askhistorians

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Alexandre Dumas's father was born a slave, yet father and son both travelled in aristocratic circles and rose to fame and great esteem. Would these opportunities be afforded to any acknowledged child of similar background of this time, or were they special cases?	320
2nd try: The Roman Senate was still convening and electing 'consuls' 50 years after the "fall" of Rome, as early 6th century philosopher Boethius, as well as his sons, served as 'consuls of Rome'. At what time did they drop the pretense of being a government? Did something specific trigger it?	309
The assassination of Julius Caesar on this date in 44 BCE seems like a catastrophic event for everybody except Octavian; were there other, less heralded groups (or individuals) who also weathered the ensuing upheaval to their benefit?	305
Bombings, hijackings, and domestic terrorism in general were far more common in the late '60s and '70s in the US than they have been at any point subsequently; are there any theories as to why this was, or why it stopped?	296
Why were Wisdom, Judith, and twelve other books removed from the Protestant Bible? What was the rationale? Was it a controversial decision, and what was the justification given?	292
Did Jesus fit the template for what the Israelites were expecting in a messiah, or were they expecting something closer to a conquering Lord? What did the prophets of the Old Testament have to say on the matter?	290
Richard Nixon created the EPA,ended the draft and later the Vietnam War,initiated the open door policy towards China, reached the ABM treaty w the USSR,enforced the desegregation of southern schools,and set temporary wage and price controls.How were these received by US conservatives?	284
Did the Mongol Empire create a refugee crisis? What sort of political impact did this have in Asia and Europe? Did it in any way raise concern for the need to protect displaced peoples?	283
How was it received (critically, publicly) when 'Midnight Cowboy' became the only X-rated film to win best picture in 1969? Was it common for X-rated films at the time to even receive wide distribution, and, if not, why did they even create the designation?	283
How did the Medici bank work? What steps would a prospective borrower have to go through to get a loan? What sort of research or formula did the Medici use to decide who was a safe enough risk?	279

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