15
votes
4answers
131 views
How would you accurately use older British currencies?
For writing a story set in Napoleonic Wars era, how should one use the currencies accurately? I read in novels they use currencies like shilling, pound, guinea, sovereign, four (or six-, etc) pence, ...
14
votes
3answers
447 views
How many Samurai killed themselves?
I'm curious if the Samurai killed themselves often in shame. Losing face and dishonor seems to be the major cause (from what I've read) but how often would they do it? I apologize if I'm not being ...
14
votes
3answers
407 views
What is the earliest evidence of contact between Ireland and Egypt?
There is a folk tale of an Egyptian princess in Ireland around 1700 BC. Is there credible evidence of early contact between the two places?
12
votes
3answers
576 views
What is the difference between the Middle Ages and the Dark Ages?
Is there any difference between the "Middle Ages" and the "Dark Ages"?
11
votes
3answers
145 views
Historical/legendary/mythological accounts that turned out to be true
Reading Herodotus' Histories, one is often baffled by passages like (3.102):
{102} [...] Indians [..., of the North] make expeditions for the gold. For in the parts where they live it is desert on ...
11
votes
5answers
281 views
What happens after a widespread social chaos?
I have a pretty limited knowledge in History but I want to know the future (or outcome) of the Tunisian revolution based on the development of current events and also on some data that I know/can ...
10
votes
1answer
262 views
Why did Meiji consider switching from Japanese to English?
During the Meiji restoration, the Emperor sought to switch Japan's national language from Japanese to English. Why was that? Why, ultimately, was it unsuccessful?
The Role of English and Other ...
9
votes
2answers
171 views
Was any significant percentage of Mongol army infantry?
Mongols of Khan's time are generally considered to be a cavalry army, which makes sense logistically, given the width and speed of their military maneuvers.
But is there historical evidence of Khan's ...
8
votes
4answers
284 views
Why did the Germans fall behind the Americans in the development of the atomic bomb after an initial lead?
I actually know certain facts about this matter, but am seeking guidance in interpreting these facts into "theories."
1) Theory 1, Economic: The Americans spent something like $2 billion (in money of ...
8
votes
3answers
482 views
Was the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age violent?
In Europe, when the Bronze Age ended and the Iron Age began, was it a peaceful spread of technology, or was it a violent conquest where the newcomers were able to win by their more advanced ...
8
votes
4answers
408 views
At the end of WWII, were nazis working on any other super weapon besides V-2?
At the end of WWII, were nazis working on anything else besides V-2? If so, what was it, how close was it to completion, and could it potentially turn the events around for them?
7
votes
1answer
108 views
The history of the idea that lack of moral censure leads to decline
"The decline of a civilization has long been linked, anecdotally, to less moral censure and a decline in manners (manners being self, usually-moral censorship)." (Brock Adams, commenting an earlier ...
7
votes
3answers
187 views
Is the USA Congress explicitly patterned after the British Parliament?
I have always presumed this to be the case. They have a similar form: two chambers, the lower representing "all the people" and the upper representing, very roughly speaking, "institutional forces" ...
7
votes
3answers
234 views
Which city was attacked by Nazi-German war flights in India during WW2?
Nazi-Germany ran a bombing raid over India, in WW2. Which city was bombed, and what effect did it have? i.e how many casualties, or was transport closed down.
7
votes
2answers
226 views
What sources or documentation exists to indicate Stalin's level of popularity in Russia today?
migrated from comments http://history.stackexchange.com/a/1710/682
To what extent is Stalin still loved and/or respected by Russians (and for extra points former USSR states)
while articles like ...
6
votes
1answer
105 views
Orphism's alleged influence on Christianity
I've read in Nils Johan Ringdal's delightful but ill-footnoted Love For Sale: A World History of Prostitution that the apostle Paul was influenced by Orphism when he set out to weaken women's roles in ...
6
votes
5answers
383 views
What incentives are in place for American soldiers to go fight in Iraq?
I am from Brazil, a country that has not fought any war since WW2. If you join the army, go fight in Iraq and then return, what will the USA pay you? Is there a health plan for life, a pension, or ...
