/u/LukeInTheSkyWith's posts

Title	Upvotes	Subreddit
Crassus was known to have a fire brigade made up of slaves, which he had used in rather dubious ways to gain real estate. How did the brigade actually operate to put out the fire? More so, what was the usual cause of a fire in a city like Rome? Was Crassus ever accused of outright arson?	37	AskHistorians
Computer science pioneer (and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral) Grace Hopper enlisted in the Navy Reserve in 1944. How important was her work to the war effort and compuer science in general? Was she simply patriotic or did the Navy offer opportunities not found elsewhere for a computer scientist at the time?	36	AskHistorians
In medieval records, are there any mentions of people who most likely suffered from OCD? If yes, then what kind of behaviours would become their compulsions, if they couldn't wash their hands excessively of check the stove?	36	AskHistorians
If I walked into a 15th century German town marketplace, would it be wise/expected of me to haggle or were most of the prices fixed? Did it differ by types of goods? Who would set a fixed price, a central authority or the vendor?	34	AskHistorians
Ancient Greeks and Romans were using "actual" magic and believed in curses and prophecies. But were there illusionists, who would use trickery to entertain others?	34	AskHistorians
What was the work and life like for an average employee of the Roman postal service, Cursus publicus? How dangerous was the job, how much oversight was there from above and what kind of messages were being delivered? Also, would a messenger be regarded with general respect?	33	AskHistorians
Collapsing of the Banqiao Dam in 1975 killed about 26k people with the initial flooding and up to 145k due to disease and famine in subsequent months. It stands as the worst dam disaster in history. With the information about it being declassified in 2005, do we know of any witness accounts of it?	31	AskHistorians
What would a "make-up kit" of a medieval royal lady consist of?	31	AskHistorians
In the Wikipedia list of U.S. presidential speechwriters, Judson T. Welliver is identified as the first official one, for Warren Harding. Then it jumps to JFK's presidency. Did FDR, Eisenhower etc. have some of their speeches written by one? Is there a reason noone is listed or officially known?	31	AskHistorians
In his History of England, Hume talks about Henry III using a substance called quicklime (calcium oxide) to blind the French fleet. Was similar tactic used elsewhere at the time (13th century) and are there any other examples of what could be considered a medieval chemical warfare?	30	AskHistorians

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