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In "Braveheart", a troop of Irish conscripts are sent ordered to charge at William Wallace's Scottish Army. Instead they join the Scots and fight against the English. Are there any historical examples of conscripted soliders turning coat on a battlefield and fighting against their captors?

244 upvotes • Arsemedicine

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On this Ancient Egyptian ostracon, "burying the god" is given as a reason for being absent from work. What does "burying the god" mean?

244 upvotes • VerisimilarPLS

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In Raiders of the Lost Ark, set in 1936, a character says a surprise rescue was "better than United States Marines". Prior to WWII, did the USMC already have a reputation for storming places quickly?

244 upvotes • stmorgante

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Olive oil and olives aren't cheap foods today, and the poor probably don't consume a lot of them. Yet they seemed ubiquitous (used for eating, cleaning, and lighting) and cheap for all classes in ancient Rome. Why was Roman olive oil so cheap?

244 upvotes • RusticBohemian

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Vote for the Best Answers of 2022! Its the 'Best of AskHistorians 2022' Voting Thread!

244 upvotes • Georgy_K_Zhukov

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Why was there no Scottish equivalent to the IRA?

244 upvotes • [deleted]

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Has an oligarchy ever been replaced by a more effective government/ruling class?

244 upvotes • kookoobear

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Are there records of people using electricity before it was "discovered"?

244 upvotes • ButtKyler

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This question is on ELI5 now, and there is bad info. ELI5: If slaves in America were so expensive, why were they beaten and killed?

244 upvotes • slantwaysvote

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Were the Viet Cong ever truly close to defeat during the Vietnam War?

244 upvotes • nicksam112

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
In "Braveheart", a troop of Irish conscripts are sent ordered to charge at William Wallace's Scottish Army. Instead they join the Scots and fight against the English. Are there any historical examples of conscripted soliders turning coat on a battlefield and fighting against their captors?	244	Arsemedicine
On this Ancient Egyptian ostracon, "burying the god" is given as a reason for being absent from work. What does "burying the god" mean?	244	VerisimilarPLS
In Raiders of the Lost Ark, set in 1936, a character says a surprise rescue was "better than United States Marines". Prior to WWII, did the USMC already have a reputation for storming places quickly?	244	stmorgante
Olive oil and olives aren't cheap foods today, and the poor probably don't consume a lot of them. Yet they seemed ubiquitous (used for eating, cleaning, and lighting) and cheap for all classes in ancient Rome. Why was Roman olive oil so cheap?	244	RusticBohemian
Vote for the Best Answers of 2022! Its the 'Best of AskHistorians 2022' Voting Thread!	244	Georgy_K_Zhukov
Why was there no Scottish equivalent to the IRA?	244	[deleted]
Has an oligarchy ever been replaced by a more effective government/ruling class?	244	kookoobear
Are there records of people using electricity before it was "discovered"?	244	ButtKyler
This question is on ELI5 now, and there is bad info. ELI5: If slaves in America were so expensive, why were they beaten and killed?	244	slantwaysvote
Were the Viet Cong ever truly close to defeat during the Vietnam War?	244	nicksam112