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I asked this question on r/vexillology, and a user suggested it has to do with Ottoman history. Hoping someone here has some insight.
Why do crescent moons for flags with Islamic symbols (eg. Turkey, Pakistan) open to the right? Based on my understanding of Islam, the most theologically significant moon phase is the waxing crescent, which opens to the left (In the Northern Hemisphere, where Turkey and Pakistan are located). Is there a historical or design reason for this? Do anglophone countries where left-to-right is the standard display these national flags backward from how they are meant to be displayed in their home contexts?
Does anyone know the origins of the whole "Romans have leather wristbands" thing? I had thought it might have come from stage productions, but the clips I saw of the silent era Ben Hur movies don't have them (which unfortunately also removes the old "blame Lew Wallace" standby), so it was sometime between 1925 and 1951 (everyone in Quo Vadis has one).
The argument I sometimes see is that it was a way to disguise tan lines from wrist watches, but strikes me as implausible because 1) it's a bit overkill, 2) that would also apply to women and the leather wristband thing is mostly men, and 3) there are plenty of color movies where guys in short sleeves don't wear ridiculous leather wristbands. It really seems to be just a sword and sandal thing.
Meta: How is it that when a question is asked that had been similarly asked before, mods and flaired users will so quickly be able to bring up links to the answers in other posts? Is there some sort of master list or does everyone just have really good memories?
Meta: what's the hardest thing you've had to find a historical source to, or the hardest historical source you've had to find?
Any recommendations for an accessible "intro" book to world history? Maybe even like a really good quality textbook that intro courses use or something? I've been woefully exposed to history after high school and kinda wanna get a wide view of everything before diving into specific topics
So I've been reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and it made wonder, was there a specific term back when it was published, for what we now know as the science fiction genre? Which as I understand came into use/was popularised from the 20's onwards.
I know photogammetry (the act of turning real "things" into 3d objects) is used widely in some subdisciplines of archeology like maritime archeology.
So I'm wondering if photogammetry has any use in history?
What is a good book about central American history?
Who's the woman on this old coin?
I have my grandfather's Navy E Pin from WWII (from what I can tell, not a Army-Navy E Pin) photos here: https://imgur.com/a/6II5jIu . I know he worked in the shipyards in the Boston, MA area during the war, but that is about all I know about it.
Is there a way to find out which yard/when it was awarded? Is this even the right sub to put this?
What is the name of the military commander that used to adequately inform his officers of his plans in order to prepare them for unforeseen circumstances? Shared plans would help them react better to changes or unexpected elements on campaign, could have been Caesar or Napoleon I don't remember
I’ve just watched 1917 the film and it showed the main character leaving a British trench, going through German territory, and then meeting up with the British again. My understanding was that the German and Ally lines were solid lines essentially. Were there areas of troops “mixed” like this, or is this just Hollywood storytelling?
How did correspondence courses work in ye olden days? Nowadays distance learning depends a lot on phone or video calls and email so even if they're not physically together students and teachers can communicate pretty directly. How did it work when you were depending on mail which would not have been as frequent? Was each lesson sent weekly, or was it more "here's the textbook, learn it" and then an exam you mailed in?
Can someone help me with this quote? I believe it was about the view from the Arlington House and it was said by a former president. It went something along the lines of "I could live the rest of my life looking at this view." It wasn't those exact words, but it was the same idea.
Ok, I need some monastic military order/crusader states experts because this is driving me crazy;
Did Sweden ever offer The Teutonic State to resell Gotland? I'm not talking about 1399-1408 when the Order owned the island.
I thought it was reoffered in the 1440s or 1450s; around the 13 years war. But the Order couldn't afford it at the time.
I've been digging through my books but I can't find any mention. I don't think I made it up.
About 5 years ago I found a painting of what looks to be a religious figure, next to a dumpster near an apartment building. I thought it was interesting at the time because it was tagged with gold marker. It’s been hanging on my wall ever since, and as I’m looking at it more often I’m curious to know who this person is. I hope someone will be able to help!
Here’s a link to a photo of the painting: https://imgur.com/a/LI7czSw
Is there a reason as to why we can't use the same 4 digits when writing in roman numerals?
For example, when writing 4, we can't use IIII, we need to use IV
During the US civil war what would be expected of Union soldiers in terms of facial hair and grooming? Would they need to shave often or just keep the beard at a certain length? would they shave themselves (if so how) or did barbers or soldiers who could do it offer their services?
How many Americans are estimated to have died in the 19th century to Cholera? I see that 150k are estimated to have been killed in the 1832 outbreak and 1849 outbreak, but how many were killed in each? And how many are estimated to have died to cholera outside of that?
What was the number of artillery the French Army had during WW1?
My grandmother found this photo from her uncle who was killed in the first world war, unfortunately no one in the family is fluent enough in German to read it. Can anyone translate it? https://i.imgur.com/tBeJd6S.jpg
In 2014, the Knights Hospitaller returned to Malta; Did the Teutonic Order ever an attempt to return to Prussia after the Duchy or Kingdom gained independence, or during the German Empire?
What’s the best biography on General William Sherman of the Union Army?
Can you recommend me any books which goes deep into Asian history? It could be country by country (or region) but I would really like it to go deep, full of information.
My language is spanish and I havent been able to find one that is good enough for what I am looking for in my language.
Also, I would need it to be avaliable somewhere to be bought! English or spanish. If you know any good website with history books but you don't know any specific for this issue it could also be of very good help!
Thank you sooooo much!
I'm writing a novel about the Anglo Saxons in the migration period. Could someone tell whether these names fit would early Angels, Saxons, and Jutes? I'm not sure if some of them are a bit too viking-ish:
Oeric, Hrolf, Eanhere, Sighelm, Harol, Frogast, Wigbert, Wulfa, Torvald, Æthelbold, Egin.
Thanks!
Is there an online newspaper database for American, British or Mexican papers? Something like Brazil's Hemeroteca Digital
Just watched the PBS special about Mr Tornado - Theodore Fujita. It mentions however briefly that one of the last thing that Doctor Fujita undertook was to document what was happening to his health. He was diagnosed as diabetic but he did not respond to medicine. He documented his condition, symptoms and intense pain but the episode just says that he died November 19, 1998. Does any know what condition he actually had?
