AskHistorians

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Have humans always infantilized their pets (e.g. referring to their dog as "baby" or themselves as "mom"), or is this a relatively recent phenomenon?	4180
When did we discover that Space is a vacuum? Did early engineers and science fiction writers foresee that interplanetary travel would require an enclosed capsule and life support?	4140
What is the context of this medieval image? (Possibly NSFW) NSFW	3067
Ross Perot’s 1992 presidential campaign garnered 19% of the popular vote, the best third-party showing since Teddy Roosevelt’s run in 1912. Who were his supporters and why was he so successful?	589
How on Earth did Gertrude Stein, the famous Jewish lesbian patron of modernism, end up a Vichy collaborator?	389
Leonardo da Vinci died in 1519, some 27 years after Columbus's first voyage. In the intervening decades, did the famed polymath ever comment on the discovery of the New World?	340
Between 1969 and 1977, Henry Kissinger was a master of American foreign policy, serving as both National Security Advisor and Secretary of State. Why did Reagan and Bush not include him in their cabinets?	215
In the 1920's and 30's, art-deco and beaux-art styled, steel-framed skyscrapers defined the skylines of New York and Chicago. Why did such building not take-off (sorry) in the other leading cities of the world, such as Paris, London, or Berlin?	145
100 Years Ago, Spanish Flu killed tens of millions, wiping out 3-6% of the world's population. What was its legacy? Why did it leave little lasting impact in popular culture?	136
The year is 50 BCE. I am a Roman merchant sailing through the Eastern Mediterranean trying to sell my wares. Would the Greek spoken in Alexandria, Antioch, Athens etc. be the same or would I need to know multiple language to engage in business?	96

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