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.
There was a request for a slightly freer discussion on Russia (and I guess Ukraine) stuff in the Yeltsin thread yesterday, so if anyone is interested I can field some questions. u/Whitewasabi69 and u/IvyTheGreat01 had a couple but I can take more.
Don't forget to check out today's AMA everyone! Our own /u/Valkine is talking all about crossbows and other fun stuff!
Coffee was so important in Turkish Culture that under 15th century law, a woman could divorce her husband if he didn’t provide her with enough coffee!
Hello historians!
I saw the above quote today, and I am inclined to call it bullshit.
Is it true that such a law ever existed in the Ottoman Empire (or anywhere else)?
Your Weekly /r/askhistorians Recap
Friday, March 11 - Thursday, March 17
###Top 10 Posts
| score | comments | title & link |
|---|---|---|
| 3,882 | 55 comments | The Supreme Court ruled that Native American tribes were sovereign nations that couldn't be forced from their land. Andrew Jackson saw the federal ruling and decided to remove them anyway. Was the problem that the supreme court couldn't enforce their ruling? Did everyone just look the other way? |
| 3,833 | 428 comments | Why is fantasy set in the Middle Ages? Where does that connection come from? |
| 3,462 | 114 comments | This bar joke from ancient Sumer has been making rounds on twitter as non-sequitur humor. What does it actually mean? |
| 2,461 | 51 comments | Part of the “All in the Family” theme song goes, “Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again!” Hoover is generally regarded as one of the worst US presidents; would Archie Bunker or other conservatives of the time have had good reason to miss him? |
| 2,365 | 60 comments | News outlets are reporting that Russia may soon default on its national debt. Historically, what has happened in countries that defaulted on their debt? |
| 2,290 | 201 comments | Why are British Settler Colonies so Successful? |
| 2,124 | 43 comments | At the end of the nineteenth century, about 100,000 horses lived in New York City. A busy horse eats about 20 pounds of hay each day. How did the city manage two MILLION pounds of hay every day? |
| 1,814 | 49 comments | Why did Victorian era military officers put their hand in their uniforms? |
| 1,453 | 68 comments | [Women's rights] Dr Bettany Hughes states "women have always been 50% of the population, but only occupy around 0.5% of recorded history." - how accurate is the 0.5% statistic? |
| 1,154 | 22 comments | [Great Question!] Christian monks and nuns began to form communities not long after the religion began to spread. But what about Jesus's message led people to think monasticism was a path he would approve of? |
###Top 10 Comments
If you would like this roundup sent to your reddit inbox every week send me a message with the subject 'askhistorians'. Or if you want a daily roundup, use the subject 'askhistorians daily'. Or send me a chat with either askhistorians or askhistorians daily.
####Please let me know if you have suggestions to make this roundup better for /r/askhistorians or if there are other subreddits that you think I should post in. I can search for posts based off keywords in the title, URL and flair. And I can also find the top comments overall or in specific threads.
Quick question - Is encyclopedia.com a reliable source?
German/Prussian History Question. What is a contemporary comparison to the German Iron Cross, similar to a Victorian Cross or Medal of Honor? What benefits did it convey, like salutes to the recipients? Or was it more of an honorific?