All Questions
14,242
questions
4
votes
1
answer
371
views
Why did the Red Army change uniforms in 1943?
In 1943, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Rabóče-krestʹjánskaja Krásnaja ármija, RKKA) of the Soviet Union decided to adopt shoulder boards instead of collar tabs for rank identification. This is ...
- 125
2
votes
0
answers
137
views
Did James I of England have both male and female lovers?
I've read multiple biographies of James, and there is no consensus on whether he was bisexual. He had four children with his wife, Ann of Denmark, but he also had many repeated male favorites, some of ...
- 21
1
vote
3
answers
215
views
Why did Nazis burn 628 Belarusian villages to the ground?
In the movie Come and See, near the end it writes "628 Belarusian villages were burnt to the ground with all their inhabitants".
I knew that the Nazis wanted to kill all of the Jews and ...
- 119
1
vote
0
answers
78
views
When did it become common to have large prisoner exchanges during a war (without a ceasefire etc.)?
One of the characteristics of the Russia-Ukraine war has been the rather numerous prisoner exchanges that took place (e.g. 1 2), even while the fighting is otherwise going on. (I wasn't able to find ...
- 4,491
0
votes
0
answers
121
views
How did Mississippi regain representation without ratifying the 13th amendment?
I read that Congress required former Confederate states to ratify the 13th amendment in order to regain representation in the federal government, but Mississippi didn't ratify it until 1995 and not ...
- 1
2
votes
0
answers
111
views
Can anyone help identifying markings on this artillery shell casing?
Inherited this shell casing from my grandfather who emigrated from England around war time (WW2) but I don't have any real information or dates. My mother just remembers it always being around. My ...
- 21
3
votes
0
answers
155
views
Which historical event had the highest number of reported non-fatal injuries without any known deaths?
It always surprised me that the Chelyabinsk meteor air burst event in Russia in 2013 had over a thousand non-fatal injuries (1491 according to Wikipedia), but not actually any deaths. I'm wondering if ...
- 1,107
0
votes
1
answer
160
views
What did modern China do with food sold to the state?
I understand that communes, later, "production units", and eventually, households sold food to the state at a set price. If the state wants to pay a lower-than-market price for food, do they ...
- 11
20
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Why did so few militaries use semi automatic rifles as their standard issue infantry weapon?
Semi automatic rifles have been in production since the early 20th century, with the first rifle being tentatively fielded being the French FAM 1917 in small numbers for use in WWI. Despite the ...
- 773
0
votes
1
answer
268
views
Why is the Maya civilization not considered one of the cradles of civilization?
I don't have a background in history, but I've been doing some reading about the Mayans on Wikipedia, and there's something I'm confused about.
The "cradles of civilization" page on ...
- 171
2
votes
3
answers
122
views
Where did Friedrich Schumann work?
I am working on a project regarding the German serial killer Friedrich Schumann (*1893 in Spandau; †August 1921, executed JVA Plötzensee). In my research I found that he supposedly worked at the "...
- 21
9
votes
1
answer
125
views
Was an Elector part of the Electoral College for purposes of a Reichstag, if he was the Emperor of the HRE?
Nominally, the order of the Electoral college was fixed in 1356 with a golden bull and once more recorded in this combination in 1489. The Bull dictated 7 Electors. One of those Electors was the King ...
- 640
0
votes
1
answer
130
views
Why did Pakistan get involved in Soviet-Afghan war from 1979 to 1989?
Soviet-Afghan War
Afghan-Pakistan Relations >> Contemporary Era
I was reading this Wikipedia article and couldn't understand why Pakistan got itself involved in Soviet-Afghan War from 1979 to ...
- 109
-1
votes
1
answer
112
views
What are the reasons for the failure of Soviet Union at agriculture? [closed]
The failure at agriculture is known to everybody. The Soviet Union became one of the main importer of grain whereas till sixties was one the main exporters. Does anyone know more on this or can ...
6
votes
1
answer
500
views
When did Walter Benjamin say "We collect books in the belief that we are preserving them when in fact it is the books that preserve their collector"?
In for instance this source, it is stated that Walter Benjamin once said or wrote the following:
"We collect books in the belief that we are preserving them when in fact it is the books that ...
- 209
1
vote
0
answers
34
views
What was the role (if any) of Jesuits at the Lycée Louis-Barthou when Guy Debord was a pupil there?
French Situationist Guy Debord (1931-94) was a pupil at the Lycée Louis-Barthou in Pau, southern France. The school was founded by Jesuits in 1640 after a grant of letters patent in 1620. (Source.)
...
- 111
24
votes
3
answers
4k
views
When did Kievan Rus' rulers become culturally Slavic?
