I've heard that the Cossacks looked down on regular Russians as they saw themselves as "free men" as opposed to regular Russian serfs. But were the Cossacks that served the Tsar really 'free men' in anyway? Did they have any rights or privileges above that of a Russian serf or peasant? (old.reddit.com)
My great-grandad was a monolingual Welsh speaker until adulthood when he became a sailor. He refused to teach any of his children Welsh given the limiting effect he felt it had on his career. How common a viewpoint was this? And how limiting would not speaking English have been for him growing up? (old.reddit.com)
Why did Napoleon march towards Moscow, burning it, rather than doing it against St Petersburg, the actual capital of the Russian Empire? (old.reddit.com)
people who have absent fathers. What’s the worst effect of it or things no one realizes about it that you might’ve not realized until you grew up and saw how it affected you? (old.reddit.com)
“In 1796, Edward Jenner, considered the founder of vaccinology in the West, successfully inoculated an eight-year-old boy against smallpox using vaccinia virus—from cowpox.” How? (old.reddit.com)
In oil/gas drilling, how is torque applied effectively to the drill bit a mile or more below the surface? Is there a significant spring effect on the shank? (old.reddit.com)
I just saw a reddit post that mentions the concept of "transabled" people. These are people who want to be disabled on purpose, and I need someone to tell me: Is this a real thing or not? (old.reddit.com)
How do people who are really into the occult or being "witches" or wicca, continue to be into that for years and years, despite obviously there being no results? None of the spells works, and yet they continue to be into this fake stuff. (old.reddit.com)
Aristotle, Plato, and Marcus Aurelius mention the ideas of the philosopher Heraclitus with great respect. Today, only a few fragments of his work survive. Did the ancient Greeks and Romans who appreciated him have access to a greater body of his work than we do today? (old.reddit.com)
How did Christianity (especially in the USA) develop a significant and vocal demographic that doesn't believe in many commonly accepted scientific theories? (old.reddit.com)
Why do conservatives call liberals snowflakes, while all the conservative subreddits block any comments that disagree with their views? (old.reddit.com)
If the song "We Didn't Start the Fire" was made today with references from the last 30 years, what are some of the lyrics that would be in the song? (old.reddit.com)
Is it normal that I get really turned on by looking at my own breasts/the feeling of my nipples getting hard even in a non-sexual setting? [Serious] (old.reddit.com)
Why is/was Napoleon I not called "The Great", despite his overwhelming military success in conquering much of Europe and introducing modern legal systems to various states? (old.reddit.com)
I want to start exercising and try to lose some weight. Which one is better for me, 10 minutes of walking on a treadmill, or an hour of swimming? (old.reddit.com)
How is Russia supposedly one of the top military in the world but can't even conquer/defeat (not that I want this) a small neighboring country, and yet dare threaten to battle other countries? (old.reddit.com)
(before 1954) Did asian-americans go to school with white people or black people? or did they have their own schools during segregation? (old.reddit.com)
In the HBO series The Gilded Age one of the old money characters quips that well brought up women don't hang out at Delmonicos. But I'd always read that the original Delmonicos was one of old New York's premiere fine dining establishments. So what exactly was this famous restaurant's reputation? (old.reddit.com)
What are some mistakes you've seen from academics of other disciplines (physics, math, neuroscience, psychology, etc.) who have tried to branch into philosophy or use philosophical arguments in their work? Are these mistakes different than those made by other people just getting into philosophy? (old.reddit.com)
X is an adult and decides to change city without telling anyone and he also cuts every way of connection with their family. X's family gets worried and calls police because they think X disappeard. The police finds X, what happens then? (old.reddit.com)
Friend is asking for a lot of money but I don’t have it…..he said “you always told me if I need you, the time is now”…..how do I tell him I honestly don’t have money in the nicest way without losing friendship over money? (old.reddit.com)
In terms of the ancient manuscripts that historians use as their primary sources, are there digital archives that contain all these ancient manuscripts in one place? If not, do historians have to physically search different libraries/museums to reference these manuscripts? (old.reddit.com)
It's often said that wars in the past had very few casualities compared to modern wars and many on the losing side could escape battles alive, but what exactly happened next for them? (old.reddit.com)
