AskHistorians

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A tropical island with white sand, palm trees and clear water is, for a lot of people, pretty close to paradise. Did explorers during the age of discovery feel the same way about tropical islands?	172
I'm a customs official. In my 'industry' It's common to joke that we're the second oldest profession. Is there any truth to this? What are the oldest references to customs that we've found?	132
Was the Moscow - Washington Hotline actually ever used? Did it have a significant impact on US-Russian relations?	68
Working for the Portuguese in Goa, Jan Huyghen van Linschoten copied their biggest navigational secrets. Back in the Netherlands, he published them in a book, which ended the Portuguese domination of the Asia trade. What was the public reaction to the publication in the Netherlands and Portugal?	61
So what was the New York Times' effect on men that the Bee Gees were singing about?	37
When did people realize something was going on that would later be called the 'babyboom'? Was this an exceptional phenomenon, or is an explosion in birth rates common after a war?	29
I was just reading the Wikipedia-entry on the punishment of hanging, drawing and quartering, which is absolutely gruesome. Was this practice seen as controversial at the time? How did our societies move to stop seeing such cruel and extremely violent types of punishment as acceptable?	27
Presumably, pedestrians (and maybe horses and carts) were the main users of the road. When was this turned on its head, and did 'jaywalking' become a crime? How did this go over with the general public?	18
At the Paris Peace Conference, why did Belgium ask for Zeelandic Flanders as reparations? This region was and is part of the Netherlands, which was neutral during World War 1.	15
ETA, a Basque separatist movement, committed numerous terrorist attacks to support their demand for independence. In comparison, the Catalan independence movement seems to have limited itself to peaceful means. Have they ever considered taking a violent road? Why (not)?	13

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