/r/askhistorians

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John Wilkes Booth wasn't from any of the Confederate states. Why was he such a fanatical supporter of the southern cause?

3051 upvotes • Jerswar

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The Chinese and Persian zodiacs are identical, except the latter swaps the dragon for a whale. What is the origin of this cultural link?

3051 upvotes • TendingTheirGarden

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How would an ordinary ~$20 knife from a sporting good store compare to a knife from say the 1300 A.D. in terms of quality, workmanship, and how well it could hold an edge?

3050 upvotes • Moress

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The Romans began the use of Glass windows but it was abandoned for centuries and it was over a millennium before it was common again. Why was the technology abandoned in the first place?

3048 upvotes • georgiaraisef

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How did 18 emerge as the standard age of adulthood in most of the world?

3048 upvotes • Clashin_Creepers

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What might happen if during segregation a ‘white’ person used facilities designated for ‘colored’ people?

3047 upvotes • Taiwanderful

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How did people deal with sunburn during medieval times?

3047 upvotes • KingfisherM

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It’s to my understanding that in the Middle Ages, many rural peoples in Europe still continued practices from old pagan religions and incorporated them into Christianity. Did early Muslims also incorporate practices and beliefs from their former religions into Islam? What did it look like?

3047 upvotes • Gothic-Wendigo

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Did the ancient Norse believe that the other realms (Asgard, Jotunnheim, etc.) were other planets like in the Marvel movies, other "planes" like in D&D, physical places that you could get to by conventional means (albeit with difficulty) or something else entirely?

3043 upvotes • KingAlfredOfEngland

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Looking through antique firearms history (1880-1920s), there appears to be an enormous variety in pocket and novelty pistols, primarily for the European market. Were European cities full of pedestrians packing (underpowered) heat, or were these guns primarily for asthetics/upper class display?

3043 upvotes • Catfishbandit999

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
John Wilkes Booth wasn't from any of the Confederate states. Why was he such a fanatical supporter of the southern cause?	3051	Jerswar
The Chinese and Persian zodiacs are identical, except the latter swaps the dragon for a whale. What is the origin of this cultural link?	3051	TendingTheirGarden
How would an ordinary ~$20 knife from a sporting good store compare to a knife from say the 1300 A.D. in terms of quality, workmanship, and how well it could hold an edge?	3050	Moress
The Romans began the use of Glass windows but it was abandoned for centuries and it was over a millennium before it was common again. Why was the technology abandoned in the first place?	3048	georgiaraisef
How did 18 emerge as the standard age of adulthood in most of the world?	3048	Clashin_Creepers
What might happen if during segregation a ‘white’ person used facilities designated for ‘colored’ people?	3047	Taiwanderful
How did people deal with sunburn during medieval times?	3047	KingfisherM
It’s to my understanding that in the Middle Ages, many rural peoples in Europe still continued practices from old pagan religions and incorporated them into Christianity. Did early Muslims also incorporate practices and beliefs from their former religions into Islam? What did it look like?	3047	Gothic-Wendigo
Did the ancient Norse believe that the other realms (Asgard, Jotunnheim, etc.) were other planets like in the Marvel movies, other "planes" like in D&D, physical places that you could get to by conventional means (albeit with difficulty) or something else entirely?	3043	KingAlfredOfEngland
Looking through antique firearms history (1880-1920s), there appears to be an enormous variety in pocket and novelty pistols, primarily for the European market. Were European cities full of pedestrians packing (underpowered) heat, or were these guns primarily for asthetics/upper class display?	3043	Catfishbandit999