askhistorians

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Operation Snow White was one of the largest infiltrations of the United States government and resulted in 11 high-ranking Scientologists being convicted (including Mary Sue Hubbard). Why didn't the organization itself face any consequences or reprisals from the government?	5883
After the Iranian Revolution in the 80s, did the fact that Iran possessed American F-14s as its main airfleet influence the Pentagon's decision to phase out the fighter from further production to deny Iran the availability of spare parts?	109
In 1979, during Operation Opera, Israel destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor with a surprise airstrike. Was Israel being paranoid or did the reactor pose a serious threat?	68
According to my Jewish & Ukrainian dad from the USSR, Jews in the USSR had their ethnicity labeled on their birth certificates. Is this true, and if so, what type of discrimination could they face in terms of education, job opportunities, or just in their daily lives?	27
How significant was the Great Purge in terms of reducing the amount of intelligent, artistic, business-savy, etc. people in the Soviet Union? Are it's effects still felt in Russian culture and the remaining intelligensia or are its effects over-exaggerated?	26
How were the Greek armies able to fight against Persian horse-archers and cavalry without significant cavalry units of their own?	23
Do we have any non-Mongol accounts of how accurate Mongol horse-archers truly were? I've read that a typical Mongol soldier could shoot a bird mid-flight with an arrow. Did this translate into their battles in the form of extraordinary fire accuracy?	19
How well-known were the stories of Julius Caesar, Marc Antony, Cleopatra, etc. before Shakespeare and how large of a role did he play in popularizing them?	17
In the United States, why did Prohibition, and its subsequent repeal, require adding amendments to the Constitution while the Controlled Substances Act in 1970 that did not?	15
How much control did the Holy Roman Empire have over its kingdoms a few years before Napoleon effectively ended it? If I were to go from early 19th century Prussia to Bavaria, etc., would I see elements of the Holy Roman Empire present there?	12

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