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

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How did Alexander the Great become known as an exemplary person, but other conquerors are viewed in a more dubious or negative light?

1044 upvotes

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"Abe Lincoln got the name 'honest Abe' because of his impartial judgement during cock fights" How accurate is this statement?

692 upvotes

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If the Battle of Manzikert was not a bloodbath, as previously believed, why was it still a disaster for the Byzantines?

131 upvotes

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"Or they used concrete. Medieval Europe thought the ancient Romans were magic for being able to create seamless floors and pillars, but that was because the secret of concrete was lost to the medieval Europeans." How accurate is this quote?

107 upvotes

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Do we know what Aristotle thought of Alexander the Great?

104 upvotes

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Drummer boys in the 1700's and 1800's were exceptionally young. Weren't there large problems with them either getting scared and running from battle, or being much more likely to get PTSD?

53 upvotes

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What is the earliest known protest song?

41 upvotes

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"Genocide is unfortunately a somewhat unfortunate occurrence in the process of nation-building" - How common is genocide during the process of nation building? Or is that even something we can quantify?

32 upvotes

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I've heard a lot of medieval religious music that would have been played at church already. What kinds of songs would have been played at a medieval party?

30 upvotes

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I have heard that what is now the Sahara desert used to be much smaller/wetter. Was there ever a trans-Saharan trade route in antiquity?

29 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
How did Alexander the Great become known as an exemplary person, but other conquerors are viewed in a more dubious or negative light?	1044
"Abe Lincoln got the name 'honest Abe' because of his impartial judgement during cock fights" How accurate is this statement?	692
If the Battle of Manzikert was not a bloodbath, as previously believed, why was it still a disaster for the Byzantines?	131
"Or they used concrete. Medieval Europe thought the ancient Romans were magic for being able to create seamless floors and pillars, but that was because the secret of concrete was lost to the medieval Europeans." How accurate is this quote?	107
Do we know what Aristotle thought of Alexander the Great?	104
Drummer boys in the 1700's and 1800's were exceptionally young. Weren't there large problems with them either getting scared and running from battle, or being much more likely to get PTSD?	53
What is the earliest known protest song?	41
"Genocide is unfortunately a somewhat unfortunate occurrence in the process of nation-building" - How common is genocide during the process of nation building? Or is that even something we can quantify?	32
I've heard a lot of medieval religious music that would have been played at church already. What kinds of songs would have been played at a medieval party?	30
I have heard that what is now the Sahara desert used to be much smaller/wetter. Was there ever a trans-Saharan trade route in antiquity?	29