After the introduction of smoking tobacco in Europe, did Europeans start trying to smoke all their other herbs and plants to see if they've been missing out on some pipeweed options?

•••

I ask because movie prop cigarettes are blends of herbs and stuff like rose pedals. That sounds like something a 17th century German could have smoked if they couldn't afford New World tobacco.

Why do some countries refer to their homeland as the “fatherland” and others refer to it as the “motherland”? Are the two terms used interchangeably?

Can someone please recommend me good books/podcasts/articles in English that cover in detail the history of the Saxon and other tribes that occupied territories along the northern border of the Elbe during the Dark Ages?

When I search for the topic in English I can only find stuff about the Migration to Britain and such. I am looking to study the tribes that stayed in ocidental Europe and the region comprising today Holstein-Schleswig.

Thanks and happy holidays.

What would the Earl of Sandwich have actually put in his sandwich?

Why do many historians use “an historian”? Is it pronounced “an hiss-torian” or “an iss-torian”?

Which artists influenced Albrecht Durer's wood block printing style (specifically), I was wondering. I like the clear lines, the way the clouds look and the various symbols and animals. Do you have any idea who also is drawing like this?

Maybe this is too much of an art-history question, though?

Has there been any battles in history where both sides were completely and mutually destroyed?

I'll be asking this in r/books, too, I suppose, though I suspect I'm more likely to get an answer here. My parents are going to be traveling to Iceland soon, and I'd like to give them a copy of Snorri Sturlusson's Prose Edda to read before they go. I'm curious if any of you can recommend a specific edition and/or translation.

I realize this may not be the appropriate kind of question for this sub or thread, but I figure y'all are exactly the sort of people ask.

I'm wondering about colonial population density in Canada in the 18th century, especially as compared with the American colonies.

I'm also wondering about the proportion of Francophone to Anglophone settlers in Canada during that time.

Anyone have figures on either of those things?

In the USA, the flag of the Confederacy is often flown proudly. It’s the flag of the states that declared war on the rest of their country, a war they lost. Are there any other countries where the flag of the side that lost a civil war is so happily displayed and accepted?

Hi does anyone know of any reading material to learn about the Dutch empire, particularly in Malacca?

Which Countries in the Southern Hemisphere have their native language as their national language?

I don't really know what I'm interested in because I know so little history. What are some of your favorite books or topics? I'm willing to look at anything. I don't care if it's specific to World War II or animal husbandry practices of early humans crossing into the Americas.

I am very interested in reading more about Tamerlane. I know somewhat of his exploits and I would be really curious to dig into his life, accomplishments, battles, politics, etc. but don’t seem to be able to find anything. Narrative history is fine, but I’d also take something dense/academic if there is one that’s worthwhile. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

What's the deal with concubines in Ancient China? How were they selected? Were any selected from the common classes or were they generally from upper class families? Was it shameful or a great honor for your daughter or sister to be selected as a concubine?

Did the Saudi Binladin Group, owned by Osama bin Ladens family suffer any American security concerns or biases?

Why did medieval muslim writers write about Chinese kings using war elephants despite them being in ancient China?

How many wars were called "the Great War" prior to World War 1? I was researching Christmas carols of all things, and found a book that the author dedicated to his brother, who died in "the Great War." Which is normal enough... except the book was published in 1910, so clearly not the First World War.

Any good sources on US civil war vexillology?

What was the first book written by an Islamic author printed in Europe (in Latin script)? (Regardless of genre).

The same about the first book written by a Jewish author (always in Latin script). [Edit: outside of the Bible].

Any recommended reading on sectarian religious movements in Ming and Qing China?

What was the religion of the Goths before Christianity?

Were prior generations less capable or willing to engage in abstract thinking?

How did WW1 spiral out of control the way it did? I get that there were alliances and defensive pacts, but despite that wouldn’t leaders have taken a step back and said the scale of this war makes zero sense anymore?

What is the event/who are the people or person? I can’t find anything on it.

I want sources on something I heard from a Reddit thread.

So basically there was Thai Reddit thread asking something along the lines of “What’s the scariest/saddest historical fact” one of the responses was something along the lines of

“There once was a pianist that during a war of some sort was told that as long as he played the piano the soldiers wouldn’t kill him. After 72 hours he dropped to the floor exhausted. The troops were impressed but still killed him anyway.”

I wanna say the troops or pianist were Russian but I’m not sure. Anyone know what event/who they’re referencing?

I'm struggling to find books on medieval Scotland that aren't drivel.

