/r/askhistorians

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What prevented Syria [a relatively stable Mediterranean country up to 2011 that possessed hundreds of unique historic sites - Bronze Age, Roman, Arab, and Ottoman - as well as a decent coastline] becoming a Commercialized Mass Tourist destination in the manner that Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Spain did?

860 upvotes • New_Pakistani

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Why was General Pershing such a big deal?

860 upvotes • vinylemulator

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Did the Stoics conceive of their philosophy in a truly universal way? When Marcus Aurelius spoke of freedom and spiritual fulfillment, was he including slaves, non-Romans, or women? Or was this implicitly a philosophy for male Roman citizens?

860 upvotes • 10z20Luka

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I have heard WWI pilots shot at each other with rifles. Is there any proof of this being effective (confirmed kill)?

859 upvotes • Ducksaucenem

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Dave Chappelle recently claimed that when Teddy Roosevelt invited Booker T Washington over to the White House, Teddy received so much flak from the media for it that he supposedly said, "I will never have a nigger in this house again." How true is this story? NSFW

859 upvotes • GoldenJoel

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In the song "Yankee Doodle," what does the word "macaroni" refer to?

859 upvotes • lightreader

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When it became public knowledge that asbestos was harmful to humans, what was the reaction of the U.S. workforce? Was there a massive wave of scientific denial on par with today's society?

859 upvotes • lordlollygag

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The Holy Roman Empire has more than 500 states in it, while being only 1 million square kilometers, meaning some states had to be small. What were the smallest states in the Holy Roman Empire, and how small were they?

859 upvotes • SirDogeofVenice

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At what point in history did salt go from an expensive and rare ingredient to a cheap, commonplace ingredient?

859 upvotes • fred_the_mailman

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Is it true that in Ancient Rome the term virgin merely meant that the person had not had 'married sex'? If so wouldn't that be a large detail in the story of the Virgin Mary?

859 upvotes • sambarlien

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
What prevented Syria [a relatively stable Mediterranean country up to 2011 that possessed hundreds of unique historic sites - Bronze Age, Roman, Arab, and Ottoman - as well as a decent coastline] becoming a Commercialized Mass Tourist destination in the manner that Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Spain did?	860	New_Pakistani
Why was General Pershing such a big deal?	860	vinylemulator
Did the Stoics conceive of their philosophy in a truly universal way? When Marcus Aurelius spoke of freedom and spiritual fulfillment, was he including slaves, non-Romans, or women? Or was this implicitly a philosophy for male Roman citizens?	860	10z20Luka
I have heard WWI pilots shot at each other with rifles. Is there any proof of this being effective (confirmed kill)?	859	Ducksaucenem
Dave Chappelle recently claimed that when Teddy Roosevelt invited Booker T Washington over to the White House, Teddy received so much flak from the media for it that he supposedly said, "I will never have a nigger in this house again." How true is this story? NSFW	859	GoldenJoel
In the song "Yankee Doodle," what does the word "macaroni" refer to?	859	lightreader
When it became public knowledge that asbestos was harmful to humans, what was the reaction of the U.S. workforce? Was there a massive wave of scientific denial on par with today's society?	859	lordlollygag
The Holy Roman Empire has more than 500 states in it, while being only 1 million square kilometers, meaning some states had to be small. What were the smallest states in the Holy Roman Empire, and how small were they?	859	SirDogeofVenice
At what point in history did salt go from an expensive and rare ingredient to a cheap, commonplace ingredient?	859	fred_the_mailman
Is it true that in Ancient Rome the term virgin merely meant that the person had not had 'married sex'? If so wouldn't that be a large detail in the story of the Virgin Mary?	859	sambarlien