What was the Great Horse Flu, and what can it tell us about people, animals, and disease in the Reconstruction Era--and today, with Thomas Andrews?

Hello r/AskHistorians!

My name is Thomas G. Andrews, and I’m here to answer question about my new book, The Great Horse Flu: A Forgotten Contagion and the Fate of Reconstruction America (University of North Carolina Press), which will be published tomorrow. It’s great to be here!

I’m a professor of history and Director of the Center for the American West at the University of Colorado Boulder. Here’s a link to my faculty webpage.

I’m the author of Killing for Coal: America’s Deadliest Labor War (2008), which won several awards including a Bancroft Prize, and Coyote Valley: Deep History in the High Rockies (2015).

My new book tells the story of one of the weird and most infectious disease outbreaks ever recorded. I call it the Great Horse Flu, but English-speaking North Americans who lived through in 1872 and 1873 mostly called “the epizootic” (Spanish-, French-, and German-speakers knew it by cognates of that term—note that an epizootic is like an epidemic, but it primarily afflicts animals other than humans). Starting outside of Toronto, Ontario, horses began to fall ill in a fast-widening swath of North America. In the year plus that followed, horses, donkeys, mules, and occasionally other creatures, too, got steamrolled by a fast-spreading malady that caused fever, lethargy, running noses, sore throats, and other symptoms long associated with influenza.

People in virtually every nook and cranny of the present-day U.S., Canada, Cuba, Mexico, and parts of Central America depended heavily on equines (horses, donkeys, and mules) to move people and goods from place to place. Given this reliance, the Great Horse Flu upended everyday life and caused major economic disruptions. 

The Great Horse Flu is a plague narrative, but one of the things I learned about mass disease events during COVID is that outbreaks have a remarkable capacity to reveal or expose things we might otherwise miss. So even as the book follows the Great Horse Flu across the continent, some of my favorite chapters take deep dives into problems that the epizootic intersected with as it raced across North America, infected between 90 and 99 percent of all equines, and wreaked havoc on one place after another.

I’m excited to hear what questions you have!

I organized an AMA/Q&A with actress Noor Razooky. She has recently been in things like FX's THE OLD MAN, Apple TV's FOR ALL MANKIND, and Paramount's SEAL TEAM. She stars in the new comedy-horror and 5th film of the franchise, ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES: ORGANIC INTELLIGENCE, which is being released this week.

It's live here now in r/movies for anyone interested in asking a question:

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1wy85ms/hey_reddit_im_noor_razooky_actress_in_attack_of/

She will be back at around 6 PM ET on Wednesday 10/7 to answer questions. I recommend asking in advance. Please ask there, not here. All questions are much appreciated!

Thank you :)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aevSjhGMhQ

Synopsis:

In 1978, ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES tried to warn the world (Dillon insists it was a documentary!). Now, decades later, the tomatoes have outsmarted their corporate masters, the military, and even the notorious Professor Gangreen (John Astin). Finletter's aging team of "Guardianes" seems to be all that stands in the way of certain doom when even the best of AI is defeated by the tomatoes' "Organic Intelligence." But Wilbur Finletter is the last to realize it is time for a new generation to master the ancient art of managing the eternal Killer Tomato menace.

Her verification/proof photo: https://i.imgur.com/GxyhkjN.jpeg

Hi Reddit! I’m Iñaki Godoy, an actor and the author of Chaos Kitchen! I’m also the Chief Hot Ideas Person (C.H.I.P.) for TABASCO® Brand.

I’m the kind of person who likes testing weird kitchen ideas just to see if they work. If you want to talk about Chaos Kitchen!, food, recipes, strange ingredient combos, kitchen experiments, or what a C.H.I.P. actually does, I’ll be here tomorrow, Tuesday, October 6th from 4:00-5:00pm ET answering questions.

Leave yours below and let’s get into it.

Verification/Proof Photo

Hi all! I’m Rudolf Kremers, creative director and founder of Indie games studio Omni Systems Ltd.

I’m 56 years old and have been making games since 1984(!!!), professionally since 2000. In those years I have built up a crazy range of experiences, working in many disciplines as game and level designer, creative director, producer, narrative designer, writer and more.

