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.
For anyone who thinks to check here before modmailing us to ask:
NO, YOU ARE NOT BANNED (well, probably not)
Reddit currently is experiencing some sort of bug preventing anyone from posting new threads on any subreddit. Commenting seems to be unaffected. That is the reason you can't post right now.
Been a history guy since i was kid wacthing a documentry on the Persian empire and after seeing this subreddit made realize how i barely know anything about history any good books recomendations specifically on economics and Iran to help me be less of a clueless normieđ
Your Weekly /r/askhistorians Recap
Friday, August 06 - Thursday, August 12
###Top 10 Posts
| score | comments | title & link |
|---|---|---|
| 3,895 | 135 comments | Have Judaism, Christianity and Islam always been the only Abrahamic religions? Or are they just the only ones that are left? |
| 3,865 | 98 comments | We're living in an age where Atheism is slowly becoming mainstream and replacing religiousness, has this ever happened in the past or are the last two centuries' behaviors novelty for history? |
| 3,643 | 76 comments | Why did the French nobles listen to the advice of an illiterate peasant teenage girl who said she received visions from God, and why was it that once Joan of Arc began campaigning with the French they started to win? |
| 2,974 | 58 comments | [Legitimacy] In Avatar, Firelord(King) Zuko lived as a wanderer/waiter before becoming Firelord. This was a contrast with his privileged childhood as a prince. Is there any real life e.g. of kings who were born into power spending years as peasants before taking the throne? Particularly Absolute or Feudal kings? |
| 2,950 | 50 comments | How did Timbuktu become one of the go-to "far away/exotic" places to reference in Western/Anglo popular consciousness? |
| 2,798 | 107 comments | Is it true that American Puritans didn't actually flee Britain due to religious persecution, but rather they left because they were zealots that were unhappy that they could push their views on society/The Church of England? |
| 2,680 | 85 comments | Did Japanese ww2 soldiers suffer from the psychological effects of their war crimes? |
| 2,247 | 18 comments | How fast did news travel in ancient times? For example, in 1066, how long did it take everyone in England to find out that there was a new king? |
| 2,173 | 72 comments | why is sweet tea so prevalent in the american south? |
| 1,749 | 27 comments | What did NapolĂ©on Bonaparte think of SimĂłn BolĂvar? |
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###Top 10 Comments
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I just started reading "The rise & fall of ancient Egypt" by Toby Wilkinson and I feel so excited learning all the new information. Gosh. This is a new beginning and I am hoping to just immerse myself into books of history, I just decided to begin with Egypt because I was fascinated by it.
I was wondering at which point human history just stops being completely known and undeniable, like, at which era do documents, objects and buildings don't give us any facts about society - I'm obviously ignoring fossils and things like that, focusing mostly on written or architectural evidence here.
As I research the middle woodland period in North America, it would be nice to have an app that will let me browse history graphically and map (and view) the details. With additional sources (publications, etc). Is there anything out there like this?
I'm thinking Tableau meets Wikipedia, on steroids. I've already started setting up a server to try and start it. Please tell me it's been done and save me!
I'm bummed my library's HathiTrust ETAS is ending in a few days. It's so much more efficient. I wish they'd make it permanent (hashtag yesnewnormal).
I realized I have little knowledge on the Napoleonic wars, can anyone recommend me a good book or two ?
What did romans use to remove food stuck in their teeth?
In light of current events which will go unmentioned but clearly implied:
What are some good books about the history of occupations, post-war occupations, "nation building", and similar subjects?
A good example is this
Also, nothing specifically about insurgencies and counter-insurgencies. That's a well trod subject.
I'm a history student, and was advised to become active on Twitter to create contacts and interact with professionals. However, I'm unable to find any of the few professors that I know.. If anyone here knows "legit" researchers, especially pertaining to anything related to pre-classical pastoral-nomads of Eurasian steppes, please suggest their handles (Other fields also welcome). Thanks.
If I'm a small land owner in Augustine times, and I have some sort of dispute -- e.g., he's planting on my property, his slaves are stealing my livestock -- what are my likely first steps for recourse? Do I petition the governor? Do I begin some sort of blood feud? Gladius at ten paces?
Hey, was a book or memoir ever published that was written by a famous real-life swordsman, one that would have actually fought in a great battle other smaller battles in medieval history? If so, could you list some? Excluding Miyamoto. I'm looking for real insight into the sight, smells, and experiences of fighting with hundreds of men or even thousands beside you, dying and killing.
This came by in a discussion on the Hoi4 subreddit. Can anyone identify the men in this picture.
Reverse image search says it's taken during (the planning of) Operation Bodenplatte. Obviously Goring and Hitler are in it. The man in the back on the right looks like Gotthard Handrick, who was one of the commanders of Bodenplatte. The man on the far right is speculated to be Gerd von Rundestedt.
I am a history student and plan to graduate with my BA next spring. What are some fields of work I can start to look into that would have more "field work"?
Is there any key words I might be able to search for on websites like Indeed or USA jobs?
If this kind of question isn't allowed in this thread, then please accept my apologies, Mod Team: Is my undergraduate history degree useless for getting into a master's or PhD program?
Growing up, I focused on getting into college and graduating with a decent-paying job so I could support my family financially as soon as possible. As a high school senior, I received a scholarship offer from the business school at a state university. I would be able to graduate in four years with a solid salary and no student loans, so I accepted it. I finished college with dual undergraduate degrees (accounting and history) because the accounting degree essentially required 150 credits to graduate and I thought a second degree would be the best way to earn the extra credits. I switched eight or nine times before settling on history. By the time I decided on the second degree, I had already taken a few history classes/had credits from AP exams (APUSH, Early Modern-Modern European survey courses, and a U.S. environmental history class). Assuming I would never be able to use this history degree, I decided to take whatever classes sounded interesting instead of focusing on a specific region or time period.
And now, here I am today, more financially secure than my younger self could have ever hoped for, but still stuck in the world of finance and accounting. Prior to the pandemic, I had tried to pivot my career into the environmental sustainability field but found it difficult with my background and without an advanced degree. I'm now working in finance for a nonprofit but still think about going back to school.
Do you think my eclectic history degree and background would preclude me from pursuing an advanced degree? I did earn a 4.0 in all of my history courses and won a couple awards from the history department, but have questioned how much these achievements would help given the classes I took (the aforementioned western histories; survey courses of the Philippines and Mexico; Early Middle Ages in Europe; Roman Empire; Asian/Pacific American history from 1850 to the present; and a fascinating Sacrifice and Martyrdom course that covered everything from the Romans to the IRA, and even recent, regional material).
Thank you!
