AskHistorians

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"Sk8er Boi" (A. Lavigne 2002) argues that in high school dynamics, the so-called 'skaters' were low on the social pecking order. How accurately does this work represent turn-of-the-century teenage social order (at least in North American city/suburban schools)?	4628
I’ve read that “Batman: The Animated Series” (1992-1995) was innovative, not just for the superhero genre, but TV animation in general. What was so revolutionary about it?	2871
Emily Dickinson's poems were initially published (posthumously) in the 1890s. Do we know what contemporary female poets thought of her/her work when it was finally released?	652
Sir Bedivere: “How do you know so much about swallows?” King Arthur: “Well, you have to know these things when you're a king.” Were medieval kings actually expected to be well-versed in ornithology?	167
Medieval Christian scholars believed that each of the "three" continents were populated by the descendants of Noah's sons after the Flood (Japheth's in Europe, Shem's in Asia, Ham's in Africa). When they realized there were more populated continents, how did they modify this theory?	118
It seems to be generally taken for granted in pop discourse that Ramses II was the unnamed Pharaoh during Exodus, if it had happened. Where/when does this identification come from, and how did it become so normalized?	62
According to XKCD, today's complaints to the tune of "kids these days are so disrespectful!" and "modern technology is ruining society!" have been around forever (citing back to the 19th century). How true is this claim?	58
What’s the history of medical gender transitioning? or: Around the time of, say, Stonewall (1969), what options were available for transgender people interested in sex reassignment?	49
Samus Aran (Metroid, 1986) was one of the first playable female videogame characters. What was the initial reaction to this, particularly from the gamer community?	49
What happened to the Roanoke colony?	38

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