/r/askhistorians

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Why did the U.S. Congress feel it was necessary to prohibit marijuana in 1937, given that they had very recently (4 years previous) overturned the failed prohibition of alcohol?

1232 upvotes • Turner117

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What was Rosemary Kennedy's condition pre-lobotomy? Did she have a diagnosed illness?

1232 upvotes • Fuck_that_fuckin_guy

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I'm a typical sailor in the Caribbean around the end of the 17th century, and a pirate ship has been sighted heading towards us. What would be my reaction, and the reactions of my shipmates?

1231 upvotes • [deleted]

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One of the more common stereotypes of the US, as a superpower, is "arrogance". But how did the world perceive the US before its rise to superpower status? What were the stereotypes then?

1230 upvotes • mesagrid

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Would a young person or child from the "American West" in 1875 to 1900 know how to make an animal sound of an exotic animal? Examples like elephant or monkey.

1230 upvotes • ParticalMan

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How historical are the "traditional Chinese dances" practiced and displayed by the Shen Yun performing arts? They claim to be drawn from practices which are over 5000 years old.

1230 upvotes • HandsomeLampshade123

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Did J.R.R. Tolkien dislike America or Americans?

1229 upvotes • BaffledPlato

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I saw The Revenant today. There’s a bit in it where DiCaprio's character is talking to a Pawnee man about how they've both lost their families to conflict, the Pawnee says "revenge is in the Creator's hands". Does that line make any sense with regard to what the Pawnee actually believed?

1229 upvotes • grapp

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In the Netflix show “You People”, Eddie Murphy’s character insinuates that Jews profited off of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Can a historian please put this canard to rest?

1229 upvotes • J2quared

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Why didn’t Ancient Egyptians used a simpler writing system since they had to carve it into stone?

1229 upvotes • Matty_Patty_

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Why did the U.S. Congress feel it was necessary to prohibit marijuana in 1937, given that they had very recently (4 years previous) overturned the failed prohibition of alcohol?	1232	Turner117
What was Rosemary Kennedy's condition pre-lobotomy? Did she have a diagnosed illness?	1232	Fuck_that_fuckin_guy
I'm a typical sailor in the Caribbean around the end of the 17th century, and a pirate ship has been sighted heading towards us. What would be my reaction, and the reactions of my shipmates?	1231	[deleted]
One of the more common stereotypes of the US, as a superpower, is "arrogance". But how did the world perceive the US before its rise to superpower status? What were the stereotypes then?	1230	mesagrid
Would a young person or child from the "American West" in 1875 to 1900 know how to make an animal sound of an exotic animal? Examples like elephant or monkey.	1230	ParticalMan
How historical are the "traditional Chinese dances" practiced and displayed by the Shen Yun performing arts? They claim to be drawn from practices which are over 5000 years old.	1230	HandsomeLampshade123
Did J.R.R. Tolkien dislike America or Americans?	1229	BaffledPlato
I saw The Revenant today. There’s a bit in it where DiCaprio's character is talking to a Pawnee man about how they've both lost their families to conflict, the Pawnee says "revenge is in the Creator's hands". Does that line make any sense with regard to what the Pawnee actually believed?	1229	grapp
In the Netflix show “You People”, Eddie Murphy’s character insinuates that Jews profited off of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Can a historian please put this canard to rest?	1229	J2quared
Why didn’t Ancient Egyptians used a simpler writing system since they had to carve it into stone?	1229	Matty_Patty_