I started a subreddit for r/Medieval_Romanticism artworks and one thing I've started to notice in many of the works is the abundance of red haired Maidens, especially if supernatural in nature.

At the turn of the century, was red hair more prominent as a mark of beauty or seen as especially special?

Did European languages pick up any Arabic words during the Crusades or vice versa?

I've been learning about Greek mythology & have found several references to nymphs & minor goddesses being "rosy-armed", I glean that it has to do with beauty, but I'm not sure what quality it refers to that was considered beautiful. looking up the similar epithet "white-armed" I found an excerpt from a book about the epic cycle & the author claimed it referred to women who didn't spend much time outside & therefore were pale, so perhaps referring to the tone of one's arms was a way of referring to overall skin tone & so "rosy-armed" would mean someone who is blushing? but I'd like some confirmation or refutation from someone who knows what they're talking about.

Who came first to Bacteria? was it the yuezhi people from the gansu corridor or the kangju people? The Guishang (Kushan) empire is of yuezhi dynasty. And are the Saka people Sughdians?

In the oldest writing societies - China, Egypt, Iraq, etc. Could it be accurately stated that truth of writing was important for some societies and not for others? For instance someone asking ancestor assistance in the shoulder bone writing system for divination would only have themselves to blame if they got the wrong answer.

I have listened to podcasts primarily for info. History of Egypt, History of China, History of Persia. Oldest stories. Tides of History.

I seem to remember reading about a few different historical figures over the years that did not spell their name in a consistent manner. For example if a man’s last name was “Monroe” and sometimes would spell it “Monro” or “Munro.” I feel like I have seen it with mostly “Old West” or settler/pioneer type figures. I’m trying to find a few different examples of this throughout history. Can anyone help me with this?

How did the sabbath become associated with Saturday? The Roman and Hebrew calendars developed pretty separately from each other right? So when there was a switch to the seven day week was synced with the Hebrew one or was it calculated later?

For USAAF and RAF aircrews who were shot down over occupied Europe, what was the percentage of survival versus KIA?

Of those who survived getting shot down, what % ended up interned versus able to evade capture and return to the Allied territory/join the Resistance?

how did peasants actually refer to nobles? Essentially, what were they called? Did they call them by their titles (Duke, Marquess, Etc)? How did those in China refer to those of Nobility as well?

In Fighting for Napoleon: French Soldiers' Letters 1799-1815, one letter is from a soldier who suggests his brothers learn an instrument to be in the military band instead to try to survive (though he also reports the regimental band is all dead... so that uh... doesn't quite inspire confidence in the idea to me...)

[…] I ask you to tell me how my brothers are. You never tell me if they
are going to be drafted. I recommend that my brothers learn a wind
instrument because if they were unlucky enough to be conscripted, they
could join a military band. I hope that you will send money with your
answer. I have to tell you that Hubert Pasleau was killed in Saragossa.
There is no military band in the 115th [Regiment of the Line]. There was
one band but they were all slain.

Was it common for people to think the band was more likely to survive?

What books would you recommend to start for someone with an interest in the Hundred Years' War?

Were paper planes a thing before planes? If they were how were they called?

The chariot races in Rome and Constantinople were famously fiercely partisan with teams/factions denoted by colours. But did, for example, the Greens and Blues of Nika Riot fame have actual names?

I'm watching the show Terror, about the Franklin Expedition - what did the European sailors wear in such cold conditions, and how warm did it really keep them compared to what people would wear in those areas today?

Who are the most famous/ infamous non-American first ladies that you know of?

Did the socialist policies like free healthcare and education of the USSR, force (in a sense) the western European states to also have some socialist policies ?

If so, some examples please.

What is mutual destruction in nuclear weapons terminology? Why shouldn't we be afraid of a country planting a bomb here and killing us all or dropping a bomb on us? I've read that if Russia used a nuclear weapon it would destroy the world, but the bomb in Hiroshima didn't destroy the world. What's to stop some country from dropping nuclear bombs all over the world?

How did people secure laundry to lines before clothespins?

if benjamin Franklin (or someone else from the 18th century) was shown the present day and had to guess what year it was, what do you think they would say?

