Young Writers Society

you've probably heard the myths about history being a dead-end major; all of the "you'll either be a history teacher or unemployed" spiel has been going around for years. sure, i'm on the path to becoming a history teacher, but i've had plenty of career opportunities outside of that. the thing is that most jobs aren't exclusively looking for a history major, but you could be very well-suited for the job anyway. history is a broad field, and you learn a wide variety of things.

anyway, i'm rambling. i'm a big history guy if you couldn't tell. i like the social and economic side of things mostly, but i've been known to dabble. also wars. i really like wars and the effects they have on the world. if you ever want to know about niche battles that happened during the first world war, i'm your man. if you ever want to talk about stock market crashes, i'm your man. if you ever want to learn about the post-spanish succession period, i'm your man. i can go on about anything really.

history is a huge part of my life, and i can't wait to see how this goes! ask away!

*disclaimer: all of history is speculated. unless it is a first-person account of what has happened, it's never certain. even then, it's still not certain. every answer i give is based on my own in-depth research on the subject and how i perceive the world around me, but none of it is 100% accurate. nothing can be.

As for me, I am an independent researcher who documents using primary sources. These are my niches.

I am a Living Historian. “Living History” incorporates historical tools, activities, and dress into an interactive presentation that gives observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. I, myself, had 15 G. Great Grandfathers who mustered into militia companies during the American War of Independence. Adding to the scope of my family story, I am a direct descendant of English and Scottish Kings with the Royal line beginning in the 9th century! Because of my lineage, humanizing history and objects through the lives, tragedies, and triumphs of everyday people is a passion achieved through this particular hobby.

In the eras of the late 1600s to the end of the 1700s, my scope of interest and study since April 2008 is crimes and punishments warranted by Puritans in the British Colonies and U.K., the atmosphere and living conditions in institutions or “insane asylums,” prisons, early surgical and medicinal practices, antique medical tools, epidemics, etc. I am also knowledgeable about male homosexuality in the early 1700s. Bases were set up and called ‘Molly houses’ in London, England, where men could meet secretly and safely and not be executed. I still continually research and document. Feel free to reach out with questions. I might not have the answer, but I love chatting with like-minded individuals.

So, yep, I am available too.

^^^ yes absolutely this!

@creaturefeature

okay, ive got lots more specific questions, but to start:

how far into school are you? how is it?

And, has being a history major changed the way you view the world?

@AilahEvelynMae

how far into school are you? how is it?

i am about halfway through my master's program! my master's is actually in secondary education, but for my undergrad years, i was all about history. history major, religious studies minor. i switched it like a billion times because i am insanely indecisive, but it always came back to that. my goal is either to be a history teacher, or go through more grad school to become a professor. it depends on where i am in life at that point. it's also just insanely expensive.

it's pretty good! i've been obsessed with history since i was a little kid, so it's nice to keep that part of myself thriving. the actual education/curriculum isn't that horrible, but it can be stressful at times. i have no real complaints though! i say that as someone who has never liked school as well, for reference.

And, has being a history major changed the way you view the world?

i don't think it has necessarily changed the way i view the world, but it has definitely solidified some of my views. both good and bad.

there is a lot of evil in the world, but there's also a lot of beauty. sometimes it takes a toll. for example, i spent a year studying across europe. i went to poland, germany, austria, etc. there's so much culture rooted in those countries, but there's also pain. i remember crying myself to sleep some nights. some horrors don't need to be experienced first-hand to have a lasting effect. do i regret it though? no, not at all. i see so many things in a different light now.

that's only one story too. i can probably rattle off like ten more of mine, and a lot of ones i've heard from others. it's not meant to scare off anyone who might be interested in history by the way. that's just the way it is.

i hope this helped! hit me up with those specific questions too, i'm curious now!

Hi creaturefeature! Cool new username by the way.

It's so cool that you can share what you know about history with us!

I don't really have any specific questions for you... um...

I've heard that during WWI or WWII, on Christmas day, some soldiers stopped fighting and started singing songs and playing soccer. (I think it was the English and German??) Is this true?

