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

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Over on /r/todayilearned there's a big thread right now about coca found in Egyptian tombs as evidence of contact with the Americas. What's actually going on here?

750 upvotes

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When and why did Switzerland become so fiercely neutral?

321 upvotes

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If the Phoenicians introduced the alphabet to the Greeks, what kind of writing - if any - did the Greeks and others around them use before the Phoenicians?

124 upvotes

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Was there ever discussion in Great Britain of retaking the American colonies after 1783, or was that considered permanently off the table?

115 upvotes

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So the Gulf War in 1990-91 began when Iraq invaded tiny neighbor Kuwait, but why did the UN, Nato, and the US feel they needed to respond with a full deployment there?

94 upvotes

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If Shakespeare invented so many words, how did his audiences understand his plays?

77 upvotes

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Quebec had been part of the British Empire for decades when the French Revolution got started in 1789, but nevertheless, did it have any spillover effect there?

41 upvotes

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Historically speaking, what do the "Freemasons" have to do with "masonry"?

34 upvotes

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What is the origin of applause? When did it become the most accepted sign of approval?

32 upvotes

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Over on /r/history there's a post about Chief Joseph, a native Nez Perce leader, possessing an Assyrian cuneform tablet. What can we do, as historians, to combat this kind of pseudo-history BS?

32 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Over on /r/todayilearned there's a big thread right now about coca found in Egyptian tombs as evidence of contact with the Americas. What's actually going on here?	750
When and why did Switzerland become so fiercely neutral?	321
If the Phoenicians introduced the alphabet to the Greeks, what kind of writing - if any - did the Greeks and others around them use before the Phoenicians?	124
Was there ever discussion in Great Britain of retaking the American colonies after 1783, or was that considered permanently off the table?	115
So the Gulf War in 1990-91 began when Iraq invaded tiny neighbor Kuwait, but why did the UN, Nato, and the US feel they needed to respond with a full deployment there?	94
If Shakespeare invented so many words, how did his audiences understand his plays?	77
Quebec had been part of the British Empire for decades when the French Revolution got started in 1789, but nevertheless, did it have any spillover effect there?	41
Historically speaking, what do the "Freemasons" have to do with "masonry"?	34
What is the origin of applause? When did it become the most accepted sign of approval?	32
Over on /r/history there's a post about Chief Joseph, a native Nez Perce leader, possessing an Assyrian cuneform tablet. What can we do, as historians, to combat this kind of pseudo-history BS?	32