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1500 questions
27
votes
2 answers
Did men and women feast together in early medieval East Francia?
I am interested in important feasts of the upper classes (nobility), e.g., Easter or the baptism of important heirs, in the Eastern Frankish kingdom around 900 AD, specifically the Duchy of Saxony.
Different sources and my own considerations do not…
user1021794
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27
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1 answer
When did the round house fall out of vernacular use throughout Britain and Ireland?
TL;DR
When did roundhouses fall out of vernacular use?
The time frame we have is full of gaps:
They fell out of use in South-West Britain in the 8th Century.
Wales may have had them potentially for longer.
Rectangular houses become popular among…
Charlie Tizzard Ó Kevlahan
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27
votes
7 answers
How did people wake up on time before alarm clocks?
How did people wake up on time before alarm clocks?
I was thinking about this as I lay me down to sleep last night, and came up with a null hypothesis:
They didn't. Keeping precise time wasn't considered as important in the past as it is…
Luke Sawczak
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27
votes
2 answers
Was there a European response to the trail of tears?
This question is pretty straightforward. While looking into Victorian British beliefs about Americans and American history I began to wonder about European attitudes toward American Indians; and more specifically their reaction to the human atrocity…
Random
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27
votes
4 answers
When planning Barbarossa, did Germany conceive of the Soviet migration of heavy industry?
Wikipedia has a very tiny article on this. Basically, when Barbarossa was launched, the Soviet Union started evacuating the factories. They were migrated to places beyond the Ural Mountains.
I'm wondering if Hitler or others conceived of this…
DrZ214
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27
votes
3 answers
Was Kaliningrad offered to the Lithuanian SSR; was this offer rejected; and if so, why?
This is a follow up to this other question Why was Kaliningrad placed under the Russian SFSR rather than the Lithuanian SSR?
Semaphore's answer states:
... a similar offer was made to give Kaliningrad to Lithuania. However, the Lithuanian leader…
user29153
27
votes
3 answers
What was the longest a World War II submarine stayed at sea without being resupplied at a port?
The US Balao-class and Gato-class submarines had enough provisions to stay on patrol for 75 days under normal operating conditions. Information on other long-range submarines has proved hard to find, although this site mentions that British O, P and…
Lars Bosteen
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27
votes
3 answers
What advantages did Catholic missionaries to the Indians have over Protestant missionaries in old Oregon Country?
I remember reading that Catholic missionaries in old Oregon Country made more converts per capita than Protestant missionaries, besides being in general better-received by the Native Americans.
What advantages did the Catholic missionaries in the…
George A. Solodun
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27
votes
6 answers
Was there any practical use for German spiked helmets (Pickelhaube)?
In 1916, during the First World War, the Germans dropped the idea of using the pickelhaube because it wasn't practical in the trenches. I read the wiki, but I am left with one question:
It remained in service for more than 70 years, it doesn't seem…
CsBalazsHungary
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27
votes
1 answer
Relation between Afroamerican religions and colonial metropoles?
In most of Brazil, Afroamerican religion is Candomblé, which is rooted in Yoruba traditional religion, with influences of Angola-Congo traditions. The main exception is the Northeastern state of Maranhão, were Daomeyan (Ewe) tradition (Vodum)…
Luís Henrique
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27
votes
6 answers
Why hasn't Russia maintained significant numbers of aircraft carriers?
The United States has 11 aircraft carriers in total. Russia has only one. This is reflective of the past, in which we saw that the USSR also didn't put much importance on constructing aircraft carriers and putting them into operation.
Why hasn't…
user806
27
votes
11 answers
What was the cleanest war ever fought?
If not all, the vast majority of wars in known history were dirty, cruel and with a lot of civilian casualties. That makes me wonder if there has ever been a "clean" war where both sides played "by the rules"? The criteria would be:
Minimal…
Огњен Шобајић
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27
votes
3 answers
Were there Muslims in 12th century England?
Ever since the 1984 ITV adaptation of Robin Hood, the addition of a Muslim warrior to the band of Merry Men has been a staple of the mythology. From a storytelling perspective, the benefits are clear: the Muslim/Western tension provides a modern…
Peter
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27
votes
10 answers
What's the advantage of the infantry column formation in the Napoleonic Wars?
In movies/books set in the Napoleonic Wars, the British are normally deployed into lines and the French into columns. The columns are usually the advancing ones, charging into the line as the line hold their ground and fire volleys at the advancing…
Fitri
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27
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6 answers
Why did Hitler not concentrate more on North Africa?
The Germans knew that oil would be crucial to the war and that they would likely need to capture new sources for the war effort.
The main oil-producing regions at the time that might be captured were the Caucasus region of southern Russia and the…
davidjwest
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