What did explorers/naturalists think when they first came across gorillas in Africa? I imagine it would be quite shocking to find giant animals so much like humans.

My 75 yo father swears that the jingle every American of his age knows,

N-E-S-T-L-E-S, NESTLE makes the very best... Chooooc-laaate which ran on TV from 1955-1965, appeared in a French Horn lick in an opera he was listening to in the car in the 1970s. It even delivered the last line with a "wah-wah" intonation after a pause, just as the jingle did. Unfortunately he drove out of range before the station identified the opera.

He claims the opera was an older piece that would have predated the jingle, but possibly some local orchestra slipped in the jingle as a joke during a contemporary performance.

Who authored this jingle - someone in the 1950s or an opera composer?

Did Communist UN members extensively participate in peacekeeping missions during Cold War?

What's the origin of "Singing in the shower"?

Have we always whistled a tune while bathing?

The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party was created in 1898, split to menshevik/bolshevik fractions in 1903, bolsheviks split off into a separate party in 1912, had their first official party conference in 1917, and officially renamed themselves to communists in 1918. If I were to ask a Soviet party official in 1960 "how old is your party", would he answer 62, 57, 48, 43 or 42 years (or some other number)?

Is Canada's dominion day of July 1st being so close to the 4th of July just a coincidence or a little bit of national political oneupmanship (we get to celebrate before you-type of thing)?

Was Anne Boleyn a protestant? Was she trying to convert Henry VIII? How much did she succeed?

Why is it Marxism and not Engelism?

Bobby Kennedy, after his speech at the Ambassador Hotel in LA in 1968, was supposedly re-routed through the kitchen to by-pass crowds and because it was a short cut to the press room. His body guard did not want him to go through the kitchen. Senator Kennedy was shot in the kitchen passageway. Because it sounds like this was a last minute detour, has it ever been discussed whether this was a contributing factor as Sirhan Sirhan the shooter, may never have had access to Senator Kennedy had he taken a different route.

Were there any civilizations that believed that the Moon was another world like Earth or that other beings lived on the Moon?

Was the Soviet Union actually communist? Is China communist? I got into a debate with someone over it, and they said neither were communist since you had to be classless, stateless, and moneyless to have actual communism. They said that since the Soviet Union and China had states and money, they aren't communist. Is that true? Are they communist?

What is the history of historical re-enactments?

Of course, the US civil war is one of the most famous but more and more periods and people are getting into it, so...

When did it start and would a Prussian Junker in 1625 seem weird to dress like a Teutonic Knight of 1400 because his great great great grandfather was a Teutonic Knight who converted to Lutheranism?

So, many of us today understand racism to have its roots in white supremacist thinking and Western imperialism, but I'm wondering if there is an account of a "first conflict" that occurred based on a more "primitive"/intuitive form of racism. I found this post by /u/MiffedMouse which touches on this issue and mentions that, "you can also see distinctions based on skin color where a large number of (white) europeans and (black) africans coexisted, especially in the Iberian Peninsula."

When did this kind of thing first occur that we know of, and what were the consequences? (A conflict based on skin color between two different populations)

Is it still appropriate to refer to historical Chinese scholar - bureaucrats as mandarins?

This is more of a “meta” question that does not deserve its own thread. Namely, I want to post a thread about options for pursuing a history degree for adult professionals in America. Haven’t seen a thread like that in AH before and the rules don’t seem to address if it’s permissible or not.

Is it? If not, is there any other subreddit you all would recommend posting it?

In the medieval times Latin was often used as the official language, as well as the language of the educated.

How often did the people proficient in Latin (for example the nobles) used Latin in casual conversations? Did they prefer Latin or vernacular languages for non-official purposes?

Does the invention of photography mark a new part of history, and if so, is there a term for it? Kinda like written history, but the next step/transition of that. Obviously not that photographs have replaced written history, but they're a big departure of what humans used to do to record history. Photographic history? Photographic times? Something like that.

Have any of Newton's blueprints (including dimensions) survived that show his telescope? I'm wanting to see exactly the process he used in order to make it. He definitely would have had blueprints at some time.

In World War I, were Mark I Brodie helmets only green and khaki, or were there grey variants? If so, did the grey helmets denote rank or were they simply randomly distributed? If you can only answer one of the questions, any help is much appreciated. Thanks.

I wanted to know if medieval warfare in India was fought by people with spears and ranged weapoms like most of the world or were swords more popular? I am asking this because some medieval practices in India weren't optimal. Also, I read that tight formations weren't as prevalent which I imagine would reduce the effectiveness of spears and pikes.

I'd like to learn more about the Soviet Union and the Cold War, but want something(s) that is/are suitable for a history noob and gives me a broad overview rather than anything too in-depth. (Almost like 'The Soviet Union for Dummies') Any suggestions?

What percentage of families in America in the 50s actually had a dad that worked and mom that stayed home? How realistic was this actually?

I would like to know wich were the consecuences of avoiding the draft during the Vietnam War in the USA. Did you have any posibility to just say "No, I'll go to jail instead." ?

Forgive me if this is a stupid question. From my limited reading most of history seems inevitably tied to covering wars and conflicts. What (if any) are the most interesting people/periods/civilisations to read about that have little to do with war?

who were the main inhabitants of today france and iberian peninsula before celts came there?

Why do you no longer list podcasts on your recommenced resources page for this subreddit? Also if you were to list them again, which ones would be on there?

I've never really heard it stated where, exactly, the counterculture of the Vietnam War era stood on the political spectrum. Would it be considered liberal? Progressive? Leftist? Or was it a blending of people of different ideologies, like we see in some modern political movements?

