/u/breakinbread's posts in /r/AskHistorians

Year:

Only show posts with narrations

How did so many Medieval bridges end up with houses built on them?

387 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Between things like heated floors and public baths, Roman Cities seemed to require a lot of firewood. What did the timber industry look like in the Classical Mediterranean? Was deforestation a major issue? How far away did wood need to be imported from?

249 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

How quickly did electrification spread worldwide? Would wealthy Russian or Japanese diplomats arriving in the US in 1905 be completely surprised by the availability of electricity in peoples homes?

237 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

What drove the demand for olive oil in the ancient Mediterranean?

145 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

In 1939, how common was it for a European to speak a second language?

64 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Kaiser Wilhelm II is portrayed as having a significant diplomatic role in the leadup to WWI during the Summer of 1914, but two years later Germany's General Staff under Ludendorff has almost total control over the government. What exactly was Wilhelm's role in governing?

53 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Why did Austria-Hungary elect to participate in the suppression of the boxer rebellion given their lack of colonial holdings/ambitions?

35 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Was there ever a significant Muslim minority in the Byzantine empire?

32 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

From the 3rd century onwards, did any Roman emperors trace, or claim to trace, their ancestry back to Rome's original patrician families?

29 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

How were Austria and Prussia able to reconstitute their armies multiple times after defeat against Napoleon during the wars of coalition? Where did they find new sources of money and manpower?

24 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
How did so many Medieval bridges end up with houses built on them?	387
Between things like heated floors and public baths, Roman Cities seemed to require a lot of firewood. What did the timber industry look like in the Classical Mediterranean? Was deforestation a major issue? How far away did wood need to be imported from?	249
How quickly did electrification spread worldwide? Would wealthy Russian or Japanese diplomats arriving in the US in 1905 be completely surprised by the availability of electricity in peoples homes?	237
What drove the demand for olive oil in the ancient Mediterranean?	145
In 1939, how common was it for a European to speak a second language?	64
Kaiser Wilhelm II is portrayed as having a significant diplomatic role in the leadup to WWI during the Summer of 1914, but two years later Germany's General Staff under Ludendorff has almost total control over the government. What exactly was Wilhelm's role in governing?	53
Why did Austria-Hungary elect to participate in the suppression of the boxer rebellion given their lack of colonial holdings/ambitions?	35
Was there ever a significant Muslim minority in the Byzantine empire?	32
From the 3rd century onwards, did any Roman emperors trace, or claim to trace, their ancestry back to Rome's original patrician families?	29
How were Austria and Prussia able to reconstitute their armies multiple times after defeat against Napoleon during the wars of coalition? Where did they find new sources of money and manpower?	24