I'm interested in hiring a historian to write a family history, which doesn't seem to be the service offered by "genealogy" firms.

My mom has a trove of family history documents, and could provide hours of oral history anecdotes (if recorded).

I want to give her a present of sorts (hopefully before this Christmas!) in so far as honoring her family by contracting the services of someone to formally compile and organize the documents my mom has, interview her, and write a comprehensive family history.

I imagine that professional biographers could be an option, but this is a VERY broad project and isn't intended to be a biography of her - but a history of the family.

Please let me know what I should be looking for, or if I should ask this question somewhere else.

Thank you!

Edit: spelling

How did bronze age people get change?

I read that a shekel was worth a month of work, so after receiving a shekel, how did a commoner buy anything? Did they have a different coing for smaller stuff?

I'm looking for a website like The Atlantic, or Nautilus—one with quality long-form daily articles—but about history. Can you suggest any?

If I was a steam shovel operator on the Panama Canal, how much would I be paid? Would I be paid more than the average laborer (American or Panamanian)? Would I be paid differently to someone doing the same job on a construction site back in the states? Would different crew members be paid or trained any differently?

I've been watching a lot of videos of old steam shovels and excavators and I can't stop thinking about the men who used to operate these machines. If there's any relatively accessible books or articles on the subject, I'd love to read them as well.

May I ask, which model locomotives were most widely used for the Japanese population from 1930-1940 and who were their manufacturers? What type of engines(Steam/Coal/Electric) were most widely used in these locomotives?

Could the Anglo-Saxons communicate directly with the Danes and other Norse invaders without interpreters?

Could you suggest some interesting books written for the public on place names? I’m fascinated whenever the name of a river or a hill, reveals something about the group that used to live there.

Did the War elephants of Carthage and other Mediterranean powers come from India or Africa?

•••

I've heard that the African elephant, while larger, can not be tamed for domestic purposes and that all war elephants came from India, is that true?

I've also heard that the specific breed of African elephant that was used in warfare died out so that's why they disappeared. I don't know which is true.

In "The Holy roman empire", Peter Wilson claims that "7,000 manuscripts survive across continental Europe from the ninth century, compared to 1,800 for the previous eight centuries combined."

The source is an essay by Giles Brown in introduction to "Carolingian culture" by R. McKitterick. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the book to trace the claim.

The second number (1,800 manuscripts in Europe between 1 and 800 AD) seems really low to me.

Is it correct? If it isn't, what would be a good estimate?

So i remember reading this quote somewhere, and it is burning a hole in my brain.

Iirc it was meeting in Moscow where a soviet officer tired of Stalin's complaining about the quality of the officers of the red army, he said something along the lines of. "You should not have killed all the good officers then''

So in short i am looking for the name of the officer and the quote if any of you would remember any thing of the sorts.

I'm a private during the Normandy landing, how detailed are my orders before the invasion? Do I get told anything or do I just follow everyone else ?

Posted this in the old thread:

The Papal States are called States, as in plural. But what were the individual domains or whatever in it called? This info seems weirdly elusive.

Does anyone know more about the history of the leopard-skin costume worn by strongmen such as Siegmund Breitbart?

I've been searching for the specifics of a half-remembered story about the American Revolution.

Basically, a history interviewed a veteran of the Revolution as to why he fought. This veteran was a common man, and thus had no idea about the Declaration of Independence or Common Sense or whatever. He said he fought because the British tried to take what was his.

Any idea what I'm referring to?

How old did the ancient Greeks think the earth was? Were there competing ideas about the age or the origin? Thanks!

Has there ever been a government regime that did not levy taxes?

Backstory: I'm in the first hundred pages of The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow and one of the main points of their thesis is that the diversity of social organization in human societies across history has been astounding. In light of that, I was thinking about some features of government that we often take for granted that may, in fact, be parameters that could be switched off.

Taxes came to mind first because it's become clear to me that, at least in the age of fiat currency and 'deficits' as the norm, governments don't actually need to go out and find money each time they want to spend it on services. So, I was curious if there's ever been a regime that has put non-taxation into practice, intentionally or otherwise. If so, did they provide any services to speak of?

