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Why did the Japanese during World War II refer to themselves as "the one hundred million" when the actual population of Japan was about 70 million? Who first used the 100 million number and in what context?
More medieval Russia, but earlier this time:
In Ibn Fadlan's account of his travels on the Volga, he mentions that the Bulgars once hanged 'an intelligent man from Sind.' Is this Sindh in modern-day Pakistan, or somewhere else?
I have been told that there is an Arabic chronicler who included an anecdote of Viking merchants destroying images of the gods after being ripped off. Having just gone through Ibn Fadlan it can't be him, but obviously there were many others such as Ibn Rustah, so does such a story exist or was the person who told me misremembering Ibn Fadlan?
Is this an ok place to ask for book recommendations? If so, I was wondering if one or more of the folks here could recommend a book about the Mayan Civilization. I'd like a book that a non-historian can still get into as I'm certainly no historian, but I'd like something that stands up to academic scrutiny, you know?
I'd like to apologize first, as this is my first time on the sub, and I may not know if I'm asking the right questions or addressing anyone or anything correctly. I may be in the wrong sub, but I figured I would start here. I swear I've read about symbolism behind men exposing their right or left breast while covering the rest of the body in eastern culture. Maybe it's not limited to men, maybe the side exposed/covered doesn't matter, and maybe it's not specific to the west or east, but I am pretty sure I've read of it somewhere. All I get when I try to look for it, however, are articles about breast cancer and the symbolism of women exposing their breast in western culture.
Basically, is there any symbolism behind men exposing a single breast in Eastern uculture, if there is, what is it, and if there's not, what are similar practices I may be confusing for this one?
What is the traditional Chinese emperor hair pin accessory called? I'm talking about those bands I've seen on their buns like this: https://i0.wp.com/www.china-cart.com/u/158/2791541/Ancient_China_Emperor_Helmet_Head_Pieces.gif.
Is that kind of head piece count as a wangjin? I am under the impression a wangjin was more something for common folk.
Is there a book that gives a good overview of the history of Jews in Europe? Most of what I know is from a 19th-century or later context, and reading Geary's The Myth of Nations has made me realize that projecting my assumptions back to earlier periods may be a bad idea.
Was there any connection between the Hungarian Revolution and the Suez Crisis in 1956? They occurred concurrently but one started earlier, so I'm wondering if one had any impact on the other or the response to it.
During Joseon Dynasty in Korea, I know it was King Sejong who invented Hangul(current Korean writing) which evolved over time. Orally, did they speak Chinese language before that, and started to speak Korean after invention of Hangul?
Where can I get more sources of information about the role of the East India company in the opium trade in India and China. Also, any information about the decline and subsequent illegality of it.
How accurate is this punishment cage shown in Outlaw King? Seems to me that a woman (or a small man) could easily fit through the gaps and climb the rope, if she were brave enough.
who is this? The other side is a picture of Jesus
Did any British Civil Service offices have 'imperial' in their name at some point of their existence? The only thing I could find is that head of the British Army was called Chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1909 to 1964. Also, as far as I can tell, Imperial War Museum and Imperial Institute are/were non-government organizations
The following quote is from a British Act of Parliament, 1813:
[a] small Piece of Waste Land, lying between the said Land of the said William Goldfinch, hereinbefore described, and the Turnpike Road aforesaid, containing by Statute Measure Thirty eight Perches or thereabouts, on Part of which the Public Pound lately stood;
It's part of a long list of descriptions of parcels of land in a district that consists of mixed agriculture, a hamlet, a saltern, and a nearby army barracks, a couple of miles from the nearest town and on the London road.
In this context, what does "Public Pound" mean? Google Books suggests it may be a synonym for "overt pound" without really getting into what it is. What would it look like? Who owned it? What was it for?
Are there any notable accounts of a battle pitched with three or more assailants, with no allegiances to one another? For example, I imagine there must have been some periods in history, e.g. the English kingdoms vying for power between one another in the 600s, where an army has come to do battle with another, only to find them already engaged with a mutual enemy. TLDR: historic free for all battles, did they happen.
Hi! I'm working on an exhibit and have a how-to-research question:
Is there a way to get census data by neighborhoods within a city?
Edit: To be more specific, I'm looking for census data on the South Providence neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island. The exhibit is for Black History Month and focuses on the South Providence neighborhood. The census data I'm looking for is between 1940-2010 and I want to be able to track the residents by ethnicity, home ownership by ethnicity, average age, and employment status.
Any and all help is very much appreciated!
I'm going to be going to a pirate-themed murder mystery party in June, and I wanted to make some interesting props/souvenirs. Namely, I wanted to bring some coinage, both practical (monetary) and fun (token-based). The theme is 1600's Jamaica. I was planning to make some Jamaican Escudo's or Gold Doubloons, is that the correct time period, or at least close enough?
