AskHistorians

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Soviet required every working citizen to take at least two weeks a year of government-paid vacations in sanatoriums (health spas with medical checkups). At peak, one sanatorium could handle half a million guests at a time. What was it like?	5366
[META[ In the event of subreddits going dark and closing down, what would be the best ways to archive the vast amount of content in Reddit?	2057
Sukarno, the former president of a conservative Indonesia, was once allegedly blackmailed with sex tape by the CIA in the 1950s. He requested copies and asked to share it publicly. How was this possible? What was the public response like?	446
KGB and CIA reportedly blackmailed Indonesian president Sukarno with sex tapes, and, instead of being ashamed, the president asked for extra copies. What was the story behind this that it was considered a legitimate ops tactics?	287
In 1986 it was claimed that Queen Elizabeth II is related to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. What was the context of this claim and what scholarship did this person built upon?	178
If our grandparents/relatives are notable individuals, would interviews with them have any value in the study of history?	29
What gave rise to the practice of sin-eater (or the myth about it)? And why it occured on England and Wales in 17th century specifically?	28
KGB reportedly blackmailed Indonesian president Sukarno with sex tapes, and, instead of being ashamed, the president asked for extra copies. How/why was blackmailing world leader with sex tapes considered a legitimate ops tactics in the 1950s?	22
"These are the most important skills for 21st century". That's what news outlets and companies often tell younger generations today. Was there something similar in the 1900s? Like "Skills for the 20th century" or something.	17
How did Ptolemy know regions as far as Singapore and Sumatra back in 2nd century, long before European contact?	15

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