Is there any books about Scotland in the medieval period (1000 to 1600CE) that you would recommend for someone who is working up to a degree in Scottish History

Is there any idea what happened to the remains of the Byzantine emperors in the Church of the Holy Apostles? When the church was replaced with a mosque, would the bones from the crypt just have been randomly tossed somewhere?

Were there any military leaders/rulers in the Antiquity period who were exceptionally beyond their time in terms of moral conduct during warfare?Specifically in regard to conducting warfare in what we would today consider a humane manner (not mistreating prisoners of war, not engaging in slavery, not engaging in rape etc). Are there any figures in the Late Antiquity that came close? If so who would be the best examples?

How did ancient warriors stop their spears from slipping out of their hands? Did they carve grip surfaces into the wood? Did they have cloth equivalent to modern grip tape? Did they need such a solution?

It seems like spears would have been subjected to a lot of fairly strong forces. I can imagine them being knocked around in single combat, and in a phalanx they're being pressed against an armored human wave with only a single hand free to hold it. If you thrust with the spear and your hand slips on contact, then that's energy lost. It works the other way too; if it gets stuck in an opponent or their shield, it could be difficult to extract. Besides, if you're covered in sweat because of your march, or the heat, or it's raining, or the battlefield is particularly muddy, or if you're in a desert and there's a lot of very fine dust kicked up by the battle, I'd think that smooth surface would be harder to keep in hand.

But for all my theorycrafting I can't find anything on this, which isn't too unusual for me, but it does point to this being less of a problem than I think.

How would one go about researching medieval technology/engineering? Primarily interesting in the drainage systems used in the medieval/early modern Low Countries, but having difficulty finding diagrams.

is there an accurate list of the tallest buildings throughout history that does not include the pyramids?

Do we know who was the first native american to visit India was and the first indian to visit the Americas?

Is there a good book or reading on the history of Vodka in Russia and it’s impact on Russian society? I was fascinated by the subject through Kraut’s video about it on YouTube, however he doesn’t cite any sources and has mixed record on accuracy in his videos.

I would like any recommendations of books or material around the topic of trials in history. Could anyone offer some suggestions?

What was the special name for foreign mercenaries that fought for Rome?

I’ve completely forgotten the name and can’t find anything on google

Were there any non-egalitarian societies that were neither patriarchal nor matriarchal?

I see only two main ways this cloud happen:

• Plutarchal societies: basically the rich rule. (arguably current Western societies and maybe ancient Carthage are examples)
• Enbyarchal societies: basically some third gender rules (I can't think of any example of this happening and I am not sure if it is even possible given that trans people seem to always be a small minority, like 2% of the population at most)

Note: I'm counting societies like the Iroquois as matriarchal here.

I am looking at the monarchic systems of Europe and I'm a little confused about how this works. I know it's based on lineage but also what piece of land they rule over.

Basically, I'm asking what exactly are the land distinction titles between Duke, Marquis, count, Viscount, and Barons and how it relates to modern grouping of cities/towns in Europe (especially France).

I have a family member who stubbornly maintains that everyone in the dark ages worked 16hr days and was permanently fifthly, shunning bathing or personal care, can anyone suggest some contradictory evidence/sources?

Who first called 476AD as the fall of the Roman Empire?

When the joint-stock company was first invented, was there a lot of pushback on the concept? What were some of the concerns? Also any recommended books on the invention of the concept would be much appreciated!

Is it widely excepted that Hitler was a sociopath? What is the current thinking about his mental state?

Did Matsukata Deflation have anything to do with the immigration of Japanese to Hawaii/Brazilian and Hokkaido?

As we all know, there was a long build-up to the horrible attrocities committed against Jews (and other minorities) in wwII era Germany. What, however, was the exact event that was the first government policy-backed aggressive action taken against these minorities by the Nazi party?

I remember learning about an ex prisoner who was brought to America to help train the soldiers. But the details escape me. Can anyone provide details to who he was?

Does anyone know the meaning behind this symbol? Found on gravestone dated early 1800s Northern Ireland symbol here

I'm wondering with history being full of interesting stories in general full of political intrigue, conflicts, romances, etc. Have you noticed a certain way that history is told that captures the the interest in the general audience?

In other words, who, or how have you seen history expressed where it really makes it interesting for a person to dive further into it. Or is it always just dependent on what is the historical event and whether the presenter fits that event.

What is a "green tea cigarette"? It's mentioned in the Green Carnation. Esme says "Opium has proved useless and green tea cigarettes leave me positively brilliant.". It sounds like pot, but I can't find anything reliable to confirm this.

