Today:
Welcome to this week's instalment of /r/AskHistorians' Sunday Digest (formerly the Day of Reflection). Nobody can read all the questions and answers that are posted here, so in this thread we invite you to share anything you'd like to highlight from the last week - an interesting discussion, an informative answer, an insightful question that was overlooked, or anything else.
Spring is coming up here in Canadaland (and presumably elsewhere), so shake off those winter blues and help yourself to a little history. We’ve got plenty of fantastic posts just waiting for you, so lets celebrate the hard work of our many contributors!
Don’t forget to leave a thanks or two, show some love, and check out the weekly features!
In perhaps the most exciting news, the sub got banned! We’re back! Rather obviously. Luckily it was just a mistake and we can continue to spread the good word of history.
/u/MichaelJTaylorPhD joined us for the fascinating I am Dr. Michael Taylor, historian of the Roman Republic and author of Soldiers and Silver: Mobilizing Resources in the Age of Roman Conquest; expert on Roman warfare and imperialism--AMA!
Loyal members of the sub rejoice, for we are joined by new mods! Letters Patent for the Creation of New Moderators
We’ve got lots of good book suggestions in the Thursday Reading & Rec thread!
TV Shows & Random generators, the fun continues in the Friday Free for All!
Finish things off with /u/KiwiHellenist mythbusting in the Saturday Showcase on the history of Eratosthenes!
That’s it for today, my list is done! Enjoy the collection and have yourselves a great time! I’ll see you next Sunday.
Don’t forget to show some love for the fascinating yet overlooked questions which still cry out for the attention of an expert! Feel free to post your own, or call out ones that caught your eye.
/u/KevTravels asked What was the day-to-day life of African American servicemen in the US Army post-Civil War ala units like the Buffalo Soldiers?
/u/pissedoffnerd1 asked Why didn't use of the repeating crossbow happen outside of China
/u/corruptrevolutionary asked From 1306-1310 the Knights Hospitaller conquered Byzantine Rhodes and established an independent Monastic State; were they inspired by the Teutonic Order? What were the motivations?
Time for another installment of "The Real Questions", where we take a look at the wilder side of r/AskHistorians! Here, I give a shout-out to people asking the more atypical questions on this sub: questions that investigate amusing, unique, bizarre, or less common aspects of history, as well as ones that take us through intriguing adventures of historiography/methodology or niche/overlooked topics and moments in history. It's always a wide (and perhaps confusing) assortment of topics, but at the end of the day, when I see them I think, "Finally, someone is asking the real questions!"
Good news, everyone: we've hit 500 Real Questions, when we started last summer!
No, I'm not sure how to celebrate that.
Below are my entries for the week - questions with a link to an older response are marked with ‡. Let me know what you think were the realest questions you saw this week, and be sure to check out my full list of Real Questions.
u/gerardmenfin offers an interesting answer to my question regarding French military brothels in the mid to late 20th century, and adds a lot of substance to a sordid story I've not found much historical detail on in English text.
Thanks for the shout-outs!