/r/askhistorians

Year:

Only show posts with narrations

In the Cold War drama 'The Americans' the espionage situation in the US mainland in the 1980s is portrayed as a cat-and-mouse game between the seemingly equally capable KGB and FBI. To what degree is this portrayal accurate? Did the KGB really have that much influence in Washington DC?

252 upvotes • BewareofCrisps

Mark as read: Add to a list

How did the Baylonian base-60 system for time keeping became popular around the world? Were there any other systems?

252 upvotes • lazyass_tiger

Mark as read: Add to a list

In Ingmar Bergman's the Seventh Seal, characters open their mouth silently to display when they're annoyed. Is that a cultural, fictional, or historical form of body language?

252 upvotes • EnigmaEcstacy

Mark as read: Add to a list

I just found a recording of my grandfather talking about his experiences as a Korean War POW. After describing "the cage", the interviewer called him some slang word in the implication that it would've made him more likely to be tortured. Can someone shed some context on this slang please?

252 upvotes • Aifamume

Mark as read: Add to a list

What implications does the newly discovered Viking site in Canada have?

252 upvotes • plainjackthrowaway

Mark as read: Add to a list

Did people sleep sitting up in the eighteenth century?

252 upvotes • FlashmanInThePan

Mark as read: Add to a list

Why might Joan of Arc have been called a whore for eating fish in brine?

252 upvotes • perroybartlett

Mark as read: Add to a list

Stan Rogers' song "Barrett's Privateers" is about Canadian privateers preying on American shipping at the end of the 18th century. Were there actually Canadian pirates/privateers during this period?

252 upvotes • depanneur

Mark as read: Add to a list

How well would the average 21st century person fare in academia in the 19th century? Would the average intelligence of a college graduate in an associated field be that of a 19th century Masters or PhD?

252 upvotes • Poopy_Dildo

Mark as read: Add to a list

How does the concept of the "Golden Age of Islam" emerge? Was it influenced by debates over the nature of the middle ages in the West?

252 upvotes • SilverRoyce

Mark as read: Add to a list

Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
In the Cold War drama 'The Americans' the espionage situation in the US mainland in the 1980s is portrayed as a cat-and-mouse game between the seemingly equally capable KGB and FBI. To what degree is this portrayal accurate? Did the KGB really have that much influence in Washington DC?	252	BewareofCrisps
How did the Baylonian base-60 system for time keeping became popular around the world? Were there any other systems?	252	lazyass_tiger
In Ingmar Bergman's the Seventh Seal, characters open their mouth silently to display when they're annoyed. Is that a cultural, fictional, or historical form of body language?	252	EnigmaEcstacy
I just found a recording of my grandfather talking about his experiences as a Korean War POW. After describing "the cage", the interviewer called him some slang word in the implication that it would've made him more likely to be tortured. Can someone shed some context on this slang please?	252	Aifamume
What implications does the newly discovered Viking site in Canada have?	252	plainjackthrowaway
Did people sleep sitting up in the eighteenth century?	252	FlashmanInThePan
Why might Joan of Arc have been called a whore for eating fish in brine?	252	perroybartlett
Stan Rogers' song "Barrett's Privateers" is about Canadian privateers preying on American shipping at the end of the 18th century. Were there actually Canadian pirates/privateers during this period?	252	depanneur
How well would the average 21st century person fare in academia in the 19th century? Would the average intelligence of a college graduate in an associated field be that of a 19th century Masters or PhD?	252	Poopy_Dildo
How does the concept of the "Golden Age of Islam" emerge? Was it influenced by debates over the nature of the middle ages in the West?	252	SilverRoyce