The pre-famine Irish received the "overwhelming majority" of their calories from potatoes from what I can find with searches, plus some milk, but potatoes are rather calorically light, and these are field-working peasants.

At the usual 60-150 calories per potato in modern varieties and a conservative 2,800 calorie maintenance, were these people literally subsisting on several dozen boiled potatoes a day for their entire lives? Did they just wake up, eat eight boiled potatoes, go to work the field, eat another eight straight boiled potatoes, come home, eat another eight straight boiled potatoes, etc?

Why do the Abrahamic religions have such a strong emphasis on texts (the Bible, the Quran) being divinely inspired? From my understanding most other religions don't emphasize a text as being a "word of God" even if they have spiritual meaning for them.

Anyone read The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World by Marie Favereau?

I'm looking to pick up a book on the Mongols soon, and this one caught my eye. Anyone got a sense of how it compares to something like Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford?

Does anyone know of any good primary accounts of just how insane alcohol consumption was in the US West prior to prohibition? I dimly recall a great and funny account by an English traveler that would be ideal, but anything will suffice.

In the Netflix show THE LAST KINGDOM, characters are often seen eating apples. Were there edible apples in Great Britain in the late 9th century?

Google says that the Trojan war happened around 1300-1200 bce but also says Sparta wasn’t founded as a state until 900 bce. How could Sparta have fought in the Trojan war if they weren’t even a nation yet?

Here is a still from DANCES WITH WOLVES, the scene in which the Pawnee execute Timmons. You can see that one of the Pawnee has this unusual weapon; it looks like a curved axe handle with pointy bits added. I suppose it's technically a kind of trident:

https://i.imgur.com/K2ZPPZp.jpg

Chingachgook in LAST OF THE MOHICANS carries the same weapon:

https://i.imgur.com/8qxNbQe.jpg

This item doesn't LOOK especially effective. It seems ungainly and awkward.

Is it an invention of Hollywood?

Was it a real weapon used by . . . well, which tribes?

Does it have a name?

I'd be very grateful for any information at all.

Thank you!

During the segregation-era South, would white immigrants (who did not have a grandfather who had voted before the Civil War, thus failing the grandfather clause) have trouble voting?

And did any African Americans of mixed origin try to claim descent from a white grandfather who voted before the Civil War?

Im looking to read about the history of the Hudsons Bay Company and am wondering if there are any book recommendations. The most popular options seem to be "The Company" by Stephen Bown and "Emperor of the North" by James Raffan

​

Thanks!

Do we know the origins of Emperor Frederick's epithet Barbarossa, Italian for Red Beard.

I've heard two things; he had a red beard.... and since he spent most of his time in Italy where red was rare. Bingo bango Barbarossa.

The second thing; he was campaigning in Italy to centralize his power in the Kingdom of Italy as a replacement for his personal loss of the Duchy of Swabia and the rebellious city-states required a heavy hand, including the entire destruction of Milan.

So Red Beard was the diplomatic way to say Frederick the Blood Soaked

So is it Frederick Red Beard or Frederick Red Beard ^^(wink wink nudge nudge say no more say no more)

Anyone know if “The Memory Palace of Mateo Ricci” by Jonathan Spence is any good? It’s about a missionary in China in the 16th century. The reason I want to read this is because of the influence it had on Nier video game writer Yoko Taro. However, if any historians have read this I’d love to know what you think of the book.

Are these myths actually facts?

Myth 1:

The M1 Garand and the SVT-40 were good reliable guns, except for when it was spring due to fact that there was mud that will clog them up and eventually jam them.

Myth 2:

The M1 Garand was the reason why millions of Japanese soldiers died because they didnt have that many semi automatic rifles to arm them.

Is there any free online database of American newspapers? Like the Brazilian Hemeroteca Digital?

So this question popped into my head out of nowhere and I've no idea why... so apologies if it's based on an incorrect premise.

I remember a long time ago, in middle school, I think, a teacher saying that William Shakespeare just straight-up invented a bunch of words that then became part of the English lexicon. My question is, if this is accurate, how would historians determine that these words did not exist prior to Shakespeare's plays?

I am an itinerant preacher during the Italian Renaissance. I am invited to preach at a small church in Florence. Where do I stay? Where do I sleep? Who provides for my well-being?

During the period where the English Court used Norman/Anglo-Norman/French, what word was used to refer to the Earls? Was it translated as Conte/Comte, or was there some Frenchified version of "Earl"?

Any recommended reading on the subject of nationalism in Communist states, especially as manifested in the fields of history and archeology?

What are the best places to find reviews of historical studies/journals/books?

I’ve been playing Crusader Kings 3 and noted the “position” of court bishops as under their directly ruling monarch; would an English-speaking bishop have referred to their liege as “my lord” or was that address reserved for the Lord?

What did the knighting ceremony look like in the high middle ages? And did a German ceremony look different to a French or English one?

