/u/Tom-tron's posts in /r/askhistorians

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When did families start keeping animals purely as pets instead of working animals? What was the reason for having an animal ‘just because’ when for most people it was generally difficult to even feed the family, not including a pet?

1889 upvotes

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What is the true origin of if the two finger ‘V’ sign that is used as an insult? I have heard that it was an insult to archers who had their arrow drawing fingers cut off, but I’ve also been told this is incorrect.

170 upvotes

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Historians - how do you find resources for your answers? Do you just remember a lot of text that you’ve read from books?

105 upvotes

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When the piano first became a popular musical instrument, what sort of impact did it have on society? Did it create a new group of people in the same way punk or metal has in recent times?

10 upvotes

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What would have happened before surgeons if a pregnant woman was unable to deliver the baby by herself? Maybe due to not having wide enough hips etc. Would people have used more violent methods to save the baby?

8 upvotes

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How were early magicians treated? Did they face issues (like execution) due to belief in witches?

7 upvotes

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At what point in history did declaration of war require/become legal proceedings?

7 upvotes

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How are ancient languages translated?

6 upvotes

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When did magicians first appear and how were they treated?

3 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
When did families start keeping animals purely as pets instead of working animals? What was the reason for having an animal ‘just because’ when for most people it was generally difficult to even feed the family, not including a pet?	1889
What is the true origin of if the two finger ‘V’ sign that is used as an insult? I have heard that it was an insult to archers who had their arrow drawing fingers cut off, but I’ve also been told this is incorrect.	170
Historians - how do you find resources for your answers? Do you just remember a lot of text that you’ve read from books?	105
When the piano first became a popular musical instrument, what sort of impact did it have on society? Did it create a new group of people in the same way punk or metal has in recent times?	10
What would have happened before surgeons if a pregnant woman was unable to deliver the baby by herself? Maybe due to not having wide enough hips etc. Would people have used more violent methods to save the baby?	8
How were early magicians treated? Did they face issues (like execution) due to belief in witches?	7
At what point in history did declaration of war require/become legal proceedings?	7
How are ancient languages translated?	6
When did magicians first appear and how were they treated?	3