/u/Caracalla81's posts in /r/askhistorians

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I see the "no shirt, no shoes, no service" signs everywhere but I don't actually see anyone in public without shirts or shoes. Are these signs a relic? Were people more shirtless in the past?

5730 upvotes

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[POP CULTURE][1960s] I was watching an episode of Star Trek for the first time in ages and noticed they shot the female guest lead's close ups in soft focus. Was it still common by the time Star Trek was on the air? Did people at the time think anything of it: jarring, old-fashioned, patronizing?

543 upvotes

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Were jesters really a thing? What did the position involve? What kind of act did they perform? How did one become a jester?

44 upvotes

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[Music History] I'm new to appreciating classical music and I read that the name 'Moonlight Sonata' was bestowed by a critic, not Beethoven. Apparently this name is (was?) controversial. Why and when did we start naming discrete pieces of music?

19 upvotes

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Were the tropes of the comedian with a rubber chicken or of an angry audience throwing rotten tomatoes ever a real thing? What about pulling someone off stage with a hook?

11 upvotes

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How did the Romans (or other premodern civilization) design and successfully build complex structures without the use of tools like algebra, calculus and material science?

9 upvotes

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What did pre-modern people make of static electricity.

7 upvotes

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Was the hunting of dangerous predators like lions and tigers a thing before fire arms?

2 upvotes

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How was electrification of major cities carried out and how long did it take?

2 upvotes

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Gold or Silver? I can afford either ~10 oz of gold or 750 oz of silver for my time travelling adventure. Which would I be better off with? Should I bring something else?

2 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
I see the "no shirt, no shoes, no service" signs everywhere but I don't actually see anyone in public without shirts or shoes. Are these signs a relic? Were people more shirtless in the past?	5730
[POP CULTURE][1960s] I was watching an episode of Star Trek for the first time in ages and noticed they shot the female guest lead's close ups in soft focus. Was it still common by the time Star Trek was on the air? Did people at the time think anything of it: jarring, old-fashioned, patronizing?	543
Were jesters really a thing? What did the position involve? What kind of act did they perform? How did one become a jester?	44
[Music History] I'm new to appreciating classical music and I read that the name 'Moonlight Sonata' was bestowed by a critic, not Beethoven. Apparently this name is (was?) controversial. Why and when did we start naming discrete pieces of music?	19
Were the tropes of the comedian with a rubber chicken or of an angry audience throwing rotten tomatoes ever a real thing? What about pulling someone off stage with a hook?	11
How did the Romans (or other premodern civilization) design and successfully build complex structures without the use of tools like algebra, calculus and material science?	9
What did pre-modern people make of static electricity.	7
Was the hunting of dangerous predators like lions and tigers a thing before fire arms?	2
How was electrification of major cities carried out and how long did it take?	2
Gold or Silver? I can afford either ~10 oz of gold or 750 oz of silver for my time travelling adventure. Which would I be better off with? Should I bring something else?	2