/r/askhistorians

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Purple was a rare, expensive dye. Did ancient people ever mix blue and red dyes for the same effect?

3151 upvotes • r4pt0r_SPQR

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It is known that "in 1886, King Kalakaua and the King of Persia wrote letters to each other." What relationship did the Persian and Hawaiian Kingdoms have?

3144 upvotes • kalashahwa

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How did Native Americans in Canada survive the massive snow dumps and -20/-30 degree weather?

3143 upvotes • RainApple

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I am a German farmer in the mid 1800's that wants to move to the New World for "a better life". How do I choose which country to emigrate to? What advantages/disadvantages do Canada, the USA, Brazil, and Argentina have that would make me choose one over the other?

3143 upvotes • OswaldoBolland

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In 1966, Beijing's Red Guards seized, "denounced", and destroyed the 350-year-old corpse of the Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Do we know what the corpse was accused of?

3141 upvotes • Ormond-Is-Here

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American history education has a quirk where it "jumps" from the earliest settler colonies (Jamestown, Plymouth, etc.) to the Colonial Era and the Revolutionary War. What exactly happened in between these two major "episodes"? Explanations on native peoples, slaves, etc. are greatly appreciated.

3141 upvotes • Negative-Ad-9531

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When Pope Francis was asked whether the Zika outbreak justifies contraceptive use, he mentioned that Paul VI had allowed nuns in the Belgian Congo to use contraceptives in case they were raped (1960s). Who were these nuns? What was going on in the Congo?

3139 upvotes • textandtrowel

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I have always wondered how the neutral mini countries of Europe (Monaco, San Marino, Vatican, Liechtenstein, Andorra) did in WWII, especially those completely surrounded by the Axis!

3139 upvotes • Trantor1970

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I believe it has been twenty years now. How did the Republicans red, Democrats blue party colours come about?

3137 upvotes • D-Juice

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"In those days, "surgeons operated in blood-stiffened frock coats – the stiffer the coat, the prouder the busy surgeon", "pus was as inseparable from surgery as blood", and "Cleanliness was next to prudishness"" How would this make sense in the light of the miasma theory? Wouldnt everything reek?

3136 upvotes • JaBiDaRadim

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Purple was a rare, expensive dye. Did ancient people ever mix blue and red dyes for the same effect?	3151	r4pt0r_SPQR
It is known that "in 1886, King Kalakaua and the King of Persia wrote letters to each other." What relationship did the Persian and Hawaiian Kingdoms have?	3144	kalashahwa
How did Native Americans in Canada survive the massive snow dumps and -20/-30 degree weather?	3143	RainApple
I am a German farmer in the mid 1800's that wants to move to the New World for "a better life". How do I choose which country to emigrate to? What advantages/disadvantages do Canada, the USA, Brazil, and Argentina have that would make me choose one over the other?	3143	OswaldoBolland
In 1966, Beijing's Red Guards seized, "denounced", and destroyed the 350-year-old corpse of the Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Do we know what the corpse was accused of?	3141	Ormond-Is-Here
American history education has a quirk where it "jumps" from the earliest settler colonies (Jamestown, Plymouth, etc.) to the Colonial Era and the Revolutionary War. What exactly happened in between these two major "episodes"? Explanations on native peoples, slaves, etc. are greatly appreciated.	3141	Negative-Ad-9531
When Pope Francis was asked whether the Zika outbreak justifies contraceptive use, he mentioned that Paul VI had allowed nuns in the Belgian Congo to use contraceptives in case they were raped (1960s). Who were these nuns? What was going on in the Congo?	3139	textandtrowel
I have always wondered how the neutral mini countries of Europe (Monaco, San Marino, Vatican, Liechtenstein, Andorra) did in WWII, especially those completely surrounded by the Axis!	3139	Trantor1970
I believe it has been twenty years now. How did the Republicans red, Democrats blue party colours come about?	3137	D-Juice
"In those days, "surgeons operated in blood-stiffened frock coats – the stiffer the coat, the prouder the busy surgeon", "pus was as inseparable from surgery as blood", and "Cleanliness was next to prudishness"" How would this make sense in the light of the miasma theory? Wouldnt everything reek?	3136	JaBiDaRadim