It's time to vote for the Best of AskHistorians, 2021!!! Make your voice heard!!!

by Georgy_K_Zhukov

2021 has concluded, and that means it is time to look back and reflect on all the amazing content that was written on the subreddit this past year.

And while every single answer, and writer, who contributed over the past year deserves recognition for the part they played in making this such an incredible community (not to mention people asking the questions, reading the answers, upvoting, or just quietly lurking), but every year there are nevertheless some truly incredible standouts, and the 'Best of 2021' Awards honor at least a slice of those with some super cool AskHistorians swag.

Some of the possible prizes at stake!

And those awards are based on your input! As in past years, the 'Best of' Awards are "seeded" using the winners of our monthly award winners, and you can upvote the answer(s) you enjoyed the most (With a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, *and* Dark Horse award, you don't need to limit yourself to just one). But if you think there is an answer which ought to be in there and isn't, feel free to submit it yourself!

If you have any questions or commentary about the Best of Awards, please restrict them as replies to the designated stickied comment at the top of the thread.

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"How did a royal treasury work during the times of an itinerant court?" >!/u/cazador5!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"The Mongols while invading Song Dynasty China, destroyed what some consider to be the first signs of industrialisation. What was the state of industrialisation in the late Song Dynasty China? How much did they utilise steam power and mining? How was the quality of life in their factories?" | >!/u/cthulhushrugged!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"Battles in Mesoamerica often used religious artifacts and in some cases "Owl Men" who would cast magic onto the battle field. The Owl Men were even sent against Cortes. What exactly would these mystics do to cast their spells and how did it tie into the religion?" | >!/u/Islacoatl and /u/quedfoot!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"What was widely spoken in China before Mandarin Chinese was standardized?" | >!/u/keyilan!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"Is there evidence to support Canada and the UK rigged the 1949 Newfoundland referendum?" | >!/u/TheRGL!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

How did the "stereotype" of an alien being physically grey, big eyed, creature came to life ? | >!/u/OneWeirdTrick!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"Did x- rays reveal a hidden epidemic of child abuse?" | >!/u/critbuild!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"In Europa Universalis 4 exists a type of goverment called "Peasent's Republic", did such ever existed between 1444-1830? Or even before?" | >!/u/kaiser_matias!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"What led to the stagnation of Muslim innovation and science when they were once considered the leaders in science and mathematics during Medieval times?" | >!/u/Xuande88!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"In school, I learned a lot about about Ancient Greek theater and Elizabethan theater but very little theater in between those time periods. Why?" | >!/u/dont_do_drama!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"Ancient and medieval scribes made several errors and changes when copying the Bible, leading to several passages where the original version is disputed to this day, and several instances where errors have shaped the way key passages are understood. Is the same true of any sufficiently ancient text?" | >!/u/purrprinthom!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

Yan, tan, tethera, pethera, pimp - why did English shepherds keep celtic numbers while the rest of the language adopted the one, two, three, four, five that we're more familiar with today | >!/u/amayo20!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

The preservation of Pompeii seems like an absolutely absurd bit of luck for archaeologists and historians studying the Roman empire at its height, are there comparable sites for other Ancient civilizations in places like China, India or the Middle East? | >!/u/bem-ti-vi!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

Halsey acted foolishly >!| /u/Myrmidon99!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"Gonzalo Guerrero was shipwrecked and then captured by the Maya in 1511; when found by other Spaniards about 20 years late, he had been made a warlord and refused to return to Spain. Why would the Maya make a low-born European sailor a warlord?" >!| /u/611131!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"How much contact did medieval Europe have with Iceland?" | >!/u/jellolegos!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"Is White Europe a myth?" | >!/u/Kelpie-Cat!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"What happened to the native people of Japan and why aren't they more known about?" | >!/u/mikedash!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"How did the Jewish community of Thessaloniki react to the Greek population transfer into the city, the diminution of the city's Jewish identity, and the loss of their Muslim neighbors?" | >!/u/mayor_rishon!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"Pekka Hämäläinen writes in Lakota America that the 17th-century Haudenosaunee socially "adopted" their war prisoners to replace their own dead. What did that look like? How far did they commit to the change of identity?" | >!/u/anthropology_nerd!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"Did the USSR actually like the aesthetic of their architecture or was it a form of subliminal propaganda?" | >!u/Cedric_Hampton!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"Gordon Lightfoot released his hit song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" less than a year after the ship sank. Was there any controversy at the time surrounding the quick release? Was the song viewed as exploitative?" | >!/u/Craigellachie!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"Question: Travel From Africa to France in the 1880s" | >!/u/gerardmenfin!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

Alexander the Great's invasion of India gets no mention in Indian sources, all our knowledge of it comes from Greek sources. Are records lost or did Indian historians consider it unimportant? | >!/u/Trevor_Culley!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

What would the odds be of Dua Lipa actually surviving the sinking of the Titanic? | >!/u/YourlocalTitanicguy!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

Do we have knowledge if Beowulf was considered 'special' at it's time or was it one of many but it's the one that survived to us? >!| /u/TremulousHand!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"Sessue Hayakawa, a Japanese man, was one of Hollywood's first sex symbols. During the same period, fear of the "Yellow Peril" was at its peak. How did these two things affect each other?" | >!/u/walpurgisnox!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"How was education during the middle ages in the Muslim world? | b>!y /u/frogbrooks!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"During the Early Modern period, contacts between Europe and Asia multiplied. How was European art received by Asian critics? | >!by /u/Sankon!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

Al-Ma'arri was an arab philosopher from the golden age of Islam who became an atheist and published several books criticising religion. Was, if any, was the impact on his work? | >!/u/gamegyro56!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"What happened the first few days after segregation ended in the United States?" >!| /u/vpltz!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"Pagan traditions in modern Christmas?" | >!/u/kiwihellenist!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

"What did a medieval army (more specifically, southern France during the Albigensian Crusade) do after they conquered a town or castle? Would they leave a garrison? Put somebody in charge who's loyal to them?" | >!/u/Friend_of_Augustine!<

Georgy_K_Zhukov

Please restrict any questions or commentary as replies to this comment. Top level comments should only be submissions for the contest.

Raptor_be

Would we say that England "colonized" Ireland? How was it similar to/different from colonialism in other parts of the world? >!u/Rimbaud82!<

Jetamors

How did Roman families acquire Lares? | >!u/tinyblondeduckling!<

Jetamors

Out of the Curiosity of it, what did the Native Americans do to the disabled and sick before Christopher Columbus and the settlers? I don't know, my college professor doesn't know, and Google doesn't know. | >!u/Kelpie-Cat!<