3
votes
1answer
96 views
Who was Yoshioka Matashichiro?
I am right now reading about the legendary swordsman of Japan, Miyamoto Musashi . It says he ended the rivalry with the Yoshioka school by killing the brothers Yoshioka Seijūrō and Yoshioka ...
8
votes
3answers
141 views
How severe was the 1943 Bengal Famine?
I read this in a comment to a newspaper article:
By far the largest British empire human loss in the Second World War was the three million Bengalis who perished in a famine in 1943 that Churchill ...
8
votes
4answers
203 views
Why did the scutum fall out of use?
Wikipedia says
By the end of the 3rd century the rectangular scutum seems to have
disappeared.
Why did the rectangular scutum design fall out of use? Why was the shield design not commonly ...
1
vote
0answers
21 views
Skis for water were tried in the German troops as sort of ski-yaks, is there more information?
During WW2 the German Army experimented with a sort of floating set of skis for water. In essence a kayak for each foot and a pole with a paddle on either end for balance and propulsion. (I have tried ...
2
votes
1answer
56 views
Did the Austrians win a “great victory” at Belgrade in 1738?
While researching the history of the Taaffe family (see also this question) I realized that a lot of the information about it in the wikipedia comes from a 1833 English noble almanach. Among other ...
1
vote
1answer
68 views
Could Columbus have suspected the New World lay on his path to India? [closed]
According to most historical textbooks Columbus made mistakes while measuring the size of the Earth. This led him to believe, that he can travel to India westwards in a reasonable time. This is ...
3
votes
1answer
34 views
Did the Taaffe family maintain an actual connection with Ireland during the 19th century?
The Taaffe family is rather remarkable for having held both an Irish/UK and Austrian peerage. However, it is not clear from the wiki pages whether they (for example, Count Eduard, who was Austrian ...
15
votes
2answers
94 views
+50
How popular was Mozart in France before WWII and after it?
Another intriguing statement by Robert Paxton:
I was surprised myself to learn that Mozart had been little played in
France before 1940, and that his prominence since 1945 in the French
...
4
votes
0answers
31 views
Pre-1950s views of West European Socialist parties on the welfare state
The eminent Robert Paxton writes in a recent article, somewhat in passing:
Continental European Marxists opposed piecemeal welfare measures as
likely to dilute worker militancy without changing ...
3
votes
1answer
76 views
Did Pythagoras visit Judaea, Arabia, and/or India?
From Wikipedia's page on Pythagoras:
Diogenes Laertius reported that Pythagoras had undertaken extensive travels, and had visited not only Egypt, but Arabia, Phoenicia, Judaea, Babylon, and even ...
8
votes
1answer
86 views
Who started/popularized the department store perfume gauntlet?
Anybody with functional olfactory senses who has been to a department store knows that nearly every one places the perfume counter right at the front of the store, where every patron is forced to walk ...
7
votes
1answer
124 views
When did retailers stop wrapping purchases in paper and twine?
Listening to stories from relatives, it sounds like it was a near-universal practice (in the US, before the 1970s) to wrap retail purchases with brown paper and twine. Searching for information about ...
8
votes
0answers
75 views
What is the source of this quote about Demosthenes by Philip II of Macedon?
I've read that Philip II of Macedon said that if he had listened to Demosthenes, he would have declared war on himself.
Ref. (it's an old book, and in Spanish): Historia de la literatura griega, 2, ...
5
votes
1answer
79 views
Why did Egypt forbid entry of Israeli ships into the Suez canal in 1956?
In 1956, as a response to withdrawal of American aid for the High Aswan dam, Nasser nationalized the Suez canal giving freedom of transit through it to all countries except Israel. Why did they do ...
1
vote
3answers
179 views
Most fought over piece of land?
If you divided the Earth into plots of (say) 1 square mile each, and looked at the history of each one over (e.g.) the last 2000 years, which one would have seen the most years with war? If there is a ...
6
votes
2answers
76 views
Total budget of Nuremberg trial
I am trying to estimate the total budget of the Nuremberg War Criminal trial. Any help with reference, please?
6
votes
2answers
201 views
Is there a possibility that the Islamic civilization visited America before Colombus?
