AskHistorians

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
A European ship full of spices successfully returns to her home port. What happens to the cargo next? What does the chain of supply between the ship and the dining table look like?	4189
In the movie 'Terminator' (1984), Arnold Schwarzenegger's cyborg character 'purchases' several firearms in 1984 Los Angeles, including AR-18, Spas-12, Uzi and 1911 pistol. How realistic is this for 1984 California gun legislation?	4039
Why did 1993 Battle of Mogadishu with 18 US casualties elicit rather dramatic domestic political response, just two years after 1991 Desert Storm, which allegedly was expected to inflict thousands of casualties?	1293
In at least two wuxia movies 'Hero' (2002) and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' (2000), one part of the plot is the relationship between swordmanship and calligraphy. Is this link purely modern invention or is there actually contemporary thoughts on this matter?	639
In BBC sitcom "Blackadder Goes Forth" eponymous protagonist tries to avoid combat by feigning madness "doing the trick they all used to do in Sudan". Was Anglo-Sudan war a particularly nasty business that British officers would also try avoid?	263
Did Latin language change significantly while being 'dead'/used only by scholars? Would Descartes, for example, be able to converse freely with Cicero?	185
What happened in colonies of Netherland, Belgium and France when they were conquered by Nazi Germany? Did they 'transfer' over? Maintained old allegiance? Claim independence?	89
How would you descibe a difference between these Englishmen - one fighting at Agincourt in 1415, one fighting at Waterloo in 1815, one fighting at Somme in 1916 - from a social/socio-economic point of view?	83
What was 1999 Pristina airport stand-off all about?	81
How common it was for rich people to immigrate into New World colonies? How strongly was wealthy land-owning class (likes of George Washington family etc.) influenced by its pre-existing economic status?	55

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