The United States of America is a nation-state stretching across North America between Canada and Mexico, plus Alaska in the continent's northwest, the mid-Pacific archipelago of Hawaii and several territories in the Pacific & Caribbean. Founded by European émigrés rebelling from British control in ...
-2
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1answer
37 views
Why the resurgence of Islamic powers in the middle east in the past three decades? [closed]
Why has Islam made such a resurgence in the Middle East?
Why did it began with Iran? (while Islam originally came from Saudi Arabia)
Is there any relation between US President Carter's open political ...
-1
votes
1answer
38 views
Why has the United States not attacked Iran in the past thirty years? [closed]
Why didn't the United States of America even try to attack Iran to change it's Islamic regime through a lightning war like Iraq war in past three decades?
According to my own opinion the Islamic ...
6
votes
1answer
106 views
Did the United States have a third atomic bomb to drop on Japan?
On 15 August, six days after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan announced its surrender to the United States, signing the instrument of surrender on 2 September, officially ending the war.
The question ...
-1
votes
0answers
57 views
Why did the United States attack Iraq and Afghanistan, but not Iran? [closed]
Why did the U.S choose to attack Iraq and Afghanistan?
It seems to me that the threat of a nuclear Iran was more serious and Iran was a more serious enemy to U.S. Now U.S is not able to attack Iran ...
-1
votes
0answers
34 views
What are the main U.S. military innovations since 1945 who have had civilian applications? [closed]
Since 1945, the U.S. military-industrial complex has led to many technical innovations: GPS, Internet, radar ... (isn't it?)
What do you think are the main innovations it has spawned?
6
votes
4answers
20k views
If Bill Clinton was impeached, why did he finish up his second term
I don't understand how he could have been impeached but did not have to leave office.
3
votes
0answers
50 views
How many firearms were owned by civilian population between 1836 and 1912 in USA?
How many firearms in total were owned by civilian population between 1836 and 1912 in USA (cumulatively, not simultaneously)?
The timeframe is what I would consider "Old West" timeframe, but starting ...
5
votes
1answer
90 views
How big was the percentage of white people in the USA who were not against granting the blacks equal rights?
How big was the percentage of white people in the USA who were not against granting the blacks equal rights at the time when the blacks finally got the equality of rights (which I think was in 1964).
...
26
votes
7answers
2k views
Why did Hitler declare war on the USA?
Since there had not been any offensives launched by either side against the other, why declare war just because Japan had attacked the USA?
-4
votes
3answers
88 views
Why didn't United States replace Mohamad Rezā Shāh with another king during the 1979 revolution?
During World War 2 Rezā Shāh was forced to abdicate in favor of his son.
This way, why during Iran's revolution the Carter's administration had arranged for the shah to leave Iran? Why didn't they ...
1
vote
1answer
123 views
How many non-partisan (independent) legislature members were in the USA compared to the USSR?
How many legislature members there were who were not members of any party in the USA compared to the USSR during the Cold War and now?
10
votes
1answer
71 views
Why did Stephen Ambrose believe that the election of Aaron Burr would have led to the end of the USA?
I'm reading Stephen E. Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage", and in pg. 50, he writes:
On December 5, 1800, Lewis was promoted to captain. That month the states selected their delegates to the Electoral ...
3
votes
0answers
61 views
What was done to prevent electoral fraud in Texas following the controversial 1948 election?
In his second attempt at the Senate in 1948, Lyndon Johnson narrowly defeated Coke Stevenson in the Democratic primary when a box with 202 votes, largely in favour of LBJ, was found late in the ...
4
votes
2answers
73 views
Did the break up of AT & T in 1984 lead to technological innovation?
Are there examples of technologies developed since 1984 that would not have been likely to be developed had the Bell system stayed intact rather than being broken up by the US government?
UPDT: To ...
3
votes
4answers
298 views
Were there reasons for Japan to go to war with US aside from US owning Philippines?
Right after the Spanish-American War in 1898, the US acquired the Philippines from Spain. At that time, local leaders desired Philippines independence. The Philippines-American War was fought around ...
