/r/askhistorians
How did the name “Tyrone” become so commonly associated with Black Americans, even though the origins of the name are Irish?
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Why is Capitalism considered to have started c. the 16th century, when cities like Florence had institutions like banking, etc. plus a sort of Republic? Why aren't places like the Roman Empire considered capitalist, if there was trade, private property, etc.?
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The Catholic church claims to know the complete list of all 266 popes who reigned from the 1st to the 21st century, starting with St Peter himself. They also give exact dates for the duration of their papacies for nearly all of them. How credible is this from the perspective of a historian?
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In The Witcher series the protagonist is a medieval professional monster hunter for hire--are there historical equivalents, persons specifically hired to track and kill beasts terrorizing livestock, peasants, etc.?
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Billy Graham was recorded as making extremely antisemitic comments to Nixon in 1972, but this tape was only released in 2002. What evidence existed of Graham's antisemitism before this? How common was this degree of antisemitism among Southern Evangelicals of his generation?
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How would Jesus as the son of a carpenter in a backwater have been able to speak Latin well enough to converse with Pontius Pilate? Pretty sure they didn't have latin classes in Bethlehem schools.
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The Aztecs were terrified of being attacked by a short "poop goblin" while using the toilet, but the "goblin" resembles the revered god Tlazoltéotl and dwarfism was seen as holy. Why is this creature vilified if all its traits were considered holy?
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Smoking was prevalent in the 20th century. When NASA was first choosing astronauts for the space program, was this a consideration? Were any of the astronauts smokers? Did NASA reject smokers, or deliberately hire non-smokers as astronauts?
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It is reported that Martha Washington said hosting Thomas Jefferson and Mount Vernon was the second-most horrible day of her life, after burying her husband. Do we know what he did during that visit to garner that kind of response.
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