askhistorians

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What factors led to French Guiana becoming a fully-integrated part of the French Republic while virtually every other European colony was granted independence?	58
In Greek mythology, Prometheus created humans and gave us fire. As a result, Zeus sentenced him to eternal torture. What is the significance of this? Prometheus was a Titan, not a God. Why would the Greeks worship Zeus when he clearly did not care about humanity's wellbeing but other deities did?	57
In "1776", Jefferson and Adams use their colleges (William & Mary and Harvard) as support during an argument over grammar. Were certain schools considered more prestigious than others in Colonial America in the same way we consider certain schools to be superior (i.e. Ivy League) today?	53
In the Middle Ages, what were the criteria that decided the "level" of a state? For instance, why was Denmark a "Kingdom", but something like Lithuania, which was many many times larger, merely a "Grand Duchy"?	52
Were there ever any mainstream attempts to "Americanize" the names of cities and states (New York, Williamsburg, etc.) in the years during and after the Revolution?	48
What was going on in Southern Egypt during Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages?	46
Many of the most famous urban legends (The Hook, Killer in the backseat, etc.) can be traced back to the 1950s/1960s. Is there a particular reason that the origins of so many of these urban legends can be traced back to the same ~10 year period?	45
The handover of Hong Kong is seen as a landmark moment in international relations and is considered by some to be "the end of the British Empire". Why then is the handover of Macau, a colony that existed centuries before Hong Kong was handed over two years later, viewed with much more nonchalance?	43
What is the reason the English/Scottish border does not follow Hadrian's Wall exactly?	40
Eight of the first nine colleges in America were founded in the North, and it took nearly 100 years after the first Southern college (William & Mary) was founded before another was founded in the South. What factors led to this large disparity between the regions?	37

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