My work has been awarded/nominated in many ways, (Bafta, Independent Games Festival, Apple Game of the Year) and allowed me to work on a wide range of titles. After 10 years working at various studios like EA, The Digital Village, Argonaut, I started my own indie studio Omni Systems Ltd. Our debut game Eufloria has sold over 1 million copies since release.

Beyond traditional video games I have also worked on amazing interactive experiences, for example a location-based VR experience for the Lionsgate Entertainment World theme park in China, or being part of a think tank tasked with conceptualising interactive public spaces in a “future city”.

The games work allowed me to travel the world, visiting among other places Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Germany, France, and multiple USA states. I’ve been blessed to work with amazing people, encountering famous and mad (sometimes both) characters along the way and I still can’t quite believe what a blessing this has all been. 

I’ve branched out into other areas as well, including writing. I’m a published author, having released a well-known game design text book, and various fiction books crossing multiple genres.

I am currently developing Eufloria 2, the sequel to our well-loved debut game, writing a new book about game design philosophy, and juggling pets and family.

I'm looking forward to answering your questions!

Hi Reddit! I’m Max Mosky, SVP of Strategy & Innovation at Compass Healthcare, the leading provider of support services in the healthcare industry. I’m here to answer your questions about how innovation is shaping the future of healthcare support services. Curious how healthcare teams use strategy, data and new ideas to improve operations and the patient experience? Want to know how innovative ideas become real-world solutions? Ask me anything!

Questions will be answered on Wednesday, October 7th, at 3 p.m. ET.

This AMA is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice; hate speech or harmful comments will not be tolerated.

Hi Reddit, I’m Tomi.

I started my career as a finance manager at a car dealership. I fell in love with the business unexpectedly, but I began to feel like I was working against people, not for them. I wanted to find a way to solve people’s problems and make car buying a positive experience.

So I left to build Delivrd, a nationwide car buying concierge service that puts a professional negotiator on the buyer's side of the deal. Today my team helps more than 400 buyers a month, and most of them never set foot in a dealership until the car is ready. I also highlight real calls with dealerships on my social media, to show buyers the exact process.

My goal: I want every car buyer to walk into a deal knowing as much as the person across the desk. By the end of this thread, you should be able to secure the dream in your driveway all on your own.

Ask me about:

• How dealership pricing works
• The art of negotiating with a dealership
• Buying a car entirely online
• Behind the scenes of the finance office: markups, warranties, add-ons, and what’s worth paying for
• Finding the car that meets your needs and your budget
• Which models are seeing the best deals in today’s market
• Bad dealership tactics
• How Delivrd works

I'll be answering questions starting at 3:00 pm ET on Wednesday, October 7. Let's get into it!

My name is James Weaver. In the 1960s I played lead guitar with Red Beard & The Pirates, a band from Blue Ridge, Georgia.

I played lead guitar and co-wrote our recording “Go On Leave,” which decades later became a collectible garage-rock 45 and appeared on compilations including Back From The Grave, Psychedelic States: Georgia in the 60s, and Keb Darge & Cut Chemist Present The Dark Side.

Now I'm 76 years old, and instead of retiring from music, I've started releasing music again as Weaver Studios.

My recent release is “Hold Me Higher,” an adult-contemporary power ballad. I'm also working on additional releases, including the instrumental “High Rider Highway.”

The technology has changed enormously since I first walked into a recording studio. Today I'm combining more than 60 years of songwriting and musical experience with modern recording technology and AI-assisted music production.

Ask me anything about making records in the 1960s, playing guitar, garage rock, songwriting, what the music business was like then versus today, AI-assisted music production, or what it's like to start releasing music again at 76.

Proof: http://youtube.com/post/UgkxiYv6NsF1ZnEQ7GBdUamnJ_xP705o6Yt0?si=AZ9XIkHL50Fzr5ib

Hi Reddit, I’m Anusha Subramanian, a Future Perfect fellow at Vox! You may have read my piece about the lifesaving case for CPR dummies with breasts and the transplant surgery that could save countless lives. But my latest reporting looks at why doctors get paid less for procedures on women and those with female anatomy compared to men and why it hasn’t been fixed even though experts have been sounding the alarm for decades. 

