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1500 questions
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5 answers
Did the Germans lose the U-Boat war in World war II because of a shortage of quality, rather than quantity?
In the "Battle of the Atlantic" the Germans lost almost 800 of their 1200 submarines (nearly two-thirds) sinking 3,500 Allied merchant ships and 175 warships.
Some 30% these "kills," were accounted for by 30 veteran captains or "aces" who had…
Tom Au
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Why were people from the Asian Steppes able to militarily dominate Europeans on a repeated basis?
From the Huns through the Mongolians, why were nomadic people from the east able to create such havoc in Europe? Was it an endless 'first mover' advantage with horse domestication? Was it a higher protein diet relative to the more farm-centric…
DBWeinstein
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7 answers
Why was China not colonized by any country?
Why didn't China become a colony of anybody, unlike most other Asian countries?
user806
20
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5 answers
Is there a possibility that the Islamic civilization visited America before Columbus?
Islamic sources claim that there is historical evidence that an Islamic explorer visited America before Columbus and the Age of Discovery. An example. Columbus Was Not The First To Cross The Atlantic. The earliest evidence that this article claims…
ASandhiyudha
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4 answers
Who was the first woman ruler?
I've found that speaking of the first woman ruler in history, most common materials (like Wikipedia or Britannica) point at the Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut, living in the 16th century BCE. As a source at Wiki there's provided an American…
Darek Wędrychowski
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6 answers
How compare the rights and conditions of the American slaves to those of Russian serfs?
How compare the rights and conditions of the 19-th century American slaves to those of the 19-th century Russian serfs?
Anixx
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7 answers
Are there ancient historical sources which have been permanently lost?
I'm in a Year 11 Ancient history class studying Rome, and whenever I look over ancient sources on wikipedia, there is always a list of lost works, and occasionally a sentence describing how unfortunate it is we don't have one of them, for whatever…
Tomas
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What is the basis for the argument that the true believers in Juche died in the N. Korean famine?
I have just read an article (in Russian) about the most recent weird news from N.Korea: women are (again) not allowed to ride bicycles.
After you've finished splitting your sides with laughter, allow me to explain why this is not as ridiculous as it…
Felix Goldberg
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1 answer
What percentage of the population in the "Old West" actually carried handguns?
I'm hoping cenus information and historical gun manufacturing records make this an answerable question. What percentage of the population in the Old West actually carried handguns? Was it a minority or a majority?
Major Stackings
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Does a year 1900 meeting in a Masonic Hall imply that it was a meeting of Freemasons?
I am researching an individual who lived in the north of England in 1900. He is reported in a local newspaper as having attended “a large an influential meeting” in the local Masonic Hall. The meeting was about creating a bowling green for the…
jl6
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3 answers
Why did so few militaries use semi automatic rifles as their standard issue infantry weapon?
Semi automatic rifles have been in production since the early 20th century, with the first rifle being tentatively fielded being the French FAM 1917 in small numbers for use in WWI. Despite the utility of the faster-firing guns France ultimately…
PausePause
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4 answers
When would one carry a sword on a shoulder with grip upwards?
Usually, swords are depicted as being kept in scabbard on the back or by the hip - like this or this.
It got me curious when I saw videos of swords carried on a shoulder and held by the blade - with grip pointing to the sky.
Two examples:
Music…
Mirek Długosz
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4 answers
Why did the Schlieffen Plan prioritize invading France?
AFAIK, the consensus is that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia, which led to Russia coming to Serbia's defense. The fact that this would lead to a Germanic <-> Slav war (Germany and…
Will
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2 answers
What were the demographics and economics of South-East Asian islands around year 1400?
Background:
Prior to the arrival of the Europeans on the scene, the island chains in South-East Asia, specifically in the area of today's Indonesia, Philippines and neighbouring states, housed a varied and conglomerate mix of mostly Muslim and Hindu…
Martin Sojka
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Did the Axis try to "bribe" Turkey into joining them during World War II?
Not far from the Russo-Turkish border are the oil fields of Baku, which might have been "capturable" by a lightening strike of Turkish, German or joint German-Turkish forces. This oil could have been very valuable to Turkey with a contract to supply…
Tom Au
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