/r/askhistorians

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In the film 'Hail, Caesar!' (2016), there is one scene in which a Protestant, a Catholic and an Orthodox priest and a Jewish rabbi are consulted about the titular film-within-a-film's depiction of Jesus. How far did film studios in the 50s actually try to avoid offending religious sensibilities?

334 upvotes • EnclavedMicrostate

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In the "Sexual confession of a Russian anonymous", the narrator describes late-19th century Naples as riddled with prostitution, including families casually selling off their underage children to locals and tourists alike: was the situation really that dire? NSFW

334 upvotes • LazyFrenchGuy

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Regarding judging historical figures by the mores of their day and our day… NSFW

334 upvotes • deadletter

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Emperor Charles the V famously challenged to King Francis I to personal combat to settle their wars in Europe. Wasn't Francis I a renowned fighter? Was Charles serious? Why would he do this?

334 upvotes • booyahkasha

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How did prostitutes work before condoms? Did they just have babies all the time?

334 upvotes • thetimujin

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I have heard many variations on the phrase, 'The people that made the most money in the gold rush were selling shovels, not digging gold'. I know it's a nice proverb, but is there evidence this is actually true?

333 upvotes • teckers

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How did the ancients fist fight, has how to throw a punch evolved?

333 upvotes • James72090

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We know of stories like Sally Hemings and her affair with Thomas Jefferson. Were there ever any cases of white slave-owning women giving birth to half-black children? What happened to the mother? to the child?

333 upvotes • vitras

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Why was salt such an expensive commodity in the ancient world if you could just evaporate sea water to get it? Wouldn't any city near a major body of saltwater have a pretty much unlimited supply?

333 upvotes • a_borgia

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Why was Abraham Lincoln not considered a war criminal for his ruthless genocide of Vampires during the War of Northern Aggression?

333 upvotes • ironheart777

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
In the film 'Hail, Caesar!' (2016), there is one scene in which a Protestant, a Catholic and an Orthodox priest and a Jewish rabbi are consulted about the titular film-within-a-film's depiction of Jesus. How far did film studios in the 50s actually try to avoid offending religious sensibilities?	334	EnclavedMicrostate
In the "Sexual confession of a Russian anonymous", the narrator describes late-19th century Naples as riddled with prostitution, including families casually selling off their underage children to locals and tourists alike: was the situation really that dire? NSFW	334	LazyFrenchGuy
Regarding judging historical figures by the mores of their day and our day… NSFW	334	deadletter
Emperor Charles the V famously challenged to King Francis I to personal combat to settle their wars in Europe. Wasn't Francis I a renowned fighter? Was Charles serious? Why would he do this?	334	booyahkasha
How did prostitutes work before condoms? Did they just have babies all the time?	334	thetimujin
I have heard many variations on the phrase, 'The people that made the most money in the gold rush were selling shovels, not digging gold'. I know it's a nice proverb, but is there evidence this is actually true?	333	teckers
How did the ancients fist fight, has how to throw a punch evolved?	333	James72090
We know of stories like Sally Hemings and her affair with Thomas Jefferson. Were there ever any cases of white slave-owning women giving birth to half-black children? What happened to the mother? to the child?	333	vitras
Why was salt such an expensive commodity in the ancient world if you could just evaporate sea water to get it? Wouldn't any city near a major body of saltwater have a pretty much unlimited supply?	333	a_borgia
Why was Abraham Lincoln not considered a war criminal for his ruthless genocide of Vampires during the War of Northern Aggression?	333	ironheart777