/r/askhistorians

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Kazakhstan was the last republic to leave the Soviet Union, even after Russia left. Meaning that for four days, they were the de facto USSR. As the five permanent UN Security Council members (the P5) included the USSR, why is Russia on the council today instead of Kazakhstan?

1084 upvotes • Sith__Pureblood

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After the European rediscovery of the Americas towards the end of the 15th century, how long did people take to accept the fact that there was a whole other land mass across the Atlantic? Surely, the 16th century must've had its conspiracy theorists too.

1083 upvotes • Never1984

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Why is the river between the US and Mexico known as the Río Grande in English, but known as the Río Bravo in Spanish? It seems strange that English speakers would use a Spanish-language name different from the one used by actual Spanish speakers.

1083 upvotes • JJVMT

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What did people believe the Crab Nebula in 1054CE was, and what were the reactions to it suddenly becoming visible in the sky?

1083 upvotes • somebodyandnobody

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According to the Democracy Index, Uruguay is the only full democracy in South America, ranked even more democratic than the United States. How has Uruguayan democracy been so successful?

1083 upvotes • TheLordHighExecu

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Did people in the middle age stretch?

1083 upvotes • gazbar

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Was Jerry Lee Lewis really as surprised as he was portrayed in later retellings at the backlash outside his community to his marriage to his underage cousin? For that matter, how normalized actually were such marriages in his mid-20th c. rural Louisiana/Mississippi context?

1083 upvotes • JJVMT

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TT | You're at a party. The people around you find out about your interest in history. What is the inevitable question you dread?

1082 upvotes • NMW

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Did explorers during the Age of Sail have trouble adapting to foreign food?

1082 upvotes • Impacatus

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If there are still people who identify their ethnicity as Assyrian, are there also still Babylonians or other Ancient Mesopotamian ethnic groups today? If not, why did Assyrians survive but not others? Are they really Assyrian?

1081 upvotes • Creamofjustice

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Kazakhstan was the last republic to leave the Soviet Union, even after Russia left. Meaning that for four days, they were the de facto USSR. As the five permanent UN Security Council members (the P5) included the USSR, why is Russia on the council today instead of Kazakhstan?	1084	Sith__Pureblood
After the European rediscovery of the Americas towards the end of the 15th century, how long did people take to accept the fact that there was a whole other land mass across the Atlantic? Surely, the 16th century must've had its conspiracy theorists too.	1083	Never1984
Why is the river between the US and Mexico known as the Río Grande in English, but known as the Río Bravo in Spanish? It seems strange that English speakers would use a Spanish-language name different from the one used by actual Spanish speakers.	1083	JJVMT
What did people believe the Crab Nebula in 1054CE was, and what were the reactions to it suddenly becoming visible in the sky?	1083	somebodyandnobody
According to the Democracy Index, Uruguay is the only full democracy in South America, ranked even more democratic than the United States. How has Uruguayan democracy been so successful?	1083	TheLordHighExecu
Did people in the middle age stretch?	1083	gazbar
Was Jerry Lee Lewis really as surprised as he was portrayed in later retellings at the backlash outside his community to his marriage to his underage cousin? For that matter, how normalized actually were such marriages in his mid-20th c. rural Louisiana/Mississippi context?	1083	JJVMT
TT \| You're at a party. The people around you find out about your interest in history. What is the inevitable question you dread?	1082	NMW
Did explorers during the Age of Sail have trouble adapting to foreign food?	1082	Impacatus
If there are still people who identify their ethnicity as Assyrian, are there also still Babylonians or other Ancient Mesopotamian ethnic groups today? If not, why did Assyrians survive but not others? Are they really Assyrian?	1081	Creamofjustice