This is more meta, but I was wondering if the mod team wanted to put into context the 1776 Commission report similar to the post about the recent U.S. Capitol attack. I saw this post the other day about a specific aspect of the 1776 Commission, but since this sub does so much to curb revisionist history and to prevent the spread of racist ideologies, I think a post putting the 1776 Commission into context would be a great service to the community.

Maybe it's not worthy of being addressed and will be brushed off. I just wonder how future revisionists or other groups may try to use the report in the future. I could see very conservative schools districts trying to us the document. I've been reading in current media historians who are debunking the report and its historical accuracy, didn't know if this sub was interested in something more detailed than users submitting individual questions. Or maybe that's best way to handle it. I don't know. Thoughts?

Edit: note, that question I linked to was posted by /u/Paulie_Gatto

Did the first Californian congressmen get to DC via buggy over months? That seems impractical but I don’t know what else they would’ve done since the transcontinental railroad wasn’t constructed yet.

What were the formal charges for which Thomas Cromwell was executed?

Most everything I reads suggests there was a series of poor moves by Cromwell culminating in the less-than-ideal marriage of Henry VIII to Anne of Cleves. But I’m guessing that “I’m mad at you for that so I’m having you executed” wouldn’t have reflected well on Henry, so I’m wondering what exactly the alleged reasons were against Cromwell and how exaggerated/truthful they were.

It's a [meta] question really: How do you find previous answers to questions so easily? I have a bit of trouble using reddit search mode to look for answers and I was wondering if I was missing something? Or do you just google "topic askhistorians" ?

Why did the Confederacy pick a capital so close to the Union’s capital?

Who was the last US President to meet George Washington?

Why do we have so many candid photos of Hitler? I've been reading 1940s Time magazines for research on home life during WWII and there a lot of candids of Hitler. How did we get them? It seems like he was constantly being photographed just hanging out or literally dancing. Was Germany very keen on photographing him at all times of day and sending them to us or something? It feels very strange

What's the difference between an Anglo Saxon Burh and a Norman castle?

What role did the Burhs have in resisting the Norman conquest?

Who is the gentleman behind FDR in this picture from his inauguration in 1945? I've been searching for a while to figure out who this is, but I can't seem to figure it out. Thanks for any help!

Here is the picture I've been looking at for reference, it's the gentleman with black hair directly behind FDR: https://i.imgur.com/waFukkA.jpg

Edit: Because someone told me in the thread that got deleted I wasn't being clear.....I am asking about the gentleman who is clearly shown behind FDR, not some out of focus person in the background or someone with their face 3/4s covered in the photo. Sorry if there was confusion about what "directly behind" means.

I want to read about politics in Medieval Italy, Germany, France, and the Norse countries. How did a Kingdom's government actually work? Who were its members, and what were their positions? What are the practical differences between a Duke and a Count? What was actually discussed when court was held. Stuff like that. Any book recommendations?

If you were able to ask a commoner living in the London England area in the year 1700 'what year is it?', would they tell me '1700'? What about someone in 1600? 1500? At what time would they tell me a year that didn't match our own concept of the year?

I'm getting ready to watch the documentary, "Nietzsche and the Nazis" which features philosopher and historian Stephen Hicks. My understanding is that within philosophy, particularly his work on post-modernism, Dr. Hicks is somewhat controversial. I'm wondering if any historians of Nietzsche or Nazis have seen this documentary (or are familiar with his work) and can comment on the veracity of Dr. Hicks's claims or his interpretations of the history surrounding Nietzsche and the Nazis. Like is this considered some solid academic work? Thought provoking but sometimes misses the mark? Or material better taken with a grain of salt?

William L Shirers book the rise and fall of the Third Reich mentions these two people very oftern: German general Franz Halder and German admiral Erich Raeder. he talks about how they were involved in some plots to get rid of Hitler. is there any truth to these claims? as I im not sure how authoritative this book is.

During WWII, did the Germans try to sneak submarines through the Bosporus in order to attack Soviet Black Sea shipping? Did the Romanians/Bulgarians have any submarines to do same?

I've heard that in America in the 1930s FDR met with leaders from labor and socialist organizations who made demands that FDR felt compelled to follow through with "or else". Can anybody provide a source or a book for this claim, or how the organized Left interacted with the FDR administration more broadly?

When Sardur III of Urartu kingdom reigned? Contemporary resources suggest the date from the 810 - 743. B.C.E. to 645 - 625. B.C.E. Which one is correct? Do you have some titles of books that elaborate this?

Anyone know of any admirable women of history whose first name starts with a U?

