askhistorians

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In Band of Brothers, there is a German soldier born and raised in Oregon, but is serving in the Nazi military because his family "answered the Aryan call," or something along those lines. Was there an actual call to German, "Aryan" descendants to return home?	2918
Ron Swanson says “Birthdays were invented by Hallmark to sell cards.” How long have people been celebrating their days of birth? Have birthday parties always been an event or is that more modern in nature?	243
How would an individual during the Viking invasions identify a Norseman as Dane, or Norwegian? Was there any reason as to why such a distinction would be important?	25
Having grown up half Navajo, I have heard several accounts of how the Japanese hold a very deep respect for Native Americans, so much so that I have even seen them attend our ceremonies. After WW2, how or why did their perspective grow into admiration instead of hatred?	21
If one had to be born into a noble family to become a knight, then who were the first knights and how did they rise to that position?	8
Why were the Normans able to conquer England when all other attempts made had failed?	6
How long did it take for emergency services to adopt the telephone as an immediate method of communication for civilians? What was the procedure before the telephone was adopted?	5
Has an army ever returned from war to find it's city razed or under a new rule?	5
How long have people been “playing cards”?	3
I'm a Shoshoni Indian about to interact with a European settler after seeing Europeans for the first time. How soon could I expect to engage in trade? What kind of products and materials would I expect to be trading and receiving?	2

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