AskHistorians

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The Black Sea is fascinating: it's only half as salty as the world's oceans (17-18 parts per thousand, versus ~33-37 for the Atlantic). Did people notice this difference in antiquity (or more recent history)? Was this known to Byzantines? The Ottomans? Imperial Russia? If so, what was made of this?	430
Albert Einstein described China as "a peculiar herd-like nation" and its residents as "more like automatons than people." How long have westerners expressed similar views of China as being an "overly orderly" place? Why has this type of misperception been so persistent?	142
In the 18th century, Hawaiian emissary Ka'iana journeyed to the imperial court of China and to the United States. How did he make these voyages, and what did he bring with him? What were his goals? How was he received, and what did Ka'iana have to say about the people in the nations he visited?	138
Slavery in Cuba lasted until 1886. How have Black Cubans’ relationship with the State evolved since then, especially following the 1953 Communist Revolution? Was there a Cuban Civil Rights movement?	131
How is it possible that the slave trade in Liberia -- a country founded as a colonial haven for people formerly enslaved in America -- only ended after the League of Nations intervened in the early 20th century?	127
Domestic cats kill over 1 billion birds in the U.S. annually. Did people (either among colonizers or indigenous communities) recognize the impact cats were having on the local biosphere early on? If not, when we catch on to the scope of destruction caused by our furry feline friends?	76
From Akkadia to Egypt, tossing your baby in a reed basket and sending them downstream seems to've been a common theme in stories from the ancient world. How did this trope emerge? Was it a reflection of actual practices of infanticide/abandonment employed by those who could not support more kids?	66
In 1965, America trained astronauts for spaceflight with stints as aquanauts, spending 30 days living and working in habitats 205ft below the surface. What were their experiences like underwater? What was the nature of the facilities? Did their time underwater prove helpful for spaceflight?	65
Was Divorce by Combat really a practice in medieval Germany?	65
China invaded Tibet in 1951, the annexation culminating in 1959 with the dissolution of the government. What was life like for Tibetans of all classes during this 8-year period? What were the Communist Party's goals in Tibet? Who benefited and who suffered when the Tibet's government was dissolved?	61

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