/r/askhistorians

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In 1820, Maine became its own state after seceding from Massachusetts. But Massachusetts doesn't even border Maine, so why did it own Maine in the first place?

411 upvotes • Whalermouse

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Isaac Newton famously claimed his greatest achievement in life was his lifelong celibacy. Would a layperson being celibate for life be considered virtuous in Protestant England in his time? How was celibacy thought of in general then?

411 upvotes • hafiram

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Why is Cocaine not as wildly accepted now as it was in the past?

411 upvotes • JimHarbor

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Was circumcision invented once from where it spread around the world, or has it appeared several times independently?

411 upvotes • Feather_Snake

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Why was the US military so recklessly indifferent to the radioactive effects of nuclear weapons during the 50s and 60s?

411 upvotes • 0xE4-0x20-0xE6

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While HIV/AIDS emerged in 1980's, is there any belief that past unexplained epidemics may have been earlier appearances of HIV?

410 upvotes • [deleted]

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Were the city states in ancient Sumer united together, like a nation? Or does the word Sumer simply refer to the region that these cities were located on?

410 upvotes • stupidfuckingdumbass

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Did the Portuguese and Japanese recognize that they both played chess after contact?

410 upvotes • whole_nother

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It is well known that the original formulation of Coca Cola contained extract from the coca leaf and was marketed as a health tonic. How potent was it? Did it actually have appreciable medicinal properties of any kind? Could you get addicted to the stuff?

410 upvotes • Ellikichi

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How did the stereotype of incest in the American South become prevalent?

410 upvotes • lildebbiecreampie

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Title	Upvotes	Author	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
In 1820, Maine became its own state after seceding from Massachusetts. But Massachusetts doesn't even border Maine, so why did it own Maine in the first place?	411	Whalermouse
Isaac Newton famously claimed his greatest achievement in life was his lifelong celibacy. Would a layperson being celibate for life be considered virtuous in Protestant England in his time? How was celibacy thought of in general then?	411	hafiram
Why is Cocaine not as wildly accepted now as it was in the past?	411	JimHarbor
Was circumcision invented once from where it spread around the world, or has it appeared several times independently?	411	Feather_Snake
Why was the US military so recklessly indifferent to the radioactive effects of nuclear weapons during the 50s and 60s?	411	0xE4-0x20-0xE6
While HIV/AIDS emerged in 1980's, is there any belief that past unexplained epidemics may have been earlier appearances of HIV?	410	[deleted]
Were the city states in ancient Sumer united together, like a nation? Or does the word Sumer simply refer to the region that these cities were located on?	410	stupidfuckingdumbass
Did the Portuguese and Japanese recognize that they both played chess after contact?	410	whole_nother
It is well known that the original formulation of Coca Cola contained extract from the coca leaf and was marketed as a health tonic. How potent was it? Did it actually have appreciable medicinal properties of any kind? Could you get addicted to the stuff?	410	Ellikichi
How did the stereotype of incest in the American South become prevalent?	410	lildebbiecreampie