The Feed

Posted by /u/Mrs_tribbiani

Historically, women have always covered their hair/head when going outside; nowadays, women usually do not wear hats or head coverings. Did Vatican II, which said that women no longer need to cover their heads during Mass, help normalize w…

Posted by /u/FunYesterday4511

How did the Nazis identify Jews if they didn't the wear Star of David badge?

I know that during WW2, Jewish citizens were forced to wear identifiers on their clothing to show that they were Jewish. How did they (the Nazis) know which people were Jews and how did they enforce the wearing of the star? And if they refused to wear the star, how would anyone…

Posted by /u/bo-bebop

META: Historians of the Bronze Age/Mediterranean cultures, how are we enjoying this sudden influx of Odyssey-related questions?

What are people getting most wrong? Are there any questions that haven’t been asked you’d like to deep dive into? Any thoughts on the movie?

Posted by /u/SnortingCoffee

Why did the Germans not demand greater concessions following the Franco-Prussian war? If they had won essentially a complete victory, why did they settle for Alsace–Lorraine rather than demanding control over all of France?

Posted by /u/yaymukund_

I read a thing that said South Indian languages (e.g. Tamil, Kannada, Telegu) have curved scripts because they were written on leaves and writing straight lines was more likely to tear the leaves. Is that true?

Posted by /u/ThatOneBLUScout

Did old engines get compared enough to horses to actually standardize "Horsepower" as a metric, or is there more of a story behind "Horsepower" becoming the standard metric for engines?

Horsepower is the standard for gauging engine power nowadays, but the term has always slightly felt a bit archaic, especially for modern engines. I don't know why I need to know that ~250 horses would be the equivalent of one engine nowadays, yet that is the standards, so I was…

Posted by /u/MaxThrustage

Ancient Chinese philosophy is frequently concerned with the conduct and character of ministers and officials. But what did these ministers actually *do*?

The Confucians and Mohists and so on all seem to spend a lot of time worried about making sure these ministers and officials are righteous and doing their jobs correctly. But what exactly were these jobs? What did a government bureaucracy look like in the Warring States era? Wer…

Posted by /u/Mocha4040

When did the modern concept of staying hydrated develop?

I notice that even though I can extremely easily have access to clean fresh water, I often forget to drink water for hours until I start feeling bad. In the past, people didn't always have the same kind of easy access, didn't work in environments with clean water available etc.…

Posted by /u/WavesAndSaves

In 1699, the Christian Holy League defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Great Turkish War, a war sometimes called "The 14th Crusade". By the 1800s, European states were intervening in wars explicitly to aid the Ottomans. When did Islam and t…

Posted by /u/FakeRedditRedditor

Historically, did certain civilizations express remorse or regret when an animal species became extinct?

Posted by /u/morango_verde__

At what point in history could chicken nuggets realistically have been made?

I’m not asking when chicken nuggets were actually invented. Instead, I’m wondering when they could have been made if someone had come up with the idea. At what point in history did humanity already have all the necessary ingredients, tools, and culinary knowledge? For example, d…

Posted by /u/bineybash

What is considered the world’s first professional team sport?

While there may not be an official answer due to lack of evidence, I’d like to know what contender stands strong.

Posted by /u/Caligapiscis

How did Romans travel to Britannia?

As in, what mode of transport and what route? I always pictured the initial invasion as comprising legions crossing the Channel from Gaul, but the alternative (assuming Rome itself as the starting point) would be to sail through the Strait of Gibraltar, around Gaul, and up to Br…

Posted by /u/Even-Structure8988

I need help as a Muslim

I’m a fairly devout Muslim raised in an Islamic background I think a lot of people who attack Islam aren't fully educated on it, but I wont pretend that I am 100% solid in my faith. I spend a lot of time wrestling with doubts There are issues in Islam that I feel Christianity do…

Posted by /u/Prestigious_Tie_8635

God touched my heart

I grew up in the LDS religion. It was my understanding that salvation was earned. If I did all I could, then God would accept me into the highest kingdom of heaven. It was all arbitrary rules (like not drinking coffee, not showing shoulders) so I went through the motions without…

Posted by /u/JarlFrank

English was influenced by Norman French in the centuries after William's conquest, but was Anglo-Norman French also influenced by Anglo-Saxon?

It's well-known that the modern English language was significantly influenced by Norman French during the middle ages, when the Norman nobility spoke French while the native Anglo-Saxons kept speaking their own language. As it happens with linguistic contact, the languages start…

Posted by /u/chicken-adile

What kind of coffee would have been made in 1930s Paris and how did espresso and Nespresso conquer each European county’s coffee culture?

I was recently reading a novel written in the 1940s that takes place in 1930s Paris, France and it mentions “putting on a pot of coffee”. This got me wondering what kind of coffee would have been made at home and how would have it been prepared in France in the 1930s? Additional…

Posted by /u/Previous_Treacle448

Any Anime for Christians?

Before I became a Christian, I watched Dragon ball, z, super, FMA, Naruto, JJK, About 400 episodes of One Piece, HNI (Hajime no Ippo, for anyone who doesn't know), and some other action and fighting anime, but now I see and hear lots of stuff in those anime that I know would tem…

Posted by /u/Extension-Beat7276

Why did the Ancient Greeks not consider themselves the inventors of philosophy?

It is well established that Greek civilization absorbed many elements from the civilizations of the ancient Near East. The Greek alphabet was adapted from the Phoenicians, monumental sculpture drew heavily on Egyptian artistic conventions, and Greek astronomy, mathematics, medic…

Posted by /u/Some-Peak3924

Given that millions of French people in the 1790s didn’t actually speak ‘French,’ how did the Revolutionary Government explain new laws to rural regions?

Posted by /u/Fun_Inspection9162

Somebody called me something that made me proud

Someone on YouTube called me an "Aleluyo" today, which for context is what they call people in Spain (and other Spanish speaking places) who speaks about God "way too much" and it made me giddy and proud. I know pride isn't good though this guy made the comment in a derrogatory…

Posted by /u/soundslikeshelves

How was the 40 hour work week viewed by the global community at the time of its adoption?

Hello Historians! I am seeing the 40 hour work week's introduction to America as via Henry Ford in 1926 and becoming law in 1940. I am seeking to parse out claims of how the international community viewed America's adoption at the time. I have heard tell of Western European popu…