askhistorians

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'Amadeus' portrays Mozart as recognized among his peers as a true genius, but always broke, a controversial figure, and not particularly embraced by the public at large in his time. Was this an accurate representation, and if so, what led to his universal recognition?	2445
In Catch-22, whenever the pilots of Yossarian's group approach the number of bombing missions required to be sent home, the number required is adjusted upwards. Did Joseph Heller base this scenario off of actual practices during the second World War?	2359
Diocletian, one of the most transformational emperors in Roman history, retired several years before he died, living to see many of the structural changes he'd made undone; how was he able to safely retire (no emperor had before), and how did he react to the events that unfolded after he did?	2332
Peter the Great legendarily traveled incognito during his reign, even though he was difficult to miss at 6'8. Do we have any accounts from those he met in his travels?	2314
In 'Punic Nightmares', Dan Carlin suggests that at one point the Carthaginians might have practiced child sacrifice; is this claim credible, or likely to be Roman propaganda?	2304
Julius Caesar was murdered days before his army was scheduled to depart for a planned three year campaign against Parthia. What sort of plans had been made? Was his army gathered in Rome at the time? How did the conspirators account for this?	2303
Heavy metal emerged at a time when the dominant youth culture was the hippy movement. Was metal culture a conscious reaction against these forebearers?	2146
Divorce seems remarkably casual in ancient Rome. Is this because we have a primarily aristocratic view on the subject? Were women as empowered to initiate proceedings as men? Could they expect to emerge financially and socially intact, or did Rome share other societies stigma for experienced women?	1994
William T Sherman said of Grant that "Grant stood by me when I was crazy, and I stood by him when he was drunk, and now we stand by each other". Was this frankness as unusual as it sounds for its time? What happened to Sherman, and how was he able to maintain a high-profile position?	1957
Was Reagan the first divorced President? Was much attention given to it, or was it treated as a non-issue? Was it seem as a reflection of changing times, viewed as a moral question, or handled in some other way?	1921

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