AskHistorians

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Medieval knights were trained from childhood, usually age 7-8, spent most of their youth riding horses, and had to maintain a high degree of athleticism for combat throughout their lives. Is there textual or archaeological evidence of knights having physical issues due to this, such as arthritis?	545
When it comes to female blacksmiths, TV Tropes states: "Notable is that historically, contrary to stereotypes, women were regularly involved in the [smithing] trade. It was still male-dominated, but several of the disciplines (nails, pins, chains) were almost exclusively women." How true is this?	459
In 1402, the 38-year-old daughter of the king's court astrologer and writer at the French court, Christine de Pizan, became involved in a dispute in which she criticized Jean de Meun's popular-but-misogynistic work, "Le Roman de la Rose". How was De Pizan's critique viewed by her contemporaries?	173
When discussing the Dust Bowl era, the primary reason for the ecological disaster is often stated to be "poor farming practices". What were these farming practices, and where did they come from? How and why did so many farmers use such ill-suited farming techniques across the Midwest for so long?	147
Prior to the 1940s-1950s, the equestrian field was exclusively male-dominated, usually by ranking military officers. In the modern day, equestrianism is female-dominated, with up to 90% women, depending on the country. What caused such a massive shift from male to female riders in equestrian sport?	139
Today, Jim Thorpe was reinstated as the sole winner of the 1912 Olympic men's pentathlon gold medal. That same year, George S. Patton, later of WWII fame, also placed 4th in the 1912 Olympic modern pentathlon. Did Thorpe and Patton ever interact with each other? If so, to what degree?	126
After the death of Maria Theresa of Spain in 1683, King Louis XIV legally married his children's governess - Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon - in a secret ceremony. However, Françoise was never openly acknowledged as Queen of France, nor was she recognized as the King's wife. Why is this?	120
The Seminole Tribe was first formed in Florida around 1771 - 1778, unifying members of the Yamasee, Yuchi, Choctaw, Lower Creek, Upper Creek, and Apalachee Tribes. How was the early Seminole Tribe influenced by the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783) and the formation of the United States?	70
In 1976, feminist historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich coined the popular phrase "well-behaved women seldom make history". Is there any truth to this idiom; or, like "history is written by the victors", is it a more misleading and generalized claim that is common in pop culture?	56
British child psychologist Lorna Wing created the term "Asperger's Syndrome" in 1981, a year after Hans Asperger died in 1980. Wing dismissed Asperger's ties to Aktion T4, the WWII Nazi euthanasia program, by claiming "he was a devout Roman Catholic". Why did Wing cite Asperger's faith as a defense?	38

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