askhistorians

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In New Zealand, was there really an incident where someone proposed that the country go to the winner of a board game?	22
This manuscript from medieval Spain is (according to the Met) "an attempt to calculate the numerical code of the Antichrist", with ANTICHRIST written four times and 666 written four times. What's going on?	21
How did Lord Jan van Abbenbroeck end up with a pair of underpants as a medieval coat of arms?	18
The incredibly odd-looking Tortuga tank came from Venezuela in the 1930s. Why did it have a "turtle-shaped" design, and even though it wasn't used in active service, do we have any idea how effective it would be?	18
When FDR took office, the banking system of the US was in ruins. What did he do specifically to fix it, why did it work, and why were previous efforts to help ineffective?	17
In New Zealand, supposedly the Ngāti Hauā chief Wiremu Tamihana offered to play the board game Mū tōrere with the British governor George Grey, with the winner of the match getting the whole country. What's the context, and how likely is it this really happened?	13
During February 1746 in Great Britain, the ministry made by Lords Granville and Bath (after Pelham resigned) only lasted a total of two days. What happened?	11
The founding of Holland was marked with a battle where Duke Godfrey suffered a major loss due to his army being impeded by swampland. How did armies in the early history of the region deal with swamps?	9
What was the role of unions during the Great Depression, and in particular what was their relationship like with the Civilian Conservation Corps, which used unskilled labor?	7
In 1933, when Giuseppe Zangara attempted to assassinate FDR -- mortally wounding the Mayor of Chicago in the process -- he was executed only 35 days later. Was this a typical timespan between crime and death penalty for the 1930s, or did the high-profile circumstance make this case different?	7

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