/u/nicmos's posts in /r/AskHistorians

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How did the US federal government go about buying all the land for the interstate highway system without people banding together and holding out for higher prices? Was the land ever just taken with eminent domain rather than being sold voluntarily?

29 upvotes

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How did most of the cities in the central valley of California get bypassed by the interstate highway system?

12 upvotes

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Where did spring break (the recess from school, not the partying) come from?

9 upvotes

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When did it become acceptable/the norm for congressmen to not be present on the floor when debate was open and others were speaking?

6 upvotes

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Before the age of cars, were there any standard widths for streets? If so, what were the considerations?

6 upvotes

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What was it like for the first westerners to try to learn east Asian languages? Do we have any accounts of these experiences?

3 upvotes

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What prompted the change from city buildings being isolated structures to connected structures like rowhouses and shophouses?

3 upvotes

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Why was highway US-99 decomissioned, when there are many other examples of federal highways remaining when their routes were approximately duplicated by interstate highways?

2 upvotes

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In times and places where left-handed people were forced to always do things right-handed, what kind of dexterity did the lefties end up having? Were they noticeably handicapped?

2 upvotes

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How did Western European nations converge on governmental systems with relatively high taxes and strong social safety nets?

2 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
How did the US federal government go about buying all the land for the interstate highway system without people banding together and holding out for higher prices? Was the land ever just taken with eminent domain rather than being sold voluntarily?	29
How did most of the cities in the central valley of California get bypassed by the interstate highway system?	12
Where did spring break (the recess from school, not the partying) come from?	9
When did it become acceptable/the norm for congressmen to not be present on the floor when debate was open and others were speaking?	6
Before the age of cars, were there any standard widths for streets? If so, what were the considerations?	6
What was it like for the first westerners to try to learn east Asian languages? Do we have any accounts of these experiences?	3
What prompted the change from city buildings being isolated structures to connected structures like rowhouses and shophouses?	3
Why was highway US-99 decomissioned, when there are many other examples of federal highways remaining when their routes were approximately duplicated by interstate highways?	2
In times and places where left-handed people were forced to always do things right-handed, what kind of dexterity did the lefties end up having? Were they noticeably handicapped?	2
How did Western European nations converge on governmental systems with relatively high taxes and strong social safety nets?	2