/r/askhistorians

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Theodora, empress of Byzantium, is described as a former actress, courtesan, or prostitute; what do we really know about her background? She was unusually powerful in influencing social and religious policy, and advancing women's rights, was it her critics playing up the salaciousness of her past? NSFW

487 upvotes • td4999

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Why are the gifts from the”Twelve Days of Christmas” mostly birds and servants?

487 upvotes • DarkMaesterVisenya

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Which modern languages would be mutually intelligible with their 1 A.D equivalents, if any?

487 upvotes • PraiseThePun120

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Did women in the past really faint from seeing mice? Did people get frightened into permanent institutionalization by seeing criminals? Why was everyone so sensitive?

487 upvotes • Return_of_Hoppetar

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Odd request on very specific information. I'm looking for information on South Vietnamese bus companies before the Vietname War. Supposedly my grandfather owned the 2nd largest bus transportation during that time. How should I go about finding records of this?

487 upvotes • chris480

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What was nightlife like for young men who stayed in the US during World War II?

487 upvotes • RedditorJoker

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With the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991, how was it decided that the new Russian Federation would adopt many of the USSR's responsibilities? (like their seat at the Security Council)

487 upvotes • TheAvenger_94

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Why does it seem their is a rash of serial killers during the 60's, 70's and 80's but quickly drops off early 90's?

487 upvotes • W3dn3sday

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Sexuality and sex in Viking times

487 upvotes • TheFairyGuineaPig

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AMA: I’m Jim Marten, a historian who would love to answer your questions about the social history of the Civil War era or about the lives of children and youth, mainly in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

487 upvotes • Buster1974

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Theodora, empress of Byzantium, is described as a former actress, courtesan, or prostitute; what do we really know about her background? She was unusually powerful in influencing social and religious policy, and advancing women's rights, was it her critics playing up the salaciousness of her past? NSFW	487	td4999
Why are the gifts from the”Twelve Days of Christmas” mostly birds and servants?	487	DarkMaesterVisenya
Which modern languages would be mutually intelligible with their 1 A.D equivalents, if any?	487	PraiseThePun120
Did women in the past really faint from seeing mice? Did people get frightened into permanent institutionalization by seeing criminals? Why was everyone so sensitive?	487	Return_of_Hoppetar
Odd request on very specific information. I'm looking for information on South Vietnamese bus companies before the Vietname War. Supposedly my grandfather owned the 2nd largest bus transportation during that time. How should I go about finding records of this?	487	chris480
What was nightlife like for young men who stayed in the US during World War II?	487	RedditorJoker
With the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991, how was it decided that the new Russian Federation would adopt many of the USSR's responsibilities? (like their seat at the Security Council)	487	TheAvenger_94
Why does it seem their is a rash of serial killers during the 60's, 70's and 80's but quickly drops off early 90's?	487	W3dn3sday
Sexuality and sex in Viking times	487	TheFairyGuineaPig
AMA: I’m Jim Marten, a historian who would love to answer your questions about the social history of the Civil War era or about the lives of children and youth, mainly in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.	487	Buster1974