/r/askhistorians

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Why are US state capitals often smaller towns?

2613 upvotes • Steingar

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The six-sided die (d6) has become the most popular die, and is often treated as the standard die. How and when did this standardization occur?

2613 upvotes • eighteencarps

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How true is this statement: "the Islamic conquest of Africa produced more slaves than the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Muslim slavery of Africans "officially" ended in about 1969."

2610 upvotes • timchanzee

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Did slaves ever seek refuge with native americans?

2610 upvotes • BeeDick

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I saw a meme saying, "Medieval peasants worked only about 150 days in a year. The church believed it was important to keep them happy with frequent, mandatory holidays. You have less holidays than a medieval peasant." How accurate is this, and how would these "holidays" actually be spent?

2610 upvotes • c_macdoug

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The UK gave control of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in 1997, following the expiration of a 99 year lease on the bulk of the territory. What were the negotiations like, and was there any serious discussion within the UK about trying to keep it?

2609 upvotes • TrappedInASkinnerBox

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Terminator 2 takes place in 1995 and a character is baffled by the idea of Skynet launching a nuclear strike at Russia because "They're our friends now". T2 was released in summer 1991 prior to the end of the Cold War. Would the average American think that we'd be friends with Russia in a few years?

2609 upvotes • derstherower

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Old Western movies have the “Wanted Dead or Alive” posters for outlaws plastered all over town. Now-a-days, there are rewards for fugitive capture but not kill, for that is now murder. When was the last time the US government actually encouraged people to go out and kill fugitives for a reward?

2607 upvotes • _Machiavellian_

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We have a "chicken and egg" problem with electric cars and charging stations. Did petrol cars and gas stations have a similar problem and how did they overcome it?

2606 upvotes • Mablun

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Article 7 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child declares that a child has the right to a name at birth. What's the motivation behind this, historically? Were or are there societies which do not name their children?

2605 upvotes • Im-with-her

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Why are US state capitals often smaller towns?	2613	Steingar
The six-sided die (d6) has become the most popular die, and is often treated as the standard die. How and when did this standardization occur?	2613	eighteencarps
How true is this statement: "the Islamic conquest of Africa produced more slaves than the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Muslim slavery of Africans "officially" ended in about 1969."	2610	timchanzee
Did slaves ever seek refuge with native americans?	2610	BeeDick
I saw a meme saying, "Medieval peasants worked only about 150 days in a year. The church believed it was important to keep them happy with frequent, mandatory holidays. You have less holidays than a medieval peasant." How accurate is this, and how would these "holidays" actually be spent?	2610	c_macdoug
The UK gave control of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in 1997, following the expiration of a 99 year lease on the bulk of the territory. What were the negotiations like, and was there any serious discussion within the UK about trying to keep it?	2609	TrappedInASkinnerBox
Terminator 2 takes place in 1995 and a character is baffled by the idea of Skynet launching a nuclear strike at Russia because "They're our friends now". T2 was released in summer 1991 prior to the end of the Cold War. Would the average American think that we'd be friends with Russia in a few years?	2609	derstherower
Old Western movies have the “Wanted Dead or Alive” posters for outlaws plastered all over town. Now-a-days, there are rewards for fugitive capture but not kill, for that is now murder. When was the last time the US government actually encouraged people to go out and kill fugitives for a reward?	2607	_Machiavellian_
We have a "chicken and egg" problem with electric cars and charging stations. Did petrol cars and gas stations have a similar problem and how did they overcome it?	2606	Mablun
Article 7 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child declares that a child has the right to a name at birth. What's the motivation behind this, historically? Were or are there societies which do not name their children?	2605	Im-with-her