AskHistorians

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In the first pages of Origin of Species, Darwin lists a host of scientists who each preceded him in concluding that species change over time due to environmental factors. He is quite humble about his role. Why then does mainstream history remember Darwin above them?	662
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, did slavery persist? Films tend to portray white slavery as an ancient practice, not seen in the European Middle Ages onwards.	301
In the USA during the World Wars, women entered the workforce after men were drafted. Who looked after their children during working hours? What was the state of childcare during these times? Could an average family afford childcare?	197
Millet was a major food crop through Eurasia for millennia but is now best known as birdseed. What caused the switch to rice and wheat?	195
Hindu, Jewish and Zoroastrian texts (and possibly others) claim that ancient peoples lived far longer lives than contemporary peoples. What was the cause of this belief among various groups?	187
Death squads throughout 1980s central america are known to have received money from the US government and counterinsurgency training from its military. Was the US military aware that its training was used on civilians? Was the training designed specifically to be used on civilians?	174
What did childcare consist of in nomad families? Particularly when it comes to cleaning dirty clothes on the steppe and in the desert. As a new father, I would love to know how babies stayed clean.	160
The term ‘scythian’ is used frequently in older books but I rarely see it used my modern authors. Has it simply fallen out of favor, is there an academic reason not to use it now?	151
Among other reasons, the Mongols did not press into India because their bows performed poorly in humid environments. What made Indian and more southern central asian bows different? Did future conquerors like Babur know this and use different bows?	134
Is it proper to use the terms “medieval” or “middle ages” for areas outside of Europe? Are there more appropriate terms for this period in Asian and African history?	112

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