askhistorians

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After the loss of his beloved daughter, Cicero claimed he'd written a consolation letter to himself so moving that “I talked myself out of depression”. But the letter was lost until it appeared in Venice in the Renaissance. Or did it? Do historians think the "Consolatio" is real?	1
Foreign countries with oil and gas reserves have grown incredibly wealthy over the last century by taxing sales and socking profits away in well-managed sovereign wealth funds. Did the US federal government ever seriously consider creating their own sovereign wealth fund?	1
Why did Neoplatonists largely supplant the Stoics, Cynics, Epicureans, and other philosophical schools during the 3rd-5th centuries?	1
It wasn't the poor committing the crime in Renaissance Venice, but the rich noblemen, according to historian Guido Ruggiero. They were 4% of the population, but committed nearly a quarter of all assaults! Did nobles commit a disproportionate amount of crime elsewhere in Europe?	1
Is there controversy among historians about the use of BCE/CE and B.C./A.D.? Is there a consensus?	1
How old is the nordic tradition of ice baths? When did it become associated with their culture and considered health-promoting?	1
How has the balance of power between the US federal government and the state governments shifted since the constitution went into effect? What powers has the federal government assumed?	1
Did the rediscovery of Justinian's law code during the Medieval/Renaissance era have an effect on justice and law in Europe? Had Roman law of this sort been forgotten? What was the law code based on if not Roman law?	1
Was heart disease responsible for the most deaths among people surviving into later adulthood in your premodern culture of specialty? How novel, historically, is heart disease's place at the top of the killer board in the modern world?	1
The first count of civilian federal employees in the US happened around 1812, and found just 5,000. Was a segment of the political spectrum complaining that this number was outrageously high, or had the smaller government = better government political view not yet appeared? When would it?	1

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