Short Answers to Simple Questions | March 11, 2020

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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corruptrevolutionary

A lot of the premodern sewing needles seem really thick for sewing regular cloths. Is this survivor bias where the really small needles rotted away?

Or we do have the small needles and I just haven't seen them?

Or they use those thicc bois?

corruptrevolutionary

Were there any attempts to revive the Hussite war wagon battle tactics in the following centuries, particularly the 19th century?

Skipp_To_My_Lou

"Women were not allowed to ride in early trains for fear the high speed would cause their uteruses (uterii?) to fly out" is a frequently repeated factoid, but where does it come from? In the little bit of Googling I did I could never track down a scholarly source for the claim.

  • Was that a commonly held medical opinion in the early days of rail?

  • Was it a common folk belief, even if unsupported by the science of the day?

EDIT

  • Was it a modern invention to make the past seem even more misogynistic than it already was?

If this needs to be a standalone question please let me know.

YB-2110

How did addresses work in the first cities. like let's say I wanted to mail my friend a clay tablet in a a different part of Ur or send a scroll to my friend in ancient Ravenna in Rome what system would I use to make sure the message got to him.

U-N-C-L-E

Can we possibly get a megathread about pandemics? Seems like some historical context would be really useful for dealing with Coronavirus as it continues to spread.

EDIT: Here is an example of how historical context can be helpful. Comparing 2 approaches cities took to the Spanish Flu: https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/104/18/7582/F1.large.jpg

NicLewisSLU

Where (country or university) were the first academic departments in the Chinese language hosted in Europe?

[deleted]

I'm looking for an explanation of why Italians despised socialists so much after WWI. I've been reading about Mussolini and his black shirts but so far I cannot find any articles explaining the real reason they were attacking socialists and why this was supported by the public.

I would really just like to be pointed towards any free articles if anyone has one.

JHorsti

Why did the german Fliegertruppe change their insignia from an Iron Cross to the Balkenkreuz in 1918?

LDP102

How high where factory buildings in 1860 london.

--vera--

Was there an equivalent to DeNazification in Japan post World War 2?

StockingDummy

It's a popular trope that Native Americans were mystified when they first encountered the firearms of European settlers, to the point of considering them outright magic. While guns would obviously be bewildering to someone who had never encountered them before, has this reaction been exaggerated over time? And how long, if at all, did this magical aura last?

WeakCatch3

Were Catholic missionaries in Latin America state-sponsored?

ComradeConnor

I have heard some people argue that Wehrmacht soldiers were forced to participate in atrocities under penalty of death. But the wording of things like the Barbarossa Decree seems to imply that the slaughter of civilians by soldiers was something which could be done at their own discretion, and was thus not forced on them, under penalty of death or otherwise. Were there ever any Wehrmacht soldiers who were court martialed and executed for not participating in war crimes?

AH_LA_questioner

Why are there so many "First" churches, and so few (if any?) "Second" and "Third" churches?

chefmenteur

When was the last time we saw general society shut down (businesses, schools, events) the way we expect them to or the way they have (Italy) for COVID-19?

Thinking 9/11 in the US but that was very short-lived and most businesses, schools, etc. in the US stayed open.

flying_shadow

In 1965 USA, what percentage of the population had a car?

Joe-Cool-

Was the so called "baby boomer" generation responsible and active in the counter culture movement of the 1960s. If so, why are they/perceived as being anti-youth and anti-change. If not, what generation was?

FenderES6137

Ive read a bit about hitler's notion of a master race. I've read a few conflicting things. Did he think that white people (specifically aryan) with blonde hair and blue eyes were any better than aryans with dark hair (like Hitler himself)? It's just that people seem to conflate the term 'aryan' with 'blonde hair, blue eyes', but from what I've read they aren't the same (however there is overlap, in that everyone who has blonde hair and blue eyes will be aryan).

I'm interested in this because I've heard several different teachers in my life talk about his ideas of a master race and it's always extremely vague or not in line with what I've heard others say. I think because Hitler caused so much chaos and evil that people are happy with saying he hated almost everyone. But I'm interested in specifics.

Dinosaur_Rider

What was the longest battle in history before the Battle of Verdun?

memories_torn_apart

So my school library has two books on the history of modern Japan. Which one is better?

• Marius Jansen’s The Making of Modern Japan (2000)

or

• James McClain’s Japan, A Modern History (2002)

MizunoGolfer15-20

Who is this guy? How is he regarded?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjunpZz2EhU

What is the academic opinion of Andrew Roberts? I like his books

geometrical-bat

What building was 'View from the window at le gras' taken from, I cant find information on its exact location

yaboijeff69

How did Ethiopia become Christian (Coptic) ?

Ativan_Ativan

I remember there being an African American leader during reconstruction era that advocated for black’s to get a practical education and he opened trade schools to teach practical skills so that blacks would be “useful” in society in hopes that it would give them more social worth and eventually rights and power in society. It was highly contentious because a lot of blacks felt they deserved a “real” eduction in things like Math and history and science and didn’t need to learn trades to be valuable to white people.

WHAT WAS THIS GUYS NAME!? I tried looking it up and can’t find it. Please help!

Fr0ski

What did the original fanta made in Nazi Germany taste like?

Lubnut113

How many Britons lived within the British Empire Colonies (excluding dominions) around the time of 1914- decolonization

Dr_C_

Who was the last living American to be born before the end of the American Revolution? When did they die?

TheyGonHate

When did gangsters start dancing?

earnestadmission

After the American Revolutionary War, did Tories fly the Union Jack in the same way that people in the south often fly the Confederate flag today?