AskHistorians

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In the UK (and I think USA) there was a change from littering being socially acceptable, to totally unacceptable during the 1970/80's. What drove this change? Why didn't it come earlier or later?	1853
In 'Das Boot' and many other submarine movies there are scenes where water starts spraying and the crew have to heroically tighten bolts to stop it. How realistic is this?	701
In around 1612 the artist Artemisia Gentileschi was tortured in Rome during her rape trial (as a survivor) to ensure her testimony was accurate. Was it common to torture defendants in court? Would she have known she would be tortured? Did the courts find torture reliable?	216
The Royal Navy had awesome names for vessels during 'the age of sail'. Was it deliberate policy to pick 'cool' names, or do they just look cool in hindsight? Is there any evidence/minutes of deliberations about picking one name over another because it was cool?	197
The upcoming film 'The Death of Stalin' portrays Zhukov as having a mischievous sense of humour. Are there any notable examples of his sense of humour in real life? Did he keep his humanity while overseeing the horrendous campaign?	163
The Civilization computer game came out in 1990. Is there any record of world leaders playing it, and did it highlight interesting things about their mindset?	72
Did soviet submarines aid the UK during Falklands Conflict 1982?	62
Did the first exoplanet discovery in 1992 cause a noticeable cultural shift?	25
In around 1612 the artist Artemisia Gentileschi was tortured in Rome during her rape trial (as defendant) to ensure her testimony was accurate. Was it common to torture defendants in court? Would she have known she would be tortured? Did the courts find torture reliable?	20
In the UK there are lots of walled towns with more modern development outside the walls. When and why did the need for defensive walls disappear?	15

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