this post was submitted on 26 Apr 2025
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No Stupid Questions

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Its the 14th century and you've had no time to prepare, after you're done reading this post you are snapped. What do you do?

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Assuming I’m snapped back to the same part of the earth, climate-wise that’s ideal in the US PNW coming out of spring. Plenty of berries and food to forage, and I’ll probably impress the natives with my watch and well made clothes. I can probably get the native tribes to metals, and gain acceptance with my magic hand tool that will briefly shine light at night for a few weeks. I don’t know offhand where copper would be, but I know gold is in the streams, and I know how to placer mine, so I can get some electricity going with that and magnetized rocks from lava flows.

I think first contact would be the key.

[–] spongebue@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Basic geography could go a long ways, if people believe you. At this point people were exploring the world trying to find the spice Islands, but didn't know WTF they were doing. Magellan navigating the strait that would be named after him was impressive at its time, but now we know the best way from Europe to Asia (and spices and stuff) by sea without any modern canals is by going around Africa. Like, it still sucks and it's a long trip but it's doable compared to going to damn near Antarctica.

This assumes I don't die, can communicate, and am not in the then-unpopulated (and quite landlocked) current location of Denver, Colorado.

Edit: bonus fact: if a sailor managed to smuggle a knapsack full of cloves back, it was worth about as much a house

I don't have the knowledge to survive in the 12 century so either some Native Americans find me and are kind enough to teach me to survive

Or I just die.

[–] athairmor@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Do my best to warn the locals of the coming invasion. Learn their language and teach them English and tell them not to trust any group of strangers who speak it.

Help improve their technology as best I can. I’m not sure how much I’d be able to improve it. At least, teach them to wear masks and wash their hands when around sick people.

[–] superkret@feddit.org 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You're a stranger speaking English trying to convince the locals not to trust any stranger speaking English?

[–] athairmor@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes. I’d have to learn their language first, anyway. I already know bits of modern versions but not much. Then, introduce the warning of invasions and teach them English with the caution that people speaking groups of people speaking will bring death and destruction.

It’s not like they’ll already have a fear of English or any concept of the language before I teach it to them.

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[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 5 points 1 day ago

I'm in Japan and while I can speak modern Japanese I don't know shit about classical Japanese so I'd be screwed. I'm also not Japanese so good chance I end up getting killed or some shit

The Ring of Fire series which is about this concept was such an amazing read. Unfortunately the infinite branching plotlines became way more than I could handle.

[–] Roundeyegweilo@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago

I'd cry, curse god's name even more than I do currently, and then probably die from boredom.

1375? Bro that's the. Middle ages. Fucking kill me.

[–] arotrios@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Prophecy some major upcoming events, subsequently market myself as a saint, grab a comfy church position, sell indulgences, profit. Works in pretty much any era.

[–] FelixCress@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

Prophecy some major upcoming events, subsequently market myself as a saint, grab a comfy church position

Or be burned on a stake.

[–] MudMan@fedia.io 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

How well do you know 14th century minutia? That can end up being a very long con if the next thing you remember is like the general lines of Joan of Arc's whole deal in 50 years or whatever.

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[–] superkret@feddit.org 5 points 1 day ago

I become a scribe or accountant, since I can write cursive, do math, and know some Latin.
There was a monastery within walking distance of my home at that time, so that's where I'd head first.

[–] CreatingMachines@fedia.io 4 points 1 day ago

Basically start digging my grave, wondering if I'm gonna die from my asthma or my dermatitis first in that era. I'm betting on my asthma.

[–] zlatiah@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Try to use some type of boiling water technique to invent drinkable sanitary drinking water that doesn't get me drunk (might not be necessary in some parts of Asia)

Most parts of the world that is not North America: try to convince some wealthy persons and bar owners to sponsor me to getting a bunch of bread molds and rats/mice, possibly even pigs, to conduct antibiotics and vaccine research, otherwise I might die from random sources...

Not sure if I could reasonably do those given my limited biology knowledge, but I guess they are worth trying. Besides that I'd just try to be less blunt/offensive so I don't get sent to jail and try to live my best life I guess

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 5 points 1 day ago

You’d have to work pretty hard to get drunk on small beer.

[–] Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Slowly and with plenty of witnesses invent the toilet. But like out of wood pieces like a barrel or ship. Rain barrel on the roof for water. Start suggesting more contained sewage.

Should be just enough to not get dead for heresy or something but live comfortably and help a shitty situation.

[–] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 1 points 1 day ago

Human urine was collected and used for many things (mostly the ammonia). Human feces was used as fertilizer in a lot of the world until very recent times and collected in certain areas.

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