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19
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3 answers
What happened to all the nuclear material being smuggled after the fall of the USSR?
I'm currently on my lunch break and deep in the Wikipedia hole which brought me to this article that details thwarted nuclear smuggling incidents in 1993/6. Many of the incidents involve elements that would not be useful for the production of a…
HJCee
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19
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Is that armistice wagon photograph authentic?
The armistice on November 11th, 1918, was signed between 5:00 AM and 5:30 AM, french time (which was at this time UTC+0, one hour earlier than today). Wikipedia has a photo of the event, presumably taken at 5:30 AM (*)
However, it seems hard to…
Bregalad
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19
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What would the Arch of Titus have looked like painted?
The Arch of Titus is a famous attraction in Rome, built by the Roman Emperor Domitian in 82 CE, in honor of the great military conquest of his older brother, Titus. Perhaps the most famous part of this arch is the depiction of Romans carrying…
ezra
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19
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Did foreign language phrase books exist in the ancient world?
I am finding out about the ancient equivalent to modern foreign language phrase books, used in conversations. Such as a medieval Italian-Latin conversational book, or an ancient English-French learning book.
For example, in Korea, during the Joseon…
sun
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19
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Watergate, the burglars - why bring crisp cash with them to the break-in?
My question, however technical it may be: why did the burglars bring crisp new dollar bills with them to the actual break-in?
It might be an obscure Watergate question but no one has focused or even mentioned it. I've read a couple of books,…
andemening
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19
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1 answer
How did Hitler get off so lightly after the Beer Hall Putsch?
The main square in Munich during the Beer Hall Putsch
On November 8–9 1923 the Beer Hall Putsch or Munich Putsch was an attempted coup by the Nazi Party against the German Weimar Republic which resulted in the death of 16 Nazis and 4 police…
user27618
19
votes
2 answers
Which version of Napoleon's "Europe is a Molehill" quote is correct?
Regarding Napoleon's Molehill quote, the version I have always heard is:
Europe is a molehill. It has never had any great empires, like those of the Orient, numbering six hundred million souls.
I got Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts yesterday…
NSNoob
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19
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Did Greek traders visit the Philippines in the 1st century AD?
According to the article Cebu, a Port City in Prehistoric and in Present Times,
The Visayan Islands had earlier encounter [sic] with the Greek traders in 21
A.D.
This is repeated in the Wikipedia article Prehistory of the Philippines almost word…
Lars Bosteen
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19
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Source of quote attributed to Florence Nightingale: To understand God's thoughts we must study statistics
This is another classic quotation in the history of statistics, attributed to Florence Nightingale:
To understand God's thoughts we must study statistics, for these are
the measure of his purpose.
It is a great quote, and many people use it, but…
user101089
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2 answers
Were New York or Philadelphia ever declared the capital of the United States?
Most of the information I've read pertains to Congress operating from different locations in the years after the U.S. was established. I believe I read that the constitution did declare New York as the capital but that Philadelphia was a temporary…
iAwardYouNoPoints
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19
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3 answers
Was the US Navy larger in 1917, and if so, why?
Following the recent discussion in the third US Presidential Debate on Oct. 22, 2012 about the size of the Navy, there actually seemed to be a good discussion buried in there, primarily in this quote snippet from one candidate:
[…] our Navy is…
T.E.D.
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19
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3 answers
Who was the English Knight Templar holding command in the Mongol Army?
Excerpt from Great Captains Unveiled (1927), by B. H. Liddell Hart:
After this holocaust, Hungary was occupied without further fighting.
An organised administration was set up, and the land settled down
under its new conquerors. There was no…
Brasidas
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19
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Material Basis of the Golden Age of Bohemia
On a recent visit to Prague I was much impressed by the city's beauty and the number and splendor of its historic sites, such as Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge (a bit further afield Karlštejn Castle), its many stone towers, and lovely details…
Drux
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19
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How did Columbus calculate the size of the Earth?
Eratosthenes' calculations of the size of the Earth were very precise and very accepted during Columbus' time. Still, Columbus was convinced that the world was significatively smaller and that getting to Asia from Europe was feasible.
What was the…
santiagozky
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19
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How much materiel was shipped to Continental Europe per month, after D-Day?
Once D-Day landed (1944 Jun 06), how much materiel was shipped into Continental Europe by the Western Allies per month? Did this monthly figure change much by 1945 May?
Materiel includes basically everything, the food, weapons, ammo, fuel,…
DrZ214
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