I guess I'd like to exclude situations where governments borrow to fund their projects, such as in the American Revolutionary War.

Which leader was the first to mandate education? Who was the first leader to require that both boys AND girls go to school?

When did it become standard practice to segregate inmates in a prison according to their crimes or their risk of personal harm? For example, sex offenders being segregated from everyone else, or white collar criminals going to a less secure block (or prison) as compared to that which houses extremely violent killers, and so on. I don't suppose this was always the case.

Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh San was a Vietnamese emperor who was deposed by the French and exiled to the remote Reunion Island. In WW2, he joined the Free French.

Was he used for propaganda purposes by the Free French? What was his service record like?

Did the Marian Reforms change the status of the Plebeian class in Roman society?

I'm looking for what Chinese writing system would have been used prior the the Qin standardization of the small seal script. I'd especially appreciate a single source that can give me an overview of pre-Imperial Chinese writings systems.

Specifically:

1. What would men like Lao Tzu, Confucius, and Mencius have written in? I understand that might have three different answers.
2. What would have the character for "Dao" have looked like around the time of the above three men, and what extant symbol do we know that most resembles it?
3. Did the evolution of the script change the connotations of a word's meaning (source especially appreciated here).

To give some background, I'm writing my thesis on Matteo Ricci for my Master's in Theology and I'd like to include a small section critiquing his appropriation of Chinese terms. I've got a good handle on the theological side of this, but the finer points of Chinese scribal traditions escape me.

So I need help! Im preparing a final oral exam for my Modern History class and I dont have a clue of what can I talk. I mean I dont know a theme that connects all the things I learned in the most extensive and propper way (the more I cover the less the professor will ask). I have all the bibliography listed for anyone interesed to help!

Music history, but how did recording studios figure out who would sing songs back in the day? For example, it would have been awesome to hear Nat King Cole cover some of the songs in Sinatra's Songs for Swingin Lovers or swing songs in general, but he hasn't covered any of them at all except 'Too Marvelous for Words'

Did Cole Porter or someone go, 'Okay, I give the rights to these singers'?

How well do the Cambridge History of China and Cambridge History of Japan hold up? My library has a fair amount of volumes from both series, which I am interested in checking out. I know most of the volumes are pretty old at this point, and might be outdated at this point. If they are outdated, what alternatives would you say are similarly comprehensive?

I am doing a project in a high school class that has to deal with debunking conspiracy theories about history, it is an all-year project and my entire grade for this class depends on this project. I, after trying for around three-ish weeks concluded that I do not have the skill or abilities to seperate the wheat from chaff when it comes for research about the topics, and I have decided that I may need to contact a historian. How exactly can I contact a historian to help me on my project?

Do we know who were the siblings and mother of Roxana, first wife of Alexander the great?

I'm writing a novel about her which I'm hoping will be as historically accurate as I can get it, and at this point I've had to make up these characters because I cannot find information on them. Sources refer to Oxyartes's 'daughters', plural, but the only named one is Roxana. Additionally one of Roxana's 'brothers', again plural, was promoted to the elite cavalry. But he also was not named in anything I read. So, do we know HOW MANY siblings she had, and if so, what were their names? I also can't find anything on her mother.

Thank you in advance!!

When does the Disney film "Encanto" take place? or more specifically, the prologue of the film, which has people fleeing from armed conflict/raiders on horseback in 1800s/1700s? Colombia - which war was this most likely to have appeared in the film?

Or were they mutually exclusive?

I noticed that Hitler ordered his SS to murder Rohm in '34 who led the SA. Both, the SS and SA, were Nazi groups, and they seemed to operate independently of one another like gangs, and both of these groups operated independently of the German Armed Forces.

Did the Germanys not outlaw or control this type of militia movement, the same way that we in the USA control gangs?

Also, was it only the Nazis with a security apparatus like the SA and SS, or did the other political parties have them as well?