5
votes
1answer
163 views
How did ethnic Turkish people embrace Islam?
How was Islam spread among Turkish population or in historical Turkey?
How did ethnic Turkish people embrace Islam?
4
votes
0answers
40 views
What family or other connection bound Chiang Kaishek and Cai Yuanpei, two ideological opposites?
Politically, Nationalist China's Chiang Kaishek must be considered a "strange bedfellow with Cai Yuanpei. Chiang was a disciplined, narrow-minded conservative of the type one might expect from a ...
4
votes
1answer
74 views
Was the ancient Roman King ( i.e. rex) elected for eight years?
This is an outgrowth of the discussion here. The rex was indeed elected (or perhaps acclaimed would be better term) by the people at the suggestion of the Senate, as far as I recall but I do not ...
15
votes
2answers
3k views
Why did Italy abandon its alliance with Germany in WW1 and join the Allied side?
Before WW1 Italy was part of an alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, yet it didn't join them when the war started and it even joined the Allied side later during the war. Why did Italy do this? ...
14
votes
1answer
252 views
Did “droit du seigneur” actually exist in medieval Europe?
Droit du seigneur, also known as "jus primae noctis" (right of the first night), was the supposed right of a feudal lord to sleep with his serfs' brides on their wedding night.
Was it actually ...
14
votes
3answers
312 views
How severe were the casualties in ancient/medieval battles?
I've heard that in most battles prior to the introduction of gunpowder weapons, the casualties were usually very low (around 5% even in long battles) prior to the moment when someone's formation was ...
14
votes
4answers
2k views
Why did the United Kingdom industrialize first?
What factors made the United Kingdom the first to industrialize? Was it simply the importance and benefit of its position in the global community for trade?
12
votes
3answers
317 views
Why wasn't San Marino unified with Italy?
Why wasn't San Marino unified with the Kindom of Italy during the unification process? Where there are plans or efforts at the time to unify the two states? Did either government at any time try to ...
12
votes
2answers
305 views
Are there any archaeological evidence for the Dorian Invasion in Greece?
My books on ancient Greece are pretty old. And they have have the same explanation for Doric vs. Ionic ethnicity/history.
Are there any archaeological evidence for a Dorian invasion?
12
votes
5answers
760 views
What's the advantage of the infantry column formation in the Napoleonic Wars?
In movies/books set in the Napoleonic Wars, the British are normally deployed into lines and the French into columns. The columns are usually the advancing ones, charging into the line as the line ...
10
votes
1answer
145 views
Austria and Iron Curtain during Cold War
Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain speech from 1946 contains the following famous passage:
From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain
has descended across the ...
10
votes
2answers
165 views
Who gave King Richard I the title Coeur de Lion?
When King Richard I went to the Holy land during the Third Crusade, he was given the title coeur de lion (French for lion heart). Who gave him that title? I Imagine that it was a French person.
9
votes
1answer
108 views
How quickly could the roman legions march? How does it compare to the mobile cavalry?
In the history of Rome there are numerous instances of legions being marched up and down Europe, from Spain to Rome and from Rome to Syria. I'm interested to know how quickly these armies could move? ...
9
votes
5answers
312 views
Why have officers in the U.S. army tended to “top out” at the level of Major?
In the U.S. army, something like 75%-80% of newly-commissioned Second Lieutenants are promoted to First Lieutenant (around age 25), perhaps 75%-80% of First Lieutenants are promoted to Captain (ages ...
9
votes
2answers
268 views
Why was Khomeini in France? Who allowed him to leave and why?
I never knew that Khomeini was in France until I saw What was President Jimmy Carter's role in the Iranian Revolution?.
Why was Khomeini in France? Who allowed him to leave France and why?
9
votes
2answers
265 views
Why did the Monitor and Merrimac (aka Virginia) have such radically different designs?
This is something that's always baffled me. You have one ship that appears to sit just above the water with one little canon on a turret (the Monitor) and a second that sits high and is brimming with ...
9
votes
2answers
268 views
What factors related to the Eastern Crisis contributed to the outbreak of World War 1?
