/r/askhistorians

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"The Last Emperor" was filmed in Beijing in the the 1980s, and has a scene that portray the Cultural Revolution and the Red Guards in a decidedly negative light. Why was this permitted by the Chinese authorities at the time?

2657 upvotes • SanguozhiTongsuYan

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The stereotypical chain gang in the post-Civil War era is usually depicted breaking up rocks with hammers or pickaxes; was this just to keep them busy or was this processed rock used for anything in particular?

2656 upvotes • RealBuckNasty

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It's not Holy and It's not Roman, but it is the European History Floating Feature

2655 upvotes • Georgy_K_Zhukov

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How did Alexander the Great manage to pacify&secure conquered territory so fast?

2655 upvotes • nibbbachu

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Air conditioning wasn’t widespread in the US until the late 70s/80s. So when all the 1940s cinema has an office full of fully-suited men… were they just suffering under a shirt+jacket in 90 degree offices?

2655 upvotes • premedicalchaos

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The Homestead Acts, by which Americans could be granted a parcel of otherwise unclaimed federal land after fulfilling certain conditions, were not repealed until 1976. What was the process like for claiming land under the Homestead Act in the 1970s, and why didn't more people take advantage of it?

2655 upvotes • MaelstromTX

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When did defined muscles and Abs become a beauty standard, and how were they achieved in the past?

2654 upvotes • Rosaryinmybackpack

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The word Homosexuality was falsely translated back in 1946.

2651 upvotes • whatarewedoing91

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Botswana and Namibia have far lower levels of perceived corruption (per the Corruption Perception Index) than any other African countries--with rates comparable to Spain, Italy, and Poland. What led to these two states excelling while their neighbors still struggle?

2649 upvotes • poob1x

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Was there a reason American adults stopped dressing so formally in public?

2648 upvotes • loiusjimm

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
"The Last Emperor" was filmed in Beijing in the the 1980s, and has a scene that portray the Cultural Revolution and the Red Guards in a decidedly negative light. Why was this permitted by the Chinese authorities at the time?	2657	SanguozhiTongsuYan
The stereotypical chain gang in the post-Civil War era is usually depicted breaking up rocks with hammers or pickaxes; was this just to keep them busy or was this processed rock used for anything in particular?	2656	RealBuckNasty
It's not Holy and It's not Roman, but it is the European History Floating Feature	2655	Georgy_K_Zhukov
How did Alexander the Great manage to pacify&secure conquered territory so fast?	2655	nibbbachu
Air conditioning wasn’t widespread in the US until the late 70s/80s. So when all the 1940s cinema has an office full of fully-suited men… were they just suffering under a shirt+jacket in 90 degree offices?	2655	premedicalchaos
The Homestead Acts, by which Americans could be granted a parcel of otherwise unclaimed federal land after fulfilling certain conditions, were not repealed until 1976. What was the process like for claiming land under the Homestead Act in the 1970s, and why didn't more people take advantage of it?	2655	MaelstromTX
When did defined muscles and Abs become a beauty standard, and how were they achieved in the past?	2654	Rosaryinmybackpack
The word Homosexuality was falsely translated back in 1946.	2651	whatarewedoing91
Botswana and Namibia have far lower levels of perceived corruption (per the Corruption Perception Index) than any other African countries--with rates comparable to Spain, Italy, and Poland. What led to these two states excelling while their neighbors still struggle?	2649	poob1x
Was there a reason American adults stopped dressing so formally in public?	2648	loiusjimm