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1500 questions
32
votes
5 answers
Why did the grip-centered viking shield fall out of use relative to the kite shields?
Did Normans have battle advantage with strapped kite shields over Saxons and Vikings with their grip-centered shield style of fighting?
What often comes to my mind are battles like Hastings (1066). It seems to me that grip-centered round shields…
Jotunn
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32
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3 answers
Is it true that there are more slaves in the world now than ever at one point in history?
I recently heard this suggested. My understanding of slavery today is:
children slave labor
the sex slavery world epidemic
the promised
citizenry in the Middle East to workers who come to build their tall
buildings, only to have their…
Jason P Sallinger
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32
votes
2 answers
Did Muslim states hire Western European knights as mercenaries before the Crusades?
In the book Hattin by John France the following claim is made:
The fighting qualities of western knights were widely recognized in
the Mediterranean lands, and they were often employed even by Muslim
powers. (p.19)
But Mr. France gives no…
Felix Goldberg
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32
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1 answer
What coin is this and where is it from? Thai script, Thai arms. Rev: left facing portrait
here is the front and back of a coin which I would like to find out about. Anyone know which country this is from? Thank you very much!
Kent
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32
votes
5 answers
How prevalent were recreational drugs in the ancient world?
A recent discussion about the Queen Mab Speech in Romeo and Juliet, prompted us to wonder whether Mercutio was on drugs.
Which then led to the question of how prevalent recreational drugs where throughout history, very specifically through the…
SleepingGod
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32
votes
4 answers
Were there any Germans in Japan after the surrender of Germany in May, 1945 and if so, what happened to them?
I assume there were potentially hundreds of German advisers, etc. in Japan at the time of the German surrender. Is there evidence that they tried to reach Allied troops to surrender to them? Did some fight directly for Japan? What happened to these…
Jeff
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32
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2 answers
Is there evidence to suggest the "war on drugs" was a cover for class warfare?
In the April 2016 issue of Harper’s Magazine, Dan Baum writes about interviewing John Ehrlichman:
At the time, I was writing a book about the politics of drug prohibition. I started to ask Ehrlichman a series of earnest, wonky questions that he…
hawkeye
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32
votes
14 answers
Were slings used for throwing hand grenades? If not, why?
It seems using a sling is far more effective than throwing things with your bare hands. As far as I know, slingers were widespread in the Ancient era, as well as in the Middle ages:
However, in XIX-XX hand grenades were thrown, well, by…
enkryptor
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32
votes
9 answers
Was England considered a "colony" of France?
After the "Norman conquest of England", many things including languages, the ways of life, etc. have changed a lot in Europe. Especially it affected the English language significantly that a lot of French words were borrowed by English.
Now, I…
Rathony
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32
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4 answers
How did the ruling class in the Muslim world react to the discovery and colonization of the Americas?
Since Columbus' voyage in 1492, the Europeans began to explore and colonize the Americas. During the next century, the Spanish (and the Portuguese?) extracted a lot of wealth from the Americas, beginning the expansion of territories, and power,…
user69715
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32
votes
5 answers
Given their reputation for fighting to the last man in the Pacific, why did 700,000 Japanese troops surrender in Manchuria?
I just read this. It says:
On August 8, 1945 ... the Soviet Union launched the invasion of Manchuria, a massive military operation mobilizing 1.5 million soldiers against one million Kwantung Army troops, the last remaining Japanese military…
DrZ214
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32
votes
6 answers
Where did Hannibal cross the Pyrenees?
Hannibal's passage through the Alps has been extensively studied, regarding the route chosen and logistics involved in passing a large army through difficult terrain.
Before that, Hannibal would have had to lead his army out of the Iberian Peninsula…
ALAN WARD
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32
votes
6 answers
Where does the name of the country "Belarus" come from?
I've read the German and English Wikipedia on this topic as well as the translated Belarussian version and some sites I googled.
They all seem to argue that the 'Rus' part stems from the Region called Ruthenia.
The German version advocates that the…
LeoR
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32
votes
1 answer
Did Kim Jong-Il wrest away power (rather than inherit it) from Kim Il-Sung in a power struggle?
I know little about North Korean history, but their official narrative and what I had also believed is that - long story short - Kim Jong-Il basically just inherited his dictatorial powers from his father, as per his father's wishes.
There does not…
user3521
32
votes
2 answers
When and where did socks become common?
To be clear, I mean the socks you wear on your feet, to insulate you form your shoes/boots/other footwear.
By common, I mean easily available to the masses, rather than just to the rich.
Carmi
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