/r/askhistorians

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A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down! In Mary Poppins, the eponymous nanny declares, "people that get their feet wet must learn to take their medicine". What sort of medicine would a nanny dose their wards with as a cold prevention measure in 1910?

313 upvotes • pricklypearanoid

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If I wash my dishes by only wiping them with a cloth until they look mostly clean, what time period of hygiene have I gone back to?

313 upvotes • blerpbloopbleep

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As a child in the early 90s, I clearly recall a common refrain by my parents' generation: "Videogames will rot your brain!" Often, a nearly literal meaning was implied. Given the pervasiveness of this very specific wording, was there a well-known, influential spreader of this idea in the 1980s/90s?

313 upvotes • JJVMT

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Did the Confederacy only survive for as long as it did because of British aid?

313 upvotes • Accomplished-Will-23

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Why and how did Taiwan become the worldwide leader in semiconductors manufacturing?

313 upvotes • Hm90_91

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does the WWII myth of "town liberating itself by celebrating too early" actually hold any water?

313 upvotes • Minevira

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A 1992 US federal law banned sports betting everywhere but Nevada. Why was Nevada able to evade the ban? Did other states complain about this exception, or were they largely happy to export the gambling industry to Las Vegas?

313 upvotes • RusticBohemian

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The Great Flair Drive of '13

313 upvotes • Artrw

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Were shields in the Medieval era really painted with the heraldric symbol of a lord the soldier belonged to?

313 upvotes • Enleat

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In 'Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914', Chris Clarke mentions that prior to the war France considered an offensive attack against Germany through Belgium, but dropped it when the British said that in such a case they would not intervene on the side of France. Is this true?

313 upvotes • mabelleamie

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down! In Mary Poppins, the eponymous nanny declares, "people that get their feet wet must learn to take their medicine". What sort of medicine would a nanny dose their wards with as a cold prevention measure in 1910?	313	pricklypearanoid
If I wash my dishes by only wiping them with a cloth until they look mostly clean, what time period of hygiene have I gone back to?	313	blerpbloopbleep
As a child in the early 90s, I clearly recall a common refrain by my parents' generation: "Videogames will rot your brain!" Often, a nearly literal meaning was implied. Given the pervasiveness of this very specific wording, was there a well-known, influential spreader of this idea in the 1980s/90s?	313	JJVMT
Did the Confederacy only survive for as long as it did because of British aid?	313	Accomplished-Will-23
Why and how did Taiwan become the worldwide leader in semiconductors manufacturing?	313	Hm90_91
does the WWII myth of "town liberating itself by celebrating too early" actually hold any water?	313	Minevira
A 1992 US federal law banned sports betting everywhere but Nevada. Why was Nevada able to evade the ban? Did other states complain about this exception, or were they largely happy to export the gambling industry to Las Vegas?	313	RusticBohemian
The Great Flair Drive of '13	313	Artrw
Were shields in the Medieval era really painted with the heraldric symbol of a lord the soldier belonged to?	313	Enleat
In 'Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914', Chris Clarke mentions that prior to the war France considered an offensive attack against Germany through Belgium, but dropped it when the British said that in such a case they would not intervene on the side of France. Is this true?	313	mabelleamie