What factors related to the Eastern Crisis contributed to the outbreak of World War 1?
The Eastern Crisis pertains to problems posed by the decay of the Ottoman Empire. Primary among these problems ...
8
votes
5answers
368 views
Why Europe became more developed although metal was first discovered and used in Asia/Africa?
Copper was first discovered and used in Middle East.
Iron was first discovered in Egypt.
What were the factors that allowed the development of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations (the father of ...
8
votes
3answers
249 views
Was there ever any organization of thieves or pickpockets?
I don't know all that much about history, but I am writing a book about a clan of thieves. Can anyone suggest any historical examples of an established group specifically dedicated to organized ...
8
votes
2answers
149 views
How and why did Charles XII Get to Poltava?
The decisive battle of the Great Northern War between Sweden and Russia was the battle of Poltava. That's located deep in the Ukraine, southeast of Kiev, between Cherkassy and Kharkov.
That seems ...
6
votes
0answers
57 views
How successful were Einsatzkommando Tunis and how much was Rommel complicit?
This Einsatzkommando was headed by SS officer Walter Rauff and according to his wikipedia article it had great effect on the local Jewish population. An example is given, a quote from a German TV ...
6
votes
1answer
94 views
Monarchies with built-in rotation
I have read that rotation among nine hereditary rulers of provinces determines who is King of Malaysia during a given 5-year term. This seems to stand out from related practices e.g. over the history ...
6
votes
1answer
63 views
Typical fortifications around major cities in the 18th century
I came across this map of Vienna in 1769 (the city was then capital of the Hapsburg empire), i.e. almost a century after the major siege and battle of 1683 and almost a century before final removal of ...
6
votes
5answers
265 views
In the United States government, has there been cases that electoral colleges don't vote for the candidate the majority of their state voted for?
Has there ever been a case where electoral colleges vote for someone the people didn't vote for during an election for president of the United States?
5
votes
3answers
164 views
Benefits of Athenian citizenship
Besides the right to vote, were there any other advantages or benefits in being a citizen in Pericles' Athens?
5
votes
1answer
131 views
What was the status of specialized workers during the Roman times?
It's obvious that people in the Senate or people with political power would be considered of higher status, while ordinary plebs, such as farmers, would have a lower status. However, where exactly ...
5
votes
1answer
120 views
What is the contemporary knowledge of the theoretical history?
I have noticed, that posts here do not use in their argumentation the terminology and thoughts of the theories that attempted to make history more scientific, tried to put a base under it. I mean ...
4
votes
3answers
575 views
Evolution of United States' world role? [closed]
This is a pretty big and general question, but I'm interested to hear some opinions from fellow StackExchangians:
Over the 20th century, how did the United States evolve into being a world ...
4
votes
1answer
127 views
What was more expensive to lose in a gladiatorial fight: a gladiator or a rare animal?
We know that, aside from man-to-man combat, gladiatorial fights would often pit human gladiators against wild animals.
Is there any documented historical evidence that would show what was a bigger ...
4
votes
1answer
163 views
What kind of heavy horses did the Manchu use?
My friend told me that the Manchus would link 4 horses together and fight. Yufei then cut off the horses feet and won anyway.
Is this true? Where can I learn about 4 horses tied together?
3
votes
2answers
85 views
Motivation Behind the USSR Assisting China's Nuclear Program
What motivated the USSR to assist China with the development of Nuclear Weapons?
Why would the USSR want China to have this technology during the 1950s and early 1960s? What did they get out of this ...
3
votes
1answer
157 views
Is this true that the requirement to sacrifice to the Roman gods was put in by the Caesar only after Christianity emerged?
Is this true that the requirement to worship and to sacrifice to the Roman gods was put in by the Caesar only after Christianity emerged? I just encountered a statement that this requirement was put ...
3
votes
1answer
160 views
Is there a written history on the Sonderkommando Elbe?
I was watching a program called Dogfights where they were talking about the Sonderkommando Elbe and their tactic of ramming Messerschmitt Bf 109's into American bombers is a sort of suicide attack. ...