Does anyone know what the acronym FSV means in relation to the troubles in the north of Ireland? I'm reading David Keenan's novel For the Good Times (excellent btw) and there are a few references to a group called FSV - the only thing I can think of is Free State Volunteers? but that doesn't seem to make sense because they're portrayed as enemies of the IRA. I googled it and can't find anything.

I've asked a similar question here but I guess it may have been a bit too specific, so I figure that I'd ask a simpler and broader question here.

Did Japan ever come close to becoming a Communist/Socialist nation? Despite heavy US influence the Japanese Socialist Party amassed a good portion of seats in the parliament before their slow decline after the assassination of their leader Inejiro Asasuma.

Were there any technical limitations that would have prevented the development of the Minié ball significantly earlier than it actually was? If someone had come up with the idea in say, 1750, could it, and rifled guns have been mass-produced?

Considering the Tudor line descended from bastard children of Owen Tudor and Catherine of Valois, was this issue ever used as a reason to attempt to remove them from power in favour of a more legitimate line?

What was the disparity between German estimations of Soviet tank numbers and actual totals prior to Barbarossa?

I am looking for a source on this as well; I believe I remember reading that the Germans grossly underestimated Soviet armor numbers during the planning phase of Barbarossa. But now I can't find where I read it and it is driving me insane!

If anyone has a primary source on the German assessment of Soviet military strength prior to the invasion, that would be extremely helpful as well.

Edit: I found it! Estimated at 10,000, actual number around 22-24k depending on how you count. Source was John Keegans The Second World War.

I would GREATLY appreciate if someone has a source on the overall intel assessment of the Soviet Union by the German intel services (as ineffective as they were). Primary sources preferred, but I'll take what I can.

I'm doing a coin collecting project, and want a coin that's representative (if not directly from) 1721 Ireland (specifically County Cavan, but I don't imagine that makes a difference). What I'm trying to figure out is, what coinage would Ireland have used in that era? Was it just the same coinage as England/Great Britain? Or did some/all of Ireland have its own currency then?

Im trying to make ironic flags (akin to Trump Pence flags), but Im advocating for King George III and... a vice-king rather than a vice-president...

Is there a vice president equivalent in a monarchy?

Hello,

I am enquiring about information on a pocket watch that I own. The watch has been passed down through my family since my Great, Great grandad but there is very little known about where it came from. I would love to know it's history and its origins and try to map how it could possibly come into this country and my family.

The watch was made in 1718 , on the face are the words:

Warranted Correct

1718

Hoiss Made

Below that there is a word which I can't quite make out but the Word starts with

THE**DIA

On the inner cases there are some number markings 16 & 36 which I presume are from people that have made repairs to the watch.

On the inner workings is the word DEPOSE and a number which is 22061.

If anyone could be of help I would be extremely grateful

Thanks

What is a 'floating chapel'? I was doing some research into the HMS Calliope (1837), a corvette that took part in the 1st Opium War and the New Zealand Land Wars, and multiple sources say that in 1860 it served as a floating chapel. The problem is that not a single contemporary or modern source bothers to explain what that means and at this point, re the way people named things in naval history (e.g. it also served as a 'floating factory', which isn't a boat that does general manufacture, it's very specifically a ship that processed whales onboard) I am verrrrry wary about defaulting to the obvious answer without some way of checking.

I've honestly never run into the term before, but in all the sources I can find it appears to be so commonplace it needs no introduction. Was this a whole thing? It's a naval ship, it seems strange that it gets to just ... retire and be a church.

For what reasons would a monarch visit a lord (or equivalent) and stay in their castle/stronghold/city that could leave them vulnerable to betrayal or assassination? Time frame in question would be medieval or earlier dating as far back as ancient Greece perhaps.

As a follow up, If I wanted to research coups both successful and unsuccessful from this time period what should I look into?

I'm curious about Enver Hoxha. He was an Albanian dictator who ruled for about 40 years from the end of WWII. Are there any good books or resources that could help me?

Basically, I want to know why the Irish surname “Doherty” translates to “Hurtful” in Gaelic. What did the family do to deserve a name with such connotations and why did they choose to accept it?

Does early Northern European/ancient British Druidism fall more within the framework of animism, or of more traditional European polytheism? If the former, to what extent can meaningful cross-cultural comparisons be drawn with the spiritual world views of indigenous Americans or other animistic non-metallurgical societies?

I've been reading things recently about prehistoric monuments that are aligned so the sun shines through or on them in a certain way at a solstice or equinox. It's always just taken as a given that ancient cultures knew when these events were.

Given sunlight only fluctuates by a few minutes a day, and they didn't have those natty digital watches that we all know and love now, how did they know, definitively, that TODAY is the vernal equinox, or whatever?