Recently I was thinking about how important the 1980s were in terms of world history and especially U.S. history. Many environmental, economic, and political trends congealed in that decade to create the world we know today. For example,

• Reaganism,
• the beginning of the Friedman doctrine and supply-side economics,
• the spread of neoliberalism,
• the final years of the Soviet Union and Cold War,
• the rise of Islamist organizations like Al Qaeda,
• the rise of the microcomputer and the globally connected Internet,
• the explosion of the prison population in the U.S.,
• the beginnings of today's dramatic income inequality, and so on.

Because of these things, for better or worse (especially with respect to global warming and political polarization), we inhabit a world which will be shaped by the 1980s for decades (if not centuries) to come.

So my question is: Is there now or might there be in the future a historical subfield or specialization in the 1980s in particular? Would such a subfield be valuable?

Thanks!

Uboat deck gun vs HMS Ark Royal

In Robert Ludovicks Bismark book and it said there was a U boat 551? which was commissioned alongside Bismark and was nearing the end of it's patrol when it went to shoot it's last torpedo and there was a misfire, it went around again and the XO said to save the torpedo for a possible big fish.

They sunk the small boat with the torpedo and after that on the way home hear of Bismark being in peril and saw two ships sailing close by and steaming at high speed towards Bismarks location.

What if the captain did the unthinkable, surfaced and engaged Ark Royal with the deck gun. Could it have been effective?

Assuming an ideal sea state , good gunners and ideal ranges and Ark Royal was caught unaware, would the gun be able to penetrate armour to sink the ship or stop it?

What is a good Youtube channel to watch for good information on history (for stuff more than 1,000 years ago)?

I've been watching Fall of Civilizations and have enjoyed that. What are other channels as good, or better? Is Fall of Civilizations good, or is it taking too much license to create a story?

When did the first slurs arise? I understand that many words which are currently slurs originally had a more neutral connotation. I'm not asking about the etymological history of spelling. Rather, when in history did people first have words with specific derogatory intentions towards groups? Racial or otherwise?

What was daily life like for Ancient Persian nobility/'upper class' citizens? How much was done for them by slaves, and what were some things that they would do regularly for both recreational and productive purposes? Women especially. Researching for a story, and I'm finding it hard to get much info as we don't know heaps about Ancient Persia.

What are those shoulder garments called in South American culture/ history? It's presented in many movies and arts but l've never seen the name of them being mentioned

Here's a link to a image example of what I'm referring to, I've seen those made from gold and jewelries, or just woven with shiny threads. I've been thinking about it for about a week, my own attempts at researching them are all fruitless.

Is there a celtic equivalent of that Norse "lo do I see my father" poem

Point me to a book/source on religion/cults in the ancient Middle East? Preferably broad scope, comparative, academic. Looking something more in-depth than internet articles about different deities.

I'm looking for book(s) that detail the role of and life within/around the church in Medieval Europe. Any recommendations are appreciated!

Did Mehmed ll lead the final charge on Constantinople?

Watching the Netflix series. When they make their attack on the city, they should Mehmed riding ahead of his Janissaries and getting hit off his horse. This seems more like fictional drama for tension rather than fact. Am I wrong?

What was 'Mythical' in Old Norse?

The Battle of Bunker Hill: it’s nowhere near the most decisive American victory of the American Revolution, yet it’s described as one of the big defeats. However, upon further research, it was said that a lot of British officers were killed. Is Bunker Hill important due to the amount of officers killed? Or was it important because of how early it was?

In Victorian Era, how do commoner refer each other? How about people they respect (older people, or maybe teacher)? Since nowadays 'Sir' can be used to nearly everyone, but it was a title back then, right? (especially in US)

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but I was wondering if there were any books specifically about the US South's plans and attempts to expand into Cuba, Nicaragua, etc. before the Civil War? It's mentioned in McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom, which I'm currently reading, but I was wondering if there was a comprehensive book about that topic specifically.

How many times has daylight savings time been on the California ballot or state assembly?

