Today:
You know the drill: this is the thread for all your history-related outpourings that are not necessarily questions. Minor questions that you feel don't need or merit their own threads are welcome too. Discovered a great new book, documentary, article or blog? Has your Ph.D. application been successful? Have you made an archaeological discovery in your back yard? Did you find an anecdote about the Doge of Venice telling a joke to Michel Foucault? Tell us all about it.
As usual, moderation in this thread will be relatively non-existent -- jokes, anecdotes and light-hearted banter are welcome.
My comment about Marlene Dietrich's trousers got the attention of international news channel France 24. They interviewed me and published an article about it in their "debunking" section, which is usually about recent hoaxes/fake news rather than historical ones (the article is in French, an English version will be published later). My comment was also published by historical consultant Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse (u/juffrouwjo) in her great blog Fake History Hunter.
I've been on a bit of a kick reading about/watching stuff about experimental archeology. Like the team in France building a castle with historical methods, or even some of that Tudor Farm stuff. Are there examples of experimental archeology or recreations fundamentally influencing mainstream history theories? What are your thoughts on this kind of 'remaking"?
Recently, I found out that the Asian branch of my family died out in the mid 19th century, which led me to thinking about an old question nobody was able to answer so far: How much of an influence did an ancient, European noble lineage have in Jewish/Israeli culture after the 18th century? Surely, that wasn't a big deal to them?
Your Weekly /r/askhistorians Recap
Friday, July 30 - Thursday, August 05
###Top 10 Posts
| score | comments | title & link |
|---|---|---|
| 3,568 | 18 comments | [Great Question!] Ea-Nasir famously tried to sell sub-par copper ingot to Nanni, even though he promised fine quality ones. How would was the quality of copper ingot determined in c. 1750 BC Mesopotamia? |
| 3,340 | 72 comments | Why did CIA not succeed in toppling Cuba's communist government under Castro, but succeeded in masterminding/executing/assisting coups in a large number of Central and South American countries? What human/cultural/historic/socioeconomic factors made Cuba particularly tough to crack for CIA? |
| 3,072 | 185 comments | Why is the Bible written in such a weird style? |
| 3,039 | 44 comments | Missionaries to Ming China reported that even beggars lived like kings did in Europe. Assuming this to be hyperbole, how prosperous was China under the height of Ming power? |
| 2,676 | 53 comments | Why is it often Colonels and not Generals that lead coup attempts? |
| 2,338 | 25 comments | Before food allergies became known/detected, would people believe a person to be poisoned if they are something they were allergic to? |
| 2,005 | 21 comments | How did gold, silver, and bronze become the standard first, second, and third place medals? |
| 1,903 | 37 comments | Before the invention of corrective lenses, what would someone with very bad vision do to make a living/survive? |
| 1,421 | 29 comments | Was tipping culture always a thing in the USA? How and why did it start, and why is it primary only for restaurant workers? |
| 1,228 | 50 comments | What happened to the native people of Japan and why aren't they more known about? |
###Top 10 Comments
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You people have put me off popular history podcasts. Now recommend some that you think are worth listening to.
how bad were the 'problems' of the late roman republic, it has a reputation of being corrupt and nearing collapse before caesar came in and overthrew/saved it but I wonder how true that is
What is a topic that you as historians wish people knew about or a common misconception you would like to correct?
Are they ever going to find anything on Oak Island or what?