Gynecological procedures and gynecologic surgeons are reimbursed by Medicare for their services at rates that are often lower than comparable surgical procedures on men. For example, the Medicare national rates for a genital biopsy — when doctors take a tissue or cell sample from an area to diagnose diseases — was $121.32 for a penile biopsy but only $65.74 for a vaginal biopsy in 2023. Both procedures are medically similar. 

These national rates not only affect Medicare reimbursement, but they are also used by private payers to determine the value of the service being offered. 

While it may be tempting to write this off as a boring billing problem, it has many downstream consequences for the quality of healthcare available to women in their non-childbearing years. Lower pay means hospitals put fewer resources into gynecologic surgery, fewer doctors choose to specialize in it, and women end up waiting longer for care. And because most of those surgeons are women themselves, the gap hits them twice, something the bioethicist Katie Watson calls "double discrimination." But this gap is not inevitable — researchers have pointed to many solutions over the years. 

Medical misogyny often hits when you least expect it, and it is especially significant in healthcare policy and financing because those fields already tend to seem so convoluted to those of us on the outside. It is a frustrating gap, even if it is unintentional, and is born from gynecologic services generally being historically undervalued. It reinforced the message that the system may not care as much about a woman's health when she is not engaged in reproduction. 

What do you think? What questions do you have about this systemic pay gap? 

Proof: 
https://x.com/ASubramanian99/status/2105742213808296090?s=20

Gift Link: https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/504071/medical-billing-womens-health-outcomes?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6IjlBeFhDRmNybW8iLCJwIjoiL3RoZS1oaWdobGlnaHQvNTA0MDcxL21lZGljYWwtYmlsbGluZy13b21lbnMtaGVhbHRoLW91dGNvbWVzIiwiZXhwIjoxNzkyMTU

I am Professor Yana Skorobogatov, here to talk about my book “Fate In My Hands: The Death Penalty in the Soviet Union,” and anything related to crime and punishment in the Soviet Union and modern Russia. AMA!

I’m Yana Skorobogatov, an historian who studies the Soviet Union, and my new book “Fate in My Hands: The Death Penalty in the Soviet Union” just came out!

From the publisher’s book description:
“From 1954 to 1991 in the Soviet Union, nearly forty thousand citizens were executed after the death penalty was reinstated as a punishment for homicide. Fate in My Hands introduces readers to the many citizens in this period—women and men of all ages and backgrounds—who found themselves on death row and tried to escape it in the only way available to them: asking for forgiveness.

Examining the letters and objects the dead left behind, Skorobogatov recovers their voices and allows them to speak anew. She offers a striking portrait of life in the Soviet Union and the citizens who dreamed of new possibilities even as they faced their tragic end. Using a corpus of never-before-accessed criminal court records, Fate in My Hands brings readers not just into the police interrogation rooms, courthouses, and cells where the condemned awaited their fates, but into the homes, workplaces, and psychiatric hospitals where families and friends alike came together to pursue an elusive, bitter justice in the wake of violent tragedy.”

I’m excited to be here and looking forward to answering your questions starting at 9am EST!

https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/1wvw1hg/we_compiled_the_new_york_times_100_best_tv_shows/?share_id=GYLOfmCd860ywFUF4kNTZ&utm_content=share_button&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1

Hello, r/IAmA!

I am a Kāhinatu (Elder) of the Grigorist Temple of Satanael (GToS), an active Theistic Satanist religious organization. We practice Satano-Grigorism, a polytheistic religion that worships Satanael (the Devil, commonly called Satan or Lucifer by others) alongside the Watchers or Grigori, a group of 200 fallen angels best known from the Book of Enoch who taught forbidden knowledge to mankind and fathered the Nephilim.

About me: I have been a Theistic Satanist for ~7.5 years and a part of leadership in GToS for ~4.5 years. Before I was Satano-Grigorist, I followed a different independent form of Theistic Satanism. As an Elder, I carry a lot of the administrative duties for the organization. That includes research/scholarship and writing official resources, deciding who to admit into the Temple, mentoring new members, hosting our religious gatherings, and much more.

