askhistorians

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Would Macbeth audiences have considered Scotland to be an exotic location?	2537
Why was Manhattan built without any alleys?	2107
In 1675, the Narragansett built a massive, “European-style” fort in a Rhode Island swamp as a refuge from European colonists. What do we know about the construction of the fort and it’s inspiration? What was it’s legacy in terms of Native Americans constructing defensive fortifications?	1471
According to this Wikipedia article, the Tsesarevich and future Tsar Nicholas II got a dragon tattoo on his arm during his 1891 trip to Japan. Was this a permanent tattoo? Why did he get it? How was this viewed by Russian and European society?	775
18th century balloonists were the first people in history to get airborne and enjoy a “birds eye view.” How did they describe this experience and translate it to the earthbound world?	703
Why did no city develop at the mouth of the Connecticut River? And why didn’t any forts get built to protect it?	586
For almost the entire 18th century, the tricorn hat was the standard men’s headwear, for both civilian and military dress. What explains its long life, and why did it finally fall out of favor?	575
19th-century private detective agencies like Pinkerton and Baldwin-Felts are best known for their role in suppressing organized labor. What sort of actual detective work did they do, if any? How did their methods compare to and what were their relationships like with contemporary law enforcement?	422
How did Lafayette, Kosicuzco, Pulaski, von Steuben, and other foreign volunteers in the American Revolution feel about fighting for freedom for a slaveowning society, and the fact that Washington and other prominent patriots owned slaves?	310
Announcing a new rule to prevent the commercialization of historical artifacts	262

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