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1500 questions
60
votes
10 answers
Why did Britain and France not declare war against the Soviet Union when it invaded Poland in WW2?
At the beginning of WW2, although they were slow in actually attacking Germany, Britain and France did declare war against it after Germany invaded Poland. The reason for this was the treaty where they guaranteed Poland against foreign invasion.…
Louis Rhys
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59
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6 answers
Why didn't the US and USSR jam each other's early-warning radar?
Radar jamming refers to rendering a radar system ineffective by saturating it with noise, typically by bombarding it with a high-intensity signal on the radar's operating frequency(es) in order to drown out any genuine returns in a sea of…
Vikki
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59
votes
5 answers
How did the general population of England convert so smoothly to Protestantism?
The rise of Protestantism among English monarchs from Henry VIII is well documented. However, after a bit of light research, I have been unable to find many resources on how the general population felt about the change, or how it came to be a…
Bob Tway
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59
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14 answers
Did Imperial Japan choose to ally with Nazi Germany because of ideological similarity?
There are certain similarities that can be drawn between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Both were dictatorships, both believed in racism (though against different people), and both were wanting to invade nearby countries out of self-interest. But…
Golden Cuy
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58
votes
2 answers
Why does Japan use the same type of AC power outlet as the US?
Does it have something to do with the US taking part in aiding reconstruction of the country after WWII? I've tried googling around for an answer, but every site I find simply states the outlet style, as well as voltage and frequency, as opposed to…
spacetyper
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58
votes
2 answers
Have any astronauts or cosmonauts died in space?
When I lived on the Space Coast I overheard gossip that one or more cosmonauts died in space.
Is there any truth to this?
I’m not asking about deaths from those disasters like Challenger, Columbia, or Apollo 1. I'm asking about death out in actual…
NonCreature0714
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58
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4 answers
Has there ever been a non-rectangular banknote?
You all know that every national flag but Nepal's is rectangular. Most coins are roundish. These are some old norms.
What about paper money? The rectangular form is close to universal. After poking around numismatic resources on the web I didn't…
Aaron Brick
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58
votes
1 answer
Did the Romans eat breakfast?
This BBC article, citing the food historian Caroline Yeldham, says
Breakfast as we know it didn't exist for large parts of history. The
Romans didn't really eat it, usually consuming only one meal a day
around noon, says food historian Caroline…
Lars Bosteen
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58
votes
8 answers
Why did LBJ, a staunch segregationist, champion and sign the 1964 Civil Rights Bill?
Lyndon B. Johnson with regards to the 1964 Civil Rights Act..
From the Atlantic
The times called for a leader who could subdue the vast political and administrative forces arrayed against change—for someone with the strategic and tactical instincts…
user27618
58
votes
5 answers
How did the Romans do division?
How did Romans do division in their numeral system? Was it by repeated subtraction or did they know anything faster?
the gods from engineering
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57
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1 answer
What fueled the street lights in 13th-century Cordoba?
Córdoba, Spain is often said to have had street lights in its Muslim period, which ended in 1236. How did those street lights work?
In Lawrence of Arabia, Prince Faisal was dramatized as having said to Lawrence: "You know, Lieutenant, in the Arab…
Matt F.
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57
votes
2 answers
How was law enforcement handled in large US cities before professional police?
In the news lately in the USA there has been a lot of talk about defunding or abolishing police. Its been claimed by some that US police forces have their root in slave-catching, and are thus irredeemably racist at their core. Others are horrified…
T.E.D.
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57
votes
8 answers
Why didn't Hitler have more submarines in the English channel?
Hitler was expecting an invasion somewhere on the coast of north of France. So why didn't he have more submarines there that could torpedo the invading allied fleet when they were crossing the channel?
dan-klasson
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56
votes
5 answers
Why were the Romans unable to conquer Germania?
Emperor Augustus ordered his army to subdue the Germanic tribes in what is modern Germany. This was promptly achieved and by 6 AD the Romans controlled Germany up to the river Elba.
The Romans were however betrayed and defeated in the Battle of…
astabada
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56
votes
3 answers
Why were so many more Jewish men than Jewish women killed during the Holocaust?
On the Wikipedia page Jewish Women in the Holocaust, it says:
Of the estimated six million Jews who were killed1 during the Holocaust, 2 million of them were women.2
Conversely, this means that approximately 4 million Jewish men died in the…
Tortle
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