/u/SaintShrink's posts in /r/askhistorians

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Of the top 20 tallest statues in the world, 15 depict a Buddha or are Buddhist in nature. How did a religion typically associated with aeseticism and impermanence come to produce such ostentatious art?

8031 upvotes

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How did PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) go from breaking the Silver Spring case, a watershed moment in animal rights activism, to an organization routinely criticized for what are perceived as ill-considered publicity stunts?

5652 upvotes

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How do we know that ancient Greeks/Scandinavians/Egyptians/etc. believed in their gods, and that it wasn't just a collection of universally known fictional characters a la the Looney Tunes, with poems and theme parks dedicated to them?

4926 upvotes

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Did the television show Frasier influence the growth of Starbucks?

3964 upvotes

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In 1983, in the midst of the Cold War, the Soviet Air Force shot down a civilian flight with a sitting US congressman on board. Given our image of Cold War tensions being as taut as piano wire, how did this not immediately make the war very very hot?

2531 upvotes

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What's the origin of the children's game where you see a Volkswagen Beetle and punch another child?

2070 upvotes

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I've been waiting years to ask: why did we all go absolutely bananas for The DaVinci Code in 2003?

2064 upvotes

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How did gold, silver, and bronze become the standard first, second, and third place medals?

2041 upvotes

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How did Japan come to produce the best beef in the world?

1367 upvotes

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Why are dalmatians associated with firefighting?

1155 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Of the top 20 tallest statues in the world, 15 depict a Buddha or are Buddhist in nature. How did a religion typically associated with aeseticism and impermanence come to produce such ostentatious art?	8031
How did PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) go from breaking the Silver Spring case, a watershed moment in animal rights activism, to an organization routinely criticized for what are perceived as ill-considered publicity stunts?	5652
How do we know that ancient Greeks/Scandinavians/Egyptians/etc. believed in their gods, and that it wasn't just a collection of universally known fictional characters a la the Looney Tunes, with poems and theme parks dedicated to them?	4926
Did the television show Frasier influence the growth of Starbucks?	3964
In 1983, in the midst of the Cold War, the Soviet Air Force shot down a civilian flight with a sitting US congressman on board. Given our image of Cold War tensions being as taut as piano wire, how did this not immediately make the war very very hot?	2531
What's the origin of the children's game where you see a Volkswagen Beetle and punch another child?	2070
I've been waiting years to ask: why did we all go absolutely bananas for The DaVinci Code in 2003?	2064
How did gold, silver, and bronze become the standard first, second, and third place medals?	2041
How did Japan come to produce the best beef in the world?	1367
Why are dalmatians associated with firefighting?	1155