/r/AskHistorians

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Allied troops always wanted to capture a German Luger as a war trophy during WWII. Is there anything that German or Japanese Troops wanted to take home as a war trophy?

3708 upvotes • Temujin-KhanPV

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Did Benjamin Franklin really say "We need a revolution every 200 years, because all governments become stale and corrupt after 200 years.”?

3704 upvotes • ECO_nomics

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The US Government Has Not Successfully Prosecuted A Major Antitrust Case Since the United States v. AT&T in 1984. Why is this?

3702 upvotes • CriticalGoku

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Battles in Mesoamerica often used religious artifacts and in some cases "Owl Men" who would cast magic onto the battle field. The Owl Men were even sent against Cortes. What exactly would these mystics do to cast their spells and how did it tie into the religion?

3702 upvotes • Chicano_Ducky

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My father grew up in New York City in the 1960s, and tells stories about visiting a futuristic automatic cafeteria or “automat,” which was basically a room-sized vending machine for full cooked meals. What accounted for the rise and fall of the automat, and what was a typical meal like?

3701 upvotes • ZnSaucier

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Why did Hitler not crush the British army when he had it surrounded and cut off at Dunkirk?

3689 upvotes • Wilko2324

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I just read that, when they tested the atomic bomb, there was a belief it might light the atmosphere on fire. If they believed this, why did they still test it?

3686 upvotes • CatatonicTaterTot

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Bill James said that Donald Trump is the most crude and vulgar President since Harry Truman. What about Truman was so vulgar and did he have a reputation for being particularly uncouth among his contemporaries?

3682 upvotes • Yeangster

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Why did former Chinese coins have a squared hole in the center? Was it just for the purpose of making it harder to produce and counterfeit them or did it serve another purpose as well?

3680 upvotes • russischerrabauke

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I heard recently that the majority of what people believe about Satan, the devil, etc is actually from the works of Dante and that even many Christians believe things about Satan that aren't actually referenced in biblical texts. How accurate is this and what are examples?

3680 upvotes • MachineElfOnASheIf

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Allied troops always wanted to capture a German Luger as a war trophy during WWII. Is there anything that German or Japanese Troops wanted to take home as a war trophy?	3708	Temujin-KhanPV
Did Benjamin Franklin really say "We need a revolution every 200 years, because all governments become stale and corrupt after 200 years.”?	3704	ECO_nomics
The US Government Has Not Successfully Prosecuted A Major Antitrust Case Since the United States v. AT&T in 1984. Why is this?	3702	CriticalGoku
Battles in Mesoamerica often used religious artifacts and in some cases "Owl Men" who would cast magic onto the battle field. The Owl Men were even sent against Cortes. What exactly would these mystics do to cast their spells and how did it tie into the religion?	3702	Chicano_Ducky
My father grew up in New York City in the 1960s, and tells stories about visiting a futuristic automatic cafeteria or “automat,” which was basically a room-sized vending machine for full cooked meals. What accounted for the rise and fall of the automat, and what was a typical meal like?	3701	ZnSaucier
Why did Hitler not crush the British army when he had it surrounded and cut off at Dunkirk?	3689	Wilko2324
I just read that, when they tested the atomic bomb, there was a belief it might light the atmosphere on fire. If they believed this, why did they still test it?	3686	CatatonicTaterTot
Bill James said that Donald Trump is the most crude and vulgar President since Harry Truman. What about Truman was so vulgar and did he have a reputation for being particularly uncouth among his contemporaries?	3682	Yeangster
Why did former Chinese coins have a squared hole in the center? Was it just for the purpose of making it harder to produce and counterfeit them or did it serve another purpose as well?	3680	russischerrabauke
I heard recently that the majority of what people believe about Satan, the devil, etc is actually from the works of Dante and that even many Christians believe things about Satan that aren't actually referenced in biblical texts. How accurate is this and what are examples?	3680	MachineElfOnASheIf