The Feed

Posted by /u/CaptainMikul

Why did it take so long to invent the T Shirt?

I was watching a video of a guy putting on a chiton, and it's basically just a square, turned into a tube, and then stitched to make a neck hole. A lot of ancient garments seemed quite involved to put on. Even early modern period, buttons are on everything. What is it about a t-…

Posted by /u/StrawberryPatient307

How empty (of population) was the ancient world?

When I look at Bronze Age maps, I see states and civilizations around the major rivers, not far from those areas the map appears completely empty. How should this be interpreted? Does it mean there simply weren’t many humans overall, or were humans living everywhere but not in t…

Posted by /u/LurkingTamilian

Have there examples in history of a society forgetting how a particular technology is created but only know about maintaining it?

It is a common trope is Sci-fi for an ancient advanced civilization to collapse leaving behind artifacts that newer people can use and maintain but not develop themselves. Do we have documented cases of this in real-life? I am not counting cases like the pyramids which might hav…

Posted by /u/Umpuuu

Medieval peasants famously ate "bread and cheese". What kind of cheese was it? Would whatever cheeses they normally ate, be recognizable as any of the modern varieties?

Posted by /u/Naive-Actuary4414

Why do Western countries like the UK, US etc consider Greece and the Roman Empire as the basis of their "civilisation"?

Okay so I would like to explain my context so that you guys can better understand my question: I am a tribal, Indian guy from the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. And here in India, the basis of the Indian "civilisation" are considered to have been formed by Vedic cultur…

Posted by /u/Playergh

Did Italian soldiers in the Second World War consume more water than other armies because they had to boil pasta?

The notorious board/war game The Campaign for North Africa has, among its numerous small details, the rule that the Italians consume more water than the others because they use it to boil pasta. Is this increased water consumption supported by sources, and did the Italians even…

Posted by /u/Kutluna

Why have straight men historically been so hostile toward homosexuality?

I've had this thought since I was a kid, and every time I bring it up to my friends they just laugh. But I genuinely don't understand it, so I'm curious if there's an explanation from psychology, sociology, evolutionary biology, or history. I'm a straight man, and my logic has a…

Posted by /u/ProfessionalKnees

Did women in 1920s America really wear their stockings rolled down and apply rouge to their knees for a night out, as the musical Chicago implies?

In the song All That Jazz from the musical Chicago, Velma Kelly sings: Come on babe, why don't we paint the town And all that jazz I'm gonna rouge my knees, and roll my stockings down And all that jazz Was common for women to do this ahead of a night out? Why? As someone who has…

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/SaysToMabelISays

In the Iliad, Ajax is shown as one of the only great warriors to not receive help from the Gods while still accomplishing amazing feats. Would this be seen as a bad thing?

One of my favourite characters in the Iliad is Ajax. In his frequent feats including holding off the Trojan army essentially by himself to protect the Greek fleet, almost killing Hector (who then receives help from a God to return), he's never described as receiving direct inter…

Posted by /u/ThatOneBLUScout

How did certain foods come to be seen as "Breakfast Foods" even though nothing is stopping you from eating them whenever you want?

Eggs, Pancakes, Omelets, Cereal, Toast, Hash-browns, Ect. All of those are considered staples for breakfast, but it's considered a bit odd to eat them later in the day. I was wondering how that started.

Posted by /u/WartimeHotTot

How did US homelessness during the Great Depression compare to homelessness today?

The way I was taught about the Great Depression in school made it seem like there was extreme political pressure coming from homeless people themselves, and this ended up affecting politics at the highest level. To me, it seemed that the term Hoovervilles (along with Hoover blan…

Posted by /u/Captain_Strudels

In recent years, I've seen some claims in several circles that "Historically the solution to excess unmarriageable men is to start a war to kill some of them off". Has this ever been remotely true? Have we ever even had historical times of…

I've quoted the claim word-for-word from a very recent frontpage sub, however I've seen this sentiment echoed more than once and it got me curious. It seems really unlikely to me - at most, perhaps unmarried men might seek out war for social mobility, but I can't imagine some le…

Posted by /u/Melodic-Special4768

When and why did white people stop putting cinnamon on meat?

In most (all?) cuisines except Western European/Anglo/North American cultures, cinnamon is a savory spice, used in soups and stews and rubbed on meat and put in all sorts of (delicious!) dishes. In white cuisine, it's pretty much relegated to baked goods and hot drinks, except f…

Posted by /u/Ruthrfurd-the-stoned

Why did many Caribbean nations become majority black as opposed to North America (white) and Central / South America (mestizo/ white)?

There are clear exceptions such as Puerto Rico and Cuba but for countries like Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas it’s just very different from what we see in the rest of the new world. Haiti is similar but they had the revolution which helps explain it. Was curiou…

Posted by /u/lewisiarediviva

How Ubiquitous Was the Carrying of Fire?

I ran across a factoid some years ago that ran something like: “Up until the modern era, most people were never more than 1000 feet from a fire their whole lives” Without getting too into the weeds on specifics like distance, do we think this is broadly true? Does anyone recogni…

Posted by /u/Ok_Iron_5381

The Lord Jesus Christ is real!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen! ✝️🙏🕊❤️‍🔥 I want to share my testimony about the Almighty God the Father and His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared to me in a vision given by the…