/r/askhistorians

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My American friend's great-grandfather was Finnish and he was documented as 'Asian' in his papers. Was this something that happened commonly with Finnish immigrants in the late 1800's?

1710 upvotes • GearsOfLogic

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What do we know about the Kauwa, the Untouchable Caste of traditional Hawaiian society, other than that they were often used as slaves or human sacrifices? Is there any evidence they were a pre-Polynesian Indigenous population as some people claim?

1710 upvotes • Tatem1961

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How did the Young Turks go from a progressive reform party to the party that helped carry out the Armenian genocide?

1709 upvotes • Ninjawombat111

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Why do modern American generals seem to have more awards and decorations than their predecessors in WWII? I'm thinking specifically of Eisenhower, Bradley, Marshall et al compared to Petraeus and the current joint chiefs with all those patches and tabs.

1708 upvotes • Asmallfly

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How come so many prominent physicists fled Nazi Germany but so many rocket engineers and doctors stayed until the end of the war?

1706 upvotes • Jdazzle217

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Why did social fraternities like the Freemasons and Elks see their membership fall so dramatically after the 1960’s in the US?

1706 upvotes • Lankshire

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In Jane Eyre, the girls at the institute suffer from cold and hunger, to the point of getting sick and dying. How realistic is that historically speaking?

1706 upvotes • NAAnymore

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How did New Age and offshoot movement become so obsessed with (often pseudo-)“Native American” culture?

1706 upvotes • DGBD

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Is there any evidence that propaganda leaflets dropped on an enemy has ever had a significant effect?

1705 upvotes • The_Original_Gronkie

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Was Vietnam-era basic training and troop culture significantly more violent and obscene (as represented in films like Full Metal Jacket) than in previous wars, or does this reflect American attitudes to the respective wars themselves?

1705 upvotes • Ormond-Is-Here

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
My American friend's great-grandfather was Finnish and he was documented as 'Asian' in his papers. Was this something that happened commonly with Finnish immigrants in the late 1800's?	1710	GearsOfLogic
What do we know about the Kauwa, the Untouchable Caste of traditional Hawaiian society, other than that they were often used as slaves or human sacrifices? Is there any evidence they were a pre-Polynesian Indigenous population as some people claim?	1710	Tatem1961
How did the Young Turks go from a progressive reform party to the party that helped carry out the Armenian genocide?	1709	Ninjawombat111
Why do modern American generals seem to have more awards and decorations than their predecessors in WWII? I'm thinking specifically of Eisenhower, Bradley, Marshall et al compared to Petraeus and the current joint chiefs with all those patches and tabs.	1708	Asmallfly
How come so many prominent physicists fled Nazi Germany but so many rocket engineers and doctors stayed until the end of the war?	1706	Jdazzle217
Why did social fraternities like the Freemasons and Elks see their membership fall so dramatically after the 1960’s in the US?	1706	Lankshire
In Jane Eyre, the girls at the institute suffer from cold and hunger, to the point of getting sick and dying. How realistic is that historically speaking?	1706	NAAnymore
How did New Age and offshoot movement become so obsessed with (often pseudo-)“Native American” culture?	1706	DGBD
Is there any evidence that propaganda leaflets dropped on an enemy has ever had a significant effect?	1705	The_Original_Gronkie
Was Vietnam-era basic training and troop culture significantly more violent and obscene (as represented in films like Full Metal Jacket) than in previous wars, or does this reflect American attitudes to the respective wars themselves?	1705	Ormond-Is-Here