/r/askhistorians

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My friend's name is Phillip. It's not Philip or Felipe, and it's certainly not Filippo. But primary sources tend to play fast and loose with spelling and even the name itself (e.g.,May vs. Mary). When did the spelling and pronunciation of one's name begin to be seen as integral to the name itself?

568 upvotes • iuyts

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How common was it for royalty/noble families to have had their siblings as consorts or concubines? NSFW

568 upvotes • GuyNeedsIdeas46290

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Back when telephone operators would manually connect calls, would they regularly exercise personal judgment in disconnecting or refusing to connect calls (to prevent harassment, embarrassment, or criminal activity)?

568 upvotes • ellivibrutp

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How would the average american react to eating american food from 1912? How would people (americans) in 1912 think of the food from 1812?

567 upvotes • DownOnTheUpside

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How much control could the Tsar exert over eastern Siberia, ~8000 km away, in the 17th century?

567 upvotes • NihilCredo

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Gone With the Wind sold over 202 million tickets, far more than any movie, including the original Star Wars movie. What was the cultural phenomenon surrounding the film's run? Did it rival Star Wars for the cultural impact it had on that generation?

567 upvotes • Danger_Zone

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With today's stories about women being forbidden to enter the Sumo ring, I have heard that in the past there have been cases of female Sumo wrestlers. What is the actual history of women and Sumo?

567 upvotes • Paulie_Gatto

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Why are crosses on the graves of German soldiers killed in WW1 black?

567 upvotes • mfairplay

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Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" (c. 1830) is arguably one of the most famous and reproduced illustrations in the world, but it first appeared as one piece of his series, 'Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'. What happened that caused this one to completely eclipse the other 35?

567 upvotes • ColonelBy

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The fantasy trope of a "city guard" was largely nonexistent during the European Middle Ages; was there a premodern society that DID have city guards?

567 upvotes • Iestwyn

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
My friend's name is Phillip. It's not Philip or Felipe, and it's certainly not Filippo. But primary sources tend to play fast and loose with spelling and even the name itself (e.g.,May vs. Mary). When did the spelling and pronunciation of one's name begin to be seen as integral to the name itself?	568	iuyts
How common was it for royalty/noble families to have had their siblings as consorts or concubines? NSFW	568	GuyNeedsIdeas46290
Back when telephone operators would manually connect calls, would they regularly exercise personal judgment in disconnecting or refusing to connect calls (to prevent harassment, embarrassment, or criminal activity)?	568	ellivibrutp
How would the average american react to eating american food from 1912? How would people (americans) in 1912 think of the food from 1812?	567	DownOnTheUpside
How much control could the Tsar exert over eastern Siberia, ~8000 km away, in the 17th century?	567	NihilCredo
Gone With the Wind sold over 202 million tickets, far more than any movie, including the original Star Wars movie. What was the cultural phenomenon surrounding the film's run? Did it rival Star Wars for the cultural impact it had on that generation?	567	Danger_Zone
With today's stories about women being forbidden to enter the Sumo ring, I have heard that in the past there have been cases of female Sumo wrestlers. What is the actual history of women and Sumo?	567	Paulie_Gatto
Why are crosses on the graves of German soldiers killed in WW1 black?	567	mfairplay
Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" (c. 1830) is arguably one of the most famous and reproduced illustrations in the world, but it first appeared as one piece of his series, 'Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'. What happened that caused this one to completely eclipse the other 35?	567	ColonelBy
The fantasy trope of a "city guard" was largely nonexistent during the European Middle Ages; was there a premodern society that DID have city guards?	567	Iestwyn