/r/AskHistorians

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The Blue Mosque in Istanbul has an ostrich egg chandelier at the top of the ceiling to keep spiders out. Does this actually work? Or is this a tradition that derived from something else?

617 upvotes • GetThatWine

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Did Arthur Conan Doyle's 1893 Sherlock Holmes story "The Aventure of the Yellow Face," which expresses approval of interracial marriage and procreation, receive any backlash in the press or in general society at the time it was published?

617 upvotes • ibbity

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The British East India Company was one of the richest companies in human history. So why did it not end up using its riches to rebel against Great Britain and become a fully independent state during the 19th century?

617 upvotes • Bookwu

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What happened in the middle age if one refused to go to church?

617 upvotes • Ok_Nerve7581

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Why is the clock industry so strong in Switzerland?

616 upvotes • brozium

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What led to the NFL ban of Green Bay style community ownership?

616 upvotes • UncleTaco

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When we first saw the earth from high altitude did we have to make any major changes to our world maps?

616 upvotes • miniboy

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Why did the Framers of the U.S. Constitution reject a parliamentary-style government?

616 upvotes • raskolnik

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Repost: In the old days, it seems like dissident aristocrats in exile could just go somewhere and "raise" an army. How exactly would someone raise an army before mass media, telephones, the internet, or the administrative state? Hire mercenaries? Go door to door? Announcement in the town square?

616 upvotes • Vambrosek

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In the movie 'Kingdom of Heaven', we see Saladin picking up a cross and placing it on the altar with respect. Is this kind of behavior accurate? Do we know about explicit displays of respect to Christian symbols by him, or is it an artistic license?

616 upvotes • enlightendark

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
The Blue Mosque in Istanbul has an ostrich egg chandelier at the top of the ceiling to keep spiders out. Does this actually work? Or is this a tradition that derived from something else?	617	GetThatWine
Did Arthur Conan Doyle's 1893 Sherlock Holmes story "The Aventure of the Yellow Face," which expresses approval of interracial marriage and procreation, receive any backlash in the press or in general society at the time it was published?	617	ibbity
The British East India Company was one of the richest companies in human history. So why did it not end up using its riches to rebel against Great Britain and become a fully independent state during the 19th century?	617	Bookwu
What happened in the middle age if one refused to go to church?	617	Ok_Nerve7581
Why is the clock industry so strong in Switzerland?	616	brozium
What led to the NFL ban of Green Bay style community ownership?	616	UncleTaco
When we first saw the earth from high altitude did we have to make any major changes to our world maps?	616	miniboy
Why did the Framers of the U.S. Constitution reject a parliamentary-style government?	616	raskolnik
Repost: In the old days, it seems like dissident aristocrats in exile could just go somewhere and "raise" an army. How exactly would someone raise an army before mass media, telephones, the internet, or the administrative state? Hire mercenaries? Go door to door? Announcement in the town square?	616	Vambrosek
In the movie 'Kingdom of Heaven', we see Saladin picking up a cross and placing it on the altar with respect. Is this kind of behavior accurate? Do we know about explicit displays of respect to Christian symbols by him, or is it an artistic license?	616	enlightendark