Also, I may be backfilling into a female character role, and for fun I had the idea to hand out brothel tokens. Would those be anachronistic? If so, that's fine, I'll just find one that looks neat, but if not it'd be neat if I could bring some period-accurate brothel tokens as well.
My idea is to model them in CAD and print them with my 3d printer. To do that, I just need some photos. Could someone who's familiar with the area/time period help me out?
Allegedly, there was one deputy at the trial of Louis XVI who claimed that 'today, if death did not exist, it would be necessary to invent it.' Is this at all supported by contemporary evidence, or is it a later literary appellation?
What was the population of Leon in Iberia around the year 1100 A.D.? What about the populations of Cordoba, Seville, Valencia, etc.? (Actually, a list of the largest cities in Iberia during that time, along with their populations would be greatly appreciated.) :D
Posting here because I don't think this deserves its own post and didn't see anything in the rules about this kind of request, but can anyone recommend good sources regarding the Italian Wars (1494-1559)? Anything would be great but re: weapons and tactics would be most appreciated.
Hello, were there Any quote from otto von bismarck saying "if there was 100 grams of intellegence abdul hamid would have 90 and I 5 and other Leaders 5 grams" and another quote about the love between Turks and Germans? 🤔
Thanks!
A couple of further questions about Mongols in Russia:
I have heard that Mongols remained in prominent positions in the Muscovite state even after the overthrow of the 'Mongol yoke' due to their higher literacy. Was this the case?
I have also heard that this apparent expulsion of the Mongols was largely the result of a Mongol factional dispute in which the Muscovites simply played their cards right. Again, how valid is this?
I’m looking to learn more about Anglican Evensong in the mid-to-late 19th century, with a particular interest in the musical aspects (hymns used, use of contemporaneous composers vs older settings, etc.).
I’m looking either for summaries/descriptions or for examples of Orders of Service from that era, but haven’t found any. Any suggestions where to look?
Does anyone know any history about the name Korbin? I know it's the americanized version of Corbin, I know it's supposed to mean Raven, I guess there were a few cases of people being named Korbin in the 1800s, and that's all I know about it. It's not a super old name and not many people have it. I've been looking around trying to find basically any history at all about the name and I pretty much keep getting ancestry type ads that tell me nothing. Does anyone know anything about it? People other than a few celebrities that might have had it?
How did they record things in earlier wars? I’ve seen short black and white recordings but I thought cameras were significantly larger back then. ( my question comes from a world war 1 documentary)
Is it true that Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan were, in fact, British protectorates? If so, why do we refer to them as countries who weren't colonized?
Did Newton steal calculus from prior people of prior civilizations as this man claims? https://twitter.com/DonaldR20970193/status/1093601510162944001
First country in the world to introduce voting?
During what years did David and Solomon rule Israel? Wikipedia gives 970–931 BCE for Solomon, is this accurate?
How many Roman senators were killed/captued in Cannae? Do we have a figure for the whole Punic Wars? I've seen conflicting figures to the first one, from 8 to thirty.
Can someone give me a quick rundown of what neoliberalism is about? There's recently been a lot of talk where I live aboutif it was even a thing or not - and I can't find a coherent definition.
When did Jim become a common diminutive for James in the English-speaking world?
Hello, I need to track down a source for national territory sizes, particularly for Europe and South America (including smaller countries) over the mid-19th to early 20th centuries, and am having a hard time finding one. Information on the territories that change hands seems more common than their sizes, so I should be able to line them up myself if I have to.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Who was this Byzantine Emperor who accidentally sold his own Mother into slavery by not being mindful of what he's signing?
Not sure if real history or just royal legends.
The story goes that the Emperor's spouse wanted to teach him a lesson about his carelessness when signing decrees. So she presented him one to sign that contained, among other things, what is written in the title, and he signed it.
anyone got a clue? I think his wife had two "first" names. (similar to "Marie Antoinette", if you get me)
Would the Versailles court of Louis XIV bear comparison to the court of the contemporary Kangxi Emperor?
In Game Of Thrones, during the Battle of Blackwater the enemy is shown flipping a boat over and using it as a giant shield to reach the gate. Is there any historical evidence that this was ever a viable seige tactic or is such a thing 100% fiction?
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Who is this supposed to be on the right in this David Low cartoon? Initials LL. G
Were the original members of the 1st/2nd continental congress elected by the people? What gave them the right to decide the fate of the entire Eastern Seaboard??
Is it possible to ride moas ? Did maoris or europeans do so ?
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I know you can ride ostrichs, and moas are bigger and stronger, but did people think about doing so ?
Is there a good biography of al-Khwarizmi for laymen of history and mathematics?
