/r/askhistorians

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In "The Honeymooners" Ralph threatens to hit his wife in almost every episode. How common was it to hit your wife in real life?

764 upvotes • Flippydaman

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How could a tall ship repair its broken masts (after a storm, or a battle) in the middle of the ocean?

764 upvotes • NikKerk

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Did Pancho Villa use rape as a war tactic?

764 upvotes • isaydefy

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In 1856, Richard Francis Burton briefly mentions a Somali "superstition" that mosquito bites are linked to Malaria, which was of course borne out as correct 50 years later. With the growing emphasis on non-European knowledge and sources, are there other instances of this phenomenon that we know of?

764 upvotes • UnfairAir9643

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When did monsters get 'big'?

764 upvotes • lordpond

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I recently read Westminster Abbey was so dirtied by the london fog for decades that it's facede was black until the 1980s, when it was cleaned. What was the public's reaction to it being restored to it's natural gold color?

763 upvotes • OceansOnPluto

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Was there a backup plan in case the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki failed to explode?

763 upvotes • nikto123

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Was there a lot of individual variation in medieval knights' sword fighting technique? Were any knights famous for very unique sword fight styles?

763 upvotes • UnderwaterDialect

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A virologist lecturing at my medical school just stated that Hepatitis A or "camp jaundice" decimated Axis troops in North Africa under Rommel to such an extent that the disease may have changed the balance of several battles. How much truth is there to this statement?

763 upvotes • LordBice

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Why was the USN First Fleet disestablished and why does the US Navy fleet numbering continue to start at 2? Is there some special reason?

763 upvotes • Teantis

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
In "The Honeymooners" Ralph threatens to hit his wife in almost every episode. How common was it to hit your wife in real life?	764	Flippydaman
How could a tall ship repair its broken masts (after a storm, or a battle) in the middle of the ocean?	764	NikKerk
Did Pancho Villa use rape as a war tactic?	764	isaydefy
In 1856, Richard Francis Burton briefly mentions a Somali "superstition" that mosquito bites are linked to Malaria, which was of course borne out as correct 50 years later. With the growing emphasis on non-European knowledge and sources, are there other instances of this phenomenon that we know of?	764	UnfairAir9643
When did monsters get 'big'?	764	lordpond
I recently read Westminster Abbey was so dirtied by the london fog for decades that it's facede was black until the 1980s, when it was cleaned. What was the public's reaction to it being restored to it's natural gold color?	763	OceansOnPluto
Was there a backup plan in case the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki failed to explode?	763	nikto123
Was there a lot of individual variation in medieval knights' sword fighting technique? Were any knights famous for very unique sword fight styles?	763	UnderwaterDialect
A virologist lecturing at my medical school just stated that Hepatitis A or "camp jaundice" decimated Axis troops in North Africa under Rommel to such an extent that the disease may have changed the balance of several battles. How much truth is there to this statement?	763	LordBice
Why was the USN First Fleet disestablished and why does the US Navy fleet numbering continue to start at 2? Is there some special reason?	763	Teantis