askhistorians

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The Polish government-in-exile, the remnants of the leadership of the second Polish republic, existed from 1939-1990. During that time they had numerous presidents and prime ministers. How did it function as a democracy, if in exile? Who was doing the voting?	1674
Why are successful assassins almost always referred to by their first, middle (or middle initial), and last names, whereas unsuccessful assassins only get first/last name treatment? How or when did this convention begin?	16
Have there ever been any serious attempts to develop Central Park?	11
Were it not for the work of Soviet intelligence, how likely were the soviets to have developed the atomic bomb solely independently?	4
Do we know how influenential (if at all) Western philosophy was on Judaism and early Christianity?	4
Was there a similar expectation of the end of the world around the turn of the first to second millennium, like what we saw around the year 2000?	1
Why do cigarette filters have a different color paper and that mottled pattern?	1
There are Breckenridges in Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, and Colorado, all named after John C. Breckinridge. The Colorado town supposedly changed the spelling to disassociate with Breckinridge after he joined the Confederate army. Why are all the others spelled with an 'I' as well?	1
I've heard it said that in ancient Rome, it was common to literally throw away unwanted babies before naming them, and the practice wasn't frowned upon. Did this occur all over the ancient world during that period in history? Would it have happened in Roman Judea and did anyone speak up against it?	1
Has there ever been evidence of a major American political party betraying their fiduciary responsibility and heavily favoring one candidate over another prior to 2016?	1

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