[language] as used to communicate between humans in writing or in speach. Also the development of the [technology] used for it. (Consider adding those tags as appropiate.)
3
votes
2answers
61 views
Printing - When did advertisements in colour became commonplace?
I wonder when colourful advertisements became commonplace in print (such as magazines or occasionally newspapers). I can imagine that colourful printing was far more expensive - so at what point did ...
8
votes
0answers
82 views
How did lower classes with aspirations to high social standing greet each other in the Paris of the 1630's?
I am running a game of En Garde over on the RPG Stack Exchange. For purposes of verisimilitude, we're wondering about station-specific greetings in Paris in the 1630's. What would be an appropriate ...
7
votes
1answer
90 views
Did all writing civilizations eventually produce cryptography?
I know some of the ancient civilizations did encrypt their messages. Did it happen everywhere where writing was known? If it didn't happen somewhere, what were the reasons?
13
votes
1answer
130 views
Castaways rescued by a message in a bottle?
Has there ever been a time when people were rescued by sending out a message in a bottle to drift across the sea?
The "bottle" doesn't have to be an actual bottle. It could be a box, a cask, a ...
6
votes
1answer
94 views
During the American Civil War, could you send mail to someone across the border?
Before the Civil War, there was mail service between all the different states. During the war, could you still send a letter from, say New York to Georgia, or did the post office shut down services ...
4
votes
2answers
144 views
Looking for a particular documentary about history of long distance communication
I once watched a wonderful documentary about the history of long distance communication but have since forgot its title, where I saw it, and how to find it again.
I really only remember two pieces of ...
3
votes
1answer
62 views
Quantitative comparison of transportation cost per kilometer over the centuries? [closed]
I am interested to see research on the development of transportation costs over the centuries. I realize the difficulty with researching this topic so I am interested in anything, which can enlighten ...
10
votes
1answer
295 views
How frequently were homing pigeons used in the World Wars?
It seems that the strategic weight of specially breeded pigeons is much higher than I thought at first, based on the number of pigeons used and the effort to stop them. (In WW2 Germans even trained ...
24
votes
5answers
362 views
Did the communication lag become a problem for the ever expanding Roman Empire?
There is a dispute among historians over whether the Roman Empire collapsed because of its increasing size and system-imminent flaws which were not suited for this size. The bigger the territory, the ...
17
votes
2answers
545 views
How would slaves have addressed their masters in Ancient Greece?
In Ancient Rome, slaves addressed their masters as Dominus or Domina (male or female, respectively).
Would the slaves (or servants) of Ancient Greece have used a similar title, or would they have ...
