AskHistorians

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Why did US prohibition of alcohol seem to require a constitutional amendement in 1919, but 50 years later, Congress was able to prohibit a variety of substances (Marijuana, etc) with a mere act?	5412
Raskolnikov lived in a flat with "dinner and maid" service. He was a poor ex-student with no money. Were these kinds of rental arrangements common in 1860s St. Petersburg?	2537
Domitian (CE 81-96) is the only Roman emperor who seems to have understood inflation and took measures to correct it by revaluing the currency. Why did later emperors not do this? Was the knowledge of the concept of inflation lost or something?	2032
The Egyptian Obelisk in Central Park is thousands of years old. It seems utterly exposed to the elements. What is the history of the preservation of this Obelisk? Did Egypt ever complain or ask for it back?	117
In Don Quixote, reading too many novels drives Quixote insane. I read somewhere that the Spanish Crown forbade the export of these proto-novels to the new world on fear that the settlers would become unable to distinguish fiction from reality. Was this a widespread concept in early modern Spain?	73
I have read that the spread of the Reformation can be closely tied to the proliferation of the printing press, with towns possessing one being far more likely to rebel against the Catholic Church. What, if any, efforts did the Church make to suppress the spread of the printing press?	45
Ancient Vedic texts and Hindu philosophers were also great astronomers and mathematicians. What prevented Vedic India from getting advanced metallurgy and steam power?	31
How did Medieval Europeans conceive of the Ancient Roman ruins? Did they understand that a far more technologically advanced society preceded them? Did that make them angry?	26
What were the underlying causes of the Day Care Sex Abuse panic of the 1980s and the resulting prosecutions? Were changes made to law or procedure so that such things cannot recur?	20
Woodrow Wilson had a stroke on October 2, 1919, near the tail end of the Paris Peace Conference, which ended in January 1920. Did this event have any effect on the final disposition of the conference?	15

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