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

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Is the portrayal of Victorian London paralyzed in fear of the Jack the Ripper killings accurate or a product of people revisiting the killings after the fact?

148 upvotes

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What exactly is a ninja and what was it like being one in medieval Japan?

126 upvotes

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Why is it that Japanese swordsmanship was preserved with some elements of it (Like kendo) even being taught in Japanese schools while European swordsmanship was almost forgotten had to be rediscovered through fencing manuals?

98 upvotes

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Did the chain morning star/flail weapon actually exist? Did it look the way it looks in popular media? How practical was it in combat?

69 upvotes

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The word "earth" usually means land or ground. When did we decide to name the whole planet Earth?

54 upvotes

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Are there any accounts of Jewish Scientists noticing any of the Nazi Party member’s presence during Operation Paperclip?

46 upvotes

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Did European cultures develop extensive unarmed martial arts the same way Asian cultures like China, Japan, Okinawa, Etc.? If so, why does it seem like they faded to obscurity? If not, why not?

35 upvotes

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What were the reasons that Bismarck expected "some damned foolishness in the Balkans" to trigger a catastrophe in Europe which we now know in hindsight as WW1?

25 upvotes

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Back when the concept of germs wasn’t accepted by the medical community, what was the explanation for disinfecting wounds with alcohol?

23 upvotes

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We have a lot of details about historical battles like Cannae, Waterloo, Gettysburg, etc. How do you historians gather enough resources to recreate the tactics and events in these battles, what tends to e useful resources, and how do you verify the veracity of these sources?

18 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Is the portrayal of Victorian London paralyzed in fear of the Jack the Ripper killings accurate or a product of people revisiting the killings after the fact?	148
What exactly is a ninja and what was it like being one in medieval Japan?	126
Why is it that Japanese swordsmanship was preserved with some elements of it (Like kendo) even being taught in Japanese schools while European swordsmanship was almost forgotten had to be rediscovered through fencing manuals?	98
Did the chain morning star/flail weapon actually exist? Did it look the way it looks in popular media? How practical was it in combat?	69
The word "earth" usually means land or ground. When did we decide to name the whole planet Earth?	54
Are there any accounts of Jewish Scientists noticing any of the Nazi Party member’s presence during Operation Paperclip?	46
Did European cultures develop extensive unarmed martial arts the same way Asian cultures like China, Japan, Okinawa, Etc.? If so, why does it seem like they faded to obscurity? If not, why not?	35
What were the reasons that Bismarck expected "some damned foolishness in the Balkans" to trigger a catastrophe in Europe which we now know in hindsight as WW1?	25
Back when the concept of germs wasn’t accepted by the medical community, what was the explanation for disinfecting wounds with alcohol?	23
We have a lot of details about historical battles like Cannae, Waterloo, Gettysburg, etc. How do you historians gather enough resources to recreate the tactics and events in these battles, what tends to e useful resources, and how do you verify the veracity of these sources?	18