/r/askhistorians

Year:

Only show posts with narrations

In 1396, King Richard II of England, a 29-year-old man, married the 6-year-old Isabella of Valois. Despite the political nature, was such a marriage seen as scandalous among 14th century Catholic nobility? What were contemporary reactions to the wedding?

1151 upvotes • Vladith

Mark as read: Add to a list

What is the oldest joke we have on record?

1151 upvotes • sam-29-01-14

Mark as read: Add to a list

Thomas Edison is portrayed in a pretty bad light nowadays. Was he actually as bad as people say?

1151 upvotes • Tsundere_God

Mark as read: Add to a list

In WWII, did Canada have a contingency plan to shelter the British monarchy if the UK was overrun?

1150 upvotes • bcdm

Mark as read: Add to a list

Today, you can find many U.S. government footage from the 1950s depicting nuclear tests on YouTube. Considering the contemporary secrecy around these tests, who was the primary audience for these films when they were created?

1150 upvotes • GidOtter

Mark as read: Add to a list

What is the oldest reference to the shape of the Italian peninsula resembling a boot?

1149 upvotes • AlexLuis

Mark as read: Add to a list

In Ancient Mesopotamian statues, beards often appear to be ridged and segmented. Was this just the popular style of artistry or is this what their beards would actually look like?

1149 upvotes • Bigdoublek

Mark as read: Add to a list

In 1829, Sam Houston married Eliza Allen, a woman 16 years his junior. She proceeded to leave him with little explanation almost immediately, and afterwards Houston resigned his governorship of Tennessee. What exactly happened here?

1148 upvotes • Africa_versus_NASA

Mark as read: Add to a list

How did previous generations (say romans) deal with acne?

1148 upvotes • broad_head

Mark as read: Add to a list

"More Frenchmen bore arms for the Axis than for the Allies during the Second World War" - Is this true?

1148 upvotes • flobota

Mark as read: Add to a list

Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
In 1396, King Richard II of England, a 29-year-old man, married the 6-year-old Isabella of Valois. Despite the political nature, was such a marriage seen as scandalous among 14th century Catholic nobility? What were contemporary reactions to the wedding?	1151	Vladith
What is the oldest joke we have on record?	1151	sam-29-01-14
Thomas Edison is portrayed in a pretty bad light nowadays. Was he actually as bad as people say?	1151	Tsundere_God
In WWII, did Canada have a contingency plan to shelter the British monarchy if the UK was overrun?	1150	bcdm
Today, you can find many U.S. government footage from the 1950s depicting nuclear tests on YouTube. Considering the contemporary secrecy around these tests, who was the primary audience for these films when they were created?	1150	GidOtter
What is the oldest reference to the shape of the Italian peninsula resembling a boot?	1149	AlexLuis
In Ancient Mesopotamian statues, beards often appear to be ridged and segmented. Was this just the popular style of artistry or is this what their beards would actually look like?	1149	Bigdoublek
In 1829, Sam Houston married Eliza Allen, a woman 16 years his junior. She proceeded to leave him with little explanation almost immediately, and afterwards Houston resigned his governorship of Tennessee. What exactly happened here?	1148	Africa_versus_NASA
How did previous generations (say romans) deal with acne?	1148	broad_head
"More Frenchmen bore arms for the Axis than for the Allies during the Second World War" - Is this true?	1148	flobota