/r/askhistorians

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Of the 10 American presidents between 1837 and 1869, 8 are usually ranked by historians among the worst presidents in American history (all except Lincoln and Polk). Do historians have an explanation for why that era produced so many bad presidents?

454 upvotes • iwanttobepart

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AMA: History of British India: Colonial Era to Partition

453 upvotes • estherke

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What did the people of Great Britain think of men like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson during the American Revolution?

453 upvotes • SovietTr0llGuy

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[Meta] I walk in a random bookstore's history section as a history enthusiast. Is there an easy way to tell the quality and the level of bias when I pick up a given book?

453 upvotes • Khundes

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Why are South Korea and Japan so prosperous, but the historically US-backed South American regimes so poor?

453 upvotes • GoofyUmbrella

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How come the Jews, the Romans, and the Norse all seemed to have seven days in their week?

453 upvotes • Mamamayan

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Monday Methods: Why are there letters in the ogham alphabet that do not exist in the Irish language?

453 upvotes • PurrPrinThom

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What would an 11th century king in Brittany eat for breakfast?

452 upvotes • cheeseynacho42

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It seems men and women during the reign of King Henry VIII in England all had the same names; Mary, Katherine, Henry, Thomas, etc. During Elizabeth I we see names like Letitia Knollys and Amy Robsart...why did naming trends change so much in so short a time?

452 upvotes • [deleted]

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If a ship was destroyed by a mine during WW1, how long would it take before the enemy also knew it had been sunk? Could navies hide their losses and maintain the threat from 'ghost' ships?

452 upvotes • [deleted]

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Of the 10 American presidents between 1837 and 1869, 8 are usually ranked by historians among the worst presidents in American history (all except Lincoln and Polk). Do historians have an explanation for why that era produced so many bad presidents?	454	iwanttobepart
AMA: History of British India: Colonial Era to Partition	453	estherke
What did the people of Great Britain think of men like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson during the American Revolution?	453	SovietTr0llGuy
[Meta] I walk in a random bookstore's history section as a history enthusiast. Is there an easy way to tell the quality and the level of bias when I pick up a given book?	453	Khundes
Why are South Korea and Japan so prosperous, but the historically US-backed South American regimes so poor?	453	GoofyUmbrella
How come the Jews, the Romans, and the Norse all seemed to have seven days in their week?	453	Mamamayan
Monday Methods: Why are there letters in the ogham alphabet that do not exist in the Irish language?	453	PurrPrinThom
What would an 11th century king in Brittany eat for breakfast?	452	cheeseynacho42
It seems men and women during the reign of King Henry VIII in England all had the same names; Mary, Katherine, Henry, Thomas, etc. During Elizabeth I we see names like Letitia Knollys and Amy Robsart...why did naming trends change so much in so short a time?	452	[deleted]
If a ship was destroyed by a mine during WW1, how long would it take before the enemy also knew it had been sunk? Could navies hide their losses and maintain the threat from 'ghost' ships?	452	[deleted]