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1500 questions
45
votes
2 answers
How do we know the gender distribution of cave art painters?
I recently visited an exhibition about climate, nature and culture during the last glacial period.
One interactive exhibit about cave paintings sported a plaque saying:
"...Jetzt wissen wir, dass es genauso viele Künstlerinnen wie Künstler gab, wenn…
Marian Aldenhövel
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45
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2 answers
How do ancient Chinese "mirrors" such as these in the National Museum function?
In the National Museum of China we find "mirrors" from various Chinese dynasties:
A photo I took of "mirrors" at the National Museum of China in Beijing
Notably, these mirrors are not reflective, the identifying property of mirror. I was…
Rebecca J. Stones
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45
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3 answers
(Why) are there two different versions of the photograph of inmates at the Buchenwald concentration camp?
It is alleged that the picture on the 42nd page of the May 6th, 1945 issue of the New York Times Magazine, depicting inmates at the Buchenwald concentration camp, and taken five days after liberation, looks almost identical to the one above,…
Lucian
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45
votes
4 answers
What do the numbers on this 1960s anti-integration sign mean?
I was reading a CNN article this morning that features the below image:
Protests over integrating schools is not new. In 1965 members of a parents’ association picketed outside the Board of Education in Brooklyn, New York, against a proposal to…
gen-ℤ ready to perish
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45
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2 answers
Did the King of Siam offer war elephants to the Union during the Civil War?
I have read many sources stating that Lincoln refused an offer for war elephants during the Civil War. I have also read that this was not true. I was hoping that this site could shed some light on the truth. So did the King of Siam truly offer war…
Neo1009
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45
votes
5 answers
How did passengers keep warm on sail ships?
Trans-Atlantic passenger travel was not very popular until the advent of the steamer, and yet men and women crossed the ocean periodically, including the affluent.
From what I've been able to gather, a fireplace, or even a stove, was unthinkable…
Ricky
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45
votes
11 answers
Why did Europeans (and not people in other regions) dominate oceans?
Having a brief look at civilization history, I find that Europeans have a significant dominance over other regions when it comes to sailing. This becomes more obvious after the 15th century when Europeans started to explore the "new world" and to…
Dionis Beqiraj
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45
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2 answers
In the Soviet Union, why was the Cheka renamed so many times?
The Cheka was the secret police of the USSR. Wikipedia maintains a list of the Cheka and its subsequent renamings:
1917: Cheka
1922: GPU
1923: OGPU
1934: NKVD
1941: NKGB
1941: NKVD (again)
1943: NKGB (again)
1946: MGB
1954: KGB
It stops at KGB in…
DrZ214
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45
votes
12 answers
Why did the Soviet Union have multiple airplane manufacturers?
Generally, Communism believed in economic central planning, with each field being serviced by one "company" (to avoid waste).
Why was it that the Soviet Union had multiple airplane manufacturers, many of which had openly competing airplanes (MiG and…
Charles Shiller
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45
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7 answers
Why was the Japanese Army's fatalities inflicted:suffered ratio so low in the Pacific theatre?
Leaving aside the naval battles of the Pacific, why did the Japanese army do so poorly against allied forces (specifically United states and Australian forces) when on the defensive. While logistics and weight of numbers may indicate inevitable…
Stumbler
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45
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2 answers
Did Roman troops suffer from PTSD?
After the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq there has been a lot of talking about how many soldiers suffer from PTSD when they return home.
I'm interested in knowing more about war trauma and PTSD in ancient warfare. It would perhaps be useful to narrow…
Juicy
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44
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6 answers
Why were there no religious wars in Poland?
During the 16th and 17th centuries, there were many religious wars in Europe. In countries, were it was very close to Rome (like Spain, Portugal, Austria, Italian states), they did not occur. In Northern Europe (Scandinavia), were it was far from…
Voitcus
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44
votes
7 answers
Why didn't the US choose to demolish Tokyo with an atom bomb?
Tokyo was Japan's capital. Why didn't the US choose Tokyo to demolish with Atom Bomb?
Bonus Question: What factors decided to bring Hiroshima and Nagasaki on table?
Time Portal
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44
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1 answer
How did Italy and Germany get rubber in WWII?
Japan invaded Southeast Asia and Indonesia to obtain rubber in WWII. Germany and Italy clearly used large amounts of rubber in WWII to build vehicles and planes, but in the 1940s rubber was only available in South America, central Africa, and…
qazwsx
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44
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4 answers
What is the logic for the map maker classifying the map this way, specifically in Canada?
I recently came across the map displayed above. It is a map showing the spread of totalitarian and authoritarian governments right before WWII. The countries that are black are totalitarian dictatorships and those in yellow are free democracies. …
ed.hank
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