I'm interested in what ancient Canaanites, Israelites, and Philistines wore in biblical times. Does anyone have books or primary sources regarding Canaanite and Israelite fashion? I've seen some good Egyptian and Mesopotamian sources like these:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Obelisk_of_Shalmaneser_III

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesses_III_prisoner_tiles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beni_Hasan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lachish_reliefs

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Tomb_of_Horemheb_in_Saqqara

I wonder if anyone has more resources besides just these.

And as for Philistine fashion, I've looked into the Medinet Habu reliefs (https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15282/relief-from-medinet-habu-depicting-philistine-capt/

), but they seem to be mostly soldier costumes rather than clothing for ordinary citizens. Does anyone have resources for that?

Had the Gunpowder plot not been discovered, how many lords would have been killed, along with the King, Queen, and Prince of Wales? I remember reading that 28 of the lords had sought permission for proxies to attend in their stead.

What were the line commands used by the French Army from 1804-1814?

I basically want to know what movement, and or formation/firing commands were used by Napoleonic France’s Basic Line Infantry. So like how the Brits used the “Make Ready” command and such.

Is there an example of a compendium of historical predictions for the future?

Humans have been writing predictions of the future for as long as history. I'm interested in how this has evolved as time progresses.

When did steam ships or ships with like steel bodies and what not start to become the norm for navies?

Did Ivan the 4th Era in Russia have Oblasts?

I couldn't find a map of Muscovy picturing duchies, or counties like the modern day Oblasts in Russia. Were they? How were the similar administrative divisions then called?

Did the word hell come from the Norse or did the word Hel come from the Christians and the Norse had a different name for her?

Considering how big Rome is, why did the Roman navy gets a bad rep? Shouldn't the geography make them very important?

What was the name of a science prodigy who brought people "back to life" shaking their dead bodies up and down? Roughly 20 years ago, I read an article about a guy that was Renaissance man, who performaned world famous experiments, including the most controversial one of "bringing people back from dead" by restoring their circulation after their hearts stopped beating in a process of literally shaking them up and down at high speed ( I have really good memory but I was like 8 at at the time so some of the facts about it may be wrong).

I also remember I checked his Wikipedia page after reading the article and it actually existed and pointed to sources that could verify the legitimacy of this article .

I'm quite proficient in researching on internet but I kind think of any other keywords to use and all the results bring either Experiments in the Revival of Organisms or reciepies of James Bond's Dry Martini Blanco lol.

Would appreciate any help.aRoughly 20 years ago, I read an article about a guy that was Renaissance man, who performaned world famous experiments, including the most controversial one of "bringing people back from dead" by restoring their circulation after their hearts stopped beating in a process of literally shaking them up and down at high speed ( I have really good memory but I was like 8 at at the time so some of the facts about it may be wrong).

I also remember I checked his Wikipedia page after reading the article and it actually existed and pointed to sources that could verify the legitimacy of this article.

I'm quite proficient in the

Was the importance of gold and copper due to the fact that they did not rust?

two questions:

1. How did people wish happy birthday in the 18th century? Did they say "happy birthday"?

2. How did people go to bathroom in the 18th century? Was there some kind of a toilet in their house?

[Meta] question:

There is a regular poster here who has a youtube channel that I can't remember the name of.

The channel trailer is a walkthrough of an overgrown ruin and there is a very soothing male narrator comparing examinging history to examining an overgrown ruin. One sentence I remember is something along the lines of "you can see where something might be missing"

Not a lot to go on I know but I hope someone knows what I'm talking about!

I was reading a "random historical facts" article that mentions Eleanor Roosevelt being the longest serving first lady in American history, but it didn't deliver into details.

If multiple presidents served the maximum 2 terms, how was she the single longest serving first lady? Is it just a matter of a day or 2? Did she remarry someone else that became president (though I feel like I'd have known this if it were true)?

Thanks in advance!

I'm looking to learn about the early Republic of China - that is, the 1912 one, with the flag with all the stripes. Does anyone have recommendations for good books on the topic?

Can anyone suggest early (preferably the earliest) documented examples of a pairwise tournament like the world cup?

I know there are lots of early races and golf and archery, but I'm interested in pairwise contests in a larger structure.

People have suggested jousting but I can't find any documentation.

are there any interviews from people living in the 18th century?

In the colonial days of America. Did people in the north realize that the South didn't have harsh Winters and did the south realize up north had very harsh winters