Most Popular
1500 questions
27
votes
2 answers
How did Hedy Lamarr acquire scientific education?
Hedy Lamarr was a famous actress and an inventor. According to Wikipedia, her inventions included:
Improved traffic stoplight.
Tablet that would dissolve in water to create a carbonated drink.
Suggested a change to the design of…
HeyJude
- 471
- 4
- 7
27
votes
2 answers
Who said "If I want the opinion of the middle classes, I'll ask Her Majesty"?
The notion that the British royal family are not necessarily at the apex of British society in terms of good breeding, sophistication or taste, is an old one.
I'm sure that I once read a piece that attributed the quote
"If I want the opinion of the…
tea-and-cake
- 373
- 3
- 6
27
votes
1 answer
Identify the circa 1920 uniform in this photo
The photo is dated 1920. Quality isn't brilliant, but we need the uniform information for the family tree. The lady would have been 22 in 1920. Birthplace was London. Nationality: British. Traveled extensively later so we thought she may have been…
Alan
- 273
- 3
- 5
27
votes
6 answers
What is the earliest mention of space travel?
What was the earliest mention in recorded history of travel through space? Admittedly, I am not really a history buff, but I am writing a scientific paper related to space travel, so I wanted to give a brief (1-2 paragraphs) historical account of…
shanedrum
- 381
- 3
- 6
27
votes
2 answers
How likely it is that a nobleman of the eighteenth century would give written instructions to his maids?
This question is about a detail in the biography of one of the greatest scientists who ever lived, Henry Cavendish. The Wikipedia article about him states that
He communicated with his female servants only by notes.
It seems that this passage of…
José Carlos Santos
- 4,632
- 5
- 30
- 52
27
votes
2 answers
Who governed while Alexander the Great was away conquering Asia?
I was just watching a video that mentions Alexander the Great at the edges of his empire, but then I was wondering who was governing back home while he was gone, I mean it took forever to travel back then so, there must have been someone or a body…
Abe
- 303
- 3
- 3
27
votes
3 answers
Was frequent bathing for personal hygiene in medieval Europe common or not?
The usual narrative: No bathing
There is a frequently debunked claim that medieval Europeans did not bathe. Occasionally, the claim is connected to pandemics of the era and extended to the idea that Aztecs may have burned incense around the…
0range
- 2,716
- 1
- 21
- 34
27
votes
1 answer
How did people cut "pieces of eight"?
The Spanish silver peso was a very common coin consisting of "fine quality silver, assayed at .931 or .916," according to CoinWeek. Under some circumstances one peso coins, worth eight reales, would be cut into slivers to separate those reales from…
Aaron Brick
- 27,632
- 7
- 76
- 167
27
votes
4 answers
How have they traditionally handled safety on submarines in regards to "surface cruising"?
Ever since I was a kid, I've always had this fear/phobia that I would at some point end up on a submarine, and, while it's not under water, I would for whatever reason be standing on top of it, as is often seen in movies and which they clearly did…
Arquimides
- 303
- 3
- 3
27
votes
5 answers
How heavily were the British taxing their American colonies?
The British levied several taxes on the American Colonists (13), which were at least part of the reason for the American Revolution. Were the British taxing the 13 colonies for more money than was being spent on or in the 13 colonies?
[edit]
I am…
Dale
- 4,420
- 4
- 29
- 36
27
votes
2 answers
Was Rosie the Riveter sourced from a Michelangelo painting?
The Russian Wikipedia page states that an art from Michelangelo is a source of inspiration for Rosie the Riveter arrwork.
My own impression is this looks indeed like that, there are many similarities. But is this somehow proven by any historical…
J. Doe
- 671
- 5
- 13
27
votes
8 answers
Why in most German places is the church the tallest building?
A coworker from another country asked me today if it is true that we have a law prohibiting any building in a place from being taller than their church.
I told him I don't know if we still have any such law and, if we had, I most likely would know…
Zaibis
- 379
- 1
- 4
- 10
27
votes
1 answer
Was Richard I's imprisonment by Leopold of Austria justified?
I read in Wikipedia and Britannica about Richard I of England regarding his imprisonment and I was perplexed by the fact that a sovereign monarch, and a crusader at that, could be imprisoned by a foreign power on such shaky grounds as the accusation…
YokedSinger8062
- 2,287
- 1
- 20
- 35
27
votes
3 answers
What is the context for Napoleon's quote "[the Austrians] did not know the value of five minutes"?
Is this a real quote from Napoleon, and if so, what is the context?
“The reason I beat the Austrians is, they did not know the value of five minutes.”
Found on many 'quotes' sites like azquotes
Umm
- 271
- 3
- 3
27
votes
5 answers
Which languages would be most useful in Europe at the end of the 19th century?
If I were a tourist planning to visit all the major cities in Europe, which languages would be most beneficial for me to know? Nowadays, the answer would be straightforward, as many people in Europe speak English as their secondary language. Maybe…
hohenheim
- 423
- 4
- 7