How did people wake up early before electricity was discovered? I mean for example servants which had to be up before sunrise to prepare breakfast ect.

The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party was created in 1898, split to menshevik/bolshevik fractions in 1903, bolsheviks split off into a separate party in 1912, had their first official party conference in 1917, and officially renamed themselves to communists in 1918. If I were to ask a Soviet official in 1960 "how old is your party", would he answer 62, 57, 48, 43 or 42 years (or some other number)?

At what point in time in Japanese history did the Japanese started mentioning Raijin the God of Lightning in written records? How far back was Raijin part of the Japanese mythological beliefs before that written record?

Where does the term "free market economy" originate? A ubiquitous phrase in modern days news and politics, the 'free market economy'. A modern sounding phrase that I can't imagine a courtier of King John using, so who coined it first?

I recall reading somewhere in passing perhaps on this sub, about a Gaulic nativist movement in France that occurred pre French revolution, where followers of this movement rejected the French identity, viewed the monarch as a barbarian Frankish invader, and embraced their Gaulic roots.

But no amount of googling yields any meaningful results. Was there such a movement or am I misremembering?

Who invented the perfume ads in magazines that smell like the product being advertised? How was it originally done?

I wanted to try asking this again.

I'm having a hard time finding this information. What were the most read books throughout the middle ages? I'm very interested in the mindset of medieval people and thus am trying to read all the "basic books" a medieval intellectual would have read. I've read Boethius, Augustine and the Bible up to this point.

Why are ashkenazi Jews and Sephardic Jews called Jews? Why aren’t they just called ashkenazi and Sephardic ?

I have trouble understanding Jewish ethnicity. I don’t really get how a religion has the same name as an ethnicity and how this came about.

Especially when today, most ashkenazi Jews are no longer religious Jews and most people of Jewish faith are white. ( I might be mistaken but this is what I understood from my research online )

Was there a “Jews for Hitler” or similar group?

I'm looking for some particular information. Specifically a Time Magazine political cartoon that was published in 1978, footage from CBS news during the same time frame, and if there's a labor historian out there, I would like to talk to them. Thanks all.

Does anyone know the first known use of the specific phrase “die in vain?” anything like “she died in vain” or “i will not die in vain.” I know Lincoln used it in his Gettysburg address but not sure if that was the first time it was written.

In the video game Call of Duty and the movie Enemy at the Gates, there are lines for Russian soldiers that go,

"The one with the rifle shoots!

One out of two gets a rifle.

The one without follows him!

When the one with the rifle gets killed, the one who is following picks up the rifle and shoots!"

Are these actual lines historical, or a just a modern dramatization of what happened?

Can we ask historiography questions here?

Many historians seem to be reticent to predict the future or chart grand theories of humanity. This is why, for example, answers here are reluctant to comment on counterfactuals -- that would be predicting, not chronicling.

Yet, there is no shortage of historians using history to comment on current events. One would think it strange to meet a historian who studied, say, the Civil Rights movement but had no insight into the nature of racism or modern American race relations.

Combined, these two behaviors, perhaps not by the same people, don't reflect well on the profession as a whole. It makes it seem like historians are happy to theorize and speculate, but when pressed, claim that they are merely recording the past.

Is this an existing academic debate within history? Do historians have thoughts on this?

What are some good books regarding Finnish history ?

What’s the best biography on Hitler? I’m torn between Kershaw’s and Ulrich’s.

Is it true that there were no hungers or starvations in India before British?

Were the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War 2 present during any Concentration Camp Liberations? I’m curious because I doubt Polish Soldiers in the west would have any way to communicate with their families and friends in Poland so they would have had no clue that Concentration Camps existed, but correct me if I’m wrong. Were any Polish Units present during any concentration camp liberations? If they weren’t present during any initial liberations, were Polish units warned or kept away from liberated camps to maintain their integrity? If the Polish were present at the Liberations, how did they react relative to Anglo-American soldiers?

How common was sexual assault/abuse in medieval monasteries? (Particularly in 12th century Germany, but I'm also curious in general)

Are there any major European king or queen that married by love and not married by politics. Other than Edward VIII?

