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70
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8 answers
Has an individual ever purchased an entire country?
At any point in history, has an individual ever purchased an entire country - using their private wealth?
Specifically, I'm looking for any examples of somebody who has purchased an entire already-existing country - not simply buying significant…
Bilkokuya
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Why did Churchill order the destruction of the bombes?
I've read several claims that Churchill ordered the destruction of the Bombe code-breaking machines, but I don't really understand the motivation for it. Can you explain it to me, or give a reference?
If you, as a nation, have the capability to…
KlaymenDK
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What knowledge may have been lost at the Library of Alexandria?
Of course we'll never know for sure, but do historians have some reasonable ideas about what knowledge may have been lost at the Library of Serapeum of Alexandria, when it was destroyed by the Decree of Theodosius in 391?
From the movie "Agora" it…
JYelton
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69
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3 answers
Did slaves have slaves?
Was there anywhere in history where the enslaved were able to enslave others?
Was there a slave hierarchy?
I read the slavery wikipedia entry, it mentions that in various cultures people retained some rights while enslaved.
But was there anywhere in…
Amethyst Wizard
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68
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3 answers
How and when did the word "nuclear" replace the word "atomic"?
In the early "Atomic Age", nuclear technology was generally termed "atomic" in English. There was "A-bomb", "atomic reactor" and "Atomic Energy Commission".
But over time the word "nuclear" gained ascendance. Nowadays it is used almost exclusively,…
b.Lorenz
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68
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4 answers
Identify the era or any other clues from this soldier's picture?
I am going through my parents' photo box and found this. I don't think it's a relative. Right breast says "Ritchie" and it looks like left says "USARMY". The marking on the back says "Myself at Iujin-ni," or something like that in cursive…
cfl
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68
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5 answers
Did World War II-era bombs actually whistle?
In WWII-era films and newsreels, aerial bombs are often shown making a whistling sound as they fall; starting high pitched, then decreasing as the bomb approaches the Earth (example here, starting at about 0:50). I also remember it being mimicked in…
Garrett Albright
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5 answers
Why didn't Roman emperors have harems?
Harems were common in the Orient; the Chinese emperor, the Ottoman sultan, and the Mongol emperor all had many wives.
Roman Emperors did not have a similar custom. Why is the harem common in the Orient, but not in the Western world? What…
user4234
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10 answers
Why did the Western Roman Empire collapse but not the Eastern Roman Empire?
There were several crises in the “late” Roman Empire.
For once, the crisis of the Republic, which resulted in the creation of Principat and later Dominat. This crisis may be related to the fact that due to an end of territorial expansion, the…
mzuba
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66
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7 answers
What damage did anti-tank rifles hope to inflict on tanks in WW2?
Initially I was surprised to learn that such a thing as an anti-tank rifle even exists. It seems a ludicrous idea to try to shoot a tank with a rifle.
But let's suppose that the bullet really hits a lucky velocity/angle combination and penetrates…
Martin Drozdik
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5 answers
How did Israel win the Six-Day War?
Considering Israel fought several Arab countries, which had troops largely outnumbering the Israeli, how did they manage to win the war decisively, with much fewer casualties than the Arab countries?
The Wikipedia page also lists Israel is the the…
Orion
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64
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12 answers
Have there been any countries that voted themselves out of existence?
I'm interested in countries that voted themselves out of existence because they believe that joining another country is best for them (see e.g. world government). For example, say New Zealand votes to join Australia, becoming Australia's seventh…
Allure
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63
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4 answers
Why did stock brokers go bankrupt after the crash of 1929?
If the sole purpose of a broker is simply to buy and sell for others, why would they go bankrupt in the stock market crash? It's not like they have money invested in the cause, they just play with other people's money (or am I misunderstanding?)
Jordan
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63
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Is it true that slavery was endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa previous to the establishment of the trans-Atlantic slave trade?
Stefan Molyneux claims in The Truth About The Crusades that:
Islam dominated slave trade between the 7th and the 15th century,
while the Christians entered the market of human flesh much later -
1519 to 1815 is the period of Christian slave…
Luís Henrique
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When has a sovereign state last given territory to another as a gift?
There is a very popular ongoing Norwegian petition to give Finland a mountaintop for the 100th anniversary of its independence (6 December 2017), by moving the border a short distance. The barren northern rock is of no particular interest to…
Anko
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