askhistorians

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When did the Cannon piece become part of Chinese Chess (a.k.a. xiangqi), given that its earliest incarnations predated gunpowder? Do we know what it was like beforehand? Is it possible to tell how quickly the new piece caught on?	5
How much of a threat to Rome was Carthage at the time of the Second Punic War? Did the Romans play up the threat posed by the Carthaginians in order to make their success seem more impressive?	5
Japan's military contribution to the First World War seems to have been limited to mainly naval action in the Pacific in 1914 and in the Mediterranean in 1917-18. Was the deployment of Japanese ground forces in Europe or the Middle East ever considered? If so, why did it not take place?	5
One of the narratives I got about (the British experience on the Western Front of) the First World War at school was that the rum ration given to soldiers was a critical part of the war effort, as one would have to be somewhat tipsy to even contemplate going 'over the top'. How much of this is true?	5
Why did U.S. Treasury regulation 'prohibit the importation into the U.S. of any merchandise originating in China or North Korea' in the 1950s, and when did these regulations cease to apply?	5
The chi-rho Christogram (☧) appeared regularly in Late Roman imagery, especially, it seems, on shields, but why? How did this symbol become so popular, and when and why did it die out?	5
Tacitus' Annals claims that Roman legionaries were more effective than the Germans in forests because it was easier for them to use their weapons in confined spaces. Is this a conclusion corroborated by anyone else?	4
Japan's military contribution to the First World War seems to have been limited to mainly naval action in the Pacific in 1914 and in the Mediterranean in 1917-18. Was the deployment of Japanese ground forces in Europe or the Middle East ever considered? If so, why did it not take place?	4
During the Sengoku period, armies often had pavise-like shields for their archers and arquebusiers, but how, specifically, were they used? Were they carried by the archers or by specialised porters? Were they used individually or in lines? And how often were they moved during battles or sieges?	4
Did Hong Xiuquan's so-called "Demon-slaying sword" ever re-emerge?	4

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