/r/askhistorians

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Why are there so many "Smiths" out there? Were there just a shitload of blacksmiths in Medieval times or did the blacksmiths just produce a prodigious amount of progeny? OR Why is Smith such a common surname?

2362 upvotes • rphillip

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Towards the end of WW2, why did the Nazis not resort to chemical weapons on their retreat all the way to Berlin, especially on the eastern front? Did they have some sort of moral reasoning?

2362 upvotes • richarev

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In the Bible, the Legendary King Solomon is said to have 700 wives and 300 concubines. With that many wives, what is the purpose of distinguishing the concubines separately?

2362 upvotes • Nowhere_Man_Forever

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The collapse of Yugoslavia is described as inevitable but its creation was extremely popular post-WWI; What caused the decline of Yugoslavian Nationalism for regional/ethnic nationalism?

2361 upvotes • corruptrevolutionary

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I'm a Roman naval officer. Why?

2361 upvotes • AvalonXD

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When Aaron Burr learned that Alexander Hamilton may have intended not to fire his shot or aimed to miss Burr during their fatal 1804 duel, he described it as "Contemptible, if true." Why would choosing not to fire or to deliberately miss be considered shameful in a pistol duel?

2360 upvotes • Elm11

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What kind of dances did Romans have? Were there dances that the higher classes were expected to know like ballroom dancing in the 18th and 19th centuries?

2360 upvotes • TanktopSamurai

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To what degree could ancient/medieval smiths reach the weapon quality that is shown to us in modern entertainment?

2360 upvotes • fren66

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When and why did it become the norm in society that women have long hair and men have short hair? Is it purely stylistic or was it circumstantial?

2360 upvotes • Queen_side_castle

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As wives traditionally take their husbands' surnames, does that mean there are fewer surnames than in the past?

2359 upvotes • OctavianX

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Why are there so many "Smiths" out there? Were there just a shitload of blacksmiths in Medieval times or did the blacksmiths just produce a prodigious amount of progeny? OR Why is Smith such a common surname?	2362	rphillip
Towards the end of WW2, why did the Nazis not resort to chemical weapons on their retreat all the way to Berlin, especially on the eastern front? Did they have some sort of moral reasoning?	2362	richarev
In the Bible, the Legendary King Solomon is said to have 700 wives and 300 concubines. With that many wives, what is the purpose of distinguishing the concubines separately?	2362	Nowhere_Man_Forever
The collapse of Yugoslavia is described as inevitable but its creation was extremely popular post-WWI; What caused the decline of Yugoslavian Nationalism for regional/ethnic nationalism?	2361	corruptrevolutionary
I'm a Roman naval officer. Why?	2361	AvalonXD
When Aaron Burr learned that Alexander Hamilton may have intended not to fire his shot or aimed to miss Burr during their fatal 1804 duel, he described it as "Contemptible, if true." Why would choosing not to fire or to deliberately miss be considered shameful in a pistol duel?	2360	Elm11
What kind of dances did Romans have? Were there dances that the higher classes were expected to know like ballroom dancing in the 18th and 19th centuries?	2360	TanktopSamurai
To what degree could ancient/medieval smiths reach the weapon quality that is shown to us in modern entertainment?	2360	fren66
When and why did it become the norm in society that women have long hair and men have short hair? Is it purely stylistic or was it circumstantial?	2360	Queen_side_castle
As wives traditionally take their husbands' surnames, does that mean there are fewer surnames than in the past?	2359	OctavianX