History questions not worth their own thread III

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Is there any idea of what was the signal (the thumbs thing) to have a losing gladiator killed, during the Roman Empire?

I've been told that it is the opposite of what popular culture says it was: thumbs up meant to kill him (since Gladiators ostensibly wanted to do this?) and thumbs down meant to let him live.

 

[say1988]

As far as I am aware, nobody has a good idea. There are suggestions of up, down, to either side, or clasped within the fingers that I have seen. Or even that the signal was inconsistent between various people and cities.

 

[Louis XXIV]

iirc <10,000.

I've seen as much as 1 million cited. It also led to a mass exodus. Ireland had a higher population in 1845 than it does today.

 

[innonimatu]

What was the signal to have them all eaten by a dinosaur, then?

Oh, that one is easy, thumb up and let people nitpick...

Seriously now, I had also heard that up might mean killing, but I see now that it looks like it really is unknown.

 

[sydhe]

I've seen as much as 1 million cited. It also led to a mass exodus. Ireland had a higher population in 1845 than it does today.

I think he was talking about Scotland since he specified the Highlands.

 

[Cynovolans]

You mean it was an awful map.

Let's just not even give it the honor of being called a map.

 

[Louis XXIV]

I think he was talking about Scotland since he specified the Highlands.

Woops, I missed that. I saw potato and my brain filled in the rest of the sentence.

 

[Japanrocks12]

I've been told that it is the opposite of what popular culture says it was: thumbs up meant to kill him (since Gladiators ostensibly wanted to do this?) and thumbs down meant to let him live.

I think this whole thing was a huge invention catalyzed by images such as the French Academic painter Jean Leon Gerome's Pollice Verso:

 

[Atticus]

How do we even know if they even had any thumb signs? Can someone point out any evidence that there was?

 

[SG-17]

What was the name of the ship that Nikola Tesla took to the United States in 1884?

 

[Azale]

What was the name of the ship that Nikola Tesla took to the United States in 1884?

The Saturnia?

 

[spryllino]

Could someone supply me with a basic list of the theoretical order of seniority of the Russian rota principalities in the 12th century?

 

[madviking]

What's the difference between state capitalism and state socialism?

 

[Lone Wolf]

What's the difference between state capitalism and state socialism?

"State capitalism" is what US-bribed social-fascists call countries like the USSR, in order to slander them.

State socialism (or just actual socialism) is the only moral and truly prosperous system on Earth.

 

[Louis XXIV]

I'm not exactly sure what state capitalism would be. The closest I can think of would be corporatism (e.g., Nazi Germany) where industry leaders would be given significant power, but would be made to service the state (I'm not too knowledgeable of this subject, so I'm speaking in generalities. Someone can correct me if they wish). But that isn't capitalism at all.

 

[aronnax]

Can someone give me some examples of very decisive tactical French Naval victories?
I have been looking online for sometime now and with the exception of "The Action of 22 July 1638", I can't find anything at all.

 

[Dachs]

How about the Battle of Grand Port during the Napoleonic Wars?

 

[vogtmurr]

ha - good luck !
Just kidding: Tourville enjoyed small successes and came really close to a decisive victory at Beachy Head in 1690, but let the Angleterres get away. They combined with the Dutch at La Hogue-Barfleur to end France's naval 'supremacy', but not Tourville's career, who was at Lagos 1693.
Other than that; Suffren enjoyed several indecisive naval successes off India in the Seven Years War, often with a near mutinous crew, and there was De Grasse at Chesapeake Capes, which was decisive for the American Revolution

Edit; crosspost, was responding to Aronnax.

 

[Dachs]

He said tactically decisive, and the Battle of the Chesapeake was anything but tactically decisive no matter how you construe "decisive".

 

[Ajidica]

What's the difference between state capitalism and state socialism?

State socialism, as I understand it, is like what the USSR had while state capitalism is what China has. They are fairly similar, but at least Russia pretended to be Socialist and didn't have quite the same 'get rich quick' patters and China.