AskHistorians

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How did Mormonism transition from a rogue, semi-threatening religion against which President Buchanan sent military forces, to a mainstream, non-threatening American religion no one gives a second thought to?	1568
Alexander Hamilton had great success and helped build the United States, but by the end of the 1790s he told a friend that there is no place in this country for me. Why did he feel this way?	1544
Richard Nixon seems smarmy due to Watergate. But he also made "courageous" decisions that would have caused a lot of backlash among his supporters, in international relations, civil rights, and the environment. Were these decisions as courageous as they seem in hindsight?	1525
How did Christian heaven become associated with harps, white robes, and little leaf crowns?	1484
The Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty lasted 275 years, or more than the entire lifespan of the United States. Is it uncommon to see such long dynastic runs in Egypt or among other civilizations? What made the Ptolemies so successful?	1483
When Seneca got tuberculosis his doctors sent him to the dry climate of Egypt to recover, and a decade later he was well enough to return to Rome. 1854 years later, TB sufferers were flocking to the dry American west to recover. Did dry air really improve TB?	1455
Movies in the 1940s-1960s often displayed male "persistence" of courting behavior in the face of female disinterest/rejection that was rewarded by the eventual "capitulation" of the woman and the start of happily-ever-after scenarios. Was this "persistence" seen as extreme then?	1429
Europe's ancient, peaceful, matrilinear and matrifocal culture was wiped out by patriarchal invaders dubbed the Kurgan, according to Archaeologist Marija Gimbutaspeaceful. Is her Kurgan Hypothesis likely? Is it taken seriously today? Do we really know that preinvasion life was women-focused?	1407
How did the islands of Crete and Rhodes become famous for the quality of their archers and slingers, respectively, while the mainland Greek city states mostly shunned missile weapons and embraced hoplite training?	1389
Romans kept pools of rainwater (impluvium) in their courtyards. How did they keep them from becoming clogged with mosquitoes and algae? Did they keep fish in them, as is common in Asia?	1302

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