In Harpo Marx’s autobiography, he wrote about a trip he took to the Soviet Union in the early 1930’s. His mute comedy sketches had no language barrier, so they were a big hit with Moscow audiences. He spent the time between shows cheerfully bullshitting the very patient woman assigned to him as a government minder.

He also became friendly with the US ambassador who asked on his last day in the Soviet Union to smuggle a top secret letter back to the US taped to his leg.

They assumed, correctly, that anyone who observed Harpo Marx’s behavior both on and off stage wouldn’t believe that Harpo could be trusted with, well, anything.

The letter was retrieved by government agents as soon as he arrived back in the US. He ended the story by writing he has no idea what was in the letter and never will.

What was in the letter? What was important enough for Harpo Marx of all people to become a secret government agent?

We’re the husbands of accused witches persecuted in any way during such times that it became popular? I know this ranges over hundreds of years. I assume single women were targeted, but there had to be married ones as well.

Costume historian Bernadette Banner said that the costumes of Ridley Scott's The Last Duel (2021) were "more Tudor-era than 1380s France". Is Banner correct in dating the film's costumes and hair styles? I have yet to see another costume historian aside from Banner comment on the topic.

How much did the French royal guard make under Louis XVI? What were soldier salaries like?

What kind of ship would the Crown of London likely have been?

Years ago, I came across a long-forgotten story that my family descends from a survivor of the Crown of London which sank near Scotland's Orkney Islands in 1679. The short story is that after being captured at Bothwell Brig earlier in the year roughly 250 Covenanters were sentenced to be indentured servants in the New World for refusing to pledge to never again take up arms against the King. Within weeks of leaving Leith, Scotland the ship struck rocks off the coast and only about 50 prisoners survived though most were recaptured. My ancestor was reportedly among the 9 that survived and evaded recapture.

I've written to a couple academics familiar with the sinking of the Crown, but they couldn't shed any light on the ship itself. I'm hoping someone more familiar with ships of the age can point me in the right direction.

There is a book called A Cloud of Witnesses from 1714 that includes a sketch referencing the ship (link below), but I don't know if the artist would have had any knowledge of the ship itself. All descriptions I've come across simply call it a 17th century merchant vessel. Is this just an East Indiaman, a Galleon, or something else?

Crown of London in foreground of lower center panel

I would be much obliged, if someone could please identify the cannon pictured below.

https://imgur.com/a/tZIaRiu

Higher definition, but more zoomed out: https://i.redd.it/lp8pep2ycpc91.png

The cannon in question is from the 'World of Warships' game, and is found on 'HMS Tiger'. Historical and model accuracy may well be wildly off.

Link to the original thread if of use: https://www.reddit.com/r/WorldOfWarships/comments/w3j8py/why_is_there_a_cannon_on_tiger/

It looks a bit like this Armstrong 12 pounder field gun: https://hansord.com/weapons/superb-model-of-an-armstrong-12-pounder-field-gun

I would be most put at ease if someone could identify this frustrating thing. By all means point me to a place on Reddit more suited for such wild goose chases!

When, and where, was the most recent instance of someone becoming a monarch through conquest? Especially interested in cases where they weren't already king or queen of somewhere else (eg English civil war)

I hope this is allowed. I’m looking for book recommendations about the medieval period, particularly in France and the British Isles. I would love to hear any suggestions for books you guys have enjoyed about this time.

Where was Tituba, of the Salem Witch Trails, buried?

People say that an invasion of Japan would've led to many more casualties than the atomic bombings. This is true, but my "no stupid questions" question: why was this a dilemma? Wasn't there another option of not invading at all or withdrawing? Why did the US have to remain involved?

What are some books to learn more more about the pre-modern times history of south China, specifically for Guangdong?

I’m curious, how was it like growing up in royalty or around them before the 1900s? Like did any royalty write diaries or did maybe guards write anything about it? I’m also curious what happens to far distance relatives of the royal family? Like where do they live and do they get any compensation? By far distance I mean someone like 2nd or 3rd cousins. I’d prefer to know these answers about the British royal family but any royal family is fine. Thank you in advance.

I’m building a scale model of the Endurance. She was built in 1912 in Norway as the Polaris, an ice-strengthened expedition yacht for wealthy tourists but purchased by Shackleton in January 1914 as his expedition ship to travel to Antarctica. She was privately owned, so would not have flown the White Ensign of the Royal Navy. She probably flew the Red Ensign of a British merchant vessel. However I cannot find any information to show that she ever changed her registration from Norway to UK. It could be that she flew the Norwegian flag. I would need to know her port of registry in 1914.

