askhistorians

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New Roman Emperors often canceled all debts when they came to power as a popularity move. Who stood to gain from these debt cancelations, and who was being hurt?	21
Nonsexual male touch / physical affection are taboo in western society. Have we always been so standoffish?	21
When Vanilla Ice rapped in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, was this considered selling out, or a perfectly normal thing for a rapper of the era to do? Was he considered in the same league, and did he share the same fan base, as contemporary black rappers?	21
Practitioners of Islam generally learn a fair amount of Arabic to practice their religion, but English or French often serves as the lingua franca between two Islamic countries. Why didn't Islam become a lingua franca when it would seem ideally set up to do so?	21
A minority of modern western people don't identify with the male/female dichotomy and embrace an intermediate space, or third gender. Beyond the west and through prior ages of history, how common were such orientations? How did societies deal with nonbinary genders?	21
China had a democratic government for two decades before the communists overthrew it. How well did it function? Did its citizens appreciate it, and did its economy grow?	21
Modern elites and the rich separate themselves from the "riffraff" in gated compounds and unconnected developments of McMansions. Did Roman elites build their mansions next to the apartment towers of the poor? Was the exclusive Palatine Hill an exception or the rule?	21
The US recognizes a "right to privacy." How did we come to recognize this as a right? Did philosophers create the argument for it? Was it a long battle to recognize it as a right?	20
Hebrew ceased to a utilitarian language around the 2nd century A.D., and was used only for religious rituals. Today, millions speak it as their first language in Isreal. How did this happen? Why didn't Jews moving to Isreal communicate in Arabic or Yiddish?	20
I'm a king with a gold-and-silver based currency. Should I be concerned if more coins are leaving the kingdom via trade than are coming in? What consequences am I likely to face?	20

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