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

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How did heavy shock cavalry in the ancient world fight? Did they actually charge head-on into enemy infantry units, or was the charge itself usually enough to break them before contact?

303 upvotes

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Why did Hitler declare war on the United States when he was not strictly bound to by his alliance with Japan? Did he ever give a rationale for it or come up with a plan to defeat the US before he did so?

80 upvotes

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Where did the tradition of a man getting down on one knee to propose marriage to a woman come from?

19 upvotes

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Why did Ming China institute a policy of isolationism and was this the cause of China losing the technological and economic edge it had over other societies at the time (i.e. Europe)?

13 upvotes

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Are there any historical figures who fit the definition of what we today would call a "troll"? As in they purposely tried to piss people off to get reactions out of them?

9 upvotes

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What would it be like to experience a tank vs tank battle as part of a tank crew in World War II?

8 upvotes

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What led to the European Age of Discovery and why was Europe so much more interested in exploring the world unlike other cultures?

1 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
How did heavy shock cavalry in the ancient world fight? Did they actually charge head-on into enemy infantry units, or was the charge itself usually enough to break them before contact?	303
Why did Hitler declare war on the United States when he was not strictly bound to by his alliance with Japan? Did he ever give a rationale for it or come up with a plan to defeat the US before he did so?	80
Where did the tradition of a man getting down on one knee to propose marriage to a woman come from?	19
Why did Ming China institute a policy of isolationism and was this the cause of China losing the technological and economic edge it had over other societies at the time (i.e. Europe)?	13
Are there any historical figures who fit the definition of what we today would call a "troll"? As in they purposely tried to piss people off to get reactions out of them?	9
What would it be like to experience a tank vs tank battle as part of a tank crew in World War II?	8
What led to the European Age of Discovery and why was Europe so much more interested in exploring the world unlike other cultures?	1