/r/askhistorians

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Gavrilo Princip died in 1918, 4 years after assassinating Archeduke Franz Ferdinand. Is there any historical accounts which indicates his attitude or emotions towards the far-reaching consequence of his action?

2508 upvotes • FluoGuy

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I'm Dr. Stuart Ellis-Gorman, author of The Medieval Crossbow: A Weapon Fit to Kill a King. AMA about crossbows, medieval archery/guns, or most things medieval warfare!

2508 upvotes • Valkine

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My grandfather has held a lifelong grudge against the French because of an apocryphal WWII story he swears is true in which French civilians were throwing rotten vegetables at trains full of American soldiers returning from Germany after the Battle of the Bulge. Is there any truth to this claim?

2508 upvotes • JustGimmeSomeTruth

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Were European explorers afraid to find more advanced civilizations than them?

2506 upvotes • PharmacologicalFog

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How did the different knight orders (i.e. Hospitallers, Templars, Teutonic orders) interact with one another during the crusades in the middle east, and have they ever ended fighting each other?

2502 upvotes • Plebiscite_tribune

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During the prewar period in America, many people boycotted goods like sugar or cotton to support the abolitionist cause. Were there any specialty made/advertised ‘slavery-free’ goods to cater to concerned Northerners, similarly to today’s ‘cruelty-free’ products?

2502 upvotes • OrrynTheBarbarian

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The earliest discovered preserved cheese was found near Xinjiang, China, which dated back nearly 3,600 years. Why does almost all modern east-Asian cuisine seem to eschew cheese? Was there a recorded point where cheeses fell out of favor?

2502 upvotes • kintonw

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Are there any theories regarding why and when humans decided that their genitals shouldn't be publicly exposed? Were there any ancient civilisations that preferred to be completely naked? NSFW

2502 upvotes • nichtwarum

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Why is Baku the only major city on the Caspian Sea?

2501 upvotes • central-european

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It is claimed that the Katana was developed in response to the Mongol invasion of Japan, as the then-standard sword type would often get stuck and snap against the leather armour of the Mongols. Is this the case?

2500 upvotes • Cataphractoi

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Gavrilo Princip died in 1918, 4 years after assassinating Archeduke Franz Ferdinand. Is there any historical accounts which indicates his attitude or emotions towards the far-reaching consequence of his action?	2508	FluoGuy
I'm Dr. Stuart Ellis-Gorman, author of The Medieval Crossbow: A Weapon Fit to Kill a King. AMA about crossbows, medieval archery/guns, or most things medieval warfare!	2508	Valkine
My grandfather has held a lifelong grudge against the French because of an apocryphal WWII story he swears is true in which French civilians were throwing rotten vegetables at trains full of American soldiers returning from Germany after the Battle of the Bulge. Is there any truth to this claim?	2508	JustGimmeSomeTruth
Were European explorers afraid to find more advanced civilizations than them?	2506	PharmacologicalFog
How did the different knight orders (i.e. Hospitallers, Templars, Teutonic orders) interact with one another during the crusades in the middle east, and have they ever ended fighting each other?	2502	Plebiscite_tribune
During the prewar period in America, many people boycotted goods like sugar or cotton to support the abolitionist cause. Were there any specialty made/advertised ‘slavery-free’ goods to cater to concerned Northerners, similarly to today’s ‘cruelty-free’ products?	2502	OrrynTheBarbarian
The earliest discovered preserved cheese was found near Xinjiang, China, which dated back nearly 3,600 years. Why does almost all modern east-Asian cuisine seem to eschew cheese? Was there a recorded point where cheeses fell out of favor?	2502	kintonw
Are there any theories regarding why and when humans decided that their genitals shouldn't be publicly exposed? Were there any ancient civilisations that preferred to be completely naked? NSFW	2502	nichtwarum
Why is Baku the only major city on the Caspian Sea?	2501	central-european
It is claimed that the Katana was developed in response to the Mongol invasion of Japan, as the then-standard sword type would often get stuck and snap against the leather armour of the Mongols. Is this the case?	2500	Cataphractoi