This sub is a daily reminder that all subjects contain knowledge that expands my understanding of life, the universe, and everything.
To put it in another way: I come here for entertainment, but usually end up with new ways to look at problems - or pieces of information that I need to complete a thought.
Reading askhistorians is like listening in on an informal talk between scholars.

That tale of Marcellina and her father is an incredibly moving story.

I recall a question about how historians don't become nihilists due to the horrors we read. For me, things like that tale are part of the reason why. People loved, they mourned and cared for one another incredibly deeply. People had a sense of humour, moments of joy and heartache, they could be silly and weird. Perhaps sometimes, amidst the "big picture" and the wars, people can forget that when they think of the past.

It is always a pleasure to hear of people enjoying this subreddit and memories being made. Thank you for the kind words to those here to questioners and answerers, hearing such things does give encouragement. We love history, we love discussing it and discovering new things via other answers.

Since only a few days since conference finished, if you or anyone reading this thread is around and free next year why not come to some of the digital meet and greet events? We love to meet long term subscribers, contributors via posts and questions, history fans.

I talk to people about this sub from time to time, but mainly about how it's moderated.

There are a hell of a lot of self assured people on the internet who confidently spread their own interpretation of facts they don't truly understand. In fact hundreds of thousands of people around the world are needlessly dying because of this sort of misinformation as we speak.

I wish more of the internet was as responsible as this subreddit when it comes to filtering out the background noise and letting the voices off people who have dedicated their lives to the study of specific topics be heard.

I love this sub. It also astounds me when you get linked to an answer from a year or two ago, and it’s thorough, well researched, accessible and fascinating, and it has 5 upvotes. And despite appreciating it, I can’t upvote them because it’s an old thread. Some incredible knowledge and talent here, and they are just continuing to do it out of pure love of the material. Their passion is infectious, and I sincerely appreciate the time put into answering and enlightening us on the topic at hand.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, historians, your contributions are appreciated more then the 5 upvotes reveal. They are read by far more people then it might seem, and they continue to be enjoyed, referenced and inform for a long time. So thank you!

truly the poggiest of subreddits

Thank you for the kind words.

It's wonderful to think the things we write here, and the community we work to build, is enjoyed and appreciated by readers, even years after we frantically cobble together answers in the free moments of our busy lives. This is a special place. I've learned so much from the mad history geniuses here, and can't wait to learn more.

I have learned so much from this sub, and its taught me an incredible number of ways at looking at not just the past, but people around me today. Its right up there with Terry Pratchett for biggest influences on my way of thinking.

BUT I want to take a moment to shill the sweet conference we just had! All the panels can be found on our youtube channel and you can find the megathreads below that collect the panels and Q&A threads. Run, don't walk, to check them out!

Day 1 megathread.

Day 2 megathread.

and the Day 3 megathread!

For me, this sub showed me like non other that no matter the subject, there is always more to learn and even if you think you have all the info and context there is almost always something you didn't consider.

Also it shows me time and time again just how complex humans and their history is.

Truly a wonderful place.

I love this place because it lets me one up my history teacher mates at work. Nothing better than getting to share something awesome with them that they didn't already know. We stand on the shoulders of giants.

I'm no historian, just a reader with nothing to contribute, but I'm always blown away by the amazing answers I get to read in this sub.

So thanks everyone, even remind me bot, and especially the moderators, for making this sub as high quality as it is.

Cheers!

I remember when I asked a question of "how would your speciality view today's world as dystopian" Like how are we the future that the past would be afraid of.

I got the nicest most apologetic mail from a mod saying "hey I like the question but it breaks rules and I gotta take it down"

That was when I knew I would like it here because I want to enjoy academia but it's not very nice and I find that off putting, but here I can get my hit of academia and everyone is nice and not hostile.

It helps me stay connected to an interest that's otherwise kind of inaccessible outside of an academic setting, or endeavors that take a lot of effort. My undergrad degree is in history, but I don't have the time or energy to read academic journals or read very many academic-level history books with the level of attention they deserve anymore now that I, you know, have a job. I can come here and learn something at that same level in maybe 10-15 minutes, it's nice.

This is the only sub that has never decreased in quality in the decade I've been on Reddit.

I'm too far removed from my own history studies to be able to effectively contribute, but I love reading this sub.

Keep up the good work mods.

