/r/askhistorians

Year:

Only show posts with narrations

Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner portrays the CIA as so cartoonishly incompetent that it stretches credulity. He seems to have a bias towards casting it in the least charitable possible light at all times. Are his assertions an accurate interpretation of the primary sources he uses?

2300 upvotes • Ersatz_Okapi

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Arthur C. Clarke said that the US Space Program's Promise was lost in the Rice Paddies of Vietnam. Looking at things now, was he right?

2299 upvotes • VersusWorldChannel

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If southerners before the US Civil War felt that slaves were were "inferior" and not "the same species" why were so many slave owning mothers willing to let their slaves nurse/breastfeed their children?

2299 upvotes • BoosherCacow

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Was it possible to prank call high ranking Nazis during WWII and get away with it?

2298 upvotes • dumbeinsteinASU0101

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Why are Europeans so obsessed with lions? They don't have any lions but they are there on flags, coat of arms, furniture and historical buildings

2298 upvotes • CuriousAmazed

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Adjusted to modern currency, the Dutch East India Company was worth $7.4 trillion in the 17th century. When ceasing operations in 1800, where did all the money go?

2296 upvotes • Tsukamori

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In the Marshall plan, why did Iceland get 44 million dollars? It was a island nation that wasn't in WWll. Was it because it was still part Denmark, was there battles there, or did America just want to influence it?

2296 upvotes • numberguy9647383673

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How fast did news travel in ancient times? For example, in 1066, how long did it take everyone in England to find out that there was a new king?

2296 upvotes • haddock420

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What were roads like in Medieval Europe? Were they almost nonexistent between smaller settlements? Did some serfs spend time maintaining a manor's roads as part of their labor tax, or were the roads kept functional only by the traffic that used them?

2295 upvotes • Iestwyn

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What was Colin Powell's role in the U.S. military's effort to cover up for the My Lai massacre?

2295 upvotes • apricotcoffee

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner portrays the CIA as so cartoonishly incompetent that it stretches credulity. He seems to have a bias towards casting it in the least charitable possible light at all times. Are his assertions an accurate interpretation of the primary sources he uses?	2300	Ersatz_Okapi
Arthur C. Clarke said that the US Space Program's Promise was lost in the Rice Paddies of Vietnam. Looking at things now, was he right?	2299	VersusWorldChannel
If southerners before the US Civil War felt that slaves were were "inferior" and not "the same species" why were so many slave owning mothers willing to let their slaves nurse/breastfeed their children?	2299	BoosherCacow
Was it possible to prank call high ranking Nazis during WWII and get away with it?	2298	dumbeinsteinASU0101
Why are Europeans so obsessed with lions? They don't have any lions but they are there on flags, coat of arms, furniture and historical buildings	2298	CuriousAmazed
Adjusted to modern currency, the Dutch East India Company was worth $7.4 trillion in the 17th century. When ceasing operations in 1800, where did all the money go?	2296	Tsukamori
In the Marshall plan, why did Iceland get 44 million dollars? It was a island nation that wasn't in WWll. Was it because it was still part Denmark, was there battles there, or did America just want to influence it?	2296	numberguy9647383673
How fast did news travel in ancient times? For example, in 1066, how long did it take everyone in England to find out that there was a new king?	2296	haddock420
What were roads like in Medieval Europe? Were they almost nonexistent between smaller settlements? Did some serfs spend time maintaining a manor's roads as part of their labor tax, or were the roads kept functional only by the traffic that used them?	2295	Iestwyn
What was Colin Powell's role in the U.S. military's effort to cover up for the My Lai massacre?	2295	apricotcoffee