AskHistorians

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How did musical notation come about? Did it spread cross-culturally quickly? Do we know of any old songs that were preserved because of its invention?	1
1910s The United States Constitution was amended 4 times in less than 8 years starting in 1913, after being unchanged for 40+ years, culminating with the adoption of women's suffrage and Prohibition. Why such proactive changes? Did they reflect underlying dissatisfaction or something else?	1
How, when and why did the New York Times establish its reputation as the 'paper of record', at least in the US? Were there any preexisting competitors that it supplanted to achieve this status?	1
Were large-scale slave revolts in the American south rarer than in other places with a history of slavery, or were the high profile examples of the servile wars and the Haitian revolution the exceptions and not the rule?	1
Did generals continue to receive triumphs in the Imperium? Was there a point at which this changed?	1
How was the State of the Union covered prior to the advent of telecommunications? Was it considered a big deal?	1
FDR's election in 1932 ushered in unprecedented changes in Americans' expectations of what the government could and should do for its people; did he run on this kind of promise? Was it in line with Roosevelt's record as governor of New York, or a product of the changing times?	1
According to mythology, Odysseus won the Trojan War employing deception and underhanded tactics; was there any ambivalence in Greek culture about lionizing such a figure?	1
Where did the Chinese tradition of using eunuchs at high levels of ministerial office come from? Was it adopted from one dynasty to the next? Was it a conscious decision to end the practice?	1
Upon Caligula's assassination, were alternatives considered (a return to the Republic, or choosing a different successor) before Claudius was proclaimed next in line?	1

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