Who was the KKK Publicist in the 60s-70s that tried reinventing the Klan with a phrase similar to, "We're not anti-black, we're pro-white."

I believe I saw it in a documentary a few years ago.

Could anyone point me towards maps of California prior to its several large lakes being drained by irrigation projects?

I was turned onto this by looking into the background of Tulare Lake, and the idea came to me that a map of the state must have looked so much different in the past (that is, assuming good maps existed prior to the lakes being drained).

Was the 1924 Apache Raid in Arizona the last time a war/battle has been fought on the soil of the contiguous United States?

I can’t find much info about this event but from the few things I’ve read online it claims to be the end of the American Indian Wars (which I believe is the last time a battle or skirmish/ conflict has taken place in the contiguous USA).

Hi there, I'm wondering if any French historians can confirm the veracity of a claim made about the 18th century "performer" and horrifying "geek" Terrare -- namely this:

It’s unclear whether Tarrare was his real name or a nickname; “bom-bom tarare!” [note the variant spelling] was a popular French expression at the time used to describe powerful explosions, and Bondeson speculates that it may have been applied to Tarrare because of his prodigious flatulence.

Link to the wikipedia page that sources it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarrare#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBondeson2004275_4-0

I've read Bodson's book thoroughly but he doesn't provide a specific source for this claim. I'm in the middle of combing through his sources but it's slow going. I'm a writer and and english prof but I wouldn't know how to go about finding info on an idiomatic term and I don't speak French :(

Any ideas? I'd be super interested in anything related to this, especially its linguistic history. Thanks!

Yesterday a r/todayilearned post with 100,000 upvotes said that the Nazis published a book "One Hundred Authors Against Einstein". Is this true?

[Despite appearances, the question is actually difficult to find the answer to. That the book was published in 1931 is known. That some of the authors were either Nazis or Nazi-sympathizers is known. The difficult question that I can't find the answer to is whether Nazis were responsible for publishing the book, or whether it was simply published by German scientists independently.]

how and and way did Hawaii became a state just what to know why

Hello, I'm wondering if anyone knows of a familial relationship of two famous historical figures between a nephew and his uncle/aunt that's perhaps not well known? An example in pop culture would be that Nicolas Cage is the nephew of Talia Shire. I can't think of a corresponding example in history. Ideally, the nephew and his uncle/aunt would have different last names, to disguise the relationship better. Thanks!

Did people in older times, like medieval or 1700s era, love their kids like we do today? Or were they born to “work” and “provide”? Did they mourn when they lost a child?

I know it sounds ridiculous but it is a genuine question I have had for a long time.

Anyone know what the cutoff age to serve in the Army during World War II would have been?

The age limit now is like 35 (apparently ) but what about back then?

I;m not 100% sure that this is the right place to ask, but I think it fits. Does anyone now the source of the quote "One mustn't look at the abyss, because there is at the bottom an inexpressible charm which attracts us.". I know it was said by french novelist Gustave Flaubert, but was it from one of his books, or was it something that he was quoted saying in a biography?

Which leader was it that turned his male slave (I think) into his wife and cut off his genitalia? I think it was in ancient Rome, not sure though. I tried to Google search, but didn't find anything.

What did Kaiser Wilhelm or the wider German Government think of King Ferdinand of Romania? A german born Hohenzollern who fought against Germany? Especially after his uncle King Carol being a pro-german monarch that signed Romania into the Central Powers albeit secretly.

Also are the rumors of Ferdinand being a cuckold true?

When did Jefferson say “Slavery is an abomination and must be loudly proclaimed as such, but I own that I nor any other man has any immediate solution to the problem”?

Does anyone have any recommendations for a book that deconstructs the confederate lost cause myth that a non-historian could read? Thanks.

Why were Napoleonic/Revolutionary era uniforms so impractical? I already searched this sub for Napoleonic/Revolutionary era uniforms and but none of the answers answered the question of why such impractical clothes. In comparison American civil war era uniforms seem much more practical and there was a unit that fought in Revolutionary style uniform before having to switch to a normal uniform because it became too expensive.

Is there any historical connection between "fainting" couches and Méridienne style Chaise Lounges?

Not as much a direct question, but scouting if an answer is even possible on AH...

Is there anyone on AH with an expertise in high-performance computing and solver codes developed by government labs? I'm particularly interested in the history of DYNA3D.

Which books or documentaries do you recommend about the subject of comfort women and how it still affects Japan's relationship with Korea and China.

What would like to receive as a gift? I have a client who is very kindly writing a personal statement for me. I know she has a general interest in history (no specific time period) and I'd like to get her something for around £20. Any ideas?

Could someone briefly break down the differences between: a colony (in the "European colonialism" sense), a puppet/client state, and an occupation?

Is most of our ancient historical knowledge something that has been passed down and known since it occurred or something that we've only recently discovered in the last couple hundred years? Have humans been aware of these ancient civilisations (Hittites, Assyrians, etc.) for a long time?

I'm interested in seeing if anyone has book recommendations that examines the american civil war/lead up to it from the confederate/southern perspective. History is written by the victors, so I'd like to read how it would be written by the losers, so to speak.

What was the name of the Englishman who noted the irony of America declaring "all men are created equal" while simultaneously owning slaves?

When you search up the Nazi uniforms made by Hugo Boss, the image of the german soldier that comes up (in the text below). What year was this photo taken? Is that a modern person or an actual nazi soldier???? Sorry if this sounds dumb.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcR_HZiAIYcvC8ja7WcO2bADrgsfDxU6KrHdAQ&usqp=CAU