AskHistorians

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What were the predominant schools of economic thought before Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations?	28
Where did the mystery storytelling cliche that "the butler did it" come from?	28
Why did Louisiana adopt the Napoleonic Code? It was already American property before the code was issued, France at the time was itself hardly stable, and other parts of the Louisiana purchase abandoned French customs, including settled areas such as St. Louis, so what made Louisiana special?	27
What's the current consensus on what happened to the library at Alexandria?	27
Tiberius's birth name was Tiberius Claudius Nero, Claudius was born Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, and Nero was born Nerō Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus- what determined which name emperors became known by through history?	27
In Ken Burns's The Civil War, it's mentioned that after South Carolina Senator Preston Brooks savagely beat abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner with his cane on the Senate floor, Senators began carrying knives and pistols to work. What sort of documentation do we have on this?	27
Boethius and his sons were consuls of Rome in the 6th century CE. Was the Roman Senate still performing the functions of government at this point? When did they stop, and why?	27
Jane Austen and the Brontes are among the most treasured voices in the English language despite having published anonymously at a time when married women weren't permitted to enter into contracts.Were there any role models for women writers of their generation?Did their prominence affect these laws?	27
Was Milton's depiction of Satan's rebellion in Paradise Lost based on existing theological tradition, and, if so what sources would he have relied on?	26
What factors led to the Dutch golden age? Was it primarily a period of economic strength, or were they militarily successful also? The Netherlands seems unusually multicultural at this time; did this contribute to their emergence as a world power?	26

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