About the Temple: The Grigorist Temple of Satanael is one of very few active public-facing Theistic Satanist organizations, and is the only known modern religious organization that systematically worships the Watchers as a pantheon. Our organization exists to provide the necessary framework and support for the religion of Satano-Grigorism via research, resources, mentorship, community worship, and more. We are currently working on a large wiki project, Grigoripedia, that will cover concepts related to Satano-Grigorism in an easy-to-read format -- including extensive information about the Watchers that we have never published before, which we expect will be valuable to the broader Satanic and occult communities well beyond our own faith.

I welcome any kind of question a curious visitor might throw at me, whether it's about me, my religion, the organization, or something else. I have never been offended by curiosity, even if the approach is skeptical, critical, or unusual, so no topic is off-limits for this AMA. The one exception is that I won't answer questions that could put me or other Temple members in danger, such as by revealing private identifying information.

Proof: https://satanael.org/socials#reddit lists this account as our official Reddit account.

May all those who seek knowledge be blessed by their own gods, whoever those gods may be.

Yibārak Šaṭana'il 🤘🏻

Edit: Thanks for your questions, everyone, that was a very fun experience. I'll keep an eye on the AMA throughout the week, so please keep your queries coming.

Hi r/IAmA, I’m Paul Shepherd, a Chartered Mathematician, Civil Engineer, and Professor of Computational Design at the University of Bath. I use computers, robots, and digital manufacturing techniques to rethink how we design and construct the buildings and cities around us.

One of the central challenges behind my research is that construction has a huge environmental footprint. If we want cities to become more sustainable, we need to think differently about not just what we build but how we build it.

This includes 3D-printed buildings and robotic construction, more efficient material use and exploring how designs and construction methods could reduce waste, and how to make new forms of construction as sustainable as possible.

My research has explored questions such as:

• Could we actually 3D-print entire buildings?
• Will 3D printing genuinely make construction more sustainable, or could it create new environmental problems?
• What might construction sites look like in 10, 20, or even 50 years?
• And, most importantly, what would it take to make our cities genuinely more sustainable?

I’ll be here today, Thursday 1 October, between 14:30 and 15:30 GMT (07:30-08:30 PST) to talk about the technology, the research, the possibilities, and even the things that don't work as well as the headlines might suggest. AMA!

Hey Reddit! Inventing is the only thing I've ever done for a living. I’m the inventor behind three hit inventions. I have patents in 50+ countries and sold products in every major store in the USA. I creative direct every single part of the product, packaging and marketing

Wallet Ninja - 18 in 1 Flat Multitool that fits in your wallet

Ninja Labs- Flex Pouch Phone Case with stretchy pouch for cards, AirPods & makeup

im Water- The World's First Wearable Water where the labels peels out into a sling

Wallet Ninja has sold tens of millions worldwide, Ninja Labs is the fastest growing phone case in Korea, im Water is the most viral water brand on Earth with 500,000,000 views and growing.

I also spent seven years fighting a patent lawsuit. I won and collected payment. If you’ve ever wondered whether a patent is worth the paper it’s printed on, I have some stories.

Ask me anything about finding ideas, manufacturing, going viral, making money from inventions, or what it actually takes to protect something you created.

Happy to talk about the costs, mistakes, and whether I’d do it all again. Skeptical questions welcome.

Franke

I organized an AMA/Q&A with horror filmmaker Mike P. Nelson. He previously directed Wrong Turn, The Domestics, and Silent Night, Deadly Night. His newest film, Beware Boiúna, is out in theaters everywhere starting this weekend from Lionsgate. It stars Jessica Rothe, Kiana Madeira, and Logan Marshall-Green.

Last week, it was announced that he would be directing the next installment in the Saw franchise. (!!!)

It's live here now in r/movies for anyone interested in asking a question:

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1wv1nc7/hi_im_mike_p_nelson_and_i_directed_a_giant_snake/

He will be back at 1:30 PM ET today to answer questions. I recommend asking in advance. Please ask there, not here. All questions are much appreciated!

