/u/guilty_as_cataline's posts in /r/AskHistorians

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In 62 bc Cicero bought a house from Crassus for 3.5 million sesterces. How was that transaction executed? Seems like it would be a logistical nightmare. Did Cicero cart all that money across town and deliver it? Where was that money stored?

2648 upvotes

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Why was North and South America colonized and extensively explored by Europeans long before Africa?

98 upvotes

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as someone who did not grow up in the US, what is "Americana"? A lot of my US friends use this term. It seems vague, what exactly is Americana?

39 upvotes

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To what degree should Historians be expected to predict future trends?

27 upvotes

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When news of the detonation of the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima hit mainstream news outlets in the US, how familiar was the general public with nuclear fission and atomic technology?

4 upvotes

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Considering Polynesian explorers made it all the way to places like Easter Island, is it reasonable to believe they could have made it to South America?

2 upvotes

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Were the ancient Egyptians aware that the brain was responsible for thought and abstract thinking? If not, where did they believe thoughts, feelings, and emotions originate from? When/how exactly did we come to fully appreciate the role of the brain in perception and thinking?

1 upvotes

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How did ancient societies figure out when exactly the shortest and longest day of the year was? The difference in the length of the day varies so slightly that it seems incredibly difficult to figure out exactly what day is the shortest without a clock.

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
In 62 bc Cicero bought a house from Crassus for 3.5 million sesterces. How was that transaction executed? Seems like it would be a logistical nightmare. Did Cicero cart all that money across town and deliver it? Where was that money stored?	2648
Why was North and South America colonized and extensively explored by Europeans long before Africa?	98
as someone who did not grow up in the US, what is "Americana"? A lot of my US friends use this term. It seems vague, what exactly is Americana?	39
To what degree should Historians be expected to predict future trends?	27
When news of the detonation of the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima hit mainstream news outlets in the US, how familiar was the general public with nuclear fission and atomic technology?	4
Considering Polynesian explorers made it all the way to places like Easter Island, is it reasonable to believe they could have made it to South America?	2
Were the ancient Egyptians aware that the brain was responsible for thought and abstract thinking? If not, where did they believe thoughts, feelings, and emotions originate from? When/how exactly did we come to fully appreciate the role of the brain in perception and thinking?	1
How did ancient societies figure out when exactly the shortest and longest day of the year was? The difference in the length of the day varies so slightly that it seems incredibly difficult to figure out exactly what day is the shortest without a clock.	1