AskHistorians

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Bare Knuckle Boxing dominated in the 19th century, but the last title was handed out in 1889 and gloved boxing took over from there. Why did bare knuckle boxing fade away?	28
The ancient Romans had three-part names, but why do modern history writers and historians seemingly randomly select a different part of a famous Roman's name and, in lock-step, universally adopt it as their moniker?	28
Why was wheat reserved for soldiers during WWI and WWII?	28
Romans were sometimes found guilty and sentenced to death, but "allowed" to commit suicide. Would this have been considered a mercy?	28
The family of the Athenian orator Demosthenes ran "sweatshops" filled with hundreds of slaves manufacturing swords. The orator Lysias's family made shields in a similar setup. Should we read these as proto-factories? Did they have assembly lines? Did mass production make these goods affordable?	28
It is starting to become normal for people to take off their shoes when they enter someone's home. But it seems like this is a fairly new development in the United States. Was "keep your shoes on when socializing," the norm before the 1960s? When/How did this start to shift?	27
When swing dancing and jazz were taking off in the 1920s, plenty of people born in the Victorian Era were still alive - did they find the new style of dance and music immoral, indecent, or overly sexualized?	27
Most houses in South America have interiors covered in tile, with few rugs or wooden floors. Was there a historical reason for this?	27
Did the first few US presidents have opponents that conceded defeat, or is that a more recent tradition? Before quick communication, when would opponents have conceded?	27
Were Plutarch's Lives part of the cultural backbone of 18-19th century America, almost up there with the bible in terms of penetration?	27

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