/r/askhistorians

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"TIL Joseph Stalin had a webbed left foot, a sign of the devil in Russian folklore." Did Joseph Stalin have a webbed left foot? Was this a sign of the devil in Russian folklore?

1890 upvotes • 314159265358979326

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What is the origin and history of the Alabama Incest Stereotype?

1890 upvotes • Nihil-Novi

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Why did the UK and Ireland's cuisine not lean heavily towards seafood like Japan, another island nation close to a continental landmass?

1890 upvotes • Grachamoncha

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When did Europeans stop building castles? When was the last defensive castle made?

1890 upvotes • NatorNat

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Did 'The Simpsons' negatively affect the public's opinion of nuclear power?

1890 upvotes • GreenTang

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When did families start keeping animals purely as pets instead of working animals? What was the reason for having an animal ‘just because’ when for most people it was generally difficult to even feed the family, not including a pet?

1889 upvotes • Tom-tron

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The Byzantine part of the Roman Empire was richer and lasted longer than the western part - Still I don't know any of their great cultural accomplishments besides art and architecture. Is there a reason for that besides ignorance? None appears in one of my histories of Philosophy for example.

1889 upvotes • ProperPyramid

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In the Antebellum South, what was life like for slaves who were too old to work, or who had been crippled and were unable to work?

1889 upvotes • TreebeardButIntoBDSM

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The Chinese were using natural gas a couple thousand years ago, according to a Reddit TIL from a while back. I know they transported it in bamboo tubes, but how did they extract it? What did they use it for? Was it seen as magic? Basically I want to hear a story about ancient Chinese engineering.

1888 upvotes • PIP_SHORT

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How long did it take for word to make it to west coast Native Americans that Europeans had landed on the east coast?

1888 upvotes • HORRIBLE_DICK_CANCER

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
"TIL Joseph Stalin had a webbed left foot, a sign of the devil in Russian folklore." Did Joseph Stalin have a webbed left foot? Was this a sign of the devil in Russian folklore?	1890	314159265358979326
What is the origin and history of the Alabama Incest Stereotype?	1890	Nihil-Novi
Why did the UK and Ireland's cuisine not lean heavily towards seafood like Japan, another island nation close to a continental landmass?	1890	Grachamoncha
When did Europeans stop building castles? When was the last defensive castle made?	1890	NatorNat
Did 'The Simpsons' negatively affect the public's opinion of nuclear power?	1890	GreenTang
When did families start keeping animals purely as pets instead of working animals? What was the reason for having an animal ‘just because’ when for most people it was generally difficult to even feed the family, not including a pet?	1889	Tom-tron
The Byzantine part of the Roman Empire was richer and lasted longer than the western part - Still I don't know any of their great cultural accomplishments besides art and architecture. Is there a reason for that besides ignorance? None appears in one of my histories of Philosophy for example.	1889	ProperPyramid
In the Antebellum South, what was life like for slaves who were too old to work, or who had been crippled and were unable to work?	1889	TreebeardButIntoBDSM
The Chinese were using natural gas a couple thousand years ago, according to a Reddit TIL from a while back. I know they transported it in bamboo tubes, but how did they extract it? What did they use it for? Was it seen as magic? Basically I want to hear a story about ancient Chinese engineering.	1888	PIP_SHORT
How long did it take for word to make it to west coast Native Americans that Europeans had landed on the east coast?	1888	HORRIBLE_DICK_CANCER