AskHistorians

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In the show ‘The Pacific’, ‘Gunny’ is significantly older than the other US marines and appears to be in his mid to late forties. Was the portrayal of this character accurate? Was it common to find front line combat troops this old in the US military during WWII?	161
I am a retired Roman soldier who has completed my term of service after the Marian Reforms had been implemented. I’ve been promised land and a pension. How would I find a plot of land to settle and collect my benefits? What if my benefits got cut off? Did I have to show I was not a fraud?	137
At the end of 1941, Stalin ordered some 1500 factories to be disassembled and shipped farther into Russian territory. How did Russia find the logistical and engineering expertise to pull this off despite appalling losses in life, strained resources and a dysfunctional command structure?	27
I am a man in Athens in the late classical period and I frequently engage in male-male sex. Did I have any understanding of sanitary concerns? would I have had any tools to ensure not only a pleasurable but safe experience?	6
I am a wealthy Roman Knight in the late republican period. What was my estate like? How much land did I own? What kinds of buildings/fixtures would you find on my land? Did I have any economic/agricultural/educational activity take place on my estate? Who lived and worked on my estate?	4
How did the Roman Empire handle currency exchange issues with other societies that minted their own currencies?	2
I am a 25 year old man and I live in the Netherlands in the year 1700. My profession requires me to learn English, French and German, fast! To whom and where could I consult to learn foreign languages and what methods would I have used to study them?	2
Why is the border between Illinois and Indiana a straight line for most of the length of the border but randomly follows the Wabash River at a seemingly arbitrary point as you move north to south?	2

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