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Posted by /u/Impressive_Jello_909

When was 'Space' first called 'Space ', and what was it called before?

Who actually coined the term 'Space'? I find it weird to think that there was a time when people looked at the sky and would call it something other than space. I assume that in different cultures it was called different things, but when did it become more universally known as '…

Posted by /u/PneumaticFizz

If someone died in 1905 at 65 of 'exhaustion,' is that diagnosis likely accurate? Or is it potentially a euphemism or a misdiagnosis?

I have an ancestor who died under the title's circumstances and was curious if this was an antiquated term. There was a great deal of stress and generational trauma in his life, so it seems entirely plausible that he died from exhaustion, but was curious if there was any precede…

Posted by /u/morbihann

Was "the beach" ever used recreationally i the middle ages?

So beaches obviously have always been useful for various activities scavange of washed out cargo, easy place to go in and with boats, etc.) but I got curious, is there any evidence of medieval people ever going to the beach for leisure. I cant imagine tanning was that needed, gi…

Posted by /u/ShotFromGuns

What do we know about how enslaved people in the U.S. dealt with hot weather?

As I'm sitting here during yet another 90°F+ heatwave, it occurs to me that if it sucks this much to be doing white-collar work in a dark room with fans, cold water, and the knowledge I can go somewhere air conditioned at any time, it must have been unimaginably worse for people…

Posted by /u/Reebok_MF_classics

Why are Māoris considered indigenous but Falklanders aren’t?

As I understand it, the Māori were originally a people from across the sea who sailed to New Zealand, an uninhabited island at the time, and then began settling it. They formed a bond with the land when it was empty, and, as such, are correctly and universally considered the ind…

Posted by /u/screwyoushadowban

The idea of Catholic politicians being controlled by the Pope has long been a favorite conspiracy theory of Protestants well into the 20th century. How much did the heads of state of Catholic-majority countries from 1850-1950 *actually* ca…

This is a period of time where the Papal States are being (or about to be) gobbled up by Italian Nationalism and Europe is hurtling into modernity. So a long ways away from the heydey of Papal influence it seems. How much did secular leaders of Catholic countries, especially if…

Posted by /u/sciguy11

During the partition of India, many Muslims opted to remain Indians. For the non-wealthy ones, what were their reasons?

Common views are that the very poor remained (as they couldn't afford to make the journey), as well as some of the elite (who had land and other assets). Were there any other perspectives on staying in India?

Posted by /u/Strelochka

Why is space conceptualized as a sea?

It's spaceships, star sailors, fleets and so on, even though space is 3D for navigational purposes and the sea is effectively 2D for everything but submersibles, rockets obviously fly and have to go through the sky first to get to space, and the first astronauts were all trained…

Posted by /u/Bn_scarpia

Prior to Einstein, who have been the idiomatic "geniuses" in American/English culture?

What prompted this question was listening to the Scarecrow's song "If I Only Had a Brain" in 'The Wizard of Oz': "With the thoughts that you'll be thinkin' You could be another Lincoln If you only had a brain." It seems that Lincoln was used here as an example of extreme smarts.…

Posted by /u/NewMaleperduis

How did one-room schoolhouses work?

I know one-room schoolhouses (where one teacher taught multiple grades at once) were the norm in many rural areas for much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. But as a city slicker, I can't imagine how that would actually work since the teacher can only do one thing at a time.…

Posted by /u/Tatem1961

Why were History classes replaced with Social Studies in America?

Posted by /u/optiplex9000

How were Chinese Americans treated during WW2?

Posted by /u/LionTiger3

Did Chinese scholars come to any of the same conclusions as the Greeks on axioms of geometry? If they came to different conclusions, what was the reasoning?

I hear about the Greek development of geometry, but not Chinese geometry. Chinese scholars worked on geometry around the same time as the Greeks, but independently from the Greeks. Euclid developed basic ideas. Did Chinese scholars come to the same conclusions as the Greeks? If…

Posted by /u/grzybeczek

Did peasants ever go away on holiday?

In today's day and age travelling abroad, or at least to a seaside town is more accessible than ever (at least in Europe where I'm posting from). While not absolutely everyone can afford it, a vast majority of the working class is able to travel away from home at least occasiona…

Posted by /u/whereisspacebar

On many threads about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many Redditors praise Ukraine as the technology hub of the former Soviet Union. How accurate is this assessment?

On many subreddits discussing the current Russian invasion of Ukraine ( /r/worldnews, /r/CombatFootage, etc.) Redditors have lauded Ukraine's history as the technological hub of the USSR as the source of their innovations (for example, the use of drones and the development of we…

Posted by /u/ozneoknarf

Did Mongolians always glorify Genghis Khan and the Mongolian empire as they do today or was it some sort of cultural revival?

I’ve noticed that modern day Mongolia is very proud of their past especially during the Mongolian empire and the absolutely love for Genghis khan. his face is everywhere from bank notes to bottles of vodka. But has this always been the case? Did this glorification survive after…

Posted by /u/Striking_Outcome1932

Did Turkish opium really have more medicinal qualities than Indian opium?

I'm reading the opium war by Brian Inglis and a point that keeps coming up is that Turkish opium was specifically used more for medicine over the Indian variety that was more suited for smoking. It's repeated a few times but presented in an offhand way that seems to assume the r…

Posted by /u/2039485867

I often see ‘plate’ being used as a measure of wealth and seizable assent in Tudor/Elizabethan England. Did people literally eat off these plates? When about would it be replaced by currency?

I’m curious about it in general, if anyone knows anything about its relationship to things like fancy china or if it had a gendered element. thanks!

Posted by /u/guccibuttfingerv2

What is the history of freemasonry and why do people view it as evil?

I know this question entails quite a bit but I have been told that freemasonry is an evil cult and I have never really understood why it is given this name. I also dont understand why the symbols are everywhere like some sort of subliminal messaging. I really am ignorant on the…

Posted by /u/LNT_Wolf

At the time of the American Civil War, would the typical slave in america have been born in america or abroad?

Is there a way to explain how many american slaves were raised as a slave vs how many were taken into slavery?

Posted by /u/G0CTHEM0C

Why didnt colonial powers split up countries more during decolonization?

Countries like India, Nigeria, Indonesia and many many more are all countries that emerged from colonial borders Most of these countries are very large, both geographyically and in regard to population and natural resources. As such, they carry a great amount of power on the wor…

Posted by /u/screwyoushadowban

Was William Gilder's account of a Netsilik Inuit "custom of killing the first stranger who comes among them after a death in the tribe" actually accurate?

If I'm reading correctly, this would have been somewhere on the half of Victoria Island that is in Nunavut, though it might be King William's Island. In the account Schwatka's party, guided by their primary translator, Ipirvik (called "Joe" in the book), encounter a small commun…

Posted by /u/Moooses20

Why were the old world diseases deadlier than the new world diseases?