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

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How would Jesus as the son of a carpenter in a backwater have been able to speak Latin well enough to converse with Pontius Pilate? Pretty sure they didn't have latin classes in Bethlehem schools.

3440 upvotes

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Before Jaws was released in 1975, is there any record of societal attitudes towards sharks? Am I incorrect in feeling those movies generated an unprecedented phobic reaction around the world leaving a most often harmless creature with a permanently bloodstained reputation?

284 upvotes

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How effective were the huge campaigns in 1984 of 'Band Aid' in the UK and 'USA for Africa' in the USA in helping with the famine in Ethiopia? I have heard the government at the time was given funds and misused them. Was it just a misguided western 'pat-on-the-back' fest or did it actually help?

130 upvotes

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My father has traced our family tree back to the 1500s, but has hit a wall with Elizabethan handwriting. Can anyone discern from this text the names of the sons and daughters of Sampson Harse/Hurse? Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask.

32 upvotes

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How do we come about the pronunciation of the names of characters from Ancient Egypt like Rameses or Khufu, given hieroglyphs aren't phonetic?

23 upvotes

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How was the hydrogen for early airships produced, and why were the obvious dangers not heeded? The skin could've been made more robust, more compartmentalised, heatproof. Was the idea of hydrogen-based airships fundamentally flawed?

20 upvotes

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Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbour? Is it considered a poor tactical move?

4 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
How would Jesus as the son of a carpenter in a backwater have been able to speak Latin well enough to converse with Pontius Pilate? Pretty sure they didn't have latin classes in Bethlehem schools.	3440
Before Jaws was released in 1975, is there any record of societal attitudes towards sharks? Am I incorrect in feeling those movies generated an unprecedented phobic reaction around the world leaving a most often harmless creature with a permanently bloodstained reputation?	284
How effective were the huge campaigns in 1984 of 'Band Aid' in the UK and 'USA for Africa' in the USA in helping with the famine in Ethiopia? I have heard the government at the time was given funds and misused them. Was it just a misguided western 'pat-on-the-back' fest or did it actually help?	130
My father has traced our family tree back to the 1500s, but has hit a wall with Elizabethan handwriting. Can anyone discern from this text the names of the sons and daughters of Sampson Harse/Hurse? Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask.	32
How do we come about the pronunciation of the names of characters from Ancient Egypt like Rameses or Khufu, given hieroglyphs aren't phonetic?	23
How was the hydrogen for early airships produced, and why were the obvious dangers not heeded? The skin could've been made more robust, more compartmentalised, heatproof. Was the idea of hydrogen-based airships fundamentally flawed?	20
Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbour? Is it considered a poor tactical move?	4