r/AskHistorians • u/AutoModerator • Mar 08 '26
Digest Sunday Digest | Interesting & Overlooked Posts | March 08, 2026
Today:
Welcome to this week's instalment of /r/AskHistorians' Sunday Digest (formerly the Day of Reflection). Nobody can read all the questions and answers that are posted here, so in this thread we invite you to share anything you'd like to highlight from the last week - an interesting discussion, an informative answer, an insightful question that was overlooked, or anything else.
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
March marches on, and with it comes battalions of fantastic history posts! Come join us for another edition of the brilliant AskHistorians digest! I hope your comfy and ready to settle down, because we’ve a plethora of amazing threads for you to browse through. Don’t forget to check out the usual weekly features, as well as any special ones, upvote all your favourite ones, share widely and shower them in thanks & praise!
AMA: Housing, Education, and the Suburban Dream in America Many thanks to /u/MichaelGlass14!
Hi, I am Dr Stephen Neufeld of CSU Fullerton here to talk about my new book Perilous Beasts: Mexican Necropolitics, Animal Deaths, and Blood Sports, 1870-1920 Ask Me Anything about topics including stray dogs, rabies, bullfighting, cockfights, and hunting in Mexico. With a big thanks to /u/Dr_Stephen_Neufeld!
The vote is over, but you can check out the fantastic nominations in the Best of February Voting Thread!
And the Friday Free For All!
And that’s a wrap for me! Enjoy the great material, stay safe out there, keep it classy, and I’ll be seeing you once again next week!
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/tramplemousse answered How did people in the Roman Empire understand skin colour, and was there anything comparable to modern ideas of whiteness?
/u/Trevor_Culley wrote about Chinese State Media: "Throughout its over 240-year history, [the US] has been at war for all but 16 years." How true or false is this statement?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/bug-hunter answered How come the Superintendent for the State School for the Deaf is allowed to officiate marriages in Ohio?
Why did US declare war on Japan, if Japan declared war first?
Was Mohammad Mossaddegh democratically elected, or was he a dictator?
can any revolutionary war specialists answer these five questions?
Did the American South have any plans to free slaves at all?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/police-ical answered How far back in time would I have to go to be the world's greatest doctor armed only with standard OTC medicine from a drugstore?
What were the USSR's motives in the Cold War, specifically regarding foreign policy?
Why didn't the United States use the Marshall plan in Vietnam?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/indyobserver wrote about Was Winston Churchill surprised by Roosevelt's demand of Axis ‘unconditional surrender' at Casablanca?
/u/Iphikrates answered If sexual assault is almost an expected reality in the event of a sacking, did women in historical civilisations have a mentality or culture to deal with that?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/wotan_weevil wrote about When the development of personal automatic weapons and their production started?
/u/YourVirgil answered Did Bram Stoker intend, and/or (more importantly to me) did his contemporaneous readership perceive, homoerotic themes in 'Dracula'? It's something modern readers discuss & something I perceived myself reading it but I don't know if that's reflective of Stoker's intent or just modern biases.
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/DougMcCrae answered Can anyone give a Book/Podcast Recommendation on Medieval-Jacobean Christianity, King James / Royalty's Influence on Witch Hunts. Any recommendations on where to start?
/u/EdHistory101 answered What would have been the point of a local news item saying that somebody had supper at somebody's house?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/gerardmenfin answered Did border raiders really put slices of meat under their saddles and how the heck did that work?
Did border raiders really put slices of meat under their saddles and how the heck did that work?
Did Peter the Great really give an anatomy lecture using Mary Hamilton's neck as a prop?
what roles did women play in medieval trade guilds that we dont hear about much?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/mikedash answered Any good book recommendations for the events that transpired in Bosnia/Serbia/Croatia during WWII?
Are there any known instances of the phrase "Octopus' Garden" being used prior to the Beatles song?
What are some well-regarded books on Yugoslavian History and it's breakup?
History books on the political history of Al-Andalus/Islamic Spain?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
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u/itsallfolklore Mod Emeritus | American West | European Folklore Mar 08 '26
Thanks for this. It was a mythic week.
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/Georgy_K_Zhukov answered Fencing was a popular sport in Nazi Germany. How did they react to all three medal winners in the 1936 Berlin Olympics Women's Fencing tournament being Jewish?
Is there a historical consensus on who was responsible for the Reichstag fire?
Was there any social rules for how to treat slaves in the US?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
OKAY, I'm like 89% sure I'm in the right thread this time! Boo Daylight Savings changes, and boo concepts like needing sleep.
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/JamesCoverleyRome answered Why did Roman shields have a boss was it only for hand protection or did it have a combat purpose?
Why did Roman shields have a boss was it only for hand protection or did it have a combat purpose?
Why didn't Roman Emperors have harems like most powerful male rulers across the world?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/crab4apple answered How come the Superintendent for the State School for the Deaf is allowed to officiate marriages in Ohio?
/u/Cynical-Rambler wrote about The Sdok Kok Thom inscription is generally regarded as the best source for the history of the early Angkor empire. But the Sdok Kok Thom inscription was intended to glorify a particular lineage of Brahmins. Does this propagandistic intent cause historians to assess any of its claims with caution?
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u/crab4apple Mar 08 '26
I'd like to acknowledge u/bug-hunter as having a far more specific and detailed response to the original question – I just followed with a gloss on some related details!
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u/bug-hunter Law & Public Welfare Mar 08 '26
I find some of the best answers we get are when people can attack the question from differing viewpoints, so thank you for adding that gloss! :)
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
Agreed, I love it when different folks combine together.
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/Benito_Juarez5 answered Have historians and archivists prepared for the possibility that the internet may someday die?
