/u/heracliusIII's posts

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Did the bizarre practice of turning men into eunuchs (and then giving these men substantial responsibilities) emerge independently in many places, or do we have some evidence of it starting in one place and then spreading through cultural diffusion?

636 upvotes • r/AskHistorians

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How much truth is there in the claim that the average Tibetan lived miserably and in servitude before 1951?

455 upvotes • r/AskHistorians

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What was it that made the Varangian Guard an 'elite unit' in the Byzantine army? Was their equipment better? Were the expected to train more diligently? Was it simply the fact that they were considered more loyal?

455 upvotes • r/AskHistorians

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I have read that Crete produced some of the best quality archers in the ancient Mediterranean, what was it that set them apart from other archers of the time?

348 upvotes • r/AskHistorians

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I often see the statement that HMS Dreadnought effectively made all other battleships obsolete. Was it truly this much of an improvement on previous designs?

141 upvotes • r/AskHistorians

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Is there any truth behind the story of Tamerlane building towers of skulls? If so, what were the logistics of it?

104 upvotes • r/AskHistorians

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How did Christopher Colombus recruit willing sailors to join him in his first voyage across the Atlantic? Did he need to use special incentives to tempt people to join him on such a risky journey?

51 upvotes • r/AskHistorians

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In the 1997 Liberian election, Charles Taylor ran under the slogan: "he killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I will vote for him" and won by a landslide. What are the reasons for this?

50 upvotes • r/AskHistorians

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During the 19th century, what was the standard European military doctrine for dealing with technologically inferior armies?

47 upvotes • r/AskHistorians

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Winston Churchill once referred to the war in the Atlantic as 'the only thing that ever really frightened me', how likely was it that the allies would lose in this theatre?

41 upvotes • r/AskHistorians

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Title	Upvotes	Subreddit	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Did the bizarre practice of turning men into eunuchs (and then giving these men substantial responsibilities) emerge independently in many places, or do we have some evidence of it starting in one place and then spreading through cultural diffusion?	636	AskHistorians
How much truth is there in the claim that the average Tibetan lived miserably and in servitude before 1951?	455	AskHistorians
What was it that made the Varangian Guard an 'elite unit' in the Byzantine army? Was their equipment better? Were the expected to train more diligently? Was it simply the fact that they were considered more loyal?	455	AskHistorians
I have read that Crete produced some of the best quality archers in the ancient Mediterranean, what was it that set them apart from other archers of the time?	348	AskHistorians
I often see the statement that HMS Dreadnought effectively made all other battleships obsolete. Was it truly this much of an improvement on previous designs?	141	AskHistorians
Is there any truth behind the story of Tamerlane building towers of skulls? If so, what were the logistics of it?	104	AskHistorians
How did Christopher Colombus recruit willing sailors to join him in his first voyage across the Atlantic? Did he need to use special incentives to tempt people to join him on such a risky journey?	51	AskHistorians
In the 1997 Liberian election, Charles Taylor ran under the slogan: "he killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I will vote for him" and won by a landslide. What are the reasons for this?	50	AskHistorians
During the 19th century, what was the standard European military doctrine for dealing with technologically inferior armies?	47	AskHistorians
Winston Churchill once referred to the war in the Atlantic as 'the only thing that ever really frightened me', how likely was it that the allies would lose in this theatre?	41	AskHistorians