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1500 questions
31
votes
4 answers
How did Europeans first acquire gunpowder?
I know that gunpowder was first invented in China around the 10th century, and it seems that gunpowder likely made its way to Europe via the "Silk Road." However, there doesn't seem to be a ton of information on just how gunpowder made its way to…
ihtkwot
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31
votes
9 answers
Which religion was the first monotheistic one?
Which religion was the first monotheistic one? Was it Judaism or a religion which disappeared from practice?
CsBalazsHungary
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31
votes
3 answers
Did the Romans know about China?
Could there be a possibility that some Romans knew that there was a country north east of India? Because as far as I know the Romans traded with Indians.
Armin
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31
votes
3 answers
Which war games did Napoleon practice with his generals?
I have read that Napoleon actively used to play strategy games with his generals in order to understand how they act in a range of situations. The generals also learned the same thing about each other. This meant that in a battle situation without…
David
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30
votes
1 answer
How prevalent was pork in Arabia before Arabs conversion to Islam?
Before Islam and its prohibition of pork, was it a commonly eaten food? Or was it already prohibited by other religions/cultures? Or was it a kind of uncommon food, which was then prohibited? We also know that Jews (who were in the Middle East…
askGuy
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30
votes
5 answers
What is the difference between the Middle Ages and the Dark Ages?
Is there any difference between the "Middle Ages" and the "Dark Ages"?
Daniel
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30
votes
6 answers
What did squires do in the middle of a medieval battle?
According to wikipedia, a normal squire daily job included:
Carrying the knight's armour, shield, sword,
Holding any prisoners the knight takes,
Rescuing the knight should the knight be taken prisoner,
Ensuring an honorable burial of the knight in…
Fitri
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30
votes
2 answers
How did Native Americans refer to themselves in the 19th century?
Here's a specific sentence from Fannie Kelly's book whose title is Narrative of my Captivity Among the Sioux Indians, published in 1871:
on being told of two big oceans, they would ask if the whites owned the big country on the other side; and if…
bobsmith76
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30
votes
1 answer
Is there a record of a rabid human attacking another human?
I was just reading the Wikipedia page on rabies, and the following claim is made:
Although it is theoretically possible for rabies-infected humans to transmit it to others by biting or otherwise, no such cases have ever been documented, because…
Curious Layman
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30
votes
2 answers
Is it true that Germans in World War 2 did not suffer punishment for refusing genocidal orders?
According to Norman Naimark's interview on the Lex Fridman Podcast (#248)
One of the shocking things that I learned just a few years ago when studying the Holocaust is that you could pull out. In other words, if they order police battalion to go…
Evan Carroll
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30
votes
2 answers
Was there a tax in the fifties for British citizens traveling abroad?
I have found a dialog in Roberto Rossellini's 1954 film Journey to Italy where the character played by George Sanders says it's expensive to stay abroad too much. That would seem natural, only the spending mentioned is explained as being determined…
cipricus
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30
votes
3 answers
Could someone who had joined a monastery decide to leave?
Could a nun or monk that had been admitted to a monastery "quit" and (more or less) return to the life they lived before joining?
I am mostly interested in Europe and Christianity approximately before democracy. (The reason for that interest is that…
d-b
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30
votes
3 answers
Where did the archived discussions in Google Groups come from?
I was sifting through old messages in the Google Groups rec.games.chess when a thought popped up-where did all of these messages, from the '80s and '90s, come from? To be specific, the question is where the physical manifestations of them…
Rewan Demontay
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30
votes
5 answers
What was Japan's grand strategy in WW2?
I am trying to understand the Japanese Grand Strategy in WW2 when it comes to handling the US. My current understand, based primarily on extensive Wikipedia reading is as follows:
Motivation: The Japanese industry had an unmet need for resources…
Arno
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30
votes
2 answers
What is the significance of barley as opposed to wheat in Ancient Rome?
Recently, I was reading about the Roman Army's use of decimation, and the Wikipedia article repeatedly mentions that after the application of this punishment, soldiers would have their wheat rations replaced with barley, but doesn't explain why.…
Inquisitive Lynx
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