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

Year:

Only show posts with narrations

I have heard that people before the 20th century drank huge amounts of alcohol from an early age because water was not safe to drink otherwise. If this is true, how did teetotal groups (most obviously, Muslims) survive?

5 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Representations of medieval Europe often include the office of court fool/jester. How widespread/important was this job in actual history? What was its purpose?

4 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

After Columbus' first voyage to the New World, why did the Spanish crown allow other countries to find out about his discoveries? Was there any attempt to keep the existence of a new continent (or "India" anyway) to the West a secret?

3 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

What was the solar system called before the discovery of the heliocentric model? For that matter, was it difficult for the phrase "solar system" (or the equivalent in other languages) to take off, given clerical opposition to the theory?

3 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

What did the Ottomans/Mamluks/other mediaeval Muslims think of the pyramids?

3 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

What was America's biggest missed opportunity?

2 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

In the days when it took weeks or months to cross the Atlantic by ship, what did passengers do for entertainment en route?

2 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

What, if anything, do we know about the life of people with Tourette's Syndrome before the modern era?

1 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
I have heard that people before the 20th century drank huge amounts of alcohol from an early age because water was not safe to drink otherwise. If this is true, how did teetotal groups (most obviously, Muslims) survive?	5
Representations of medieval Europe often include the office of court fool/jester. How widespread/important was this job in actual history? What was its purpose?	4
After Columbus' first voyage to the New World, why did the Spanish crown allow other countries to find out about his discoveries? Was there any attempt to keep the existence of a new continent (or "India" anyway) to the West a secret?	3
What was the solar system called before the discovery of the heliocentric model? For that matter, was it difficult for the phrase "solar system" (or the equivalent in other languages) to take off, given clerical opposition to the theory?	3
What did the Ottomans/Mamluks/other mediaeval Muslims think of the pyramids?	3
What was America's biggest missed opportunity?	2
In the days when it took weeks or months to cross the Atlantic by ship, what did passengers do for entertainment en route?	2
What, if anything, do we know about the life of people with Tourette's Syndrome before the modern era?	1