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1500 questions
28
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2 answers
What is the origin of the "wheat and chessboard" legend?
The "wheat and chessboard" fable describes a geometric problem that is often quoted in stories about the invention of chess. According to Wikipedia, the main theme of the fable is:
When the creator of the game of chess (in some tellings an ancient…
yannis
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When did songs extolling leaders of companies go out of fashion?
When recently visiting Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA I came across an exhibit called "Songs of the IBM". It's from 1930s and has a song called "Ever onward" which extols then IBM President T.J Watson. It was regularly sung by…
Abhilash
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28
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Why were slave owners even offered compensation via the 1837 Act if they'd lost the power in parliament to stop abolition in 1833?
The British government paid out £20 million to slave owners in 1837 as compensation for the loss of the slaves as business assets to the registered owners of the freed slaves. There seems to be plenty of documentation on the fact that it happened…
ian
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Why did Peter the Great name Saint Petersburg, Russia with a foreign styled name?
When Peter the Great of Russia established Saint Petersburg he originally called it Sankt-Pieter-Burch (Сан(к)т-Питер-Бурхъ) in Dutch manner. Later, under apparent German influence it was changed to Sankt-Peterburg (Санкт-Петербу́ргъ).
Is it known…
Fred
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28
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3 answers
Were Soviets invited to the Marshall Islands to observe the first hydrogen bomb detonations?
In 1952, did the US invite, or consider inviting, Russian scientist to observe the detonation of the first hydrogen bomb? These were above-ground tests far away from Russian in the Marshall Islands, and thus not detectable with seismographs. How was…
user312440
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Why did Roman women have no praenomen?
In a recent question it was noted, as is well known, that Roman girls were not given praenomen, but took the feminine form of their father's gens - eg Valeria, Cornelia. I have even read the assertion that they did not "need" individual given names,…
TheHonRose
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28
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6 answers
Why is the late Russian Empire associated with Byzantium while having little in common with it?
I have started reading the book A people's tragedy by Orlando Figes about the Russian revolution. I am no historian, however having read a few pages I have a few questions about the repeated comparison of some facets of the pre-revolutionary Russian…
Sinusx
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28
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1 answer
Could George I (of Great Britain) speak English?
Web based sources differ wildly in stating how well King George I could speak English. Brittanica says:
Since he could not speak English, he communicated with his ministers in French.
Wikipedia, in its own inimitable way, waters this down quite a…
Spencer
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28
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4 answers
How would a family travel from Indiana to Texas in 1911?
What trails and/or travel modes would an Indiana farm family--2 adults, 4 children-- use to get to Texas in 1911? I can find detailed information about traveling East to West, but I have found nothing to show travel from North to South other than…
Patricia
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3 answers
Were Alexander the Great and Hephaestion lovers?
Were Alexander the Great and Hephaestion lovers?
Since there are no historical shreds of evidence that Alexander regarded Hephaestion as someone more than a friend, are the modern claims only based on the fact that said he was only "defeated by…
Tapi
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28
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10 answers
Were there military operations that targeted individual enemy commanders?
Operation Vengeance (1943) was a US military operation aimed specifically to kill Japanese Admiral Yamamoto.
It looks like something weird in contemporary era: are there any similar military operations (conducted by regular military services, I…
Filippof
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7 answers
Was Japan known to be a potential threat to the USA in the 10 year period prior to 1941
In the years leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack, did non-military Americans see Japan as a potential threat to the USA?
user1605665
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1 answer
Why so many early temples on Malta?
Why is there such a concentration of early neolithic temples on Malta?
Seven world heritage sites, plus several other significant locations (see Megalithic Temples of Malta) adds up to a lot of temple tons per Malta's 316 square kilometers. That's…
tobuslieven
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Are there precedents of 'I am not a racist' from US Presidents?
Prior to Trump, has a US President ever explicitly denied being a racist?
lemon
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28
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4 answers
Why didn't the British Grand Fleet force an engagement with the German Imperial Navy in WW1?
I'm watching the channel The Great War on YouTube, which documents the goings on of the First World War week by week (careful, it's addictive and there are literally hundreds of episodes).
It is my understanding that the British Grand Fleet was, in…
fgysin
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