Oh, also, I really like reading historical fiction, and I'd like to write that genre of book someday. Is there a particular event that I could steal from you that you find interesting to use in a story? I guess that's kind of broad... Were there any significant historical events in Japan? Particularly before the industrial revolution? Or China? And what do you know about their cultures and religions, especially times farther in the past? Are there any other interesting cultures or religions that you've come across?

Haha sorry that's a lot of questions.

ooh lots of questions @OrabellaAvenue, i'll break it into sections ~

I've heard that during WWI or WWII, on Christmas day, some soldiers stopped fighting and started singing songs and playing soccer. (I think it was the English and German??) Is this true?

the christmas truce was very real! during the first world war, there was an unofficial ceasefire between mostly the british, french, and the germans. although the soccer is the most well-known thing that went down, they did exchange holiday wishes and pleasantries across the board. in some areas, they even held mass funerals/burial ceremonies for those who died in the week prior.

i think this says a lot about humanity, but also what those men had been going through. most of the soldiers were barely pushing their early twenties, and some of them had just graduated high school. for about a week, they could be kids again. the christmas truce was a beautiful moment in history!

Were there any significant historical events in Japan? Particularly before the industrial revolution?

i'm not very well-versed in japanese history, but i know a few things. the meiji restoration really defined "significant" for them. in the late 1860s, the japanese folks were getting tired of their government. their government was run by shogun; a shogun was the highest ranking official in the japanese military at the time. the tokugawa shogunate was the last to rule the country under this feudal system of government. they were a big deal, and they were there for a very long time.

as i said, people didn't really like this though. they wanted a centralized government, and with the shogun in charge, that was near impossible. well, until they decided they wanted to give power to the emperor again. his function was basically just a figurehead at that point, but that would later change. after loads of conflict, emperor meiji took over. things weren't perfect with him, but it was an improvement for japan.

i'm rambling now, but you get the point. if anything needs clarified or if you need to know more about something i glossed over, just tell me.

Or China?

i don't know much about modern chinese history, but the three kingdoms period was very interesting! it occurred directly after the han dynasty's fall. the fall of the han dynasty was detrimental to china. three separate political figures came into the picture, and all of them wanted one thing: control of china as a whole. all three of them had their own dynasties covering the lay of the country, hence the name of the time period. they were all very different and started to form their own cultures.

although it's often romanticized due to a lot of the stories written about it, this was a very violent time. the three kingdoms would fight almost nonstop. even within the dynasties, there were many civilian uprisings. it wasn't a very pleasant time to be alive, but it only lasted fifty years! it may seem like a good while, but considering how long the han dynasty was around, that was next to nothing.

And what do you know about their cultures and religions, especially times farther in the past?

in the past, china was primarily taoist. taoism is basically living in harmony with the tao, the fundamental force that flows through all things. i'm not familiar with their practices, but i believe they focus a lot on meditation and the like. taoists believe in something called spiritual immortality as well, which is why they keep that balance. spiritual immortality is believing that the soul lives on past death, and in this case, joins the tao. that is considered to be like paradise.

there's also confucianism, but that's more of a philosophy. most philosophies can be applied religiously though, and this is one of them. confucianism puts a lot of focus onto having strong morals and keeping social harmony with others. ancestor worship was especially important in the past as well.

as for japan, their native religion is shintoism. shintoism is the worship of kami, which are elemental deities or spirits. if you ever go to japan, you'll probably see more than one shinto shrine! their rituals and religious ceremonies are incredibly interesting as well, especially when you see how it unites people together. ancestor worship is common for that same reason. family in general, alive or dead, is a major aspect.

both countries have such rich ties to religion, and i think that's beautiful! they are similar in a lot of ways, but they also differ just as much!

Are there any other interesting cultures or religions that you've come across?

this one is surprisingly complicated! i had to think about it for a little!

i spent a while studying jainism, so maybe that! i find their concept of souls to be really interesting! jainism, in simple terms, teaches that the soul is infinite. they believe that souls are trapped in bodies by karma, and that they will have to be reborn over and over until they are freed. i think that's a very intriguing yet terrifying perspective to have on the world.

anyway... that's it! i hope my ramblings helped you at least a little bit! i'm not the best at explaining things, so hopefully this is understandable.

Thank you so much, creaturefeature! It was very helpful. And you explained it very well. I'll be sure to remember this thread if I ever need some knowledge on history. ^^