askhistorians

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META: An Historical Overview of 9/11, as the 20 Year Rule Enters 2021	10812
Megathread: A brief history of September 11th, 2001 and a dedicated thread for your 9/11 questions	2724
Dr. John Dee, court astronomer to Elizabeth I, and Edward Kelley, a spirit medium, used the "Enochian" language supposedly given by angels. They wrote journals & an infamous magic grimoire in Enochian, but some parts have never been translated. Has there any recent progress on deciphering Enochian?	129
The science fiction genre in Africa supposedly started in Cameroon with the 1932 novel Nnanga Kon and Nigeria with the 1934 novel Gandoki. What was the literary scene like in the two countries at the time? Is there any reason why those two countries in particular would be where things started?	119
In 1532, a former justice of the peace (William Tracy) had his dead body exhumed & burned by the church; his will, declared heretical. He didn't leave any property to the church and believed in salvation "by God's grace". What effect did "justification by faith" have on the death culture of England?	100
Until the wreck was found, it was uncertain if the Titanic went down in one piece or split into two. What did the splitting look and sound like to eyewitnesses and why was it uncertain it really happened?	87
Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony is now considered one of the masterpieces of the 20th century, but on its premiere, Shostakovich's friend Sollertinsky felt as if it was made from the "waste matter" of the Fourth Symphony. What did he mean by that, and what specific musical connections are there?	58
What caused the Great Smog in London of 1952 which supposedly killed thousands of people? How was it stopped? What changes were made in government as a result?	57
Is it true deaf people in Medieval Europe were barred from churches, since they "could not hear the Word of God"? If so, when (and why) did this start to turn around?	26
What did the Taiping think of Judaism and Islam?	26

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