/r/askhistorians

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An estimated 70-95% of polio cases were asymptomatic. Was this understood by the general public during polio outbreaks? Were asymptomatic people quarantined? Did people dismiss polio as "most cases have no symptoms"?

3321 upvotes • NATOrocket

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Roosevelt used the WPA and U.S. Forest Service to plant a wall of trees from the Great Plains to Texas to slow the growth of the dust bowl. How successful was this initiative, and where are these trees today?

3321 upvotes • RusticBohemian

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If you were a commoner, would it have been better to live in 500 BC Rome, or in 1000 AD Britan?

3320 upvotes • Chimerical_Entity

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The United States and the Holy Roman Empire co-existed for 30 years. What kind of relationship (if any) did the two nations have?

3317 upvotes • ImperialRedGuard

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The Versailles treaty's article 246 concerns the delivery of a human skull. What happened with it?

3315 upvotes • cavetroglodyt

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In U.S. television situation comedies (sitcoms) from the 50s, 60s, and early 70s, there is a common trope of a male office worker inviting his boss to a homecooked dinner with the ultimate goal of asking for a raise or currying favor for a promotion. Did this really happen? If so, how common was it?

3314 upvotes • taeyoungwoo

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There was a time when everyone smoked cigarettes because the dangers of smoking hadn't been discovered yet. But did the public have any idea that cigarettes produced negative health effects? How did they explain away coughing fits and other respiratory problems associated with smoking regularly?

3311 upvotes • racedogg2

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In "Back to the Future III" the protagonists modify a locomotive to reach a speed of 88 mph. What was a realistic top speed for a locomotive in 1885?

3310 upvotes • anthropology_nerd

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I'm the 13-year-old daughter of farmers in a remote 13th-century German village. There are about 10 men of roughly my age to choose from. Am I excited about the prospect of "courtship" and getting married, or am I feeling pretty blase about the whole thing? Is marriage just another chore?

3310 upvotes • RusticBohemian

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If I were a Nazi soldier, or even an SS officer, during WWII, would it be possible to have had zero knowledge of the extermination camps?

3309 upvotes • ThePillThePatch

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
An estimated 70-95% of polio cases were asymptomatic. Was this understood by the general public during polio outbreaks? Were asymptomatic people quarantined? Did people dismiss polio as "most cases have no symptoms"?	3321	NATOrocket
Roosevelt used the WPA and U.S. Forest Service to plant a wall of trees from the Great Plains to Texas to slow the growth of the dust bowl. How successful was this initiative, and where are these trees today?	3321	RusticBohemian
If you were a commoner, would it have been better to live in 500 BC Rome, or in 1000 AD Britan?	3320	Chimerical_Entity
The United States and the Holy Roman Empire co-existed for 30 years. What kind of relationship (if any) did the two nations have?	3317	ImperialRedGuard
The Versailles treaty's article 246 concerns the delivery of a human skull. What happened with it?	3315	cavetroglodyt
In U.S. television situation comedies (sitcoms) from the 50s, 60s, and early 70s, there is a common trope of a male office worker inviting his boss to a homecooked dinner with the ultimate goal of asking for a raise or currying favor for a promotion. Did this really happen? If so, how common was it?	3314	taeyoungwoo
There was a time when everyone smoked cigarettes because the dangers of smoking hadn't been discovered yet. But did the public have any idea that cigarettes produced negative health effects? How did they explain away coughing fits and other respiratory problems associated with smoking regularly?	3311	racedogg2
In "Back to the Future III" the protagonists modify a locomotive to reach a speed of 88 mph. What was a realistic top speed for a locomotive in 1885?	3310	anthropology_nerd
I'm the 13-year-old daughter of farmers in a remote 13th-century German village. There are about 10 men of roughly my age to choose from. Am I excited about the prospect of "courtship" and getting married, or am I feeling pretty blase about the whole thing? Is marriage just another chore?	3310	RusticBohemian
If I were a Nazi soldier, or even an SS officer, during WWII, would it be possible to have had zero knowledge of the extermination camps?	3309	ThePillThePatch