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1500 questions
44
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2 answers
Why was "leaping into the river" a valid trial outcome to prove one's innocence?
The second law of the Code of Hammurabi states:
2 If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go to the river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river prove…
Mindwin Remember Monica
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Are there any examples of technologies have been lost over time?
I've read before about various technologies being lost over time, either due to war or famine or just time. I'm interested in knowing more about what sorts of things have been lost, and how.
I've read about Damascus steel before, although recently…
millerbr
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When did the Roman Empire fall according to contemporaries?
The Roman Empire divided itself into two parts, the Eastern Roman Empire headquartered in Constantinople and the Western Roman Empire headquartered in Rome. The city of Rome itself fell in the year 476 AD. But the Eastern Roman Empire continued…
Keshav Srinivasan
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44
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Was there a contingency plan in place if Little Boy failed to detonate?
It's August 6th, 1945. The first atomic bomb ever dropped hurtles to the ground. Its fuse fails and with a thunk it buries itself in the ground. The Enola Gay flies home, its crew worried they did something wrong.
Now the brass back in Washington…
Ryan_L
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Why did Lincoln wait to issue the Emancipation Proclamation?
(Apologies in advance: not being American, while I've read up somewhat about the military aspects of the Civil War, I am somewhat unclear as to its political dimension.)
Lincoln did not declare the slaves free until 1863, despite his personal…
Italian Philosophers 4 Monica
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44
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2 answers
How did the ancient Romans count with their fingers?
This joke was supposed to be funny:
A Roman walks into a bar, holds up two fingers and shouts "Five beers, please!"
But disregarding the funniness, it made me actually think about the real system or systems that they did use. The evidence I found…
LаngLаngС
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6 answers
What did the Emancipation Proclamation exactly do?
I'm a bit confused about what Lincoln's proclamation did exactly. It's thought by some the Emancipation Proclamation gave all slaves the status of free. However from reading the introduction of the Wikipedia article this belief seems wrong.
The…
Zebrafish
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In WW2, why did Germany sink allied supply convoys instead of capturing them?
When reading about naval warfare in WW2, it suddenly struck me that sinking supply convoys was a huge waste of resources, especially in the later years when Germany was desperate for oil and other supplies. Why didn't the German navy try to capture…
Yosef Waysman
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States calling themselves a dictatorship
Yesterday I learned of the (somewhat obscure) Centrocaspian Dictatorship, an unrecognised state that existed for less than 2 months in 1918.
Are there any other (less obscure) states that have called themselves a dictatorship? It seems more common…
gerrit
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Were there U.S. weapon restrictions during 19th century?
Prior to the 20th century, I'm curious as to how the 2nd amendment was understood:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
There doesn't seem…
JimmyJames
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5 answers
How were smallpox vaccines enforced in the US?
Smallpox was eradicated in 1977 thanks to a massive worldwide vaccination campaign. But how did the US government enforce the smallpox vaccine, given that you needed 90+% vaccinated to achieve herd immunity? I can find Supreme Court cases showing…
JonathanReez
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Why did the United States not resort to nuclear weapons in Vietnam?
Before getting into this note that I am NOT saying this would have been a good idea, nor am I advocating this as being a correct approach, not at all, it would surely have been horrific and very hard to justify, and likely counterproductive in many…
Duke Leto
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Has an heir ever made the country believe the current ruler died in order to take over the throne?
Before the invention of the semaphore and the telegraph, a message couldn't travel faster than the speed of a horse (or maybe a messenger pigeon or something along those lines - still pretty slow).
Has there ever been a situation in history where a…
Maurycy
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Why did the Soviet Union name their strongest bomb Tsar Bomba?
The Soviet Union has/had the most powerful (Hydrogen) Bomb ever, the Tsar Bomb.
Why did they name it Tsar Bomb, when they had freed themself from the Tsars before, and even executed Tsar Nicholas II?
user5339049
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What were Hitler's religious beliefs?
Hitler is often cited as an example of an evil atheist (along with Stalin and Mao). But there are several quotes from him that seem to indicate he believed in the Christian God - and even used this to justify his policies.
So what were Hitler's…
Orion
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