As the title says, when did the Varangian rulers become culturally more Slavic? I presume that among the elites there was cultural borrowing from Byzantium too, so I am not claiming a Viking-Slavic ...
- 351
2
votes
1
answer
226
views
After turndown by North America, did Jewish refugee ships try to secretly beach and live somewhere uninhabited?
Apology if my question looks childish. I want to give my students the best answer to their questions. I do not know how to answer this readily, so I asked you all.
One student brought up Weather ...
- 123
1
vote
1
answer
162
views
How reliable and accurate is the Nuremberg Chronicle?
A certain book publisher (taschen.com) is doing a winter sale, where one of the books on sale is the Weltchronik - 1493 (aka the Nuremberg Chronicle). However, I cannot find any criticism of the work, ...
- 21
1
vote
2
answers
83
views
Were there any recorded accidents in the USSR (after 1945) involving gas pipelines?
Are there any recorded accidents in the USSR (after 1945) involving gas pipelines? Was there any suspicion that some of them might have been an act of sabotage?
I am not asking about a particular gas ...
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
162
views
Why didn't Japan excise Chinese characters from the Japanese language, when Japan hated China so much?
Can anyone source the history book, written in English that claimed that Japan tried to excise Chinese characters (kanji) from Japanese? Particularly in WW2, at Japan's worst of anti-Chinese hatred ...
-3
votes
1
answer
159
views
What is the oldest continuously circulating story that survived until 1890’s? [closed]
What is the oldest continuously circulating story (specifically prior 13th century BCE) that survived until 1890’s? (eg myths/histories etc)
I am specifically looking for a myth/story/history that ...
- 63
0
votes
0
answers
77
views
Where can I find military records for soldiers in Merrill's Marauders?
My uncle fought with Merrill's Marauders. Can I get more information on his military awards?
4
votes
1
answer
199
views
Which American Civil War admiral said he would not punish people for getting their ship close to the enemy?
I recall reading an anecdote (it was definitely in Civil War: a History by Shelby Foote, but I don't remember exactly which volume; I believe that it occurred during the Vicksburg campaign in the ...
0
votes
0
answers
97
views
When was The Tale of Sinuhe first REdiscovered?
I have found a website that gives the details of all of the sources of The Tale of Sinuhe, but I can't figure out what the actual date of discovery was for each of those sources (in order to find the ...
- 63
0
votes
3
answers
389
views
Roman Empire Netflix Map
Netflix's recent series, called "Roman Empire", has this miniature for the Portuguese language:
We can recognise this as a map of the Roman Empire, especially during the early Principate ...
- 57
2
votes
1
answer
156
views
Who is 'Ebinichibel' mentioned in the Borgia Map?
Wikipedia:BorgiaMap page gives this detail,
The Borgia map includes a legend referring to Ebinichibel, who is described as "the Saracen Ethiopian king with his dog-headed people".
Is this ...
- 2,174
2
votes
3
answers
419
views
Was there ever a male-equivalent to a harem in the Ottoman Empire?
I am currently doing research on Ottoman views toward homosexuality. I have also researched homosexuality relationships that Ottoman Sultans have had.
Seeing how there were harems, it made me wonder: ...
- 143
2
votes
1
answer
83
views
When is the crossed sword and baton alone? When does it appear with the crown? [closed]
Brigadier-General Steven Moritsugu wears merely the crossed sword and baton on his shoulder
but here, his crossed sword and baton is sandwiched between the crown and maple leaf.
Brigadier-General ...
- 245
7
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Why did Canada retain the rank of Brigadier General? But not Australia, New Zealand, or UK?
Why did the UK, Australia, and New Zealand abolish Brigadier General, and replace it with a Brigadier? But why did solely Canada preserve Brigadier General?
- 245
3
votes
0
answers
145
views
Is this an 1800's British military uniform?
The photo is of my great-great-grandfather Timothy J. Coffey who lived in Ireland early to mid-1800s
My great-great-grandfather was likely born in Ireland in early 1800's. His daughter Mary T. Coffey ...
- 31
2
votes
0
answers
108
views
What percentage of refugees from Yugoslavia returned home after the war had ended?
I'm trying to understand the process of how Yugoslav refugees returned to their home countries after the end of the Yugoslav wars, 1991-2001. How many refugees returned to their home countries ...
- 4,110
-5
votes
2
answers
225
views
Was there any knowledge of America before Columbus? [closed]
There is evidence that Phoenicia and Carthaginians found the Americas before the Europeans as suggested in this Wikipedia page.
We all know the basic story of Columbus wanting to find a short route to ...
