askhistorians

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In Britain during and before the Napoleonic Era, what was more expensive - an officer's or a midshipman's commission? Furthermore, how expensive would these be today in comparable finances, and what kind of families did these young men and boys come from? Were they always necessarily super rich?	106
I'm aware of why so many Irish left their homes in the 19th C, but what about Scandinavians, Germans and Chinese? What made them come to North America in large numbers?	92
How long have humans used ornamental rings to display union of love between peoples, and from what culture(s) did this practice come from?	73
Exactly what myths do the original Star Wars films borrow from?	71
Were European medieval hygiene habits and beliefs really as terrible as we’ve been commonly led to believe, or were they, at least in some cases, better than most would think?	69
How different were accents of European languages 200 or more years ago?	63
In the Napoleonic era, how would a young man with the money for an officer's commission be trained? Would he be taken away to school where he would be enlisted, equipped, and learned?	57
During the First and Second Schleswig-Holstein Wars, what were the general opinions of non-involved European nations? Also, what were the opinions of individual European nations and peoples about the American Civil War, which raged at the same time as the Second Schleswig War?	53
Were would-be eunuchs in the Ottoman Empire given extra torture in the pre-operative process of turning them into eunuchs? NSFW	53
Why is it that Æthelstan is commonly considered to be the first proper King of England, and not his grandfather, Alfred the Great?	48

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