AskHistorians

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Why were the great cathedrals of Europe built with such extreme opulence and so massive (especially in the height department)? Was it solely to show glory to God or was it more political? Do we know what ordinary people thought about so much money being spent on their construction?	213
Why did the automatic gearbox (transmission) become the norm in the US but not other countries such as the U.K.?	78
How long did it take the germ theory of disease to be accepted by (1) medical professionals and (2) the general public?	49
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” laments the commercialization of the holiday season and reminds viewers of its Christian origins, AKA “The true meaning of Christmas”. However it only existed due to sponsorship by the Coca Cola company. Was this irony remarked upon at the time?	4
The Economist reports that legal marijuana in Canada is struggling to compete with illegal marijuana because the latter pays no tax and does not abide by strict regulations. Did alcohol have the same problem when it was legalised after prohibition?	4
Why did improvisation disappear from orchestral music? I’ve read that Zach, Beethoven and Mozart would improvise but few “classical” musicians improvise freely today.	3
When electricity was rolled out to households for the first time, was the general public fearful?	3
How bad with the 1982-85 Ethiopia famine which compared with other famines in the 80s and 90s?	2
During the 1980s, did the world’s media refer to the IRA as a “terrorist” group? Or did they use another term such as “militant group”?	1
Was Christian collective worship in (say) the year 100 more like modern day Judaism or more like modern day Christianity? What rituals were involved?	1

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