I read that exact same thread 8 years ago (I can see I upvoted it back then) and while I ended up forgetting it since, I am grateful you brought Marcellina and Caius Clodius Marcellus back into my mind.

Edit: That thread has lots of other gems in it too like the story of Chenjerai Mangezo.

This sub is a big reason I decided to go to uni for history and medieval/renaissance studies. I love it and the depth of some answers really inspired me to pursue it.

This sub is my absolute favorite and is my go to example of why strong moderation is preferable to "free expression" or whatever. I love the fact that it operates at such a high level that I, a holder of a history degree from the university of Toronto, do not pipe up because I'm not totally certain I'll hit the level of quality I often see here.

Elsewhere you'd have naturopaths talking all day about whether or not the colonial period of North America constituted genocide.

I've always had a passion for history and have learned a truly remarkable amount of things just from this corner of the internet. I've added some exceptional books to my library from the recommended list and I might as well have made them blind because I trust the recommendations to be on point.

Cheers to those who spend time dropping knowledge bombs on here.

To add to the love: one of the things I appreciate most about the sub is not only the respondents’ willingness and ability to provide thorough and well sourced details on a particular topic, but also their willingness to respond thoughtfully to what can at times be somewhat simplistic (and at times borderline antagonistic) follow up questions.

Case in point (though please forgive me, like OP’s Marcellina example, this was something that I came across in the sub’s archives a ways back and can’t find at the moment, so this is from memory): in a discussion about demographics of various slave populations around the world, someone provided a fascinating analysis based on deeply practical data like historical census and balance of trade data.

Now, obviously: deeply “sensitive” topic, especially when you’re looking at a comparative framework that contrasts the perceived “disposability” of human lives, embedded notions of paternalistic racism, etc.

What stuck with me is that when follow up questions tiptoed into quasi reactionary/activist tropes, the Historian immediately brought it back to the available facts (both past and present) as the basis for his/her analysis and conclusions, highlighting the plain facts on the ground vs elements that were more subjective and open to interpretation.

Anywhoo, all that to say that I’m another person who so appreciates not only the expertise and skill that people offer up in this sub, but also the cool-headedness that the experts bring to enlightening the rest of us about complex and often contentious topics!

Yep, r/askhistorians is easily the best subreddit out there.

I always point to this sub-reddit as a beacon of good moderation.

This subreddit is awesome, I agree.

Thanks so much for linking that fascinating 8-year old thread; as someone who has only been reading AH for 5 years I missed out on that one originally. The post linked near the top, described as "the most popular thread in the subreddit's history" (with a whopping 1,082 upvotes!) was also a great read!

So what is the story of Marcellina?

That thread OP shared brought up a few emotions from me that's for sure. I found another post containing a poem a soldier wrote after his friend was killed. That was a sad read too. But a good reminder that the people we're reading about were/are also people.

Honestly, I really appreciate the mods and community which makes this subreddit what it is. It’s comforting to know that in years from now, the truth won’t be the Facebook memes my patients spout at me but instead an honest appraisal of the available facts. It’s a small light, but it’s important one to have after the last year and half. I mean it to all you who make this subreddit possible, I appreciate it.

Thank you for the kind words! If I might tag on to your wonderful little META here though with a stickied mod comment, I'd toss in just a few notes on how to get the absolute most out of the subreddit, whether a neophyte or an old hand!

First and foremost, consider subscribing to the weekly mailer. (Almost) every Friday, you'll get a message in your inbox highlighting some of the best content from the previous week. Just Click Here and hit send! We have over 10,000 users getting it now, and we're told everyone loves it!

If you want to read literally everything from the past week though, make sure to check out each week's Sunday Digest, and then Twitter is something of the middle ground.

If you are the type who just likes to browse, the AskHistorians Browser Extension makes it a much better experience, although sadly it is not available for App users.

i really like this subreddit, but unpopular opinion probably, i don’t like how highly moderated it is. i was here before the “update” where it wasn’t as much moderated. 8 times out of 10 i’d find an interesting question and i’d go to the comments looking for the reply and i think “oh it has 9 replies i’m sure someone said something” and it’s all either [deleted] or empty.

Impact for me ended the day they banned genocide denial and I realized I could no longer trust people to tell me the truth on this subreddit. Not that I care to read genocide denial, but you can't ban it and be committed to intellectual honesty.