Most Popular
1500 questions
20
votes
2 answers
How could Eratosthenes measure the circumference of the Earth?
Some 2,200 years ago, Eratosthenes calculated the radius of the Earth.
A brief recap
Plant a stick in the ground vertically, and wait until the sun is directly above the stick, that is until there is no shadow cast (or as is said to be the case…
IQAndreas
- 309
- 2
- 7
20
votes
3 answers
Buddhists in ancient Alexandria and Rome
I came across this quote in an interview with British philosopher Jonardon Ganeri:
What I would add is that philosophy did not have a single origin, but
many origins around the world, and each of those roots produced
outgrowths of philosophy…
Drux
- 14,438
- 5
- 49
- 109
20
votes
2 answers
When did the cats versus dogs rivalry begin in the US?
In the US people that own pets seem to be pegged as either dog people, or cat people. This cultural phenomenon is so prevalent that Hollywood even made a movie about it.
My question is, when did this rivalry begin in the US?
ihtkwot
- 9,665
- 5
- 61
- 97
20
votes
5 answers
When did the English and Americans realize that vegetables were healthy?
I've recently come across two quotes in very unrelated sources implying that for centuries, the English and their colonial offspring did not appreciate the role of vegetables in a healthy diet.
From "Religion and the Decline of Magic: Studies in…
two sheds
- 18,272
- 3
- 100
- 123
20
votes
4 answers
If modern human existed for hundreds of thousands years why was writing invented only some 7000-9000 years ago?
Linguistic studies indicate that human languages were not that different from modern languages 6000 and 7000 years ago. They had distinguishable sounds, vowels, consonants, syllables, roots and stems and so on.
Biology also indicates that mental…
Anixx
- 32,728
- 13
- 90
- 183
20
votes
9 answers
At the end of WWII, were Nazis working on any other super weapon besides V-2?
At the end of WWII, were Nazis working on anything else besides the V-2? If so, what was it, how close was it to completion, and could it have potentially turn the events around for them?
Eugene
- 628
- 5
- 13
20
votes
8 answers
What does the skull and crossbones on the Nazi uniform represent?
I was watching The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, and I saw this skull and crossbones on this Nazi's cap.
Why is it there? (That is, what does this represent?)
George
- 323
- 1
- 2
- 8
20
votes
1 answer
How did the Allies communicate during World War II?
I was wondering how the allied (America and England, since France was occupied by the Nazis) communicated securely with each other in 1943. I know that the SIGSALY existed, but I am most interested in how Roosevelt's and Churchill's telegrams were…
Hjorthenify
- 303
- 2
- 4
20
votes
4 answers
Why was gold so popular and valuable back when it did not have many real world uses?
I'm talking about back when it was first starting to get discovered, like 2000 B.C. (roughly). Gold was being used for coins, jewellery and more. It was a very well known commodity and accepted generally everywhere. Gold by itself had no real world…
Chantola
- 958
- 8
- 21
20
votes
2 answers
Did King George III turn his back on John Adams and Thomas Jefferson?
After the resolution of the Revolutionary War, John Adams and (later) Thomas Jefferson were diplomatic agents in London. John Adams had been there a while and had previously met the King, apparently amiably.
I happen to be reading American Sphinx…
Bill Nace
- 1,001
- 7
- 14
20
votes
2 answers
What was the legal status of an East German once he had reached West Germany?
Cold War histories usually state something like "any German able to reach West Germany was automatically granted West German citizenship" to explain how easy it was to go from East to West, if only you could get round/across/through the wall.
So…
Tea Drinker
- 11,716
- 7
- 52
- 90
20
votes
1 answer
Why haven't Etruscan texts survived?
In Wikipedia it's claimed that Etruscan Civilization had a rich literature, but only one Etruscan text has survived.
And AFAIK at the same moment we have many Ancient Greeks texts roughly from the same historical period as Etruscans. And we know…
Timofey
- 511
- 2
- 10
20
votes
2 answers
What is the ancestry of the Robertians, progenitors of the Bourbon dynasty?
The countries Spain and Luxembourg are currently ruled by kings from the House of Bourbon, so I thought I'd try to trace their (patrilineal) ancestry as far back as possible. Well, the Bourbons are descended from the Capetian dynasty, which in turn…
Keshav Srinivasan
- 2,579
- 2
- 18
- 32
20
votes
2 answers
Has the United States ever been formally condemned by the United Nations?
Presumably, due to its veto power, the United States has never been condemned by the UN Security Council, but has it has it ever been formally condemned by another UN governing body, like the General Assembly?
If so, what was it for? How did the US…
user162
20
votes
4 answers
Why did Allied invasion of France occur only in 1944 and not earlier?
Stalin (quite understandably) had demanded that the Allies open a Second Front as early as 1942, yet this did not happen till June 1944. Why did it have to wait till so late?
user3521