The area of New Mexico had a sizable settled population of native pueblos along the Rio Grande and its tributaries before the Conquistadors passed through and named it New Mexico.

Was there a common term for the area or river used by the various pueblo tribes?

I was reading about the origins of capitalism, and I was really interested in the differences between feudal society and capitalistic ones. It got me curious, was there ever such a thing as a democratic feudal society? Like where it still had the whole "all land and property is ruled by the crown but is run by vassals, farmers work the common land, pay taxes to their lord who pays taxes to the king, etc" but instead of having a baron or a king who inherited his position, people voted for those who ruled them. Like the crown was a representation of the state instead of an individuals power.

Did that ever exist? if no, why not?

Are keychains a modern invention? What's the earliest recorded keychain?

My sister said that she learned that a lot of early art depicting Jesus depicted him in a feminine or androgynous fashion, doing things such as riding a horse sidesaddle. She said some even depicted him having female or intersex genitalia. Is any of this true, or was she misinterpreting what someone said?

Any English book recommendations on Czech history? I read a great novel set in interwar Czechoslovakia, and am interested in reading more about the period.

Was the Apis bull given a lictor in Roman Egypt? This is claimed by Jona Lendering, who seems a pretty respectable scholar, but I could not find any ancient source for it and few other mentions of this in reputable sources

Does 'A People's History of America' by Howard Zinn contain any gruesome or graphic descriptions of violence or atrocities? Considering buying it for my wife but she's very, very squeamish.

"Did John Glenn go to space as an incumbent Senator, and if so is he the only politician from any country to do so? "

I was doing some research about John Glenn and found that he went back to space in 1998, and retired from his senate position in 1999.

Does that mean that an incumbent U.S. senator went to space, and is he the only politician from a country to go into space while holding office?

The answer may seem obvious but I feel like it would be a bigger deal if a senator went to space and I can't find any source mentioning that he was still a senator.

In Czechoslovakia and (possibly) other USSR countries russian was the most common second language taught in schools, though I know that english was taught in some of the gymnáziums here in Slovakia back then. When the ex-soviet countries then became democratic, they switched to english as the second language taught in their schools.

How did they seek competent English teachers? Was the move to english instant, or more in waves?

edit: grammar, formatting, wording

I hope this isn't too unclear, how I'm asking this.

I was reading a bit about the Algonquin Round Table, and I'm vaguely aware of other sorts of coffeeshop societies, clubs, movements, especially of the revolutionary sort in France and the US.

What is the name of that sort of thing? Those sorts of semi-formal clubs that seemed to arise frequently among the intellegentsia, particularly of France in the 20th century.

Does it make sense what I'm asking?

Is it possible that Roman legionaries were racially diverse? Like could a family move from Africa to Rome, earn citizenship, and then one of their sons joins the military?

have some questions on Mongol history :

1. Where the territories governed by the Ogodei family were ?

2. What territories did Kaidu govern initially ?

3. What territories did Kaidu conquer and what did he govern right before his death ?

4. Where did he live when he was not waging a war ? Where his royal palace was ?

I need this to write a novel.

You may hear people say that because water in medieval europe was often unsafe to drink, people drank alcohol in place of it. A modified version of this claim is that alcohol was diluted with water (or vice versa) and then drunk as a way to sterilize the water.

1. Is this idea accurate for any place or period within medieval europe? Was alcohol (diluted or otherwise) drunk the same way that water is drunk today?

2. We understand now that drinking while pregnant has adverse effects on a child, such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. If it is true that alcohol was consumed with/instead of water, was FAS noticed by people at the time? Was it a concern for pregnant people to drink back then?

Do we have any idea who was the most photographed person in history? (Before the 20 year limit, if you will. I suppose the advent of cell phones in everyone's pockets makes this a completely unanswerable question today.)

This could be either somebody appearing in the highest number of unique photographs, or whose photographs have been printed and reprinted the highest number of times, or any similar reasonably quantifiable metric.

Do we have a list of rulers of the house of Antioch (illegitimate branch of the Hohenstaufen dynasty) ?

Hi, I recently discovered that a bastard branch of the Hohenstaufen dynasty managed to survive despite the Angevin conquest of Sicily and the execution of Conradin. It was founded by Conrad/Corrado of Antioch, son of Frederick of Antioch and grandson of emperor Frederick II.