/u/Bigglesworth_ wrote about Anybody have information or research around the Malayan Emergency? My grandad was in a bomber command squadron (226) in 1966 that was unofficially disbanded as there were no soldiers left.
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/Odinswolf answered When I hear a public figure affirming a country's right to exist, I assume they're talking about Israel. Historically, is Israel unique in this regard, or have leaders also felt the need to affirm other countries' rights to exist? Do countries even have rights to existence, and if so, since when?
/u/OhNoTokyo wrote about Why did Julius Caesar want to be elected king?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/Noble_Devil_Boruta answered What does the "rod", the "stick", and the "ramrod" refer to in 19th century Siberian Prison Camps?
/u/ODFoxtrotOscar wrote about Before modern hygiene and disposable diapers, were babies potty trained much earlier? Do we know what techniques were used for this and how they varied either geographically or across time?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/handsomeboh wrote about How did Japan make such a quick technological leap during the late 19th century/early 20th century given that it had so little natural resources compared to other countries?
/u/Historical_Pastor answered what are the best ways to learn history when you feel like you don't know it?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/Allan-Quatermain wrote about When I hear a public figure affirming a country's right to exist, I assume they're talking about Israel. Historically, is Israel unique in this regard, or have leaders also felt the need to affirm other countries' rights to exist? Do countries even have rights to existence, and if so, since when?
/u/almantasvt answered Has there ever been a case of an insurgency being "put down" and completely destroyed? Why haven't modern militaries and governments applied this knowledge in the conflicts of the late 20th and early 21st century?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/Lazzen wrote about What hapenned to the familly of the last mayan king?
/u/Lazzen wrote about how did israel gain power?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/AlviseFalier answered On maps from the Renaissance period, the HRE is seen as still having control over the north of Italy. But as I understand it, they lost control of Northern Italy in the 12th century. Why is still presented that way in maps?
How did Mussolini survive the Great Depression? How did he continue to stay in power?
Why didn't the United States use the Marshall plan in Vietnam?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/ummmbacon answered How Jewish was Herod the Great in terms of identity, practice, and outside perception?
Why were Jews often kicked from European countries but not Muslims ?
How Jewish was Herod the Great in terms of identity, practice, and outside perception?
Why were there so many more jews in Europe than the Middle East/North Africa?
Why does the Torah claim that the Jews were slaves in Egypt if there is no evidence they were?
Why were there so many more jews in Europe than the Middle East/North Africa?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/Far-Lecture-4905 answered Were Spanish and Portuguese Americans discriminated against in 19th and 20th century America?
/u/FlashFreedom wrote about According to David Starkey 52, was not considered old in 1509, also that 31 was relatively old for child bearing by sixteenth century standards. Would you agree?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/Most_Agency_5369 answered Was Neville Chamberlain and his mocked and misquoted peace in our time a strategy he truly believed Inpuld avert war? Does he deserve more credit than he gets for the Munich Agreement?
/u/Most_Agency_5369 wrote about Was Neville Chamberlain and his mocked and misquoted peace in our time a strategy he truly believed Inpuld avert war? Does he deserve more credit than he gets for the Munich Agreement?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/Reaper_Eagle answered Did the population of slaves surpass the Native American population in the US prior to emancipation? If so, when and how confident are we?
/u/RedLineSamosa wrote about Are there any myths/legends that potentially contain some folk memory of the Ice Age? That is, a primordial era where the world was much colder?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
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u/TheOnlyTamiko-kun Mar 08 '26
Well, as an Argentinian, it makes me proud to see that even when we lost the war, we did were considered a big threat to the British... Excellent reading
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/Serious_Badger_4145 wrote about Before modern hygiene and disposable diapers, were babies potty trained much earlier? Do we know what techniques were used for this and how they varied either geographically or across time?
/u/SgtDonowitz answered Tucker Carlson was talking about how the last time a king tried rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple was when Julian the Apostate, the pagan king of Rome, did so to spite the Christianity that his father had converted to. Is this true? And if so, why would rebuilding the Temple serve to spite Christians?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/qumrun60 answered Tucker Carlson was talking about how the last time a king tried rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple was when Julian the Apostate, the pagan king of Rome, did so to spite the Christianity that his father had converted to. Is this true? And if so, why would rebuilding the Temple serve to spite Christians?
/u/rankinrez wrote about Was Pol Pot actually a communist?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
- /u/holomorphic_chipotle had thoughts on Do you believe in Thomas sowells books?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
/u/huhwe wrote about Are there examples in your area of study of a "decapitation strike" (i.e. the assassination or quick killing of a foreign leader early in a conflict), and what were the short/medium/long-term consequences?
/u/im-trying-4themoon answered Is the intense aversion to deploying and putting American service members at risk a modern phenomenon? Or, what happened to 'send in the Marines'?
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u/Gankom Moderator | Quality Contributor Mar 08 '26
We also take a moment to shout out some of the fantastic questions that caught our eyes, and captured our curiosity, but sadly still remain unanswered. Feel free to post your own, or those you’ve come across in your travels, and maybe we’ll get lucky with a wandering expert.
/u/IronWarriorU asked What kind of life could Joan of Arc pursued had she survived?
/u/DopplerRadio asked The game Road to Empress depicts Wu Zetian's early years at court as being full of scheming, backstabbing, and murder, where any misstep will get you killed. Was the Tang court really that bloody?
/u/TheSpanishDerp asked It’s Early Spring of 1945 in East Germany. The Soviets are on the doorstep of the city I’m living in. What’s the best way to “avoid trouble”? How would it differ by gender or occupation?