Not sure if this breaks the 20 year rule, because I'm not sure when/ if the things that caused Detroit's current state happened.

What are the ways that mormon teachings differ from catholic teaching? And why did mormons have such a negative stigma attached to them?

Did Catholics, in the US and elsewhere, support this?

When Christopher Columbus and subsequent Europeans made it to the Americas, they brought with them diseases, such as small pox that devastated the native populations.

Why does there seem to be no record of those same disease being brought over by the vikings who arrived centuries earlier? I understand that they did not have as much contact with as many peoples and were not present over nearly as large of a geographic area. However, it seems like there would be records/indications of plague in the North East that might have spread outwards to some degree.

The question seems to also apply to the theory/hypothesis that Chinese explorers might have landed on the Pacific Costs of the Americas. (Although if they didn't that wold explain why there were no accompanying diseases.)

Was looking through the popular questions FAQ and was wondering if anyone could shed any light on this, cheers.

Hi, I'm wondering how Thomas Edison became canonized in the American consciousness to the point that he's part of a standard elementary school curriculum. Why teach children about him over all the other inventors and/or businessmen in American history?

Look how much death was caused by the Napoleonic wars...

Does anyone know a good website for taking history classes? Interested World History, and Military History. Free is great, but I dont mind paying up to $100 if the class is of good quality. No interactive teachers needed, but would like something with good powerpoint/slides like Kahn Academy. If the quality is good with a lot of visuals I would consider higher prices

Guilt by association ate many of the revolution's children, yet foreign minister Talleyrand survived association with everyone from the ancien regime to the Legislative assembly to Napoleon to the Bourbon Restoration. Why did everyone let him keep his head, let alone let him remain in high government office?

What motivated Talleyrand to stay in politics as each successive regime he served was gruesomely ousted? Which master was he loyal to, and why did he not die with that master? If he was loyal to none of his masters, why did he bother serving for so long?

History is not my chosen discipline so I apologize in advance if the question is ill phrased or my understanding of how the study of history operates is flawed.

I've been trying to discover more about the Scythians and have found that besides not being a proper empire, we know very little of them compared to the more famous civilizations of antiquity like the Hellnic people and the Hebrew tribes. In fact, much of what we know descends from what the Greeks have chosen to write of them (same for the Philistines in relation to the Hebrews). One common theme of these celebrity civilizations is their devotion to the written word and their liberal use of it from recording important events, tracking business transactions, and for purposes of leisure. We can detect historical figures like Aristotle, Heraclitus, and Moses and track their direct influence to the present day. Not much the same with those societies marganiziled by historical record.

My question is how much do these forgotten tribes influence the daily lives of people today and could we tell if they do? Are their any aspects of social interaction, law, science, religion, or other aspects of the human experience that can be directly attributed to the Scythians or to other such people who did not value written language?

To clarify what was life like for Jews in the Soviet Union before the fall and how does that compare to their life after the fall?

You know the magpie poem which is supposed to dictate what kind of luck you'll get depending on how many magpies you see

"One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl..." etc.

Where did that originate, and why were magpies specifically surrounded with so much superstition?

Also how many variations where there? I'd heard there was a bunch of regional variations in Britain before a T.V show used a specific version as its theme song.

I guess they'd be good for riot control, but wouldn't a sword be better for fighting in close quarters? Did any civilisations use spears? What are the more common patrol weapons in medieval Europe? What about Ancient Rome?

I'm curious to read people's opinion on the matter. The Declaration of Independence was ratified July 4th and that remains the traditional celebration day.

However, wouldn't it be more appropriate--albeit perhaps less patriotically rousing--to celebrate US independence on September 3, the date that saw the signing of the Treaty of Paris which included formal recognition by Britain of the US as an independent sovereign?

Thanks to everyone.

I'm currently reading Commander In Chief: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, His Lieutenants, and Their War by Eric Larrabee and I noticed that he draws some similarities between FDR and Lincoln in terms of how they used their generals/staff and executive power during their respective crises. I'm less familiar with the Civil War and Lincoln's generals than I am with 20th century military leaders and World War II and I was wondering if anyone could give me some more details into what Larrabee is referencing, as his statements are somewhat vague - for example, he says, "Roosevelt stretched the boundaries of executive authority (as Lincoln did)" (628) but doesn't give any evidence/context to show how Lincoln stretched those boundaries. If anyone could provide any insight on this, it would be much appreciated! Also, if you have any suggestions for further reading, I'd love to hear them!