According to the english Wikipedia page of Corrado, his descendants split into two branches: one in Anticoli and Piglio and another in Capizzi. The Capizzi line died out in the fourteenth century, while that of Anticoli survived a century longer. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_of_Antioch#

I have also found the italian Wikipedia page of the dynasty, but it isn't that helpful. https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochia_(famiglia)

Finally, I have done some research in genealogy websites such as Geni.com, but I'm not sure if these websites are reliable for lesser known historical figures. According to Geni.com, the last agnatic descendant of Corrado, and thus emperor Frederick II, is Lauria of Antiochia, who was born between years 1503 and 1563. https://www.geni.com/people/Lauria-d-Antiochia/6000000044931474492?

What was the first ever recorded instance of a criminal being sentenced to life in prison?

Is there a way to read Supplement aux Voyages ou Dialogues avec le sauvage Adario by Lahontan in English?

In Tudor era England, how long did a noble widow have to wait until remarrying after the death of her husband? Catherine Parr caused scandal for remarrying way too soon after the death of Henry VIII, but I'm having trouble finding what the acceptable period of mourning was.

“Cheek of Brown” meaning?

I’ve seen this in a few old poems and stories from the 1800s. I don’t think they’re referring to people of color.

But I keep seeing youthful men and women described as having “cheek of brown”.

Maybe tan? Or rosy cheeks?

Thanks.

What were the most common high-earning jobs in the early 1950s?

What are some resources on policy-related history in the U.S.? I am trying to learn more about the regulatory environment of the U.S. private health insurance industry from 1960 to 1965. In essence, I would like to know what major policies were in effect both at the state and federal level, as well as the new policies that were passed in this time frame. However, I have never done this kind of research before, so I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction.

Why did the us and the coalition care about Kuwait enough to invade Iraq?

When did Gudit reign over Ethiopia/Aksum.

What are the historical colour-based metal terms other than red metal for copper and black metal for iron?

What are some interesting and not much talked about gangs in history?

Are there any examples of exorcism in Greek or Roman Mythology?

I know exorcism crops in pretty much every culture. I was just wondering if there's a specific story or work that covers exorcism in pre-christian Greece or Rome.

The Wikipedia page for 'New New York' lists seven sci-fi series that have places with that name, the earliest being The Martian Chronicles (1950). Is this actually the first work to mention a New New York, or are there earlier instances?

Who first said the following quote?

"Spear with your bayonets all the inhabitants you encounter along the way. I know there may be a few patriots in this region – it matters not, we must sacrifice all."

I first heard it quoted in 'Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind' (2019) by Tom Holland on page 387. He cites "Burleigh (2005), p. 100." - the bibliography suggests this is 'Earthly Powers: Religion and Politics in Europe from the Enlightenment to the Great War' (2005) by Michael Burleigh, which I cannot access at the moment. Other than that it was said by a general during the war in the Vendée during French Revolution, I am unable to find anything about the person who first said it.

Which calendar was used in the Byzantine Empire at the time of its fall? AD, AM or AUC?

Was there any kings of England/Britain that were Celtic? I believe king Henry the 8th was right?

Also, why did queen Elizabeth the 2nds family change their last name to a Norman last name and not an Anglo Saxon last name. They are from house Hannover and Saxe-Coburg-gotta right? I guess that house is so international that the “Windsor” branch could have Scandinavian origins?

In Islam it is believed the the Byzantines would betray a truce with the Muslims and attack them with 80 flags, each with 12000 soldiers, did such a thing happen?

How far back does the phrase “hold fast” date back to, and where did it originally come from?

Who would have succeeded James V of Scotland if his only surviving legitimate child, Mary Queen of Scots, had been born after his death in 1542 instead of being born 6 days before his death?

Nearly eighty years after they were gone, the Nazis are still a ridiculously taboo historical subject to talk about. Is this a common pattern that we see in the years after major historical events that shake the general public? I understand that they may be so taboo because of how greatly they shocked the people at the time, but surely we must have seen this before. For example, one can imagine what it may have been like to talk about Napoleon in the decades after he was defeated and still in living memory.