/u/wigsternm's posts in /r/AskHistorians

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The UK Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons): 7 of the 14 weapons banned in this act are stereotypically carried by ninjas. Was the UK plagued by fears of ninja invasions? Were gangs adopting the sickle-on-a-chain into their repertoire? Why did lawmakers care about these specific weapons?

3385 upvotes

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How true is the statement "Race is a modern idea. Ancient societies, like the Greeks, did not divide people according to physical distinctions, but according to religion, status, class, even language"?

2395 upvotes

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Pulp Studies: In the grimoire thread it was mentioned that some books were bound in human flesh. Why would this have been done and would these books have carried the same taboo connotations that they would today?

242 upvotes

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How would the Saharan "Silent bartering" work? What kept someone from just stealing the goods?

136 upvotes

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Did Winston Churchill intentionally starve India, leading to the deaths of ~3million people?

101 upvotes

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What scared HG Wells so badly? What was the context surround chemical weapons in the decades immediately before WW I?

18 upvotes

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Did the famous civil rights marches of the 1960s block roadways?

13 upvotes

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In one of the Sharpe novels a character checks a pair of dueling pistols to be sure one doesn't have rifling concealed in the back. Was this an actual practice? Are there records of any other dastardly tricks used to get a leg up in a duel?

10 upvotes

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How were cavalry men chosen in the early modern age (post 17th century) in western Europe?

7 upvotes

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Is it true that nobody matched the Cetti's Warbler's song to the bird until 1819, even though the bird was known as far back as the ancient Greeks?

6 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
The UK Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons): 7 of the 14 weapons banned in this act are stereotypically carried by ninjas. Was the UK plagued by fears of ninja invasions? Were gangs adopting the sickle-on-a-chain into their repertoire? Why did lawmakers care about these specific weapons?	3385
How true is the statement "Race is a modern idea. Ancient societies, like the Greeks, did not divide people according to physical distinctions, but according to religion, status, class, even language"?	2395
Pulp Studies: In the grimoire thread it was mentioned that some books were bound in human flesh. Why would this have been done and would these books have carried the same taboo connotations that they would today?	242
How would the Saharan "Silent bartering" work? What kept someone from just stealing the goods?	136
Did Winston Churchill intentionally starve India, leading to the deaths of ~3million people?	101
What scared HG Wells so badly? What was the context surround chemical weapons in the decades immediately before WW I?	18
Did the famous civil rights marches of the 1960s block roadways?	13
In one of the Sharpe novels a character checks a pair of dueling pistols to be sure one doesn't have rifling concealed in the back. Was this an actual practice? Are there records of any other dastardly tricks used to get a leg up in a duel?	10
How were cavalry men chosen in the early modern age (post 17th century) in western Europe?	7
Is it true that nobody matched the Cetti's Warbler's song to the bird until 1819, even though the bird was known as far back as the ancient Greeks?	6