askhistorians

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All over the world, it seems that all playgrounds have the same three staples: the swing, the slide and the see-saw. Has this always been the case? Where did they originate?	3419
What is the origin of the peculiarly tall white hat as the headdress of the head chef in western kitchens?	1396
In 1848, the Milanese planned to quit smoking and gambling in order to starve their Austrian overlords of tax revenues, who in turn sent in thousands of soldiers with 6 cigars each with orders to 'smoke provocatively'. Why did anyone take any of this bizarre plan seriously?	245
Why did Norway actively support maintainence of arctic and sub-arctic rural communities in the 50's - 90's when Canada, Sweden and Finland all have had active centralisation and urbanisation programs?	65
Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, but no Royal Army. What was it that made the army not deserving of the royal moniker?	33
Did either side in WW1 recycle the millions of spent brass casings from machine guns?	23
Cinncinatus was a vehement opponent of the rights of the common man, and lead a brutal repression of the commoners in order to preserve the Roman oligarchy. Why is he so celebrated and revered by modern liberal states?	7
How were the women of the Order of the White Feather treated after WW1?	7
Throughout the revolutionary turmoil of the the 1700s and 1800s, Britain was a haven for not just exiled monarchs and aristocrats, but also exiled revolutionaries. Why?	4
How did Portuguese America manage to stay so complelely outside of the chaos of the wars of Spanish American independence? Why did Bolivar not view the brasilians as part of his plan for a unified South America?	3

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