askhistorians

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I'm a resident of 16th century England who is wealthy enough to afford an estate and several servants. As I understand, grass lawns as we know them did not proliferate until the 18th-19th centuries. What then does the area surrounding my house look like, where there would be a lawn in the future?	2136
From what I know, the Egyptian first dynasty started within a few hundred years of the Sahara finishing it's most recent event of drying up. Is this a coincidence, or did the desertification cause migrations that led to the rise of Egypt?	1241
The borders of Brazil extend much further west in South America than the boundary line originally set by the Treaty of Tordesillas. What led to Portugal controlling so much land which was nominally granted to Spain? Did Spain ever get mad about this?	17
To my understanding, the ability to be vegan without health issues is dependent on the existence of vitamin supplements. When would it first have been possible to do such a diet without major adverse effects? When did people first start to go vegan?	8
It's relatively common knowledge that Germans living near concentration camps in World War 2 were aware of the atrocities committed. How much did Germans living in other parts of the country know about the Holocaust as it was happening?	6
Suppose I'm a tradesperson in Tudor-era London. I've decided to learn a foreign language. How do i do this? What resources available? What languages, if any, would i have the resources to learn?	3
I've met a couple of Germans who insist that Danish is so close to German as to be considered a dialect (by these Germans). This (incorrect) perception of Danish as close to German, not Scandinavian, is a minority view now, but was it common in the past?	1
In the modern day, English speakers will imitate early modern English as it is found in Shakespeare to sound archaic for various reasons. When did this practice start? And did it exist en earlier forms of the language? Ie, did people in the 16th century imitate Chaucer for the same archaic effect?	1

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