3 Comments TIL that – largely from 1400s onwards – parts of India have had centuries of African rulers. Mainly from East Africa, they rose from merchants, pirates, bodyguards and even slaves to Kings, Admirals, Generals and ruled some princely states well into the 1940s… by whatilearned January 5, 2023, 5:00 pm 12 Points Upvote Downvote
How did Medieval Muslim Merchants think about Race and Slavery? 900-1450 CE by HistoryBuff September 29, 2022, 11:25 pm 12 Points Upvote Downvote
1 Comment til playing cards have historical meaning which started in 1370s in Europe probably in Spain or Italy as imports or possessions of merchants from the Islamic Mamlūk dynasty centred in Egypt. Like their originals, the first European cards were hand-painted, making them luxury goods for the rich. by whatilearned March 24, 2022, 3:15 pm 12 Points Upvote Downvote
6 Comments TIL The history of the fork. It was invented by the ancient Greeks and introduced to to Europe in the 10th century by Theophanu Byzantine wife of Emperor Otto the 2nd. It made its way to Italy by the 11th century and had become popular amongst merchants by the 14th. by whatilearned February 1, 2022, 4:37 pm 12 Points Upvote Downvote
1 Comment TIL after Portuguese explorers completed the first sea route to India in 1498 and disembarked in Calicut, the first people they met were two Spanish-speaking Tunisian merchants who said: “The Devil take you! What brought you here?”. They responded: “We came in search of Christians and of spices”. by whatilearned January 31, 2022, 12:13 pm 12 Points Upvote Downvote
How did merchants get so rich before capitalism? by HistoryBuff November 11, 2021, 11:03 am 12 Points Upvote Downvote
1 Comment Why didn’t pre-modern people understand or appreciate the role of merchants? by HistoryBuff November 3, 2021, 1:57 am 12 Points Upvote Downvote
At a wine merchant’s warehouse the regular taster died. by cringeyjokesman October 3, 2021, 6:03 pm 12 Points Upvote Downvote
6 Comments TIL in 1888, an Egyptian farmer discovered a cavern packed with tens of thousands of mummified cats dating to ancient Egyptian times. They were sold to British merchants by the ton, and were mainly used in Liverpool as fertilizer. by whatilearned June 5, 2021, 2:06 am 12 Points Upvote Downvote
12 Comments TIL The reason that chewing gum rates are high in the Middle East is the presence of a cultural tradition where small merchants routinely hand out chewing gum in place of small change. by whatilearned March 27, 2021, 1:57 am 12 Points Upvote Downvote
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