askhistorians

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The Inca were famous for their qullqas storehouses filled with enough food to see their subjects through years of famine. Were such vast food reserves particularly notable in the premodern world? Did European or Asian civilizations manage a similarly effective famine-fighting strategy?	2218
The Hateful Eight portrays a stagecoach way station in the middle of a blizzard in Colorado that is uninsulated, and fails to keep snow from drifting inside. Would this have been a normal cold-climate building style in the late 1800s?	2211
The US federal government grants far more money to some states than it collects in tax revenue from them, effectively redistributing the nation's wealth from the wealthiest states to the poorer ones. When did state-to-state redistribution become a major outcome of federal tax/spending policy?	2134
Bread was incredibly labor and energy-intensive to prepare. Why was it a staple for so many poor people in the premodern era when they could save time and energy by directly boiling whole grains or preparing them as part of a potage/porridge/soup?	2126
The founding fathers based the U.S. constitution on what they liked about the Roman Republic. Did they recognize any issues with the Roman Republic that they tried to improve on? What were these and how did they go about it?	2064
More than sixty-five percent of American soldiers serving in Vietnam were volunteers. Was there a great bout of patriotism, or a belief in the cause that lead to this volunteering? Did volunteers dry up as the war dragged on and the situation was better understood back home?	2043
Ancient Athens seems to have lacked the apartment buildings of ancient Rome. So did most people live in small single-family homes? Should we imagine these as row houses? What would the living situation be like for the working poor and middle class? Were there slums?	2003
Athens regularly held "unpopularity contests;" the winner was exiled for a decade. Athens sent away dozens of leading citizens and war heroes. Did ostracism stabilize the democracy? Was it useful? Did the frequent recall of exiled citizens mean ostracism was counterproductive?	1960
Teddy Roosevelt sent the U.S. Navy to circumnavigate the globe. Was this a technical and logistical achievement for the world? An attempt to win hearts and minds abroad? Intimidation? What did the U.S. get out of it, and how did foreigners react?	1892
When did humans begin escorting dogs on "walks"? Did upper-class urbanized Ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians have slaves walk their dogs? What about the Greeks and Romans?	1853

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