I was looking into medieval pricing, and came across the symbol "£L", specifically in regards to rent, property purchases, and schooling. I've tried looking it up independently, however, Google simply directs me to the Lebanese pound, or the letter 'L'. The specific prices were as follows:

Rent for a merchant's house - £2£L3/year

Price of a Merchant's house - £33£L66

University minimum - £2£L3/year

University for a Student of good birth - £4£L10/year

This is the specific document I was looking at, if that helps: http://medieval.ucdavis.edu/120D/Money.html

Thank you for looking at this post, and thank you for your time.

Two questions: Why are "research methods" courses not taught more frequently at the undergraduate level? Things like historiography and epigraphy seem so foundational they would be more prominent in the curricula. Has historical content always outweighed historical method?

Did "weed" use to be slang for tobacco?

It's a common joke for folks who watch/read The Lord of the Rings when the hobbits want to get messed up on "pipeweed," of course meaning tobacco and not marijuana.

So I'm just curious if/when the slang transferred to the other. Similarly to how 'corn' meant just grain but morphed into meaning maize specifically in the US.

What is this (possible) historic artefact?

Picture: https://i.postimg.cc/15FCk03d/Screenshot-20220722-223740.png

Location: Gard region in France

Background: passed this "thing" while hiking. There was a fence around it that drew my attention. Broader area has several dolmen and a menhir if that is of any use, but none of them are fenced off, so it's kind of out of character that this is. Only thing around there that typically may have a fence is an aven, but doesn't look like this is one. It is not indicated on topographic map.

I'm trying to track down where my maternal side is from. My mom says Yugoslavia, but does not know which part. At one point in a early 1900s census, they claimed to be from Austria. Was there ever an overlap between borders for these countries?

Do we know if Charles de Gaulle actually said "Brazil is the country of the future, and it always will be?"

Or at least, when was the first recorded instance of the quote?

Which two friends bought Fredrick Douglass’ freedom? The internet doesn’t seem to say who, or is it unknown?

Can anyone tell me about the history of raised beds for gardening, especially edged with wood? I live in a historical district (in NJ, USA) that thinks they can tell me how to fucking garden because history.

What were Pre-Islamic and Early Rashidun advanced guards and scouts called?.

When I search for illustrations of Gallowglass soldiers, the vast majority of them show them as having bare legs, with just a skirt of some kind protecting their legs. Some even have them as barefoot.

Is there any historical truth to this? It feels like it could be a matter of people just kind of making things up but I can’t find a source to speak on it one way or another.

Is there any hint of cuir bouilli spauldron, couter or poleyn usage in the Middle Ages?

What was the first Rube Goldberg machine in history? I've already found the answer to Rube Goldberg's first but are there similar machines know about from before his lifetime? Doesn't have to be something totally outrageous just something purposely over engineered that wastes material, space, time or all three?

How different did the bugle/trumpet calls between different armies sound during the Napoleonic wars?

Hey I'm doing a paper on the evolution of wartime propaganda and found this image of a British poster from early on into World War 2 (https://ibb.co/sv4bcWf). I was left wondering what the some of the flags were... More specifically the flag on the left below the Union Jack, the flag on the left below the South African flag and the flag on the right below the Greek flag. (I noticed that the last one is very similar to the Imperial German flag and am now wondering if this flag was used after World War I and the dissolving of the German Empire)

Approximately how wealthy would one need to be, to be able to build, maintain, and fully staff a mansion in the late 1800's Mainland Europe (Germany, Then-Bohemia, Austria, etc)?

Was the coal deposits found on the Peloponnese in Greece known to the Ancient Greeks? Particularly during the Peloponnesian War?

Was it ever common for a navy steam & sail ship of the mid 19th century to carry horse tack; stuff like bridles, harnesses, collars. Items needed to haul supplies or pull cargo cranes; in the supplies of the ship even if there's no horses on board? Enough for 1-4 horses?

Or would it be assumed that any needed supplies from inland would be carried by the crew or that if you could acquire a horse, you can acquire its needed tack at the same time?

I’ve been wanting to do a deep-dive into Roman history and I was wondering what those of you who have done it recommend? I’m looking to get really into the weeds, 10-15+ books if necessary. I’m not entirely sure where to start but I hope to build a large collection of texts and knowledge regarding Ancient Rome. I’ve done quite a bit of searching but there is quite a lot of convolution in regards to how much content is really out there. I’m really looking to design a learning schedule, so I would start with the Legend of Rumulus and I suppose I would stop somewhere around the Holy Roman Empire Era, but I need help organizing the literature by chronological order. I was looking to do the same with Ancient Greece but i have a greater fascination with Ancient Rome. I have read “A history of Rome” but I want much more info!! Has anyone else accomplished this outside of a formal university setting?

I know I'm late to this post, so I may need to wait for another similar post but...

Was there a Nazi leader or general who said a quote about how they could destroy so many Russian divisions and the next day there would be 10x more to take their place, or something to that effect?

