askhistorians

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Francesco Morozini, Doge of Venice (1619-1694), had a Bible with a hidden gun in it. He could fire by pulling on the bookmark. Were clandestine weapons more widespread than one eccentric doge's Bible gun? Was there good reason for powerful people in the 17th century to have weapons like this?	113
What made 1993's "Doom" such a hit videogame?	74
When did bicycles become so common and important to society that "learning to ride a bike" became a fundamental skill that most people are taught as part of their childhood, even if they probably won't cycle much as an adult?	60
Christmas and its festivities were banned by Cromwell's Long Parliament in the 1640s until the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. How was the ban enforced? Could people just ignore it, or did they really have to form secret societies of underground carol singers?	57
I've been hearing that the UK government has just suffered its worst defeat in Parliament, breaking the previous record set in 1924, but what was the 1924 defeat all about and what happened afterwards?	45
The Nazis gave their soldiers tens of millions of Pervatin tablets - a form of methamphetamine. How did the Nazis cope with the nasty side-effects of the drug?	36
The Apollo astronauts smuggled items on their missions to the Moon. How? And although NASA were understandably angry when they discovered a sandwich on Apollo 16, how did they react to more mundane items like feathers or golf balls?	19
The Apollo astronauts sometimes smuggled stuff in to the spacecraft, such as golf balls. How did they manage that and what was the response of NASA when they realised?	17
Some Apollo astronauts smuggled items into the spacecraft, such as golf balls. How did they manage that and what was the response of NASA when they realised?	13
These days Tony Blair does not enjoy a good reputation for a wide variety of reasons, but in 1997 he won a landslide majority. What did people see in him?	10

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