I don't know how to phrase this, but: How and why did we choose 100 as the maximum percentage of something? Why not 1000? Or 200? Also, are there examples of alternate maximums? (old.reddit.com)
If the 96.5% carbon dioxide atmosphere of Venus was reduced to 20.95% oxygen (i.e. earth equivalent %) and 75.55% carbon dioxide, would the air be breathable? (old.reddit.com)
I am 16 and my father died when I was 3, I inherited his social security money and my mother refuses to help or even let me claim it. What do I do? (old.reddit.com)
American Boy Toddlers today often love trains, planes and automobiles. Were there any "universal" loves in 1800 before these items existed? (old.reddit.com)
Does earth's specific gravity facilitate life or do all the other variables dictate that life would have prospered anyway and adapted to almost whatever gravity our planet had.? (old.reddit.com)
Why do people spend thousands of dollars to aid a pregnancy that could even end in death, when there are a lot of kids who need to be adopted? (old.reddit.com)
Why is it when a guy goes out or wants friends to come over, he needs to get permission or approval from his wife/gf but if the roles are reversed it's somehow controlling? (old.reddit.com)
The reason that the Allies gave the researchers at Unit 731, immunity from prosecution was that their findings in microbiology where ahead of the curve. How truly groundbreaking where the findings? (old.reddit.com)
Oil just fell to $98/barrel. In 2007 $98 was the all time high and gas averaged $2.63/gallon. How can the oil be the exact same price it was, but the gas costs three times as much? (old.reddit.com)
Soviet required every working citizen to take at least two weeks a year of government-paid vacations in sanatoriums (health spas with medical checkups). At peak, one sanatorium could handle half a million guests at a time. What was it like? (old.reddit.com)
Lynchings are an ugly part of American history and are mostly linked to racism. However was there a history of lynchings due to homsexuality or religious differences? (old.reddit.com)
For a long time the prevalent historical theory was that of "Great men doing great things." This was partially superseded by the Marxian view that differences in material conditions drive history. What is the prevalent historical theory today? Is it a synthesis of both? Does such a thing even exist? (old.reddit.com)
England's elite noble families gathered in London each summer for "the season," finding matches among themselves for their children and generally hobnobbing. This went on into the 20th century. What happened to the season? How did it fade away? (old.reddit.com)
You're being held at gunpoint. You just knocked the gun out of the person's hand, and now the tables have turned. What's the first thing you say? (old.reddit.com)
I'm a traveler in late medieval/early renaissance HRE. I was attacked by bandits, managed to fend them off, one of the is now lying unconscious at my feet. What should I do with him? (old.reddit.com)
Why is it so easy to obtain porn, but not sex education videos that explicitly show the sexual organs with directions/tips for a safer and better sex life? (old.reddit.com)
If the Republican Party is supposed to be “Less Government, smaller government”, then why are they the ones that want more control over people? (old.reddit.com)
The Night they Drove Old Dixie down laments the loss of the war by the south. Did people lament the loss of some “southern culture” apart from the ability to hold slaves? What would that have been? (old.reddit.com)
What is the history of the barbecue grill? When did it become ubiquitous in US backyards, and how did it become so strongly associated with Americana and masculinity? (old.reddit.com)
Jack Welch extracted record profits from GE for 20 years, but left it a hollowed-out "pile of shit," according to his successor. What exactly did Welch do that was so damaging, and how did he get away with it for so long? (old.reddit.com)
10th C Muslim historian al-Masudi wrote about a Persian king sending a gift to an unnamed Caesar of a leopard (or some other species of big cat), which upon arrival (presumably in Rome) mauled his son to death. Is there any historical evidence for a Roman Emperor's son being killed by a wild animal? (old.reddit.com)
In species where only the strongest male gets to breed, or kills non-offspring babies, how does the species maintain genetic diversity? (old.reddit.com)
'Urban legends', 'urban myths' – What is it that makes a piece of folklore 'urban'? Is it purely a quirk of etymology, or do urban communities genuinely produce folklore in a distinct way, or a distinct kind, from rural ones? (old.reddit.com)
Are pacemakers able to adjust their "heart rate" based on the exertion of the person they belong to? Do they support a feedback system with the body? (old.reddit.com)