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

Year:

Only show posts with narrations

Did the destruction of Pompeii have a noted effect on the Roman economy?

979 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Was there a contingency plan for retrieving the undetonated device if either of the Atomic bombs didn't work over Japan?

582 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

When was the last time a notable american publicly advocated for the institution of slavery? Did southerners stop bothering to ethically argue for it during reconstruction?

449 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Were foreign bodyguards like the Varangian guard and Swiss guard generally less prone to betrayal/intrigue then their domestic counterparts like the Praetorians?

325 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Why did some cultures develop a bride-price, and others develop dowry?

297 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Were any slaves officially owned by the US government at any time?

241 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Why did Nazi Germany produce such valuable rocket scientists compared to other nations? Is this a misconception?

181 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

How did "letters with lines through them" become so ubiquitous in currency symbolism?

164 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Is it just popular history's image of her, or is the story of Joan of Arc as weird and unlikely as I think?

108 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Where the more educated voters aware that FDR had polio? How closely guarded was the secret, and how was it so effectively kept secret?

82 upvotes

Mark as read: Add to a list

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Did the destruction of Pompeii have a noted effect on the Roman economy?	979
Was there a contingency plan for retrieving the undetonated device if either of the Atomic bombs didn't work over Japan?	582
When was the last time a notable american publicly advocated for the institution of slavery? Did southerners stop bothering to ethically argue for it during reconstruction?	449
Were foreign bodyguards like the Varangian guard and Swiss guard generally less prone to betrayal/intrigue then their domestic counterparts like the Praetorians?	325
Why did some cultures develop a bride-price, and others develop dowry?	297
Were any slaves officially owned by the US government at any time?	241
Why did Nazi Germany produce such valuable rocket scientists compared to other nations? Is this a misconception?	181
How did "letters with lines through them" become so ubiquitous in currency symbolism?	164
Is it just popular history's image of her, or is the story of Joan of Arc as weird and unlikely as I think?	108
Where the more educated voters aware that FDR had polio? How closely guarded was the secret, and how was it so effectively kept secret?	82