The Feed

Posted by /u/Asleep_Wealth5602

We are historians of childhood and food, authors of 'First Helpings: A History of Children and Food'. Feel free to AMA.

Our names are Dr Deborah Albon and Dr Amy Palmer and we are the authors of ‘First Helpings: A History of Children and Food’ published by Reaktion Books. This book explores the relationship between children and food in history, drawing on a rich variety of social records, cookery…

Posted by /u/Wooden_Airport6331

I am an American conscript in Vietnam. I refuse to continue. What happens to me?

In this hypothetical, there is a moral and/or psychological reason that I won’t continue, like PTSD, perhaps witnessing or participating in civilian casualties. Perhaps I believe that my death is already inevitable. I feel that have nothing to lose by deserting. Could I be execu…

Posted by /u/Sea-Tiger8657

For the first time in my life, I gave 1 hour to God

I've been posting on here quite a bit these past few days, because I have so many questions and so many doubts, and no one to help me in real life. Today, I decided I would spend 1 hour praying/reading the Bible, even if I didn’t want to. For context, I'm a skeptic. I'm also som…

Posted by /u/RedlineFan

In an episode of "WKRP in Cincinnati", Dr. Johnny Fever is paranoid that the "phone cops" are after him. Did the Bell System have any actual phone cops or was this a total fantasy?

I'm also asking this based on telephony historian Evan Doorbell's recollections of investigators employed by the Bell System coming after him and other early phone phreaks in the NYC area.

Posted by /u/optiplex9000

I've been watching Ken Burn's WW2 Documentary and it shows an American news reel from the 40s with footage from the Germans setting up the Atlantic Wall defenses. How did Americans get their hands on this footage from the Germans?

Posted by /u/OfficialAli1776

Why are Egyptian ruins so well preserved compared to Greco-Roman ones, despite being older?

Obviously a major exception being a Pantheon, but I went to Greece and Rome and the ruins were, well, ruins. The Athenian Acropolis was in really sorry shape, the Parthenon is barely being held together as just an exoskeleton of its former self (I know about the Venetians blowin…

Posted by /u/MagisterMystax

Why did the Reformation largely end up dividing Europe between a protestant north and a catholic south?

When you look at the countries that ended up going protestant during the Reformation, it's mostly the northern half of Europe: Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Britain (though I am aware Scotland stuck with Catholicism far more than England), and Germany ended up largely divided al…

Posted by /u/Thundertushy

What was life as a diabetic like in Rome in 2nd Century AD?

Aretaeus of Cappadocia described life with diabetes as short, disgusting and painful. What would life as a 2nd Century AD person with diabetes have been like? Let's assume that the person is wealthy enough (i.e. prosperous merchant or landowner) to have a physician on staff to s…

Posted by /u/Sea-Situation-6758

Where do lawns come from?

Trying this again since Reddit filters removed my last post: Do historians have theories for why lawns are so common in the United States? Why do we waste so much time and money taking care of grass around our houses when they dont produce anything useful or seem to serve any pu…

Posted by /u/coolground46

I made my son cry after being “caught”. How do I balance grace and truth?

My son is 13. I recently became aware that he had been engaging in self pleasure. Now previously I had talked to him about puberty and what intercourse was and that it was a good thing just for when he was older and married. But I had never really said anything about that solo a…

Posted by /u/Storkiest

What is the history of the "Love Spell/Wish/Potion gone terribly wrong" trope in fiction? What are the earliest examples?

Obsessed with Obsession. Certainly not the first film to take on the concept of "wished for love and it backfired horribly", what was the first? Have approaches to the concept changed over time?

Posted by /u/kijery

I picked up a homeless woman because i thought i was following God’s word, and my friends called me stupid.

Alright so this homeless woman who was very clearly drunk walked up to me at work and asked if anyone could take her to Starting Point (a local rehab center), it was clear that none of my coworkers were going to so long story short i drove her over there and called the police an…

Posted by /u/Christstillsaves

I don't know what to do in my marriage.

I don't know what to do in my marriage. I say this as someone who deeply loves his wife and would do anything for her. But I'm incredibly frustrated, and I honestly feel like she's making life much harder than it needs to be. We've been married for three years. When we got marri…

Posted by /u/emote_the_salute

Why where bows used instead of slings in medieval times?

Why were bows used instead of slings? Benefits i see with slings: Easier to learn how to use. Warbows needed way more training and strength. Cheaper. Against fully armored foes piercing weapons become useless. People stopped using spears and swords and used polearms instead. So…

Posted by /u/Particular-Crow-794

I read the Bible, and it was amazing.

For some context, I'm 16 years old, and I was practically born and raised in church. My parents are very devoted Christians, and they truly take their faith and their relationship with Jesus Christ very seriously. About two months ago, I got baptized, and I decided that I should…

Posted by /u/Serious-Musician4235

According to Martin van Creveld (Fighting Power: German and U.S. Army Performance, 1939–1945), Max Hastings (Overlord, Their Wehrmacht Was Better Than Our Army) and Trevor N Dupuy, the German army was vastly superior to the Allies on a tac…

So, this is quite interesting. I don't think any other army in history has garnered as much of a 'following' among analysts and historians as the German army of WW2 (Heer). Decentralized command structure (Auftragstaktik) is often named as one of its main advantages, as is its s…

Posted by /u/xEyelessOnex

I AM SICK OF ALL OF THE END OF THE WORLD PREDICTIONS!

I would like to ask the forgiveness of all of my fellow r/TrueChristian family if this has been posted numerous times, but I feel that I need to get this off my chest. As my Reddit Flair states, I'm reconnecting with God. I'm getting ready to purchase a brand new Study Bible and…

Posted by /u/alilland

Immaculate Conception Contradiction

Broadly speaking, Catholics and Orthodox believe that Mary gave birth to Jesus without the ordinary pains of labor, since those pains are associated with the curse of sin. Catholics often connect this with Mary’s preservation from original sin, while the Orthodox affirm the mira…

Posted by /u/Buckit18

I feel terrifed and im losing faith (evolution and fossils)

I’m starting to worry that the Bible might be wrong, and I’m genuinely begging anyone willing to respond to please give me guidance. Earlier today, I suddenly realized that I never felt like I got a clear answer about evolution. I haven’t read the entire Bible yet, but I’ve been…

Posted by /u/Crvknight

What would the iconography surrounding wizards (comics, movies, posters, book covers, costumes, etc) have looked like circa 1943?

I'm not a huge history buff, and the most classic representations of a wizard that I know of are the standard "Old man wears blue cloak of stars and matching pointy hat" images that you see printed on posters from the 60s and airbrushed on the side of the occasional unfortunate…

Posted by /u/XH0SYN

God is healing me

I've was struggling with severe anxiety and racing heart symptoms for the last year. Not long ago I went up some stairs and my heart rate went up to like 170 while I was delivering a grocery order. (Just carrying some bags and only went up the first flight when it started) I've…

Posted by /u/hellyeboyz

Was/is Confucianism A Religion?

I am largely referring to the dominant interpretation of Confucianism/Ruism as “a school of thought” or “philosophy,” the same way I sometimes see people frame Buddhism. I often find that people are even more rigid about Confucianism being non-religious (especially in China) com…