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1500 questions
19
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2 answers
How accurate and detailed were geographical maps created and updated by the Romans?
Knowledge is power, and having superior geographical knowledge vs. your imperialistic enemies and competitors was probably a big advantage in the middle ages. Some specific examples would be knowledge of fast and easy ways for traveling long…
Hauser
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19
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3 answers
Did Lord Acton ever say "freedom faces four major challenges"?
I read a Chinese article that quoted a passage purported to be from Lord Acton, describing how "freedom faces four major challenges". The original Chinese…
Qiulang 邱朗
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19
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4 answers
Why was the Israeli army strong enough to win the 1948 war?
How did the new state of Israel already have an army strong enough to secure a military victory against multiple neighboring armies in 1948?
According to a inadequately cited Wikipedia article, we read that Israel had armament support from a…
Dr. Beeblebrox
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19
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6 answers
Why wasn’t the USSR “rebranded” communist?
I found that the Third International in 1921 sponsored a worldwide transformation of former “socialist” parties (that was concretely related to the rejection of so-called “reformism”, to be somewhat upgraded to a more revolutionary stance, aiming to…
Filippof
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19
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1 answer
Did Benjamin Franklin say "Holland is not a nation but a shop"? Why?
Several letter-writers to (serious) Dutch newspapers have quoted Benjamin Franklin as having said: "Holland is not a nation but a shop". Why did Franklin say this (if he did)? Google finds the above-mentioned newspapers but little else.
Link to NRC…
NL_Derek
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19
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3 answers
Did the Allies try to "bribe" Franco to join them in World War II?
At a meeting in Hendaye, Spain, Franco presented a list of demands to Hitler that the latter would have to meet in order for Spain to formally join the Axis. This included the right to capture and retain Gibraltar, overseas colonies like Morocco…
Tom Au
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19
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3 answers
Where are Genghis Khan's Mongols?
In the 13th century, Mongol hordes invaded most of the known world and Genghis Khan's nobles had strong legacies to rule in China, Iran and Central Asia in the the following centuries. What about the Mongol soldiers and common people in the areas?…
Dagvadorj
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19
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1 answer
What are all fantastic creatures on The Nile mosaic of Palestrina?
The Nile mosaic of Palestrina is a mosaic originally constructed in the ancient Roman age, in Palestrina in Italia. It depicts an imaginary scene from Egypt, showing various fantastical animals, such as a snake with multiple heads, an animal with…
b_jonas
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19
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3 answers
What was the process of early medieval urban development?
Does anybody know of research papers or academic resources that study the full development and growth of medieval cities? I mean, from village stage to city stage. Or maybe cities did not develop that way. I'm trying to know what usually happened,…
JS Rolón
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19
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2 answers
Could the Soviet Union have supported Czechoslovakia primarily by air in 1938?
The Soviet Union was bound by treaty to support Czechoslovakia in 1938. One "sticking point" was that the Soviet Union would have to cross Polish and/or Romanian territory to do so.
Was there a possibility that the Soviet Union would had been able…
Tom Au
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19
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2 answers
What was meant by the protest sign "Bundestag nach Berlin"?
The recent article "The Fall of the Berlin Wall in Photos: An Accident of History That Changed The World" included this image:
captioned, "A mass demonstration against construction of the Berlin Wall on Aug. 16, 1961.Credit...Terry…
StayOnTarget
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19
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2 answers
Why was the "Cave of the Patriarchs" forbidden to Jews?
I just found out a tweet of Ben Shapiro stating the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron was closed to Jews for 700 years. I searched and didn't find any name but this article mentions that
In the late 14th century, the Muslim rulers forbade Jews from…
Nabil Farhan
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19
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4 answers
Is this a Sherman, and if so what model?
A River Oaks, Houston, TX, attorney recently purchased and parked outside his home a fully functional World War Two tank.
Note: The original newspaper article claimed the tank was "fully functional" - but the main gun was disabled by drilling a…
Pieter Geerkens
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19
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2 answers
What is a "staved" town, like in "Staverton"?
I'm researching Staverton, Northampton(shire), England. In the Domesday Book of 1086 it is called Stavertone. According to wikipedia, the meaning of the town name is 'staved" town. I've looked up the definition of stave and can't seem to make it…
Molly Shannon
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19
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7 answers
Why are most of the world's oldest buildings in Europe and not in the Fertile Crescent?
Looking at the list of the world's ten oldest surviving human constructed buildings, many are in Europe while the oldest building in what (with a generous interpretation of the concept) could be called the Fertile Crescent (FC) is at place 21, and…
d-b
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