/r/askhistorians

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Before Hitler and the Nazi's, was there another go-to historical "worst person ever"?

2942 upvotes • MaxThrustage

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1 Corinthian 11:2-6 says that “every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head,” In modern day, barely any Christian European women wear headscarves. How did this practice fade away and what changed to allow it to be let go?

2940 upvotes • banaza715

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It’s reported that Martha Washington said hosting Thomas Jefferson at Mount Vernon was the second-most horrible day of her life, after burying her husband. Do we know what he did during that visit to garner that kind of response?

2940 upvotes • IamNotPersephone

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In Peanuts, an unseen adult character is shown to GREATLY overreact to the institution of zip codes. Was this reflective of a real thought process that people had at the time or just something that Charles Schulz thought was funny?

2940 upvotes • hannahstohelit

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Why did Islam adopt Jewish dietary habits and circumcision, while Christianity, which had a closer relationship to Judaism, rejected them?

2939 upvotes • [deleted]

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In the movie Mulan, Mulan's dad is supposed to be inscripted into the army despite having an obvious disability from a previous military combat. Would the Chinese army have specialized use for men of military age that were not physically in fighting shape?

2939 upvotes • Th3DoughB0y

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In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo describes yams as "a man's crop." Coco-yams, beans, and cassava are "women's crops," according to the character. Could someone elaborate on the gender distinctions between crops in 19th century Nigeria?

2939 upvotes • bodombeachbod

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Racism is often given as the answer as to why the U.S. banned marijuana. What is the reason(s) virtually the entire world had it banned?

2938 upvotes • huevosgrandote

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How much nicer would the environment have been during medieval times in places like Europe?

2938 upvotes • Utter_Fiend

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Modern people tend to look back on Greek mythology and poke fun at the promiscuity of Gods, such as Zeus's chronic adultory. Was this abnormal even for the era where this lore came to be? Was monogamy widespread among this society, or were they as lax as their Gods?

2936 upvotes • 2ii2ky

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Before Hitler and the Nazi's, was there another go-to historical "worst person ever"?	2942	MaxThrustage
1 Corinthian 11:2-6 says that “every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head,” In modern day, barely any Christian European women wear headscarves. How did this practice fade away and what changed to allow it to be let go?	2940	banaza715
It’s reported that Martha Washington said hosting Thomas Jefferson at Mount Vernon was the second-most horrible day of her life, after burying her husband. Do we know what he did during that visit to garner that kind of response?	2940	IamNotPersephone
In Peanuts, an unseen adult character is shown to GREATLY overreact to the institution of zip codes. Was this reflective of a real thought process that people had at the time or just something that Charles Schulz thought was funny?	2940	hannahstohelit
Why did Islam adopt Jewish dietary habits and circumcision, while Christianity, which had a closer relationship to Judaism, rejected them?	2939	[deleted]
In the movie Mulan, Mulan's dad is supposed to be inscripted into the army despite having an obvious disability from a previous military combat. Would the Chinese army have specialized use for men of military age that were not physically in fighting shape?	2939	Th3DoughB0y
In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo describes yams as "a man's crop." Coco-yams, beans, and cassava are "women's crops," according to the character. Could someone elaborate on the gender distinctions between crops in 19th century Nigeria?	2939	bodombeachbod
Racism is often given as the answer as to why the U.S. banned marijuana. What is the reason(s) virtually the entire world had it banned?	2938	huevosgrandote
How much nicer would the environment have been during medieval times in places like Europe?	2938	Utter_Fiend
Modern people tend to look back on Greek mythology and poke fun at the promiscuity of Gods, such as Zeus's chronic adultory. Was this abnormal even for the era where this lore came to be? Was monogamy widespread among this society, or were they as lax as their Gods?	2936	2ii2ky