Did any realms not recognize the knighthood of another because of differences in the ceremony?

Who is the earliest person whose EXACT birth date is known? Anyone earlier than Alexander the Great (20 July 356 BC) ?

Someone posted a beautiful timeline diagram of Indian History. It was
broken down by states for each row, and over time you could see how the
different empires waxed and waned over time. Unfortunately I lost the
post and can't remember exactly which subreddit it was in. The author
said they were looking to put more info on Instagram soon. Can anyone
help?

How was Marcus Crassus' full name pernounced in classical Latin? Thank you!

Hi, hope I can post this here. I'm trying to find an old AH answer regarding medieval traffic rules. I remember in particular an amusing anecdote about a guy who was fined for speeding on his horse in medieval England (I am pretty sure it was England), and also, I think, he had hit and killed someone in his haste. I thought it was an answer from sunagainstgold, but I couldn't find it in their answers, so if anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd be grateful.

I heard a story that "when The Napoleonic Troops entered the Inquisition Palace in Madrid they were disgusted in seeing people tortured in a gruesome way with all sorts of bizzare torture devices being used (Not only Strappado,The Rack,and Waterboarding devices,but also including many other torture devices were used)". Is there any truth inside this story,or is this a sort of a legend / fabrication?

I remember reading what I think was a hark the vagrant comic about a ?philosopher who wanted to get re/married and created a strategy for picking the best wife, which boiled down to having 5 options and picking the 3rd choice. Does anyone know who/what I'm thinking of?

Who was Octavian's mentor?

Did Caesar spend enough time with him to have taught him political skills or was there someone else who mentored him? How?

Does anyone know of any good, general overviews of the history of the City of San Francisco?

We had an amazing sunset tonight where I live. I posted pictures on social media it was so beautiful. Did ancient cultures record such events?

When did "the West Coast" start to thought/spoken of as a distinct cultural region of the US, like "the South" had long been?

Hi. I have been looking for estimates of the number of unionized agriculture workers in the UK around 1900. If you happen to know it, or know where I could find it, it would be quite helpful!

Thanks.

In illustrations like this elephants are shown with a big tower mounted on their back with many people in it; on the other hand animal rights activists today say that even a single person riding an elephant (tourists in Thailand or whatever) is painful or crippling because their backs can't take it. Were there ever really large structures on elephants' backs, and could they support them for long?

What was the first year Middle Eastern immigrants could vote in federal elections in the United States?

When Burger King introduced its "Have it your way" advertisements, did McDonald's refuse customization requests?

Did the saying "Duty is heavier than a mountain; death is lighter than a feather." originate from imperial Japan?

hi, why there isnt an archive of the city of Troy? İts a relatively big place up to 10,000 people and ıts a well known archeological site in Hisarlık Turkey.

Were cantons of "Old Swiss Confederacy" able to freely secede?

I'm looking for a list similar to Wikipedia's list of largest empires, but one that includes every kind of sovereign state, not just empires. Does anyone know where I can find this?

Ancient Historians studied their present as well as their past; are there any historians that study the present in modern times?

I've been reading writings by ancient historians recently. I've noticed that while they did collect their history, usually orally, many of their most important writings were about current events and travels they themselves witnessed and not their past.

As far as I can tell, modern historians tend to shie away from present or even very recent (12 months or less) history. They also seem to make a point to try not to view history through a modern lens.

Do we have a modern analogue to these ancient historians? Something deeper than simple reporting, more present than the work of modern historians, and more focused and analytical than a broad-spectrum archivist simply vacuuming up anything that may be of future relevance?

The closest thing I can think of are maybe investigative reporters or social and political commenters. If I had to put a hypothetical name to the position, perhaps I would call them "Investigative Contemporary Archivists." Also, would such an effort hold any value for future generations or is it redundant?

I was prompted by a mod to repost this here. Thank you in advance.

Edited for spelling.

What are some stories about famous world leaders or well known figures throughout history who have had extreme tooth pain? My wife is going through a miserable toothache the last day. We have meds for these sorts of things. But hundreds of years ago? I'm guessing they removed the tooth asap!

How many students would have been enrolled at medieval universities such as Oxford and Bologna?

Is there a book or website that have visual timelines of the entire history of major countries in history?

Who, or what group invented the Orzo style of pasta? My post wasn't answered in two weeks maybe someone here can answer?

What's the difference between a king and a Tsar?

What were some notable polities in extreme/least hospitable regions of the world?

I was looking for primary sources that talked directly about virtues from the classical era, middle ages and renaissance.

Any suggestions would be very appreciated.

Do you recognize this sign?

A prisoner killed in the Buchenwald concentration camp has this sign on his personal file (häftlings personal karte) It is hand-drawn, twice, one time with the date of death. The two drawings are identical, I don't think it is a clumsy swastika. I think it may signals the cause of death.
(https://postimg.cc/sMRRJT1s)