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1500 questions
36
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3 answers
What is the source of quote attributed to W.E.B. Du Bois: "When you have mastered numbers..."
I'm working on a history of data visualization in which some works from the 1900 “Exhibit of American Negroes” at the Paris World Fair (the Exposition Universelle Internationale) are featured. A nice quote, attributed to him was found at…
user101089
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How did people put down a drinking horn?
It's easy to put down a glass. You just put it on the table. It won't spill unless somebody tips it over.
How did people put a full drinking horn on the table? Did they have some sort of thingy to keep it in an upright position? Or were you supposed…
Censored to protect the guilty
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Did the Pope's crossbow and archery bans have any effect?
One of the more famous and certainly curious decisions at the Second Council of the Lateran in 1139 was a ban on using missile troops against Christians. Specifically, Canon 29 states that:
We prohibit under anathema that murderous art of…
Semaphore
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36
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2 answers
Were there any drunk driving laws before the automobile?
I was wondering if before the automobile some places it was illegal to drive a carriage drunk? The first law in the USA against drunk driving was 1910 in Massachusetts. But I don't know if there are instances where they forbade it for people to…
OmamArmy
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10 answers
Why did only the English adopt, evolve and use the longbow en masse in war?
The bow was a relatively common weapon on dark age battlefields as Harold's arrow in the eye at Hastings will attest. But shortly after is was largely superseded by the crossbow, partly because pretty much any man-at-arms could pick up and shoot a…
Bob Tway
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36
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16 answers
Were there occasions when a sovereign country voluntarily joined another country?
Did it happen that a sovereign country voluntarily decided to become territory of another country? By voluntarily I mean it could have had the choice to say no. Even better if the joining country was the one who initiated the process.
The Anschluss…
vsz
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36
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2 answers
Normandy: Why did the landing craft open on the front?
I assume this beach scenario was typical on D-Day. (Graphic violence)
It shows a landing craft reaching the shore, where it lowers a hatch on the front of the craft, exposing the invading soldiers to a hail of bullets. It's like shooting fish in a…
MackTuesday
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3 answers
Was there a plan to use nuclear weapons for terrain modification in North America?
I remember reading a story once about a plan to build a seaport and modify a significant amount of the coastline at once by using a nuclear explosion. I can't find anything about it now when I try Googling. Does anybody know what I am referring to…
Octopus
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36
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What led to the first fight in the American Civil War?
After Lincoln was elected president, 11 states seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America. What circumstances surrounding this secession led to the first battle of the war, and where did the first battle take place?
DForck42
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Did a kamikaze ever impact the hull of a ship, as opposed to the deck?
All kamikaze videos I've seen show the plane dive bombing into the deck of a ship. The photos I've seen also appear to always show a burning deck or tower.
What I want to know is, did any kamikaze ever impact the side or hull of a ship?
It seems…
DrZ214
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36
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6 answers
Did the communication lag become a problem for the ever expanding Roman Empire?
There is a dispute among historians over whether the Roman Empire collapsed because of its increasing size and system-imminent flaws which were not suited for this size. The bigger the territory, the harder to govern it efficiently. It is possible…
Hauser
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36
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10 answers
Why did the United Kingdom industrialize first?
What factors made the United Kingdom the first to industrialize? Was it simply the importance and benefit of its position in the global community for trade?
Harry Johnson
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36
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9 answers
At what point was the Byzantine Empire's decline irreversible?
I've heard various arguments that the Byzantines were dealt the mortal wound at Manzikert in 1071 which allowed the Turks to claim most of Anatolia and set the stage for the later sacking of Constantinople by the Latin Crusaders. I've also heard…
user88
36
votes
4 answers
Why could China keep most of the lands it conquered after 17th century but European powers could not?
If we look at the map of Ming dynasty, we see a much smaller China. Most of the northern and western part of today's China was conquered during Qing dynasty. In contrast, many European powers have lost most of their lands which they have conquered…
user10320
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7 answers
What language(s) were spoken within the Holy Roman Empire?
What language(s) were considered the primary language for the Holy Roman Empire? Were there many different languages spoken due to the many different regions?
Daniel
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