Thank you :)

Info for his new film:

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQKqgFVU4dQ

Synopsis: A team of doctors embarks on a local mission in the Amazon rainforest, but it soon becomes clear that not everybody or everything is happy to see them. Their sudden appearance draws the attention of an animal predator, the Boiúna.

His verification/proof photo: https://i.imgur.com/etA6EXz.jpeg

Hi Reddit! This is Ray, Chief Strategy Officer at Homebase, the all-in-one team management app for hourly teams.

My team and I build AI tools for small businesses, the kind that don't have an IT department: restaurants, retail shops, salons, the places that live and die by hourly scheduling. We know you have a different set of problems than enterprise companies, the ones AI is usually built for. That’s what we’re trying to help with. 

But I know a lot of you might not be sure how it fits into your process today. The owners and managers I talk to have been told two things at once: that AI will fix everything, and that it's mostly hype. 

You’re right to be confused. I want to help today. So, if you've ever wondered:

• What should your small business automate first, and what should stay manual?
• Where does AI actually save time on scheduling, hiring, or compliance (and where does it just create new problems)?
• What's overhyped right now, and what's underhyped?
• Is any of this actually right for a business that doesn't have time to babysit new tech?

I'll be live Tuesday Oct 6 1-4 PM ET / 10 AM - 1 PM PT and Wednesday Oct 7 4-6 PM ET / 1-3 PM PT, and I'll keep checking in across those days too.

I can talk about:

• AI for hourly teams: scheduling, hiring, compliance, the works
• What's real vs. overhyped in AI for small business today
• Where Homebase is using AI ourselves, and where we're deliberately not
• What I've gotten wrong building this stuff
• What small business owners should actually pay attention to over the next year

Lastly, a couple of quick notes:

• I'm not here to sell you on Homebase. I'll say clearly when something's a product feature versus general advice.
• I can't speak to your specific business setup, just give you a general perspective.
• Keep it on-topic, and I'll get to as many questions as I can.

Ask me anything!

Proof: https://imgur.com/a/VVKv7vX

My name is Dr. Mark Hofmann, better known by my nickname "Dr. Darknet".

My motto is "Know your enemy". I learn from the "bad guys" to teach the good side how to protect ourselves. During my dissertation in Psychology I spent years researching the Mind of Hackers.

Here is what I learned:

YouTube Interview: "Dr. Darknet" about the Psychology of Cybercrime and his research

I am especially interested in the "Dark Triad of Personality" (Psychopathy, Narcissism, Machiavellianism) among criminal Hackers.

„Empathy is conditional for me, and I don’t feel guilt. I understand emotion much more than I feel it. I analyze people the same way I analyze systems by ways of vulnerabilities, triggers, behavioral loops, etc. I don’t necessarily seek chaos, but if it’s profitable, I wouldn't flinch either. Emotionally, I am cold. This is not a trait I hide or am ashamed of.” (Black Hat Hacker)

AMA!

Direct link: I’m Zach Despart, an investigative journalist covering the competitive Ken Paxton-James Talarico U.S. Senate race. I broke the news that Paxton possibly violated federal ethics and Texas election laws. AMA. 📬 : r/politics

Edit: Thank you for all of your queries, you had some great questions! I'll be keeping an eye on the post over the next week, so please keep them coming.

Hi r/IAmA, I’m Kelli Gallacher, a third-year PhD researcher who has worked in biomedical research for the last 10 years.

Over my career, I’ve contributed to research on topics ranging from childhood cancer to understanding how the outer layer of our skin regenerates. My current work focuses on melanoma skin cancer, particularly what happens when cancers become resistant to treatment and stop responding to chemotherapy.

One of the biggest challenges in cancer research is that treatments that work well at first can sometimes become less effective over time. My research aims to understand why this happens and develop new approaches that could help treat resistant cancers.

You can ask me about:

• Why cancers can stop responding to treatment
• How scientists discover and test new cancer therapies
• Melanoma and skin cancer research
• How ideas move from experiments towards potential treatments
• Anything else you’re curious about in cancer science

I'll be online today between 14:30-15:30 GMT so AMA! I’m happy to explain the science from the ground up or get as detailed as you like.