I'm trying so hard to search for it but everything I can find now is about the Nazification of Ukraine, even when I stick "-ukraine -Ukraine - Ukrainian -ukrainian" and other such modifiers onto my search. I don't understand lol

I remember reading about a chinese chancellor/minister that deposed a emperor & replaced him with a better emperor, I do not know his name & which dynasty he lived in but I do remember reading on wikipedia, that he was the first politician to not replace an emperor for selfish reason, I've been trying to find out his name for hours but I've not yet found his name.

Which side killed more civillians in the Vietnam War? [Please Read]

Please note that I am not talking about democide (intentional killing of civilians). I am talking about just civillians killed in general. Who killed more? North Vietnam or the combined strenght of South Vietnam, USA and South Korea?

This is extremely random but I vaguely remember learning something that I now can't remember lol

Between the years 1950 and 1980 or so, a US president appointed 2 guys to pretty prominent diplomatic positions that were brothers ... does anyone know who?

The Eastern Roman Empire lasted quite a bit after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, but most of it was spent as Konstantinopolis and the surrounding area. The reconquests of Justinian I aside, why was the ERE reduced to a shadow of its former glory in such a short timeframe?

I've been doing some research on the romanisation of Indian languages and I have a bit of confusion on one question: when was the Tamil language romanised?

Macedonian phalanx (period 359-338 BC): What was the difference between pezetairoi and hypaspists?

Both were part of the infantry but I do not catch the difference between them with regards to armaments and position in battle formation.

How did an autocratic state like North Korea come to be named the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea? Was this overt propaganda or did Kim Il Sung have some alternative conception of democracy?

What would be the state of the U.S. constitution if the founding fathers, and it's writer never signed it? In similar suite, how did the ratification of the constitution become widely know throughout the continental states?

What is the best authority on Josephine De Beauharnais / Josephine Bonaparte?

Do I understand right that Richard Mentor Johnson fought in the War of 1812 while still a sitting US Congressman? And have other members of Congress fought in wars while still in office?

In the pre-title sequence of "For Your Eyes Only" (1981) a thinly-disguised Blofeld analogy is dumped down a chimney by Bond.

While pleading for his life, he shouts

I'll buy you a delicatessen! In stainless steel!!

Is this a topical reference?

What did the Norman adventurer Roussel de Bailleul call his state? and what was his title?

Hello! I have recently started reading about Roussel de Bailleul, the Norman adventurer who set up his own state in Anatolia in the 1000s, but I have yet to find a source that mentions the name of this state, or what exactly Roussel's title was. Some sources say Prince, others say King. I am hoping that a Medieval historian can find the answer for me. Thank you!

How did the the signatories of the Washington Naval Treaty ensure everyone was within compliance?

What’s to prevent a country from fudging displacement numbers or even building ships in secret?

Unfortunately, I can't find anything about trading vessels on the internet, and can only find information about triremes and biremes. What ships were used for this purpose?

Thank you!

Is there any truth to the claim that the real Watergate scandal was covering up a CIA operation about a prostitution ring? This has come up on my feed recently.

How much of the population of the Emirate of Granada was Christian in the 15th century?

What are some good documentaries about unknown battles of WWII. I always forget north Africa had major action and rarely see anything about it.

Are there other examples of Americans defecting to the USSR and then returning to the US later besides Lee Harvey Oswald?

I was reading the Wikipedia article on Lee Harvey Oswald, and thought it was strange the US accepted him back. Are there other examples of this occurring? I couldn't find any in looking up other defectors.

Why does most of the UK (excluding historical Lancashire) refer to pants as underwear?

There is a pharoh named Djoser (seemingly pronounced "Joe-zer"?) Was he the inspiration for Gozer, the villain in ghostbusters? At least, name wise?

Why is the archetypal "Old World craftsman" Italian? Other than violin family instruments, is there anything Italian craftsmen were ever best at?

Hello folks, I hope this post is in the right and format.

I'm becoming fascinated with historical representations of the bronze age. A quick Google search for bronze age life art would show you what I mean, since links and pictures can't be shared.

I was wondering if that type of art had a name, much like Paleo art does.

My intention would be to ultimately buy some books with such illustrations, so, if you have any recommendations I'd love to hear them.

And yes, if I look for "bronze age art book" I get actual historical art, from artifacts or something. I'm specifically looking for contemporary depictions of what we think life looked like back then.

Thank you!

Are there any nations that have moved across the map, by losing all of their original territory and gaining new territory to occupy?

Did Adolf Hitler ever kill someone with his own hands?

What are some examples of historians that used unreliable sources?

Quick/big question. If there's any historian people in here. Now I know many people say medieval battles in most/all media or even book depictions are mostly wrong. In most cases it's not a mess of people, it's lines of soldiers. Taking turns in the line. I've written scenes before with this in mind, and one of my resources to try and capture that was, IMCF. International Medieval Fighting Competition, is it a good reference? Even though it's not as big as actual battles. But it's actual metal on metal contact fighting?