Islamic sources claim that there is historical evidence that an Islamic explorer visited America before Colombus and the Age of Discovery. An example. Columbus Was Not The First To Cross The Atlantic. ...
9
votes
1answer
92 views
How did Islam and Hinduism thrive together in Medieval India?
In countries in the Middle East, Indonesia and many North African countries, the onset of Islamic rulers spread Islam in a rapid manner, eventually wiping off the local religion. However in spite of ...
1
vote
2answers
121 views
Have historians envisioned how World II would have developed without Churchill as Prime Minister of Britain?
The question isn't about what would have happened in that event. It is: Have one or more recognized historians delved into this question (of what would have happened if Britain had surrendered to or ...
12
votes
4answers
296 views
Did archers synchronize fire? Why?
I noticed that in medieval movies and TV shows, when there is a big battle happening, groups of archers always synchronize their firing. I was wondering if this is something that writes made up and it ...
2
votes
3answers
75 views
Time zones in USA
Time zones are demarcations of solar hours (15 degrees) on the planet (a few are offset by 30 or 45 minutes) used by many nations. Solar noon moves closer on average (depending on the month and day) ...
7
votes
1answer
83 views
Why are the Portuguese so obsessed with salted codfish?
Portugal nowadays catches only a small amount of codfish annually but imports huge amounts (especially from Norway), sometimes already salted, sometimes not.
Salted cod or bacalhau is a very common ...
3
votes
3answers
83 views
The economic prosperity of former colonies and their demographic make up
Most former colonies are now developing or poor countries, such as many countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Some exceptions are Australia, the United States, Canada. Interestingly they are ...
1
vote
1answer
70 views
What civilisation used wolf pelts for their archers armour?
Looking for more information on the negatives and positives of wolf pelt armor and many other general aspects. Thank you :)
4
votes
2answers
90 views
State boundaries in mountainious regions
I have in front of me a map of South-East Europe (as depicted below) from the inside cover of the 1967 German edition of John Stoye's The Siege of Vienna. A detail shows three then dukedoms situated ...
2
votes
1answer
94 views
Would Korea have divided, without the influence of external powers? [closed]
The question came to me in a roundabout manner, while reading a translation of the Korean Declaration of Independence. I've reproduced some excerpts below (emphasis added):
Though Japan has ...
4
votes
1answer
85 views
Viking culture: unhygienic use of water bowl
I am interested in understanding something which I have seen in the film 13th warrior where the Vikings all use the same bowl of water to clean themselves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkcsLFSAS30
...
2
votes
1answer
88 views
What are exceptions to the hypothesis that “climate determined ”regional“ loyalties in the U.S. Civil War”?
Besides the fact that "North" implies "cold," and "South implies "hot," I was struck by the fact that Lincoln won absolute majorities (in a four way race) in 16 states wholly or partially above the ...
4
votes
0answers
54 views
What scholarly positions exist evaluating Thatcher's competence and the desirability of her government's policies?
I am aware of a variety of normative accounts of the desirability of Thatcher's politics in the social domain; and of the broad opinions regarding her competence (generally highly competent, poll tax ...
4
votes
1answer
82 views
Why didn't Ronald Reagan become Republican candidate for the President of the USA in 1976?
I'd really like to know, how did it happen that Ronald Reagan lost the Republican Party presidential primaries in 1976, against Gerald Ford.
It's easier for me to understand that he could fail in the ...
1
vote
0answers
25 views
When was the electric iron introduced to the state of Georgia?
I am aware that the electric iron was invented in 1882 by Henry W. Seely, but I would like to find out when rich and middle-class Georgians started using it.
4
votes
2answers
132 views
Was there more than one way for anti-aircraft fire to shoot down a dive bomber in World War II
I read somewhere that there were two "best" times for anti-aircraft to shoot down a dive bomber (of World War II vintage). One was when the plane was going into the dive. The other was when the plane ...
2
votes
0answers
42 views
Did Marco Polo really play Weiqi (Go)?
Somebody told me that until the twentieth century Marco Polo was the strongest westerner ever to play go (weiqi). Is this true? I can't find any reference to it. Googling Marco Polo and go doesn't ...