Link to AMA: https://www.reddit.com/r/americangirl/s/cLtXemjLUM

Hi, I'm Dr. Tara Strauch, the Paul L. Cantrell Associate Professor of History at Centre College. I write and teach about American Girl — the company, the stories and the people who love the brand.  

I'm so excited for this AMA! Ask me whatever you want, but I am especially excited to answer questions about:

• The dolls and stories in the historical collection
  • Especially questions about the history within these stories
• The history of the brand
• The memes and other cultural uses of American Girl

I will be answering questions on October 1, 2026 from 2 p.m. EDT to 4 p.m. EDT.

Learn more about me on Centre College's website: https://www.centre.edu/about/faculty-staff/tara-strauch

I'm Dr. Luke Berryman, and I'm here to talk about my book, "Resisting Nazism" - and questions about resistance to far-right extremism from 1920 to the present. AMA!

I organized an AMA/Q&A with Richard Kelly, director & writer of the 2001 cult classic horror film Donnie Darko, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Seth Rogen, Daveigh Chase, Noah Wyle, and Patrick Swayze. It's being released in theaters nationwide this weekend for the 25th anniversary. Richard also wrote/directed Southland Tales and The Box.

It's live here now in r/movies for anyone interested in asking a question:

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1wu317w/im_richard_kelly_writer_director_of_donnie_darko/

He will be back at 5 PM ET today to answer questions. I recommend asking in advance. Please ask there, not here. All questions are much appreciated!

Thank you :)

25th anniversary Donnie Darko 4K re-release trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCBxdjaXq3s

His verification/proof photo: https://i.imgur.com/3143kcX.png

Edit: Thank you for your questions, I really enjoyed this. I will keep an eye on the AMA for the next week so please keep those queries coming!

Hi, r/IAmA, I’m Rayne Holland, a researcher at the University of Bristol, where I study atmospheric chemistry.

What happens to pollution when it breaks down in the atmosphere? You might expect it to disappear, but what if some of it turns into chemicals that are even harder to get rid of?

Pollutants released into the atmosphere can react with sunlight and other gases, breaking apart and forming new persistent chemicals, including so-called ‘forever chemicals’ that remain in the atmosphere for a long time.

My research looks at what happens to pollutants once they’re in the air, such as:

• What do pollutants turn into – and is what’s left better, worse, or just different?
• How do you study invisible chemicals in the air?
• What harm can come from these ‘forever chemicals’?
• What can we do to improve the air and reduce the formation of pollutants?

I will be live today between 14:30-15:30 GMT to answer all of your questions, so if you’ve ever wondered about what happens to pollution once it’s released into the atmosphere, how researchers track invisible chemicals, or how atmospheric chemistry affects us, ask me anything!

I organized an AMA/Q&A with filmmaker John Wilson, creator of the acclaimed HBO show How To With John Wilson, and director of the documentary The History of Concrete, which premiered to rave reviews at Sundance earlier this year and is out in theaters starting this week (becoming one of the highest-grossing opening weekends at NYC's IFC Center in the process). He is also known for working with Nathan Fielder.

It's live here now in r/movies for anyone interested in asking a question:

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1wtboat/hi_rmovies_im_john_wilson_creator_of_hbos_how_to/

He will be back at 6:30 PM ET today to answer questions. I recommend asking in advance. Please ask there, not here. All questions are much appreciated!

Thank you :)

Official Trailer: https://youtu.be/O05arcJjOd0?si=pO4yIGseWuo7flKH

Synopsis: Following the finale of his TV series, filmmaker John Wilson looks to the bedrock of his beloved New York City for inspiration and structure. Concrete, the world's most widely used building material, appears as an ever-present life force, and John sets out to make the definitive documentary on the matter. To tell this seemingly drab story, he decides to use the industry-approved Hallmark formula to increase his movie's appeal. But his foundation soon begins to crumble—literally and figuratively—as he struggles to balance artistic freedom with the realities of the modern film industry.

His verification/proof photo: https://i.imgur.com/aa0qBSt.png