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Welcome to this week's instalment of /r/AskHistorians' Sunday Digest (formerly the Day of Reflection). Nobody can read all the questions and answers that are posted here, so in this thread we invite you to share anything you'd like to highlight from the last week - an interesting discussion, an informative answer, an insightful question that was overlooked, or anything else.

Previous weeks!

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Some questions people have just don't require depth. This thread is a recurring feature intended to provide a space for those simple, straight forward questions that are otherwise unsuited for the format of the subreddit.

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• Academic secondary sources are preferred. Tertiary sources are acceptable if they are of academic rigor (such as a book from the 'Oxford Companion' series, or a reference work from an academic press).
• The only rule being relaxed here is with regard to depth, insofar as the anticipated questions are ones which do not require it. All other rules of the subreddit are in force.

Afghanistan has been conquered by empires as far back as 6th centure bce yet it is still considered "unconquerable", why is that?

When Kit Carson was 16, he was apprenticed to a saddle maker in Franklin, Missouri. After young Kit ran away, the saddler waited about a month and then placed an ad in the papers, offering a whopping one penny reward to anyone who could locate Kit and bring him back.

What were the penalties for young men who ran away from their apprenticeships? And were those they were apprenticed to required by law to report their escape?

Let me preface this by saying I’m not American, I was born and raised in Spain. I remember a high school History teacher showing us the “4 children for sale” photograph as an example of the poverty Americans experienced after the Crash of 29. But I just found out that the picture was taken in 1948? I thought the period after WW2 was one of great economic growth and prosperity, reduction of inequality (so even those more vulnerable began to have better life conditions), all of that. So what’s the actual context behind that photo? I know the story of the children, but what’s the historical context in which people were so poor that selling your children was feasible? Thanks in advance.

When did people start to shave and how did they do it at first?

Did it coincide with the invention of the blade maybe? When did it start becoming fashionable to have different hairstyles etc....

Also, was baldness always something that was considered inferior to having a full head of hair?

Recently, i have been thinking, why didn't anyone build aa guns on Heavy Bomber Jet planes like B 52 Strato fortress or Xian H-6 or Tupolev jet series in general, i know this question sounds very dumb but why tho?

I've frequently read something along the lines of "the Politburo sets policy, and the Secretariat carries it out", or "the Politburo manages politics while the Council of Ministers manages the economy". Are either of these correct? And what did this actually entail? Like what would the decision making and execution process actually look like? What would the members of the Politburo and the Council of Ministers talk about, and how much did their meetings matter in practical terms? Like were most decisions decided on by the General Secretary and a few allies beforehand, or was there real debate/discussion in these meetings?

I routinely receive notifications from state ecologists about whether or not shellfish in my area have tested positive for paralytic shellfish poisoning and they provide advisories for where it is safe to forage for them.

Prior to the ability to test for shellfish related illnesses, how did cultures which relied heavily on clams, oysters, and mussels, like the Salish peoples, keep from getting potentially lethal shellfish related illnesses?

My dad is a bit conspiracy-brained but also really knowledgeable about WW1 and WW2 - he gave me this book and it opens up a bit crazy, wanted to see how credible this is or isn’t. Thanks!

During my literature course, I was provided basic historical background concerning religious conflicts in England and I became invested in this subject. From time to time, while browsing different writers and other historical figures on Wikipedia, I’ve come across scant information about interfaith marriages between Protestants and Catholics taking place despite the religious persecution. This made me inspired to learn a little more about the subject.

Specifically what I'm after is what music we KNOW what the melody / lyrics would be, not what we THINK it was.

I believe we have some stuff from the Greeks, but also don't we have some music from ancient mesopotania? How much do we have of that period that we KNOW how it sounded?

Many thanks

I mean, is the culture and history of ancient Persia (e.g. of the Achaemenids) considered a part of Iran today? Or are they focused on the Islamic period, as one could expect from an islamic republic?

This question came to my mind when reading about John Dryden and Alexander Pope, English poets who were both Catholics (although, I believe Dryden converted in his late years) and had to face different obstacles throughout their lives for it. What surprised me was that they were both recognised and in some circles held in high esteem despite their recusancy, prompting me to add yet another question about the attitude of different status groups towards Catholics.

It seems like there's a popular conception that WWI was expected to be over "by Christmas", with a quick knockout victory by one side or the other, similar to the Franco-Prussian War a generation or so earlier. In so far as this is true, how long did it take for the general public (that is, those not fighting on the front lines) to understand that the war would be much longer than that? How much of their information would have come from the press or official sources vs. stories from soldiers returning from the front?

We know that during the two world wars, many countries censored and distorted the letters sent home by soldiers. (I especially know that the letters from the Japanese Kamikaze pilots were distorted/censored.)

This would have been a significant amount of work in itself and would have required a certain amount of labor. There is also the possibility that the recipient will find out that censorship or distortion has occurred.

How did various countries carry out these "subsidiary" tasks?

I’ve been reading The Rise and Fall Of The Third Reich by William L Shirer and it is enjoyable but the pages are so dense and detailed about the most random things in my opinion and it takes me like 2 hours to read 30 pages and I feel like an idiot for it. This is the second history book I’ve read although that is a lie as I didn’t finish the first one. I do love history just have a hard time reading some of the books.