I remember reading a news article which stated that daylight savings time has been an issue on the floor of the California state assembly dozens of times over the past few decades. Does anybody know how to find this information?

Where most of former Prussian Germans were relocated after WW2 and live now? I mean is there a city or a specific German state with most of the former Prussians?

Have militaries ever use suicide bombers or explosive animals in land-based warfare against defensive positions? I know the soviets had bomb dogs to destroy tanks, but if Hannibal Barca had access to gunpowder would he have put it on some elephants?

How much credence is given to the claims that the Great Fear of 1789 in rural France was at least in part fueled by ergotism?

What do you call a person who loves empires and old coountries for an example an audio phile loves sound system and anglophile loves Uk so what do you call a person who loves and old countries and empires?

Did ancient Yemenites originate from the horn of Africa

Sources for the Battle of Waterloo statistics: I’m looking for good sources for some statistics on the battle of waterloo, like what artillery was used by each side, how units were organized and how far spread, distance between the front, just as much info as possible really . Are there any sources that concisely do this?

was there any other wars like civil wars or border conflict happening during WW2 that was not related to it?

What are the origins of the snow angel and who did it first?

I have been working on a series of books set in the modern day but which heavily involves ancient history in the story. The reason for this post is that I need a name for an underground, hidden city. It is preferred that this city use and ancient Egyptian name or term, but I am not well versed in ancient Egyptian. I have looked online and have only found names of people and I don't want to be linguistically incorrect by making up a word if a term already exists.

I am open to any ideas people can provide. I have looked at several Egyptian name documents and websites, several books on mythology and history, and other resources but haven't found what I'm looking for. Hoping that turning to the experts might do the trick. Thank you all in advance.

History is full of "powder keg" situations, where either 2 sides have a multi-year/decade long conflict, or just one side goes through some economic depression and comes out with some less than ideal leaders, and these conflicts usually turn violent. Obvious examples of this are basically every civil war, pre-ww2 germany, basically the entirety of europe pre-ww1, etc.

What are some good examples of this, and why is it so rare?

I have look around I can't find the unsubtitle version of it. I am just wondering anyone have a copy of that?

Is there any historical evidence of Jesus outside of the Bible? If I wanted to read a non-bias account of Christianity, where might I be able to find that?

I’m asking here because I know that I’m more likely to find unbiased examples compared to if I asked in a Christian forum.

What was the first society to not practice slavery?

Do we know of Hitler ever mentioning space/space travel?

How can you tell the difference between US Marines and Soldiers during the Vietnam War, just based on their uniform?

What was von Moltke’s wheel to the north?

What sources do you use to look up more trivial facts (like height) about famous historical figures?

Who led the 358th Regiment during the Battle for Outpost Vegas?

So I'm doing a school project and I have hit a roadblock. I can not for the life of me find who led the 358th Regiment, of the 120th Division, of the 46th CCP during March 26 to 31, 1953.

On Wikipedia the commander is listed as Zheng Zhishi with no citation. When I googled that, it pulled up a translation of it- Political History.

Pretty on brand but okay. I swapped to the Chinese version of Wikipedia and it listed a Li Guanzhi as the commander, with a Li Youtang as his Political Commissar - but both of those are uncited as well! Googling these names has brought forth nothing.

I have explored the depths of "The Korean War Project" reading the detailed command diaries from the 5th Marine Division during March, 1953. I read "U.S. Marines in the Korean War" edited by Charles Smith and scrutinized the hell out of "Outpost War: U.S. Marines from the Nevada Battles to the Armistice" by Bernard Nalty. Nada.

Honestly, I doubt I'll figure anything out in time for my project, but now I'm just more curious than anything. I'm shocked that the CCP doesn't have any documentation about who was leading what.

Any information would be nice, I'd love to know more about this supposed missing link.

analogizing to the munich conference, which leader would you say ngo diem would most resemble?

Can someone direct me to examples of attempts from history to liberate concentration camps/detention centers/prisons/etc. by outside forces, other than in the context of WWII? Any time period is fine

I have a dumb question but would the Wild West still be a thing if it never ended?