My wife suggested it has something to do with shadows. All I can find from a google search is something about putting stones in a circle, aimed at the sun, which doesn't seem likely, as they'd have to remain in that place, undisturbed for a whole year...and how did they know how long a year was? Etc.

I’m working with a museum on something about MGK and we want to find a replica of the correct model/variant Kathryn bought him at the pawn shop. Since it came from a pawn shop in the early 1930s, that seems to leave all previous variants back to the M1921 as options. The museum board is very strict on accuracy, so we would like to be as accurate as possible with a replica for the exhibit.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I think one of my research papers at uni this year will be about antisemitism in the Second Polish Republic. I'm just drafting right now, but if anyone has respectable literature on the topic I would absolutely love to shove my face in it.

I’m wanting to learn more about Betty Ford. What are some good books/biographies about her.

What was the title of the wife of the King of Scots during the Early Modern period? Was she the Queen of Scots, or was that title reserved for a reigning woman monarch? Fable/folk/fairytale setting, so I'm not sure I can use the title Queen, which seems to imply, however vaguely, a fairy character.

What are some interpretations on the John 14:2 Bible passage? (My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there(A) to prepare a place for you?)

To anyone with a history degree/ major, what did you do with it?

After they were smashed by Moses, what happened to the stone tablets upon which god engraved the ten commandments? Were the stone fragments later washed away in the great flood?

My question a week or so ago and a decade of independent language studies (started within the military thanks to language and cultural training) have left me curious about the history (and development) of spoken and written language across Europe; I’m trying to identify which areas of academic study would be the best for such studies. I’m struggling to identify it!

So, I’ve been reading about the Sumerian language for fun, and it’s absolutely fascinating. this book provides some great examples of how the ambiguity of the (written) Sumerian language can lead to some amazing examples of double entendre and potential multiple translations. Has anyone approached the subject of wordplay in Sumerian in depth? Furthermore, are there any editions of famous Mesopotamian literature (Gilgamesh, Lament of Ur) that are annotated with details about the original writing, or that discuss the translation process in depth?

Regarding the periodization of Western history, is the contemporary age considered after the French revolution or after the first world war (the French revolution being called the middle modern age)?

I just saw both options, and I really believe that it makes sense to extend the modern age to the end of the first war. But what are the arguments against?

What was the status of Macau during World War II?

If three churches claim to have the same relic from the same Saint, how did people cope with and or rationalise the existence of ‘too many’ relics? (Was one the true relic and two fakes? All the real? All fake? The Devil’s work? Was the one in ‘your’ country the real one?)

In the later Roman Republic era, would it be unusual for a Senator (ex-general) to walk around the city with his sword? Obviously he wouldn’t go openly armed on the senate floor, but he is wary of assassination attempts.

I'd like to learn more about Iran-Contra. What are some documentary recommendations?

What qualifies someone to be a historian? More specifically, what qualifications does one need to write a nonfiction book about history?

Did Lincoln ever travel to another country? Which states is he known to have visited?

There a quote said by a high leader in the middle east I have been trying to find. My generation and my children will make their living off of oil, but the need for oil will one day go away and we have to make sure our children children are ready for that.

Were the people in the "Antipodes" depicted on ancient/medieval maps like the Blemmyes, Sciapods, thought to actually exist?

What was the largest battle of the war of 1812, in terms of number of troops engaged?

How much were iron and steel worth in early Tokugawa era japan?

I had once read of an interview given by a high ranking diplomat (possibly the ambassador?) of the US in France right after its fall.

In a nutshell when asked what are the advantages of the American people and why they won't fall as easy as the French he said that the American citizen enjoys a high quality news diet from its independent Press and Media - while the French Press was heavily manipulated which led to disunity.

​

I have been unable to find this source so is there any chance anyone could help me with this?

​

Much appreciated

Question about the origin of Anglicanism. Did Henry VIII form Anglicanism directly when he became head of the Church of England? Also, is Anglicanism protestant, catholic or a mix of both? The sources I'm looking at are unclear, but I'm assuming it is a mixture considering there are both protestant and catholic monarchs after Henry VIII.

Years ago (probably almost a decade) I read an article in National Geographic. It talked about lost art during the American civil war. I believe newspapers would send artist to draw/paint scenes of the battles or after effects. These weren't full scale painting but almost like modern court room artist today. It gave this job/craft a name but I can't find the article or figure out what this craft was called.

Looking to see if I can figure out what this was called or make sure I'm not having a false memory.

Could one give a book recommendation on child-rearing in the socialist countries, either in general or one country specifically? I know countries like the Soviet Union took steps on socializing child care, and want to know how they treated the subject as a whole.

Why everytime I read an interesting question in this sub, all the comments are deleted? Seriously, is annoying.