Most Popular
1500 questions
19
votes
2 answers
How much tax did Romans pay?
According to this guy
The Jewish rebellion in A.D. 66 that ignited the war with Rome was by no means inevitable. Judaism was a legal religion in the Roman Empire, and Nero's own empress, Poppaea, was very interested in it. Contrary to biblical…
user4951
- 5,517
- 9
- 37
- 67
19
votes
5 answers
Did Vikings use of water bowls in this unhygenic way?
I am interested in understanding something which I have seen in the film 13th warrior where the Vikings all use the same bowl of water to clean themselves. It also happens in the TV show Vikings (No link).
I am curious about a few things, (all…
Inbar Rose
- 483
- 1
- 4
- 12
19
votes
8 answers
Is there any research explicitly contradicting facts in Suvorov's "Icebreaker" book series claiming that Stalin intended to attack Hitler in 1941?
Viktor Suvorov is a somewhat famous ex-GRU spy who defected and wrote a series of books.
The most (in)famous and sensational were a series of books on World War II, starting with "Icebreaker", which alleged - with supporting historical facts and…
DVK
- 17,695
- 7
- 77
- 144
19
votes
6 answers
Why was Germany held accountable for WW1?
The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to accept all responsibility for the war.
If the war was initially due to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand by Serbian assassins, why did the Treaty of Versailles hold Germany responsible? Are there…
user4951
- 5,517
- 9
- 37
- 67
19
votes
1 answer
What was the Mantineian form of government and what praise did it receive?
In his comparison of the Roman form of government with those of other states, Polybius mentions Mantineia as having one which had been praised by almost all historians. However, he does not go into any detail about it.
What was the form of…
lins314159
- 4,579
- 1
- 22
- 50
19
votes
2 answers
Who came up with the name "Peloponnesian War"?
If I understand correctly, Thucydides actually called his book just History. If that is correct, then at what point did it become known as History of the Peloponnesian War?
EDIT: Here is how he begins:
Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote the history of…
Felix Goldberg
- 25,817
- 6
- 85
- 192
19
votes
4 answers
What was the contemporary German public opinion on the Herero Genocide?
The genocide took place during 1904-1907, organized by General von Trotha. Wikipedia says:
Von Trotha's methods caused a public outcry which led the Imperial
Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow to ask William II, German Emperor, to
relieve von Trotha…
Felix Goldberg
- 25,817
- 6
- 85
- 192
19
votes
4 answers
Who invented the first flag?
An answer on this site claims that the first flags were heraldic flags used in battles. But when was this, and for which nations?
md nth
- 1,652
- 4
- 15
- 22
19
votes
5 answers
Isn't there any positive legacy of the Mongolian occupation in Russia?
In the BBC radio 4 series The Wild East, the history of Russia after the Mongolian occupation is described as if all the bad things happened subsequently had been caused by the legacy of that era. Isn't there any positive legacy of the Mongolian…
Aki
- 443
- 2
- 7
19
votes
3 answers
What came before the Zamboni?
The Zamboni machine has become one of many people's favorite parts of Ice Hockey. Technically this device is called an ice resurfacer, but everyone just calls it a "Zamboni" after the inventer.
Frank Zamboni invented the machine over the period…
T.E.D.
- 118,977
- 15
- 300
- 471
19
votes
1 answer
When were US Presidential candidates' names first shown on the ballot?
When the USA votes for a president, voters technically vote for the electoral college. But as far as I know, all ballots show the name of the presidential candidates.
In the 1789 presidential election, in states that used voting, voters literally…
user132647
- 293
- 1
- 7
19
votes
3 answers
How much louder was a Napoleonic era cannon than a musket?
I recently stumbled upon this impressive quote about the Battle of Borodino in a video (here at 5:07):
"The artillery roared to such an extent that from dawn until the middle of the day we couldn't even hear the musket fire; the cannonade was…
fgysin
- 1,300
- 13
- 15
19
votes
3 answers
In 1914 why didn't Germany simply mobilize its army without declaring war?
I can't understand why members of the the Triple Entente and also members of the Triple Alliance were so offended by the mere mobilization of their enemies' armies, so that they demanded a cessation of mobilization or else they would declare…
Matthew Christopher Bartsh
- 346
- 1
- 2
- 9
19
votes
2 answers
Was Uranus a Roman god?
Is Caelus the Roman equivalent of Uranus, or did the Romans adopt the latter and incorporated him in their mythology while keeping his original name?
I've seen multiple conflicting answers on the subject. [The French Wikipedia page for Uranus][1]…
Mat
- 413
- 1
- 4
- 10
19
votes
2 answers
Were Quintidis holidays in the French Republican calendar?
I did some research on the French Republican calendar and found some contradictory information on weekly (or decadian?) holidays.
Wikipedia (and most other articles I found) mention:
The calendar was abolished because having a ten-day working week…
knut
- 5,617
- 1
- 32
- 41