/u/juicehouse's posts in /r/AskHistorians
Why have certain American cities developed so differently from others? For example, why does Chicago have such a dense urban core with far more skyscrapers than Houston, even though both have similar populations?
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On Ancient Greek world maps (5th and 6th centuries BC), the earth's land is portrayed as being circular with a ring of water around it. Why was it assumed that water rather than land was at the edges of the earth?
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In retrospect, Hero of Alexandra's steam engine was revolutionary for its time, but during his era how was it seen? Was it treated as a mere novelty with limited use or as having great potential application?
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A common joke is that showing someone from one hundred years ago an action movie from the modern era would cause them to die of shock. Is there any media we consume today that would have anywhere near this effect? Bonus: is there anything else we do regularly that would cause this?
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The Columbian Exposition in Chicago attracted people from around the world. How did the word get out, and what were people's reasons for coming from other countries? Was it purely recreational? What were people's perceptions of the city and the US as a whole, and how did they change after visiting?
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