AskHistorians

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Leaders used to have nicknames, (The Great, The Terrible, The Meek), but it seems, at least in the western world, that disappeared. Do we know why? Who was the first major head of state to go without it? Or was the nickname given to them posthumously, and that tradition went away?	1303
As I sit among the Georgia pines, my red, itchy eyes gazing upon everything covered in a yellowed powder, I wonder...do we know what indigenous folks/ colonists thought about pollen season in the American Southeast? Did they know what it was? Did they have theories about this odd annual event?	78
If I was a small tavern/inn owner sometime in the previous few centuries, would I care about the quality and taste of my food? Or did I have often have a monopoly and would just serve whatever was cheapest for me?	54
Do we know why Hitler styled his mustache the way he did? He certainly didn’t sport it in his youth, and it doesn’t appear to have been a popular style based upon a lack of pictures with people having the same type. Did he ever discuss it? Did he feel it was an important symbol?	52
In most movies and shows depicting the medieval era, it seems that everyone, regardless of class, had a sword. So was it truly that prevalent? Did most carry swords, or was it only reserved for the military and possibly elite? And even further, were sword fights common?	41
Did any civilizations thrive with a bug heavy diet?	21
I am a trader of average wealth and means rolling through the Silk Roads in the 14th century. I stop at a caravanserai. How long would I likely stay? What type of foods would I eat? What would I do other than possibly attempt to sell some things?	19
Did the “average” citizen of Shogunate Japan know that their emperors had very little power compared to the Daimyo? And did they do anything like “pledge fealty” to particular lords because of that?	18
Do we have any examples of questions from the Civil Service exams used by various Chinese empires?	18
Was the British monarchy ever in danger of being overthrown or done away with completely?Why or why not?	6

« < > »