AskHistorians

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Why does Oda Nobunaga get depicted so often in Japanese popular culture? (movies, video games, etc.) Is he seen in a positive way, or as more of a villainous figure?	65
I grew up writing English left-handed, which causes you to unintentionally smear the ink of whatever you've just written. How did Hebrew catch on as being written right-to-left if the same exact problem would be mirrored with their right hand?	60
I had heard about an infamous serial killer from Colombia, and Wikipedia browsing eventually brought me to "serial killers by number of victims". Weirdly, the top four are all from South America. I don't mean to disparage, but is there a particular reason for this, or is it purely a coincidence?	36
I'd never thought about it til recently, but horse archers must have had greater range because the speed of the horse was added to the arrow's forward momentum. Did arrows fired from horseback also have a greater capacity to penetrate armor?	28
In medieval warfare, was it possible to destroy a wooden castle gate by dousing it with a flammable substance and then setting it burning?	11
Great generals tend to be well known (Napoleon, Alexander). Are there living generals today who have the same calibre of military genius? Or was someone like Napoleon really in a league of his own, and modern generals don't compare?	5
What do you feel is the historical battle(s) which, had the outcome been different, would have most drastically changed the modern political and cultural landscape?	1
Did Catholic scholars ever inquire into or discuss the idea of drinking Holy Water?	1

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