/r/askhistorians

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The Mormon church (in)famously maintained that Black people did not have souls until the 1970s. What were the internal politics that led to finally abandoning this position?

4926 upvotes • [deleted]

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Did Roman soldiers ever fatten themselves up to carry extra calories for long marches?

4919 upvotes • KernGallowglass

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What happened to Henry II's jousting opponent after accidentally killing him in 1559?

4905 upvotes • huzurarayan

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Did Native Americans have any myths/beliefs about what existed beyond the Atlantic/Pacific ocean?

4902 upvotes • ramzie

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What did Socrates do for a living? Seriously.

4901 upvotes • dabason

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The US Constitution was signed in 1787, and the American Civil War broke out in 1861; is there a census of how many people were alive through that 74 year span? Do any interviews exist of the generation that lived through the birth of the Union and it's near collapse?

4891 upvotes • thegoodnameswereused

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Why is the "spiked golden ring" depiction of crowns so ubiquitous when many real-life crowns seem to have a different shape?

4891 upvotes • owiseone23

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In Greek mythology, the gods are said to live atop Mount Olympus. Olympus is an actual real mountain in Greece. Did the Ancient Greeks never climb the mountain? Wouldn't it have been obvious that no actual gods lived there?

4888 upvotes • Climactic-Cosmonaut

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I apologise if this is a stupid question, but how could the Nazis tell the difference between Jews and everyone else? And why did the Jewish people identify themselves during the breakout of the Warsaw ghettos? Could they not have worn the star of David and blended in/survived?

4875 upvotes • barronwaste

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Lee Harvey Oswald applied to work at the Texas School Book Depository over 2 months before Kennedy's assassination. How did he know to do this? Was JFK's motorcade route announced several months in advance?

4874 upvotes • TueuEnSerie

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
The Mormon church (in)famously maintained that Black people did not have souls until the 1970s. What were the internal politics that led to finally abandoning this position?	4926	[deleted]
Did Roman soldiers ever fatten themselves up to carry extra calories for long marches?	4919	KernGallowglass
What happened to Henry II's jousting opponent after accidentally killing him in 1559?	4905	huzurarayan
Did Native Americans have any myths/beliefs about what existed beyond the Atlantic/Pacific ocean?	4902	ramzie
What did Socrates do for a living? Seriously.	4901	dabason
The US Constitution was signed in 1787, and the American Civil War broke out in 1861; is there a census of how many people were alive through that 74 year span? Do any interviews exist of the generation that lived through the birth of the Union and it's near collapse?	4891	thegoodnameswereused
Why is the "spiked golden ring" depiction of crowns so ubiquitous when many real-life crowns seem to have a different shape?	4891	owiseone23
In Greek mythology, the gods are said to live atop Mount Olympus. Olympus is an actual real mountain in Greece. Did the Ancient Greeks never climb the mountain? Wouldn't it have been obvious that no actual gods lived there?	4888	Climactic-Cosmonaut
I apologise if this is a stupid question, but how could the Nazis tell the difference between Jews and everyone else? And why did the Jewish people identify themselves during the breakout of the Warsaw ghettos? Could they not have worn the star of David and blended in/survived?	4875	barronwaste
Lee Harvey Oswald applied to work at the Texas School Book Depository over 2 months before Kennedy's assassination. How did he know to do this? Was JFK's motorcade route announced several months in advance?	4874	TueuEnSerie