Is Santa Claus the only person in history that adults pretend to exist for children while adults don't pretend that Santa exist to each other?

Did the British Empire invest capital in textile manufactures in the countries under its domain? Do commonwealth countries in the present have notably larger textile industries than countries without a history of direct British rule?

Why was Renato Bialetti a german prisoner of war? Was he part of a resistance movement of some sort?

I've found out about that while watching a YouTube video, but all I can find myself is that "he returned from war in 1946 and took over the company."

How many countries or territories were (or still are) under European colonial rule?

Just curious, what was the boundary between commoner/chounin and ronin during the Edo period?

In particular, what prevented a commoner to start carrying two swords and walk down the streets of Edo acting like a ronin? (not assuming any advantages of doing so, just a hypothetical question)

Thanks!

Was John Elwes actually this miserly? I saw a TIL that mentioned he was the inspiration for Scrooge, and was curious and went to learn more. But a Wikipedia article and a few other sites later and I keep seeing the same "factoids" that seem like tabloid tales (his mother was so miserly that she starved herself to death, really?), so I am hoping to find a more reliable source. Any suggestions?

When was the last time all four Beatles were in the same room together?

When was the last time a naval vessel fired round shot (solid shot/cannonballs) in anger, and what were the circumstances of the engagement?

I saw that in the recent CT scans of the Amenhotep I mummy, he appears to be circumcised.

Was circumcision a common practice in ancient Egypt? How and why did it get to the pharaohs?

Why are the rebels who fought in the War of Regulation known as Regulators? What did the word mean to them?

Hi,

I'm writing a novel about forgotten history and I would like to know this: what are some pieces of history that most people don't know about that if it were described to them, they would think is fantasy? What is so foreign to western and eastern cultures of today that people may question their legitimacy?

In particular, I'm asking about differences based on time period moreso than region. A lot of advances made have optimized much of the experiences out of life and the particular focus of my writing is: what have we optimized out of our lives and how has it altered our perception of our society, history, & heritage.

Thank you for your feedback and for reading. Enjoy your day!

I recieved a pin with an imperial eagle holding an Iron cross, it s just a cheap product that it can be found in alliexpress but the name in that site was "ww2 badge", as far as im aware the eagle from that period was holding a swastica. I also found another site claiming it was form ww1 but nothing legit + that particular eagle didnt show up when searching for reichsadler-bundesadler. Does this eagle was ever used? And if so, when?

Is 抱見請安 (bao jian qing an? in Vietnamese it's bão kiến thỉnh an) a Manchu etiquette/tradition? A Vietnamese source indicated that this is an exclusive action for qinwang and from Fuk'anggan's word it seemed to be exclusive for one with great military achievements. Did this,combine with some minor diplomatic "incident" when due to some miscommunication between Quang Trung and Fuk'anggan where the former reluctantly wear Manchu clothing, tell anything about Qing's diplomatic etiquette towards its (Sinosphere) tributary?

Don’t know if this is the right place but I don’t know where else to put it and it’s been annoying me recently. I only seem to notice it on this sub but why is it I see a post, think that looks interesting and with 10 commments it might have an answer. But then when I go to the post it only shows me the auto mod comment.

Were the war masks commonly said to be cuman, like in the games Kingdom Come Deliverance and now Mordhau, actually cuman/kipchak?

Have historians applied Yuri Slezkine's concept of "Mercurian" people to explore the Chinese diaspora, particularly Chinese-Americans?

Were Brigades as a formation unit not used in US Army during WWII?

From what I know, in WWI, there were brigades in the formation between divisions and regiments. A division had 2 infantry brigades and each brigade had 2 regiments.

But in WWII, brigades don't seem to be present? A division has multiple regiments and supporting units.

Am I correct here? What was the reason for this change?

what were the armored units in ancient world powers like india, persia, greek state, macadonia, and china? essensially how many troops were armoured by these empires and civilizations in one army?

Quick question. I'm not British.

One of the most well known era from British history is Victorian era which happened in 1800s. As far as I know, it got its name from the Queen Victoria which ruled UK at that time. Whenever it becomes a setting for movies and video games, it indeed has its own "charm" which I can't really describe. My question is what made the era so special and unique that it got its own name? What was special about Britain at that time compared to other timeframe?

Are there any celebs who have openly supported a fascist government system rather than a democratic one?

what would happen if a civil war broke out during wartime? More specifically what would happen to the front lines.

What was Nero Caesar's peak net worth at the height of his lavish and uncontrollable spending?