AskHistorians

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How did the Shakespeare authorship question come about, and how credible are the 'alternative' theories?	22
In 'The Civil War', Shelby Foote mentions that, because of how units were formed at recruitment and because of the ferocity of fighting, entire towns would have their population of young men wiped out; did this result in reconsideration of how future units would be formed? Did these towns recover?	22
Where did the public misconception that Napoleon was short come from?	22
In Westerns, it's common to see wanted posters with a reward offered in lieu of an organized, coordinated effort by law enforcement to track criminals down; was this an accurate reflection of how the system worked, or a fictional convention? Who would usually be offering these bounties?	22
After William of Normandy conquered England, for hundreds of years English kings remained vassals of the King of France (through their French holdings). How did this work? Were these relationships ever invoked for either financial or military support? Was it freely given?	22
Elvis Presley was famously filmed from only the waist up on at least one appearance on Ed Sullivan- was this a proactive or reactive choice by the television program? Had Rock n' Roll already established rebellious credentials by this point (or were tv networks only fueling this reputation)?	22
Lee Harvey Oswald had defected to the Soviet Union in the late 1950s. Is this as unusual as it sounds, for the time? Why wasn't a bigger deal made of it after the Kennedy assassination?	22
How is Max Weber's work regarded these days, particularly 'The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism'? Does it hold up?	22
How did St Nicholas come to be associated with Christmas, and how did he then become transformed into Santa Claus?	22
On the tv show 'Manhattan', the scientists of the project petition the military to demonstrate the bomb on an uninhabited island rather than dropping it on a populated area, but the military never seriously considers this. Did the show accurately capture how this unfolded?	22

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