Today:
You know the drill: this is the thread for all your history-related outpourings that are not necessarily questions. Minor questions that you feel don't need or merit their own threads are welcome too. Discovered a great new book, documentary, article or blog? Has your Ph.D. application been successful? Have you made an archaeological discovery in your back yard? Did you find an anecdote about the Doge of Venice telling a joke to Michel Foucault? Tell us all about it.
As usual, moderation in this thread will be relatively non-existent -- jokes, anecdotes and light-hearted banter are welcome.
Your Weekly /r/askhistorians Recap
Friday, February 07 - Thursday, February 13
###Top 10 Posts
| score | comments | title & link |
|---|---|---|
| 7,980 | 127 comments | Did Romans sometimes get hit by stray arrows/spears at the colosseum, the way people get hit by foul balls at baseball games today? |
| 4,476 | 197 comments | This might not be a traditional ask, but my grandmother (96F) just passed away. She has a box full of letters that she sent to my grandfather during WWII. As a family we have selected a few to keep. My mother plans to throw the others (100+) in the garbage. Are these something worth donating? |
| 3,641 | 110 comments | In 1986, Microsoft Windows advertising stipulated Windows was available "except in Nebraska". Why? |
| 3,294 | 49 comments | Seven out of the ten US presidents in the period from 1869 to 1923 were from the state of Ohio, yet before or since not a single other president has been. Was this just a coincidence or was there some kind of political significance to the state at this time? |
| 3,116 | 61 comments | What role did a ‘village idiot’ play in the society of the time? |
| 3,103 | 68 comments | I am a German farmer in the mid 1800's that wants to move to the New World for "a better life". How do I choose which country to emigrate to? What advantages/disadvantages do Canada, the USA, Brazil, and Argentina have that would make me choose one over the other? |
| 2,901 | 41 comments | Why is Poland, despite having been under socialist rule, a very catholic nation today, but East Germany, also ruled by socialists for decades, is very atheistic? |
| 2,743 | 77 comments | Did ancient civilizations have ancient civilizations? |
| 2,031 | 46 comments | Were prisons in the US segregated? And if so, what was the transition period like? |
| 1,781 | 28 comments | What would convince potential Roman army soldiers that after their 25 years, they would receive land and citizenship? |
###Top 10 Comments
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There are very few romantic stories involving the life of H. P. Lovecraft - but there is one.
While visiting Magnolia, that beautiful, exclusive summer resort on the north shoe of Massachusetts, we often walked to Gloucester, which was a distance of about four miles. On our way we passed a beautiful esplanade. One evening while walking along this esplanade, the full moon reflecting its light in the water, a peculiar and unusual noise heard at a distance as of a loud snorting and grunting, the shimmering light forming a moon-path on the water, the round tops of the submerged piles in the water exposed a rope connecting them like a huge spider’s guy-line, gave the vivid imagination full play for an interesting weird tale. “Oh, Howard,” I exclaimed, “here you have the setting for a real strange and mysterious story.” Said he, “Go ahead, and write it.” “Oh, no, I couldn’t do it justice,” I answered. “Try it. Tell me what the scene pictures to your imagination.” And as we walked along we neared the edge of the water. Here I described my interpretation of the scene and the noises. His encouragement was so enthusiastic and sincere that when we parted for the night, i sat up and wrote the general outline which he later revised and edited. His continued enthusiasm the next day was so genuine and sincere that in appreciation I surprised and shocked him right then and there by kissing him. He was so flustered that he blushed, then he turned pale. When I chaffed him about it he said he had not been kissed since he was a very small child and that he was never kissed by any woman, not even by his mother or aunts, since he grew to manhood, and that he would probably never be kissed again. (But I fooled him.)
—Sonia H. Davis, The Private Life of H. P. Lovecraft 19
The story would be "The Horror at Martin's Beach," and was written in 1922, during or shortly after the Magnolia visit (26 June – 5 July). It was published as “The Invisible Monster” by Sonia H. Greene in the November 1923 issue. Sonia and Howard were married on 3 March 1924.