askhistorians

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It is often claimed that George V was euthanised in part so that he would die in time for the morning newspapers to report on his death. How much truth is there to this claim?	2402
Lyndon B. Johnson is often perceived as masterful in his ability to persuade or lobby Congress, for example in securing the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Is this reputation deserved, and is he really such an outlier?	915
The New Hampshire House of Representatives has 400 seats, making it by far the largest lower house of any American state, despite New Hampshire being only the 41st most populous. Why did New Hampshire's house become so big while other houses remained/ended up relatively small?	92
How effective were Thomas Sankara's reforms in Upper Volta/Burkina Faso? Did he really improve or make progress with the country's economic situation? And was his rule genuinely free and democratic, or was he just another communist dictator styling himself as a democratically elected president?	80
Both a Tom Leher song and an episode of The Simpsons mentions math textbooks with questions about unusual bases (e.g. base 8). Are these just coincidentally absurd jokes, or was there really an attempt to teach such bases in the 60s? Was it based on some similar perceived misstep in math teaching?	36
What was the contemporary reaction to the 1971 "Buy the World a Coke" commercial? Did hippies or conservatives have any particular views on the ad? Further, was there a wider trend in targeting mainstream audiences using hippy ideas or similar aesthetics?	21
During the First World War, the United States had many anti-war activists arrested for opposing the war. Did this apparent suspension of freedom of speech happen again during the Second World War? Why or why not?	19
Is there any historical consensus on the guilt of Sacco and Vanzetti?	16
The 1939 Murphy Translation of Mein Kampf includes a translators note that claims that the Munich Putsch was a reaction to an attempt by the Bavarian Prime Minister to declare independence. This is a dubious account of events: was this in line with "official" Nazi history?	3

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