/r/askhistorians

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Mehmed the Conqueror was planning to conquer Rome itself when he died unexpectedly in 1481. But was it just a pipe dream, or was the Ottoman army/diplomatic situation really strong enough to conquer Rome?

333 upvotes • Lithide

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Was there really a chinese genocide in Mexico during the revolution?

333 upvotes • Frigorifico

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I have an enduring memory, of a stereotypical Castle moat with Crocodiles in it, where does that stereotype originate and did it ever happen?

333 upvotes • DiscoTony

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What are the origins behind the phrase “how could we sleep while our beds are burning?”

333 upvotes • CircleGuy

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How was Julius Caesar able to invest the Gauls at Alesia with two rings of walls in so little time without being attacked?

333 upvotes • bringbackswordduels

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In the "Puttin' on the Ritz" song by Fred Astaire in the 1930s there is a line that says "high hats and colored collars, white spats and 15 dollars". Was 15 dollars actually a lot of money to carry around back then, and what could it buy you?

333 upvotes • Botany102

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Callery Pear trees are infamous for their fishy-smelling blossoms. With that in mind, whose bright idea was it to make them one of the most popular ornamental trees in the US and why did everyone go along with it?

333 upvotes • LibraryLass

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Why is there still a Sunni Shia divide?

333 upvotes • dispatcher_22Z

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How would US troops in the Civil War era have compared to European troops in the same era (Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian wars)?

332 upvotes • dyslexda

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When a new king acceded to the throne, did he keep the previous king's harem for his ...use, or did he get rid of them and gather a new one?

332 upvotes • narwhal_

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Mehmed the Conqueror was planning to conquer Rome itself when he died unexpectedly in 1481. But was it just a pipe dream, or was the Ottoman army/diplomatic situation really strong enough to conquer Rome?	333	Lithide
Was there really a chinese genocide in Mexico during the revolution?	333	Frigorifico
I have an enduring memory, of a stereotypical Castle moat with Crocodiles in it, where does that stereotype originate and did it ever happen?	333	DiscoTony
What are the origins behind the phrase “how could we sleep while our beds are burning?”	333	CircleGuy
How was Julius Caesar able to invest the Gauls at Alesia with two rings of walls in so little time without being attacked?	333	bringbackswordduels
In the "Puttin' on the Ritz" song by Fred Astaire in the 1930s there is a line that says "high hats and colored collars, white spats and 15 dollars". Was 15 dollars actually a lot of money to carry around back then, and what could it buy you?	333	Botany102
Callery Pear trees are infamous for their fishy-smelling blossoms. With that in mind, whose bright idea was it to make them one of the most popular ornamental trees in the US and why did everyone go along with it?	333	LibraryLass
Why is there still a Sunni Shia divide?	333	dispatcher_22Z
How would US troops in the Civil War era have compared to European troops in the same era (Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian wars)?	332	dyslexda
When a new king acceded to the throne, did he keep the previous king's harem for his ...use, or did he get rid of them and gather a new one?	332	narwhal_