/u/kaijujube's posts in /r/askhistorians

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Two of the Sherlock Holmes stories feature “indiscreet letters” from prior relationships that threaten to ruin a marriage. Would contemporary audiences have understood these letters to be erotic, or were any kind of romantic letters presumed scandalous?

2393 upvotes

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In Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, the landlord of the Spouter Inn says he cannot afford the fuel to light a fire on a cold winter’s night, yet he serves ‘beefsteaks’ for breakfast the next day. What economic circumstances would have led to beef being cheaper than firewood?

45 upvotes

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In the intro to Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton writes "For four hundred years since Galileo, science has always proceeded as a free and open inquiry into the workings of nature." Were there any scientists during the Enlightenment who explicitly sought commercial applications for their discoveries?

10 upvotes

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Where I live (the Midwestern US), it's not uncommon for city parks to have decommissioned WWII artillery peices on display. Where did they all come from?

6 upvotes

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In the 1932 Fleischer Studios cartoon 'Minnie the Moocher', why was the titular song about a gold digging flapper used to accompany what is essentially a cartoon about ghosts?

5 upvotes

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Where did the 'Random Stuff on the Walls' restaurant decor aesthetic (i.e 'Applebee's-core') come from, and why was it seemingly so widespread in the late 90s-2000s?

1 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Two of the Sherlock Holmes stories feature “indiscreet letters” from prior relationships that threaten to ruin a marriage. Would contemporary audiences have understood these letters to be erotic, or were any kind of romantic letters presumed scandalous?	2393
In Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, the landlord of the Spouter Inn says he cannot afford the fuel to light a fire on a cold winter’s night, yet he serves ‘beefsteaks’ for breakfast the next day. What economic circumstances would have led to beef being cheaper than firewood?	45
In the intro to Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton writes "For four hundred years since Galileo, science has always proceeded as a free and open inquiry into the workings of nature." Were there any scientists during the Enlightenment who explicitly sought commercial applications for their discoveries?	10
Where I live (the Midwestern US), it's not uncommon for city parks to have decommissioned WWII artillery peices on display. Where did they all come from?	6
In the 1932 Fleischer Studios cartoon 'Minnie the Moocher', why was the titular song about a gold digging flapper used to accompany what is essentially a cartoon about ghosts?	5
Where did the 'Random Stuff on the Walls' restaurant decor aesthetic (i.e 'Applebee's-core') come from, and why was it seemingly so widespread in the late 90s-2000s?	1