4
votes
6answers
207 views
Has scholarship shown that persecuted religious minorities have tended to be financially successful?
In this interview with Neal Stephenson, talking about the historical basis for his Baroque Cycle series of novels, he makes the remark that
... persecuted religious minorities, if they’re not ...
4
votes
1answer
111 views
Why did the clocks go back in Shanghai on December 31, 1927?
If you are a Stack Overflow user you may already have read Jon Skeet's excellent answer that discusses a time zone change at the end of 1927 in Shangai, when the clocks went back for 5 minutes and 52 ...
5
votes
2answers
124 views
Who was the first woman ruler?
I've found that speaking of the first woman ruler in history, most common materials (like Wikipedia or Britannica) point at the Egyptian pharaon Hatshepsut, living in the 16th century BCE. As a source ...
6
votes
2answers
98 views
Could the Confederates have done better at Gettysburg if they had put cavalry in front of, rather than behind, Pickett's charge?
On at least two occasions when cavalry was used in charges, it was "wiped out." These include the (in)famous charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, and Marshal Ney's cavalry charge at Waterloo.
...
2
votes
1answer
51 views
Who is responsible for the oldest known calendar?
What is the oldest known calendar? Where exactly was it developed? Who was responsible for its creation?
6
votes
1answer
173 views
Who is the person sitting to the left of corporal Hitler?
My son, in my opinion, looks like the person sitting next to corporal Hitler in this photograph.
Does anyone know who this is or any information about where the photo was taken?
2
votes
1answer
53 views
Are there any “general” historical theories about all the “cultural revolutions” in the mid-1960s?
THE cultural revolution (of 1966) was started in the People's Republic of China. At the behest of the "Maximum Leader," Mao Tse-Tung, young people in China rose up against their elders to "cleanse" ...
3
votes
0answers
87 views
Harvard Architecture: How did Harvard Mark I separate data and instruction?
How did Harvard Mark I separate data and instruction?
I have read the article in Wikipedia but I didn't understand how data and instruction was separated using a punched paper tape. It said
...
3
votes
3answers
141 views
Does Japan have the right to have its own army or navy?
After WW2 as I know Japan capitulated and was disarmed. And as I know Japan was not able to have its own army, and its boundary should be protected by the United States. So, does Japan have the right ...
4
votes
1answer
68 views
What are the modern roles of “brigadier” generals and commodores?
It has been said that the hardest jump in the military is between colonel and general. That's because a colonel is a "specialist" who commands troops of only one type (infantry, cavalry or artillery), ...
2
votes
3answers
188 views
Which is the oldest language in the World? [closed]
I want to know which are the oldest languages in the world? And within those, which is still in use?
6
votes
0answers
38 views
Health precautions before going into Battle of Trafalgar and other battles
Tom Pocock's The Terror Before Trafalgar: Nelson, Napoleon, and the Secret War contains this memorable description of preparations aboard HMS Victory immediately before the Battle of Trafalgar in ...
4
votes
2answers
91 views
What are major differences between a Caliphate and a modern Republic?
As far as I know, a Caliphate elects a leader for a lifetime term, rather than having regular elections.
Some caliphates choose their leader by a small group rather than have the masses choose, but ...
3
votes
1answer
62 views
Have there been any notable people that have claimed that classism and not racism is the current cause of racial inequality?
Particularly in the United States, class and race seem to be interrelated, i.e., people are generally separated by both their wealth and by their race. Given the history of racism in the United ...
3
votes
1answer
78 views
Were some Yugoslav “nationalities” more pro-Axis/Allied than others during World War II
"Yugo" (South) slavia, is actually a motley collection (mixed bag in the American idiom) of groups such as the Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Dalmations, Macedonians, Bosnians, and others.
During World War ...
5
votes
2answers
232 views
Could you help me identify this photograph that was taken shortly after World War 2?
Could you help me identify this photograph?
All I know is that it was taken shortly after World War 2.
7
votes
1answer
75 views
Was there any new military innovation during the Siege of Malta?
In the Siege of Malta, the Knights Hospitaller defended the island despite being heavily outnumbered by the invading Ottoman troops. Malta was such a small island, the Turks were the masters of the ...
