysis and more gives you the flavor of the submarine force's activities.

Ancestor, a blacksmith, said to have been buried on a mountain with a few other people. First wife probably died around 1789. Two sons by his first wife died 1813 and 1814. This guy died 1820. Second wife died much later and is buried in a different cemetery. Two of the three children by his second wife were also buried in this cemetery. The burial location of the other child is unknown, though her husband was buried in a plot in another county quite some distance away.

The local town has documented the location of his cellar hole and that the existence of a burial ground on the mountain where he lived. The road there is now a ghost road. There was a location documented but the coordinates were far from good, as I found hiking up this mountain. Meanwhile, found a short stone wall, and at least four piles of stone not far from the documented location of his cellar hole. Other people searching for this cemetery have noted there being piles of stones, but did not attribute them to burials.

There's a story in a local history of the town of a prospective burial under a pile of stones. There are also several early burials in this town marked by fieldstones.

How likely is it that the piles of stones I found are the burials of him, his first wife, and his two sons by his first wife?

I've been reading Rear Admiral Edward Ellsberg's books on his exploits in WWII, and they are quite interesting - Under the Red Sea Sun, No Banners, No Bugles, and The Far Shore especially. Really good first-person accounts of the US, north Africa, and the London blitz in the early part of the United States's participation in the war.

They are however somewhat self-serving in tone. Especially for the salvage of the port of Massawa in the Red Sea, how crucial was that port actually to the war effort? Did Ellsberg have any real effect on the war effort with his salvage skills? He also seems to claim a lot of credit for getting the Mulberry harbors over some technical hurdles that might have sunk them for use in the invasion of France. At any rate they are worth a read, except maybe for the last half of The Far Shore.

Been trying to make some progress through Blood & Mistletoe: The Story of the Druids in Britain by Ronald Hutton; I've got an eye on an article about druids in the pulps, most especially Robert E. Howard and Lovecraft's treatments and thoughts on the subject, and felt the background was necessary (aside from general interest in the subject). Very solid book, some unexpected directions and parallels - like how Iolo Morganwg's idea of being a living, continuous link to the medieval Welsh bardic tradition would have echoes centuries later in people claiming ties to continuous traditions of British witchcraft, etc.

Probably not the right subreddit for this, but I asked about a framed letter that's hanging above the mantle of my folks' place that is from President Roosevelt thanking my great-grandfather for some photo albums he put togetherfor Roosevelt's kids.

When I inquired about it, I was directed to some large photos in a plastic tarp under the bed in the spare room that were the pieces we still had. Among them were some photos of Churchill that I think are quite nice.

Would anybody be interested in such things? And where might I ask about getting them appraised and in proper frames and such so that they don't deteriorate?

https://imgur.com/W95vawP.jpg

https://imgur.com/hPuze6B.jpg

Today I was listening to one of my favorite Christmas songs, Snoopy's Christmas, in which Snoopy in a WWI soldier called to fight on that bloody Red Baron on Christmas Eve. The Baron won the skirmish, but elects to not shoot Snoopy in the spirit of the holiday. They go their separate ways in the knowledge they'll fight again.

I understand the appeal of a holiday truce in a war. But, why was Snoopy a WWI soldier? Why not WWII? Was there a glamorization of war plane fighting in the era when those comics were written? Or is the Red Baron based on a specific figure?

I'm looking for a link to a picture & my Google-fu isn't as strong as I thought. It's European early to high Middle Ages, either a painting or a drawing (I think it came from a manuscript but I'm not sure), of men in armor performing acrobatics like handstands & cartwheels. I say early to high Middle Ages because as I recall the men were wearing maille not harness. Any help is appreciated!

NARA research question:

There is correspondence from the US Consulate of New Zealand, 1839, of a riot at Bay of Islands that also included information about a kidnapping. (http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-McN02Hist-t1-body-d1-d31-d9.html)

The response by then US Secretary of State John Forsyth just acknowledges receipt of the letter.

Would the State Department have had further correspondence with state or local governments, or internally, about the kidnapping specifically, and if so where might I find a record of such correspondence?

The first pogrom in Spain is thanks to an adviser to the king. The Divine Ramon Llull agrued against this adviser. The king sided with this man because anxiety and control were used to gain the impressionable Kings favour. Do I have this story somewhat right? Who was the anxious adviser? x gracias x

I was just reading about Simone and Andre Weil, and it got me thinking about the Brontes, Gentile and Giovanni Bellini, Henry and William James, etc. Who are some of your favorite sets of brilliant siblings?

There is a thread her asking about Russias impact in Alaska. I got my history BA at University of Alasks Fairbanks and never once studied Alaskan history. I know Terrence Cole, one of the top people for Northern Studies never once had a class with him. The same for Mery Ehrlander.