/u/edwardtaughtme's posts in /r/askhistorians
When the UK initiated research on breaking the sound barrier, was it purely a "blue sky" project or did they expect it to improve the high speed performance of combat aircraft during the war? Were any WWII airplane designs influenced by the project's research?
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In 1965, Tom Lehrer wrote and performed both a song lampooning Wernher von Braun and a song about nuclear proliferation in which Alabama is a punchline. Would he and his audience have known that von Braun developed ICBMs in Alabama?
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Why did the tobacco industry become so involved in motorsport? The first non-automotive sponsored livery (at least in Formula One) was the 1968 Gold Leaf Lotus and tobacco companies have practically (or even by name, as in the case of British American Racing) owned and run teams.
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[Furniture] When did THE bed stop being the most valuable item in a "Western" home? What economic factors brought about this change?
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What do we know and/or speculate about the significance of Penelope waiting for Odysseus to ancient Greeks, Homer having contrived the narrow circumstances necessary for her to not remarry?
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What made the heavy fabric produced in Duffel so superior, it was worth trading internationally for? Why couldn't fabric makers elsewhere replicate the quality?
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Was Ancient Egypt ever better connected to other African civilizations than Near East civilizations?
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