- 130
0
votes
2
answers
182
views
To what extent has ideographic script contributed to the unification of China？
The different languages of Europe are, by Chinese standards, just successive variants of one language. But the phonetic alphabet is so flexible that the same set of letters can spell almost any ...
- 11
2
votes
1
answer
326
views
What were the names of these two Ancient Greek boxing/pankration legends?
Does anyone know the name of — and hopefully references — the two following ancient Greek boxing legends, mentioned in this video by MMA coach Ramsey Dewey?
A boxer who, in sudden-death overtime, ...
- 123
0
votes
1
answer
376
views
Why didn't American POWs in Germany seek support from Russian infantry, in WWII?
Why didn't Robert Anderson Hoover, and Jerome "Jerry" Ennis, request assistance from Russians that they ran into — to return to USA or UK? Sadly, the Russians (have) mistreated civilians. ...
- 245
39
votes
3
answers
14k
views
Did medieval peasants work 150 days a year?
The following meme arrived in my inbox.
Peasants in the medieval era worked just 150 days a year on average. The church believed it was crucial to keep them content by making frequent required ...
- 1,384
1
vote
2
answers
477
views
Is it true that the A10 gun was made less accurate on purpose?
I heard that the engineers that worked on the A-10 modified the gun to increase its spread. Supposedly because it was very hard for the pilot to keep the gun perfectly on target, and with higher ...
- 131
38
votes
2
answers
10k
views
When did the U.S. Army start saying "oh-six-hundred" for "6 AM"?
Last night I was watching The Pale Blue Eye (2022), a (bad) period piece set at West Point in the year 1830. At the 21m50s mark, Captain Hitchcock (Simon McBurney) snaps at a cadet:
Effective oh-six-...
- 1,907
6
votes
1
answer
169
views
How did the Soviet press talk about the opposing forces (mujahideens) during the Soviet-Afghan war?
I've watched and read a fair bit of material on the Soviet war in Afghanistan, but this [in my humble experience] is a topic that's not touched upon much if at all in Western coverage of that war. For ...
- 4,491
0
votes
0
answers
131
views
Who was the Moslem saint Sidi Rezegh?
Who was the Moslem saint Sidi Rezegh whose tomb is located in Cyrenaica, Libya, where an important battle was fought in 1941 between the British Eighth Army and the German Afrika Korps? I've tried ...
- 11
15
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What is the first recorded contact with Taiwan by Europeans?
Apparently every book and website on or accessible through the internet repeats the exact same "they say..." "everyone knows..." story about the first European contact with Taiwan.¹...
- 1,955
1
vote
0
answers
80
views
Why did the Marathas plan to crown the Peshwa's son as the Emperor but not the Peshwa himself?
The Marathas wanted to depose the Mughal Emperor during the Maratha-Afghan war (the 3rd battle of Panipat) and crown Viswasrao (the son of the Peshwa Balaji Bajirao Nanasahib) as the Emperor.
I got ...
1
vote
0
answers
82
views
Why did the French SFIO abandon its anti-militaristic views after Jaures' death?
Before his murder on July 31st 1914, Jaures and the SFIO attempted to unite the workers of the different European countries to not take part in what became WWI. However, only two days after his death, ...
- 111
25
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Why require every ploughman to make his own plough?
The answer to Why did it take so long for Europeans to adopt the moldboard plow? mentions that "Anglo-Saxon law required every ploughman to make his own plough" What was the reason for that?
- 693
11
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What military uniform is this?
William Charles Elliot, born in England in 1884, came to the United States as an alien in 1916 and settled in Boston with his wife Anna, who was born in Belgium in 1879 (her parents were from Hungary) ...
- 111
4
votes
2
answers
328
views
What is "Distributed Survival Theory"?
I'm just going through "History of the Steppes" on Wondrium/Great Courses. The lecturer mentions "Distributed Survival Theory" for explaining language acquisition with nomadic ...
- 151
0
votes
1
answer
200
views
Is there truth to the Dynastic Race Theory regarding Ancient Egyptians?
According to Dynastic Race Theory,
[T]he earliest roots of the ancient Egyptian dynastic civilisation were imported by invaders from Mesopotamia who then founded the First Dynasty and brought culture ...
- 19
-1
votes
2
answers
410
views
Are Luther and Calvin responsible for executing more humans than the Catholic Inquisition?
Here is a quote from one Russian Orthodox priest:
"The number of witches burned by Luther is way greater then the number
of those burnt by any (Catholic) Inquisition within one hundred years.
...
- 574
0
votes
0
answers
75
views
Where can I find a specific photo from the Vietnam war?
I’m looking for a specific type photo which I’ve seen before but now I can’t seem to locate it. The photo was of a group of American infantrymen marching across some mountainous jungle area in Vietnam,...
