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

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Why wasn't NATO disbanded after the dissolution of the USSR?

175 upvotes

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I'm a polymath and inventor in 1830s England. One of my ideas requires "a sheet of paper a thousand feet long." Where do I get such a long piece of paper, and how much does it cost?

169 upvotes

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The Chilean economy did poorly in the early 1970s. Many plausible causal factors were at work, including falling copper prices, Allende's policies, and CIA shenanigans. Do historians agree on which factor(s) were most important?

167 upvotes

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Have standards of beauty for women changed more than for men? Or: why do we hear more about the evolution of feminine beauty than masculine?

164 upvotes

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"Armenia in the east was a major source of wealth, but [it] would require regular and vigorous defence against various perennial enemies." Why was small, landlocked Armenia so important to the economy of the Byzantine Empire?

162 upvotes

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A "cocktail putsch", "a gigantic hoax", "perfect moonshine": Was the business plot a real thing? If not, why did Smedley Butler testify that it was?

156 upvotes

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The first music video played on MTV was for "Video Killed the Radio Star." Did people at the time (e.g., the folks at MTV) appreciate the humor here? Was it intentional?

121 upvotes

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Before modern insurance and futures markets, how did farmers manage the ever-present risk of crop failure/glut? (Same question for other commodity-based professions.)

112 upvotes

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The US congress has not declared war since 1941. Why not?

110 upvotes

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I often hear that an excess of unmarried men leads to war, chaos, and a host of social ills. Is this supported by historical evidence?

99 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Why wasn't NATO disbanded after the dissolution of the USSR?	175
I'm a polymath and inventor in 1830s England. One of my ideas requires "a sheet of paper a thousand feet long." Where do I get such a long piece of paper, and how much does it cost?	169
The Chilean economy did poorly in the early 1970s. Many plausible causal factors were at work, including falling copper prices, Allende's policies, and CIA shenanigans. Do historians agree on which factor(s) were most important?	167
Have standards of beauty for women changed more than for men? Or: why do we hear more about the evolution of feminine beauty than masculine?	164
"Armenia in the east was a major source of wealth, but [it] would require regular and vigorous defence against various perennial enemies." Why was small, landlocked Armenia so important to the economy of the Byzantine Empire?	162
A "cocktail putsch", "a gigantic hoax", "perfect moonshine": Was the business plot a real thing? If not, why did Smedley Butler testify that it was?	156
The first music video played on MTV was for "Video Killed the Radio Star." Did people at the time (e.g., the folks at MTV) appreciate the humor here? Was it intentional?	121
Before modern insurance and futures markets, how did farmers manage the ever-present risk of crop failure/glut? (Same question for other commodity-based professions.)	112
The US congress has not declared war since 1941. Why not?	110
I often hear that an excess of unmarried men leads to war, chaos, and a host of social ills. Is this supported by historical evidence?	99