/r/askhistorians

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Why is the population of Java so insanely high? Its population is twice as high as Great Britain's and even higher than Honshu's, which is home to Tokyo, the world's biggest city.

824 upvotes • topangacanyon

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Ignoring mythological figures that may have been based on real people (King Arthur), and people who existed but we don’t know who they were (The Cheddar man) who is the earliest known human we’re fairly sure existed?

824 upvotes • AydanZeGod

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Before Mao took over China in 1949 Shanghai was a completely open port where passports were not even needed to immigrate. How common was this kind of open port at this time and throughout modern history?

823 upvotes • thesilverpig

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The game Crusader Kings is expanding into India. In an interview, one of their designers says "(Medieval India) is such a pluralistic and tolerant society for its time" and "They were used to living together... for a thousand years, basically, in more-or-less peace." Seems suspect. Is this true?

823 upvotes • bitparity

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How well supported is the theory that Yahweh began as a minor Canaanite deity?

823 upvotes • AdultSupervision

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In the film Patton (1970), the Allies competed with each other to be the first to seize strategic locations. It seems as if this competition made the war effort more risky and caused unnecessary casualties. Did competition of this type actually occur and did it incur significant unnecessary costs?

823 upvotes • smurfyjenkins

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What precipitated the split of Sunni and Shia Islam?

823 upvotes • LordCreamCheese

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What was life like in Mussolini's Italy? Just how "fascist" was it, compared to other dictatorships? Did this change over time, or stay the same?

823 upvotes • Theodore-Hunter

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Why do so many products get sold in "Dozens"? Is there a historical reason for this as opposed to by "Tens"?

823 upvotes • hey_its_me_god

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[META] The answers on Ask Historians are often excellent, but the questions are frequently...not good, to be kind. What can be done to improve the quality of inquiry?

823 upvotes • WhyDidntHitler

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Why is the population of Java so insanely high? Its population is twice as high as Great Britain's and even higher than Honshu's, which is home to Tokyo, the world's biggest city.	824	topangacanyon
Ignoring mythological figures that may have been based on real people (King Arthur), and people who existed but we don’t know who they were (The Cheddar man) who is the earliest known human we’re fairly sure existed?	824	AydanZeGod
Before Mao took over China in 1949 Shanghai was a completely open port where passports were not even needed to immigrate. How common was this kind of open port at this time and throughout modern history?	823	thesilverpig
The game Crusader Kings is expanding into India. In an interview, one of their designers says "(Medieval India) is such a pluralistic and tolerant society for its time" and "They were used to living together... for a thousand years, basically, in more-or-less peace." Seems suspect. Is this true?	823	bitparity
How well supported is the theory that Yahweh began as a minor Canaanite deity?	823	AdultSupervision
In the film Patton (1970), the Allies competed with each other to be the first to seize strategic locations. It seems as if this competition made the war effort more risky and caused unnecessary casualties. Did competition of this type actually occur and did it incur significant unnecessary costs?	823	smurfyjenkins
What precipitated the split of Sunni and Shia Islam?	823	LordCreamCheese
What was life like in Mussolini's Italy? Just how "fascist" was it, compared to other dictatorships? Did this change over time, or stay the same?	823	Theodore-Hunter
Why do so many products get sold in "Dozens"? Is there a historical reason for this as opposed to by "Tens"?	823	hey_its_me_god
[META] The answers on Ask Historians are often excellent, but the questions are frequently...not good, to be kind. What can be done to improve the quality of inquiry?	823	WhyDidntHitler