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1500 questions
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2 answers
What kind of ink was used by medieval scribes in Iceland, given that there were no plant galls for iron-gall ink?
Iceland was deforested since early settlement, and possibly never had oaks. It has no gall wasps either.
I understand that Iceland was very isolated in medieval times.
So without oak galls, how did they make the ink the famous medieval Icelandic…
HannesH
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2 answers
Did germophobia exist in classical antiquity?
I know nothing of the cleaning habits of the Greeks, but about Rome Mary Beard (2015) says that doctors knew that going to the public baths with an open wound would likely result in gangrene, so it was known they could be breeding grounds for…
James Cook
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30
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4 answers
Why was sugar cultivation more profitable in the Caribbean/Brazil than West Africa?
The Atlantic slave trade involved the large-scale deportation of West African slaves to sugar plantations on the other side of the Atlantic.
Why was it more profitable to do that, rather than to grow sugar in West Africa?
West Africa has about the…
Colin
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2 answers
What evidence is there for chain stores or restaurant chains in Ancient Rome?
In his book City, David Macaulay creates a fictional Roman city called Verbonia to show how a 'typical', planned Roman city was started from scratch. Although Verbonia and thus its characters are fictional, the book relates how Romans planned and…
Lars Bosteen
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30
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3 answers
How much did it cost to attend events at the ancient Roman colosseum?
I recently visited the Colosseum in Rome, where a tour guide explained about the different seating sections for the elite (senators and the like), nobles, ordinary citizens, and slaves/women. He also talked about the 80 different gates and said…
Monica Cellio
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30
votes
8 answers
How popular was the Soviet Union?
How much popular support was there in the Soviet Union? How did this popular support increase and decrease with time?
Here is an infographic that sort of summarizes my question. It shows that even at the point of collapse, some 70% of Soviet…
Astor Florida
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30
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6 answers
Besides Magna Carta and general decentralization, what specifically led to democratization in England?
In England, the gradual weakening of the central government (starting with the Magna Carta), and the gradual rights given to nobility slowly pushed England to a democratic form of government. Yet in other countries with a weak central government…
user39
30
votes
12 answers
Why of all units is Time standard?
I'm an American science student, and as such have to constantly fight with the metric and English unit systems. One thing that a couple other students and I were wondering is why, of all the different quantities to measure (length, weight, energy),…
Brandon Myers
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4 answers
In WWII, what were the major differences in tank combat on the eastern and western fronts?
Nearly every nation deployed tanks in World War II. What are some differences in tactics between the eastern front in Russia and Eastern Europe, and the western front in France, the Low Countries, and Germany? On the western front, I'm specifically…
I Like Computurs
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30
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2 answers
Why do the horses on this vase have too many legs?
Why do the horses have too many legs? They appear to have an extra set, why is this?
tox123
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30
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7 answers
Why does Romanian culture have Latin influences?
Romania is located between Bulgaria, Serbia on one side and Ukraine/many Slavic countries on the other. Romanian is however a Romance (Latin) language, and not Slavic. They don't use the Cyrillic alphabet. My impression is also that Romanian culture…
cvr
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1 answer
How much were telegraphists in the 1950s paid?
I'm doing some research for a small project, and am having some difficulty finding information on telegraphists as a whole.
The information I'm trying to find is rather specific, and I can't seem to find it anywhere.
In the 1950s, how much would a…
user8194
30
votes
1 answer
Why are the signatures on the United States Declaration of Independence structured as they are?
When looking at the United States Declaration of Independence its easy to notice that John Hancock's signature is more prominent than the others:
From my readings I know John Hancock did sign one of the published copies later, and being the first…
MichaelF
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30
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5 answers
Why didn't China assist in the Vietnam War like they did in Korea?
In the Korean War (1950 - 1953), China sent in about 1 million troops fairly quickly and actually fought the American and UN forces. In the Vietnam War (1950's - 1975), the only Chinese assistance I could find was a few thousand troops sent to do…
DrZ214
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30
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5 answers
Why did the Japanese expect the United States navy would attack the Home Islands?
Kantai Kessen, the Japanese naval strategy for a Pacific war, amounted to (simplified) "The American fleet will cross the Pacific to attack Japan. At that time, we will engage and defeat them."
Creating a battle plan that depends on the enemy's…
Mark
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