History

What are your favorite history books? Could be any area of history.

So far mine are:

1491 by Charles C Mann, The Second World War by Anthony Beevor, Grant by Ron Chernow, Peter the Great by Robert K. Massie

(Honorable mention to James Clavell's Shogun, even though it's historical fiction)

Edit: mobile, sorry for the formatting

I’m curious to know if there were any military conflicts in history where one side was in a massively disadvantaged situation, so bad that all odds were stacked against them and they in no way had any chance of winning, but somehow still managed to win the battle / war due to stupid luck or incidents / coincidences no one totally expected (ie. natural disaster wiping out the enemy’s army, opponent giving up at the crucial moment…)

a history book that is a real page turner, without ahistorical material, and preferably not about world war I or II, or the American civil war.

History buff here and curious to ask this since there are many famous and infamous battles in history and often well studied. Some battles are even known to the public but the finer details are harder to pinpoint usually. This time, I'm curious to ask about battles that aren't as well-known nor are they studied in full detail in comparison to other battles.

I’ve just been reading about the history of the Colosseum, and was surprised to learn that the site was specifically chosen as a symbolic middle finger to Nero’s legacy of tyranny and excess - what are some other examples of this kind of “middle finger”, whether petty or historically significant?

It seems that China and the Chinese only care about themselves, they do not like to participate in internationalization and globalization, although there is the Silk Road for a long time, China's history has been independent development until the Opium War in 1840, China had a brief period of internationalization during the Republic of China, China fell into isolationism and closed after 1949, until the reform and opening up in 1979. But China did not join the World Trade Organization until 2001; Even so, China is still very closed, it is the only big country with the Great Firewall of the Internet, can not participate in the global Internet interaction, why has China been closed themselves?

I'm a philosophy guy and wanted to hear outside input. Is there any historically based reasons for this somewhat common hatred for democracy among many philosophers and intellectuals across the globe for thousands of years. Thanks.

You obviously have the big ones like Napoleon, Bonaparte, or Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, and Hannibal Barca.

What are some great stories in history, in the military, Political, or private world, that started with absolutely nothing and Excelled to the highest strata of society?

I realize this is a broad and perhaps unanswerable question.

I'm trying to figure out if the measures of whether a woman is "beautiful" were considerably different in the Middle Ages, particularly Western Europe. I have the impression (perhaps an incorrect impression) from past reading that characteristics like pale skin and long necks and narrow waists were regarded as desirable for women. (Keeping in mind, of course, that most of these descriptions were probably about and for upper class women.)

But I don't know whether other physical characteristics were considered desirable or undesirable? Are there any period sources that might help clarify?

I did find this Wikipedia page:

It references: long hair, hands and legs, as well as "small head", "blond hair", "eyebrows set apart", narrow chin, "small delicate ears", "a long throat", "a finely chiseled nose", red gums and red lips, small hips...

Who were the women who opposed feminists?

Allowing for differences in terminology between places and times, obviously. Basically, did anyone whose first military/officer job primarily concerned keeping people fed ride up the expected promotion chain through increasingly broad logistics ranks until placed in charge of an entire army/war?

Last night, I was reading a book to my 6-year-old that obliquely referenced the Napoleonic Wars, and he asked me, "Why were Britain and France fighting?"

And in my mind, it was like one of those sharp focus-racks and zoom-ins in movies where suddenly the Estates General, the Tennis Court Oath, the Bastille, the meaning of "sans-culottes", the Girondins vs the Mountain, the Reign of Terror, Thermidor, the Directory, the Consulate, the First through Seventh Coalitions, the Peace of Amiens, the Peninsular War, the Hundred Days, and Blucher all flashed through my thoughts -- and I haltingly replied that it was because "France was trying to take over some neighboring countries."

Which honestly felt like throwing Napoleon under a bus.

So historians of Reddit, are there any good books or other resources for 6- to 8-year-olds to read about history?

Hello, I'm a bachelor in art history and I'm wondering about my options after I graduate. I tried looking into restoration and conservation but I think they only allow people who also the BA in the same field, at least in my country. What masters did you go for? I'm looking for ideas because right now museology isn't very appealing, and teaching 10th-12th grade art history is only allowed for History BA and Master students with a teaching specialization (meaning it is not available to an art history graduate, which is incredibly frustrating). Please share also if it's completely unrelated to the field, I'm interested in learning about all the different possibilities. Thank you :)

So I recently got the book and planned on writing a essay (not for school or anything) on it and all, and I was very curious if Livy made a true historical account, and didn't make some fictional interpretation of real or vague events. I know it was well-accounted that he contributed a signifcant portion of his own life, in researching and putting up together the actual History, yet from reading the first few pages, it seemed to deliver an allusion that it is more of a story then historical account. Am I wrong or is this true?

Welcome to our History Questions Thread!

This thread is for all those history related questions that are too simple, short or a bit too silly to warrant their own post.

So, do you have a question about history and have always been afraid to ask? Well, today is your lucky day. Ask away!

Of course all our regular rules and guidelines still apply and to be just that bit extra clear:

Questions need to be historical in nature. Silly does not mean that your question should be a joke. also has an active where you can discuss history with other enthusiasts and experts.

im very into history, but have been wanting to immerse myself into the world of art history. any books channels podcasts resources to get into art history ? feel free to leave any art history videos or books u enjoyed pls

The rides must have been quite rough for the passengers / driver of the carts. Where there any ways to mitigate such effects? Or is my understanding incorrect and they did have some sort of 'shock absorbing' in their wheels?

Mine is usually Caesars pulling the ultimate move and building a second wall. I mean, come on!! How sick is this??