/r/askhistorians

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Where did the custom of giving a "key to the city" originate?

1553 upvotes • 0ddStranger

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John Bernard Shaw (probably) quipped that “The English are not a very spiritual people, so they invented cricket to give them some idea of eternity". How did cricket matches become so longspun? Was there a social purpose to the longevity of matches?

1553 upvotes • Kerkinitis

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Where does the simple, pop-culture cartoon representation of a ghost come from? (Half oval with a jaggedy bottom.) Does this originate with Pac-Man or was it around earlier than that?

1553 upvotes • thepixelpaint

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Has receiving the keys to a city ever been non-symbolic?

1553 upvotes • 1EnTaroAdun1

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Whilst the European nobility of the 16th century waged war in full plate armour, what armour did their Ottoman opponents wear?

1552 upvotes • TheHenandtheSheep

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What happened when black diplomats went to Rhodesia, South Africa, or Jim Crow United States?

1551 upvotes • Hippies_are_Dumb

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I am an atheist living in Western Europe. At what point in history can I admit to this without it resulting in me being executed?

1551 upvotes • vinylemulator

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What slurs did foreign soldiers call American soldiers?

1550 upvotes • justinhu87

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I have always seen the Cossacks as a symbol of Russia, but between 1917 and 1933 the Soviet government followed a policy of "eliminate, exterminate, and deport" the Cossacks. Why did this happen? What would it have been like to be a Cossack at this time?

1550 upvotes • AnnalsPornographie

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At the point of contact in the New World, how long did it effectively take to break the language barrier between Natives and explorers.

1549 upvotes • JeebusOfNazareth

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Where did the custom of giving a "key to the city" originate?	1553	0ddStranger
John Bernard Shaw (probably) quipped that “The English are not a very spiritual people, so they invented cricket to give them some idea of eternity". How did cricket matches become so longspun? Was there a social purpose to the longevity of matches?	1553	Kerkinitis
Where does the simple, pop-culture cartoon representation of a ghost come from? (Half oval with a jaggedy bottom.) Does this originate with Pac-Man or was it around earlier than that?	1553	thepixelpaint
Has receiving the keys to a city ever been non-symbolic?	1553	1EnTaroAdun1
Whilst the European nobility of the 16th century waged war in full plate armour, what armour did their Ottoman opponents wear?	1552	TheHenandtheSheep
What happened when black diplomats went to Rhodesia, South Africa, or Jim Crow United States?	1551	Hippies_are_Dumb
I am an atheist living in Western Europe. At what point in history can I admit to this without it resulting in me being executed?	1551	vinylemulator
What slurs did foreign soldiers call American soldiers?	1550	justinhu87
I have always seen the Cossacks as a symbol of Russia, but between 1917 and 1933 the Soviet government followed a policy of "eliminate, exterminate, and deport" the Cossacks. Why did this happen? What would it have been like to be a Cossack at this time?	1550	AnnalsPornographie
At the point of contact in the New World, how long did it effectively take to break the language barrier between Natives and explorers.	1549	JeebusOfNazareth