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1500 questions
39
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Were the women of Travancore, India, taxed for covering their breasts by breast size?
There are some claims regarding a weird tax which existed just over a century ago in a part of India.
Several articles say that this tax existed. For example, the Economic Times:
State of Travancore imposed a breast tax on women belonging to…
Jayadevan Vijayan
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Does the sound of water make one want to pee?
I've known it like forever, I think I was told so since I was a kid. But how true it actually is? I clearly can't see what's the connection between the sound of water and a natural need.
From my own experience I'd say that sometimes it works, and…
Ilya Saunkin
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39
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Does circumcision reduce HIV risk?
I've seen numerous claims that circumcision reduces HIV risk, both on TV and online.
Have there been any studies to verify if circumcision does or doesn't reduce HIV risk in a statistically-significant manner?
luvieere
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39
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Did Donald Trump get America's GDP growth to 4.2%?
In a recent tweet, Donald Trump wrote:
“President Trump would need a magic wand to get to 4% GDP,” stated President Obama. I guess I have a magic wand, 4.2%, and we will do MUCH better than this! We have just begun.
Did Trump get the GDP growth of…
DjangoBlockchain
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39
votes
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Did Putin threaten to have traitors assassinated?
In the recent U.N. Security Council meeting, U.K. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Jonathan Allen quoted Putin by the following words (YouTube link, the relevant part starts at 1:07:30):
Traitors will kick the bucket, believe me. Those other…
DK2AX
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39
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Was EU flag's design inspired by the statue of Virgin Mary?
In this video it is claimed that the person who designed it was passing the statue of Virgin Mary with 12 stars and applied it to the design of the flag. How much of this claim is true?
Footnote: Wiki also mentions it:
In 1987, following the…
Grasper
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39
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1 answer
Did the DNC claim in court that it has no obligation to have a fair and impartial primary?
Some supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders have brought a class action case against the Democratic National Committee. They allege that the DNC unfairly favored Hillary Clinton during the Democratic Primaries, despite the DNC charter requiring them…
Evan Carroll
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39
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Did NASA director Charles Bolden claim that an alien invasion will happen soon?
Russian news site "Federal News Agency" (FAN) today published "Директор NASA заявил, что до вторжения инопланетян осталось несколько месяцев":
Директора NASA Чарльза Болдена отправили в отпуск по болезни, после того, как он публично заявил, что…
user5341
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39
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Does the Rothschild family own most central banks?
Someone on my Facebook feed posted a video that stated that the Rothschild family owns all the central banks in the world except in North Korea, Iran, and Cuba. It also claims that in the year 2000 there were four more countries on that list:…
tupto
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39
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3 answers
Was there no tax before 1913 in the United States?
This image claims that "Up until 1913 Americans kept all of their earnings".
Up until 1913 Americans kept all of their earnings
Despite this, America still had schools, roads, colleges, vast railroads, subways and an army & navy
(Tell me…
Sakib Arifin
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39
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Are there textual deviations between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Old Testament?
This article claims:
Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls has increased the faith of
Bible-believers. Why? Because they prove that the hand-copied texts
that have come down from the Masoretic scribes are accurate. ...
... The Dead Sea Scrolls,…
Sakib Arifin
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39
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1 answer
Do 26% of Americans believe the sun revolves around the Earth?
According to a 2014 NPR poll 26% of Americans believe the sun revolves around the Earth.
The survey of 2,200 people in the United States was conducted by the NSF in 2012 and released on Friday at an annual meeting of the American Association for…
user35859
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39
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3 answers
Is Kiva a scam?
Or, at least, has a questionable business model?
Kiva is a website/organization that allows private persons to give micro-loans out to (very) small businesses in developing countries.
Their idea seems rather nice to me, however there is quite a…
Lagerbaer
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39
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4 answers
Did Augustine of Hippo warn Christians to beware mathematicians?
On the first page of Mathematics for the Nonmathematician, mathematician Morris Kline quotes Augustine of Hippo as saying:
The good Christian should beware the mathematician and all those who
make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that…
Jayson Virissimo
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39
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Do people fall over when shot because they've seen it on films?
I heard this anecdote from someone who watched this QI episode:
The reason people fall over when they have been shot is because they have seen people do it in films. You never fall from being shot unless you know you have been shot, according to…
Ken Y-N
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