/r/askhistorians

Year:

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I’m an Irishman during the troubles, a member of the UVF or the IRA asks whether I’m a Protestant or a Catholic. I know that I could be hurt or killed if I give the “wrong” answer, what would happen if I say I’m an atheist or agnostic?

200 upvotes • Thefireisrishing

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The Wikipedia page for the Black Death shows a border between two nations (the Principality of Kiev and the Golden Horde) that slowed the progression of the plague greatly. Where did this border come from? What was its purpose?

200 upvotes • jumpstartation

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As I understand it, Joan of Arc was charged in her trial with heresy and cross-dressing. Was cross-dressing at the time considered a serious ecclesiastical offense? Why?

200 upvotes • td4999

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As many as 250,000 non-enslaved free blacks lived in the American South when the Civil War began. What kind of life did these people lead and what if any civil liberties did they have?

200 upvotes • CockMyBratwurst

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South Vietnam is popularly depicted as a corrupt government and that is one of the reasons they lost the war in the end. How corrupt was the government compared to other SE Asian nations of the time, and how badly did corruption undermine the US and South Vietnam in its war?

200 upvotes • Paulie_Gatto

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Did Japanese/Allied soldiers stumble across any native tribes in New Guinea in WW2? If so, what was the reaction on both sides?

200 upvotes • TheManxLynx

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Was there ever any attempt by the Anglo-saxon kingdoms of the British isles to seek help from the Angles and Saxons of the continent during the viking age?

200 upvotes • LackFundsPleaseHelp

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Would it have been socially acceptable in late Republican Rome for a Senator (or a prominent Roman male) to be exclusively homosexual? No marriage with a woman, no children, just exclusively and openly in relationships with other males?

200 upvotes • AustinioForza

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Before 1914, what was European tourism like? If I were a British man in say the summer of 1913, would I find Germany an attractive destination spot?

200 upvotes • BulkDarthDan

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How did Europeans figure out that the lands visited by Columbus were not India at all, but some heretofore unknown places? Was he made a hero or was he mocked when people discovered this?

200 upvotes • hairthrowaway10oct17

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
I’m an Irishman during the troubles, a member of the UVF or the IRA asks whether I’m a Protestant or a Catholic. I know that I could be hurt or killed if I give the “wrong” answer, what would happen if I say I’m an atheist or agnostic?	200	Thefireisrishing
The Wikipedia page for the Black Death shows a border between two nations (the Principality of Kiev and the Golden Horde) that slowed the progression of the plague greatly. Where did this border come from? What was its purpose?	200	jumpstartation
As I understand it, Joan of Arc was charged in her trial with heresy and cross-dressing. Was cross-dressing at the time considered a serious ecclesiastical offense? Why?	200	td4999
As many as 250,000 non-enslaved free blacks lived in the American South when the Civil War began. What kind of life did these people lead and what if any civil liberties did they have?	200	CockMyBratwurst
South Vietnam is popularly depicted as a corrupt government and that is one of the reasons they lost the war in the end. How corrupt was the government compared to other SE Asian nations of the time, and how badly did corruption undermine the US and South Vietnam in its war?	200	Paulie_Gatto
Did Japanese/Allied soldiers stumble across any native tribes in New Guinea in WW2? If so, what was the reaction on both sides?	200	TheManxLynx
Was there ever any attempt by the Anglo-saxon kingdoms of the British isles to seek help from the Angles and Saxons of the continent during the viking age?	200	LackFundsPleaseHelp
Would it have been socially acceptable in late Republican Rome for a Senator (or a prominent Roman male) to be exclusively homosexual? No marriage with a woman, no children, just exclusively and openly in relationships with other males?	200	AustinioForza
Before 1914, what was European tourism like? If I were a British man in say the summer of 1913, would I find Germany an attractive destination spot?	200	BulkDarthDan
How did Europeans figure out that the lands visited by Columbus were not India at all, but some heretofore unknown places? Was he made a hero or was he mocked when people discovered this?	200	hairthrowaway10oct17