Short Answers to Simple Questions | December 11, 2019

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.

corruptrevolutionary

Mechanical clocks were a medieval invention but how small could they be?

Clock towers are famous but could the nobility or rich merchants have a grandfather-like clock or mantle clock in their home?

IllustriousBank9

I'm wondering if Michel-Rolph Trouillot's Silencing the Past would be appropriate for a 100-level history class. I want to expose my students to ideas about power and the production of history but I am unsure if it might be too much for that level. In lieu of it, what would you recommend as an accessible alternative?

AsleepHistorian

What was the population of the City of London (a.k.a. square mile) in the eighteenth century. It's currently only at 7300, but all sources say 650000-750000 which obviously is referencing London as a whole. Did they know the population? Did they take censuses?

AH_LA_questioner

Is there a historical specialty for environmental studies from a human perspective? I'm thinking a focus that would answer questions like "Did ancient societies curb their deforestation, and was it due to concern for the environment?" or "When did pollution become a social issue, and was it first from the standpoint of ecological damage or from the standpoint of aesthetics?"

If there is a specialty within professional history for this, are there any schools that are particularly well known for it? Or are there any journals that focus on it?

Seek3r67

What were the United States objectives going into the Boxer Rebellion?

inkdragonfly

I remember reading about a type of cheap pamphlet or publication during the Victorian era which summarized the plot points from popular serialized works. This allowed people who couldn't necessarily afford the actual books or magazines to keep up with the events. What were these early "wikipedia/ sparknotes-esque" publications called?

I skimmed the article for penny dreadfuls and i don't think that's what they were because the penny dreadfuls seemed like original works.

themiddlestHaHa

Does anyone have any source recommendations I could read/watch that go into detail what the Soviet economy was actually like to participate in? I’ve struggled trying to understand exactly how their economy actually functioned

SamurAshe

Hello, im new here.

Why were the british outraged by japan's 21 demands that would kinda make china a protectorate?

they themselves basically controlled India + Burma + Malaya in Asia, which i find equally outrageous diplomatically.

Ausemati

What bayonet would be issued to someone drafted between WWII and Korea?

Calanon

This is potentially overlapping with modern military, but eh.

Reading about the crew of an RAF bomber crew during WWII and it says of the pilot "He was the captain of the aircraft regardless of his rank (in relation to other crew members)..." Does this mean that if the pilot's rank was squadron leader the crew would refer to him as captain and other pilots by callsign/squadron leader?

AH_LA_questioner

Anyone here have an opinion on "Heroic Failure and the British" by Stephanie Barczewski?

I was pointed to it by an online recommendation engine. It seems to me to be "serious history" told from an accessible POV. But I also wonder if it's too "pop history"-ish.

dawhatthefuck

Are there any myths surrounding the unique geographical features of North America ( for instance the visible strata of the Minnesota River Valley, Grand Canyon, and Canadian Shield), similar to how to Scottish and Irish myth surrounding basaltic columns were explained as Giant’s making bridges?

tree1000ten

So how long has rice been the staple food for Arabs? I thought rice didn't really grow well in that part of the world. For example during Muhammad's time, what did people in Mecca and Medina eat as their staple food?

Gillmacs

How long has shaving been commonplace? Why did it start?

random_Italian

Why were the Oaths of Strasbourg (842) made in the "vulgar" languages instead of Latin? Was there any political motivation behind it?

Teakilla

How tall was Hideki Tojo?

HisMajestysShip

Were king's illegitimate sons considered as members of royal family?

For example, Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton (illegitimate son of Charles II) His royal highness 1st Duke of Grafton? His grace 1st Duke of grafton?

chronoception

What do we think about The Lost City of Z?

starsdust_etc

Is there a specific word for political street gatherings during the French Revolution, where there's like one guy on a podium making a speech to a street crowd?

Jade-Gate

When were internet browser tabs invented.

There's too much misinformation out there, for example buffoons claiming nonsense like this is tabbed browsing.

Thank you.

Not-A-Dutch-Lawyer

In the early 1990s there seemed to be a lot of allegations from the United States Government that the Cuban government including the Castros was directly involved in cocaine drug trafficking. Looking back do we know if this is true and if so is their any good sources about it?

OnShoulderOfGiants

Were Neanderthals/other early humans around at the same time as early Ancient Egypt?