AskHistorians

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"It was the general opinion that no force or famine could make the Spartan give up their arms" -- yet the Spartans at Pylos did exactly that when the Athenians attacked them with an army of missile troops. Why weren't missile troops more prominent in ancient warfare?	9
During the Yugoslav Wars, there emerged a curious genre of war music combining American pop, synthesizers, traditional Balkan music, and ultra-nationalist lyrics. Where did this music come from?	8
JFK ran as a hawk, even more hawkish than his opponent Nixon. Why did this part of his legacy become forgotten in the public conscious?	8
In "Reflections on the Revolution in France", Burke assailed the French Revolution for appealing to natural rights. However, only a few years earlier, he supported the American Revolution, which did the exact same thing! Did he ever address this seeming hypocrisy?	8
Twitter discovered a 1957 pizza place serving the strangest toppings: tuna, chopped celery, frog's legs. Was this a very unique restaurant, or was pizza different in the 50's?	7
In silent films, the lead actress tends to have a very round, full face that contrasts distinctly with the thinner, sharper beauty standards of today. When and how did this standard change?	7
Turks, Huns, Bulgars, Mughals, Finns, Hungarians, Manchurians, Koreans, Mongols -- a large number of different ethnic groups across the world have their origins in Central Asia. What about Central Asia made this happen?	7
At what point did we have indisputable evidence that heliocentrism is the better model than geocentrism? What was that evidence?	7
As a youth, Frederick the Great did not care for military affairs, but as an adult, he became one of Europe's greatest generals. What caused this shift? Was it because his father tortured him and executed his best friend and suspected lover?	6
At the end of his life, Barry Goldwater advocated strongly for gay rights. What spurred this arch-conservative to turn to the left?	6

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