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.
I was accepted to present at AHA this January! Anyone else going to AHA?
Your Weekly /r/askhistorians Recap
Friday, December 10 - Thursday, December 16
###Top 10 Posts
| score | comments | title & link |
|---|---|---|
| 5,023 | 71 comments | Who can we blame for the simIlarity of the uppercase "I" and lowercase "l"? |
| 4,878 | 96 comments | Was Nancy Reagan really renown for performing oral sex in her days as a film actress? |
| 3,709 | 652 comments | [Meta] I swear for the past few months, I haven't seen a single question get answered, every time I check all the comments have been deleted. Maybe it's just me but I haven't seen a single answer |
| 3,702 | 49 comments | Why did Albert Einstein become a cultural phenomenon, rather than other groundbreaking physicists of his time? For instance, we never say "Oh wow, that guy is a total Planck!". How did the name Einstein come to be synonymous with genius in the popular consciousness? |
| 3,190 | 21 comments | During Prohibition in the United States, did speakeasies force White and Black Americans to drink and socialize together or were they segregated? If so, were there Black bootleggers for Black speakeasies? |
| 3,146 | 93 comments | In polygamous societies where men marry multiple women, such as Zulu's and Mormons. Are there a large group of men who have no one left to marry, as for every extra wife there is another male who has no wife? |
| 2,666 | 62 comments | Today, brutalist buildings seem pretty universally hated by the people who live and work in them. Why were so many of them built in the 50s-70s? Was it just a cost-saving method, or did people think they looked good? |
| 2,665 | 121 comments | NSFW: Condoms suitable for use as birth control have been available since the 17th century. Then why did the Sexual Revolution only occur with the development of the 'pill'? |
| 2,549 | 64 comments | TIL that rationing in Britain lasted until 1954. Why so long after WWII? |
| 2,280 | 109 comments | [Wealth] Why did the aristocracy bother themselves with so much war when their life was already comfortable? |
###Top 10 Comments
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I've been trying to formulate a good coherent question the last few days. I've been watching a lot of old tool restorations lately; stuff like hand cranked corn huskers/threshers, flower mills, horse drawn harvesters.
All stuff made between 1880-1920 and only really possible due to industrialization because they're cast iron or forged steel that's been machined and mass produced but are perfect for the self sufficient farmer.
But relatively soon after, the US Became majority urban and the nation of land owning farmers became suburban and the farms became massive plantations with extremely expensive equipment.
I guess I've been trying to figure out if there was a production boom in the 1880ish-1920ish where the folks who previously did all that work the old ways but now had all this cheap mechanical help that didn't require fuel, electricity, or mortgages; a Golden age of the self sufficient farmer that something disrupted.
Or most likely, I'm projecting my personal ideals of self sufficiency and Autarky onto the past because of our current woes
How many soldiers would a noble with small castle need to keep local peasantry from overthrowing them?
Okay! I've got a WW1 question! I remember my freshman chemistry professor talking about Germany producing ammonia which led to talking about explosives. He claimed that Britain was sinking German ships sailing from South America carrying raw materials for high explosives. I knew there was an arms races before formal hostilities but does anyone know about this claim or similarities?
Favourite SHORT medieval primary sources to read? (Either short texts, or short excerpts from longer ones).
Just read a book about Napoleon's exile on Elba and it really made me wonder about the impact of the 100 days on the French. How enthusiastic was the population about this? And how did Louis XVIII have the temerity to go back to France after fleeing Paris only months after he was installed by foreign powers?
Hello world! Do you know what time it is?
I read the rules but just a quick question... Am I allowed to create a post that asks a question and then ask "wrong answers only" ?
For example ( this isn't my actual question I'll post) What is the terracotta army in China? "Wrong answers only"
But my idea is for a much broader historical question.
I don’t know how historical this is, but I’m curious about gendered names. In English, there are tons of names for girls like Constance, Hope, Joy, Faith, and other virtues. But I can’t think of almost any names for boys that are similar (as for the meanings in English)! What’s up with our holding up baby girls to virtues and not baby boys? Speculations and legit answers welcome.
Is there a reason why there have been so many questions about the Romanian language lately? Did it come up in a podcast or something?
Does anyone know anything about Margerine and the history of it? Any books on it. For some reason it has began to really interest me.
Especially the move from skanky whale and fish based ones to nice ones. And the implications for wartime rationing in Britain. Or the science/commercial aspects of utilising seeds and nuts for oils for foods rather than industrial lube.
British wartime rationing is all about butter and lard and animal fats. Supplies of Whale oils etc. But where is the palm and olive oil?
I asked a full question last week but got no takers
Have any of you tried changing the topic to history by telling a fun fact or something similar, how did it go and do you try to do it often, im 19 and don't have many friends who like history so i never tried to tell any stories, what if they find it boring or arent interested in a history lesson