AskHistorians

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There was a massive economic downturn in the United States from 1893-1897. Why was a decade dominated by financial hardship later memorialized as a gilded age?	59
Why do several nursery rhymes feature a "mulberry bush," given that mulberries do not grow on bushes?	57
Reportedly, criminal gangs in 1980s Baltimore adhered to a truce on Sundays. Did they have other rules of engagement? What was a Baltimore gangster's "honor code" like?	54
How much obesity was there in the United States during the Great Depression, and how were the obese viewed and depicted at the time?	51
Imagine two merchants in Persia, one operating in 810 and the other in 850, twenty years either side of Muhammad ib Musa al-Khwarizmi's famous work on algebra. Is there any big difference? Does the "invention" of algebra actually change the way business math is done or problems are approached?	46
In the early 270s, Septimia Zenobia, queen of Palmyra, went on a military campaign across the eastern Roman empire and even briefly annexed Egypt. How did the queen of what was basically a large trade city conquer so much territory?	39
Why was there a television advertising campaign for cheese and milk in the USA during the late 1990s?	30
In the book of Matthew, Jesus implies that "pagan" religions pray in "vain repetitions" and "much speaking." Did the communities He was referring to actually use long, ritualistic prayers at the time, or was Jesus just talking smack?	26
Hound of the Baskervilles mentions neanderthal dwellings in the countryside of Britain in the late 19th century. Were there really known neanderthal dwellings there at that time? How old would those structures have to be?	26
Did William Penn actually defeat legendary duelists in single combat and then spare their lives with a sermon on how murder was wrong?	23

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