/u/xain1112's posts in /r/askhistorians

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According to Kurlansky’s ‘Salt’, there was a law in 1660s France that forced people to buy 7kg of salt a year, a quantity that could only be fully used when making salted meats. This law also made the making of these salted meats illegal. Was there a reasoning behind this instead of a regular tax?

1675 upvotes

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Regarding castles in the middle ages, who designed them? How were these people found and chosen? Where were they found? Were there any famous castle architects that were known by name like Frank Lloyd Wright?

190 upvotes

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I am a blind man in the Middle Ages. How useful am I and what jobs can I do to survive?

176 upvotes

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When/why did low lighting (candles/moonlight) become associated with romance?

91 upvotes

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Is there anything else like the Rosetta Stone?

48 upvotes

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Shakespeare's plays take place in a wide variety of locations, such as the well-known Alexandria, Athens, and Rome, but also the less well-known Messina, Padua, and Illyria. How many of these settings would the average viewer know at the time these plays were first performed?

26 upvotes

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I'm working in eastern China, and it's very easy to find a dish here that contains plants native to the Americas, such as tomatoes, potatoes, peanuts, pumpkin, or peppers. How did these plants become such a common part of Chinese cuisine?

22 upvotes

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Where did the modern fortune teller trope come from?

10 upvotes

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I'm your standard pirate in the late 1600s. How often am I looting ships and what kind of training am I going through to do such raids?

8 upvotes

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When did the lottery start and what was its purpose?

8 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
According to Kurlansky’s ‘Salt’, there was a law in 1660s France that forced people to buy 7kg of salt a year, a quantity that could only be fully used when making salted meats. This law also made the making of these salted meats illegal. Was there a reasoning behind this instead of a regular tax?	1675
Regarding castles in the middle ages, who designed them? How were these people found and chosen? Where were they found? Were there any famous castle architects that were known by name like Frank Lloyd Wright?	190
I am a blind man in the Middle Ages. How useful am I and what jobs can I do to survive?	176
When/why did low lighting (candles/moonlight) become associated with romance?	91
Is there anything else like the Rosetta Stone?	48
Shakespeare's plays take place in a wide variety of locations, such as the well-known Alexandria, Athens, and Rome, but also the less well-known Messina, Padua, and Illyria. How many of these settings would the average viewer know at the time these plays were first performed?	26
I'm working in eastern China, and it's very easy to find a dish here that contains plants native to the Americas, such as tomatoes, potatoes, peanuts, pumpkin, or peppers. How did these plants become such a common part of Chinese cuisine?	22
Where did the modern fortune teller trope come from?	10
I'm your standard pirate in the late 1600s. How often am I looting ships and what kind of training am I going through to do such raids?	8
When did the lottery start and what was its purpose?	8