/r/askhistorians

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In Machiavelli’s “The Prince,” he refers to the benefits of establishing colonies in newly conquered territories. In his day and age, what would he have meant by colonies, and were there any contemporary examples of such a practice?

3210 upvotes • Kilikia

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Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver is considered one of the best movies ever made. But Scorsese said he had trouble finding work after he made it, and was sort of blacklisted as a director. What happened to turn this critically-acclaimed movie into a career hurdle for him?

3209 upvotes • RusticBohemian

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Have bathrooms always be segregated by gender? If not, when did this practice begin?

3207 upvotes • thentherewerelimes

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[NSFW] Mozart wrote "Leck mich im Arsch" ("Lick me in the arse") in 1782. Are there any historical references to eating ass that appear earlier than Mozart's? NSFW

3204 upvotes • seeingyouanew

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The Roman founding myth seems to be directly related to their pagan religion ( Romulus/Remus + Aeneas/Dido etc.). Once the Empire was predominantly Christian, how did they come to terms with their pagan origins? Did they change their founding myth?

3203 upvotes • istami

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Homer Simpson said "I feel like St. Augustine of Hippo after his conversion by Ambrose of Milan". However, Augustine says his conversion was a miracle which happened when he was alone. Is Homer wrong, or does the credit really go to Ambrose (and the "miracle" was just a rhetorical creation)?

3202 upvotes • fan_of_the_pikachu

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What role did a ‘village idiot’ play in the society of the time?

3200 upvotes • Serotoninmonkey

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When and why did ‘blue’ become the dominant colour for pens?

3199 upvotes • trinerr

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In Crusader Kings 2, rulers sign a truce after the end of a war, preventing them from fighting each other for a few years. However, if one of the leaders who signed it dies, it is immediatly rendered null and void. Did it work this way in the High Middle Ages?

3194 upvotes • Gwenzao

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If I thought there was an open 'niche' in my local economy in the Soviet Union, how would I go about filling it? For example, if I thought my town or city needed or wanted a Mexican restaurant, was there any mechanism to open one?

3194 upvotes • jurble

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
In Machiavelli’s “The Prince,” he refers to the benefits of establishing colonies in newly conquered territories. In his day and age, what would he have meant by colonies, and were there any contemporary examples of such a practice?	3210	Kilikia
Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver is considered one of the best movies ever made. But Scorsese said he had trouble finding work after he made it, and was sort of blacklisted as a director. What happened to turn this critically-acclaimed movie into a career hurdle for him?	3209	RusticBohemian
Have bathrooms always be segregated by gender? If not, when did this practice begin?	3207	thentherewerelimes
[NSFW] Mozart wrote "Leck mich im Arsch" ("Lick me in the arse") in 1782. Are there any historical references to eating ass that appear earlier than Mozart's? NSFW	3204	seeingyouanew
The Roman founding myth seems to be directly related to their pagan religion ( Romulus/Remus + Aeneas/Dido etc.). Once the Empire was predominantly Christian, how did they come to terms with their pagan origins? Did they change their founding myth?	3203	istami
Homer Simpson said "I feel like St. Augustine of Hippo after his conversion by Ambrose of Milan". However, Augustine says his conversion was a miracle which happened when he was alone. Is Homer wrong, or does the credit really go to Ambrose (and the "miracle" was just a rhetorical creation)?	3202	fan_of_the_pikachu
What role did a ‘village idiot’ play in the society of the time?	3200	Serotoninmonkey
When and why did ‘blue’ become the dominant colour for pens?	3199	trinerr
In Crusader Kings 2, rulers sign a truce after the end of a war, preventing them from fighting each other for a few years. However, if one of the leaders who signed it dies, it is immediatly rendered null and void. Did it work this way in the High Middle Ages?	3194	Gwenzao
If I thought there was an open 'niche' in my local economy in the Soviet Union, how would I go about filling it? For example, if I thought my town or city needed or wanted a Mexican restaurant, was there any mechanism to open one?	3194	jurble