8
votes
2answers
310 views
Did the Olympics make the Star Spangled Banner the US national anthem?
A long, long time ago, I remember watching a TV miniseries about the first Olympics of the modern era in 1896.
One of the amusing substories I remember involved the USA's National Anthem and the ...
6
votes
1answer
165 views
Why was cricket's popularity in USA a casualty of Civil War?
"Cricket was by far the biggest sport [in the USA] in this period," Tim Lockley, an expert in American history at Warwick University, told the Guardian in 1999. "Then the civil war started in 1861, ...
7
votes
1answer
101 views
What was the Soviet role in Syria during the Cold-War?
It is my understanding that the Soviet Union supported governments in Syria during the cold-war primarily as a counter-balance to American influence over regional powers particularly Saudi Arabia and ...
1
vote
1answer
461 views
Underground Tunnels in New York City and Boston
Where are the underground tunnels built by masons in New York City and Boston in 1760's~1780's? Do they exist till our present day?
16
votes
1answer
561 views
Why are the signatures on the United States Declaration of Independence structured as they are?
When looking at the United States Declaration of Independence its easy to notice that John Hancock's signature is more prominent than the others:
From my readings I know John Hancock did sign one of ...
8
votes
2answers
117 views
After the independence, did George Washington continue to wear a military uniform?
I know that some of the historic legends continued and some not. We are talking about 2nd half of the 18th century. Fashion was so fancy. Obviously, the founding fathers -- quite possibly -- adapted ...
9
votes
1answer
111 views
Was the State of Indiana's legislation changed to fix the value of Pi?
Is the following an anecdote?
Mathematicians describe Pi as an irrational number, that is, a number that cannot be expressed as the ratio of any two integers. This was an irksome fact to the State ...
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0answers
53 views
Was Ayatollah Khamenei a KGB spy before the 1979 revolution?
(1) Was Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, a graduate of the Patrice Lumumba People’s Friendship University in Moscow?
(2) If the answer to (1) is 'yes', then is there evidence he had ...
3
votes
0answers
47 views
Why did Carter force the Shah toward a more open political atmosphere in Iran?
Why did Jimmy Carter force Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi toward a more open political atmosphere in Iran? (This policy led to change the regime in Iran, and transformed it into an enemy of the United ...
11
votes
2answers
102 views
percentage of British and American troops involved in direct combat with enemy in World War II
How large a proportion of British and American troops were involved in direct combat with the enemy in World War II? What was the casualty rate among those men?
2
votes
1answer
97 views
What role did the United States government and major corporations have in controlling dissent and protest starting in the late 1940s? [closed]
After the Second World War, numerous movements of dissent and protest amongst workers or soldiers which had been kept in check by the profits of war developed into significant movements, such as the ...
12
votes
5answers
374 views
When and how did the idea of a “class-less” society originate in the United States?
The United States is often referred to as a "class-less" society where anyone can rise to any height. Leaving aside whether this is actually the case or not, when and how did this idea originate? Was ...
1
vote
0answers
27 views
Did most colleges in the United have semesters that began in September and ended in January during the 1890s?
I have been researching college calendars from the 1890s and have found that their semesters are very different from most "modern" semesters in the United States. Here are two examples: ...
6
votes
1answer
40 views
Which parts of the Townshend Act were repealed in 1770?
The Townshend Acts were passed in 1767 and partially repealed in 1770. Which clauses were repealed at that time?
I've looked around and found the original text, but I cannot find specifically what ...
1
vote
3answers
641 views
What is the oldest movie theater in the US that has been in continuous use as a movie theater?
It appears from Wikipedia that the oldest theater in continuous use is in Denmark, but since so much of the film industry is dominated by Hollywood, I was wondering what is the oldest movie theater in ...
8
votes
1answer
240 views
What were Hispanic people called in the US in the 1800s?
Today in the US, people from Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas are called by various names: Hispanic, Latino, Chicano, etc. What was the term used by Americans for such people in the 1800s?
...
2
votes
3answers
75 views
Time zones in USA
Time zones are demarcations of solar hours (15 degrees) on the planet (a few are offset by 30 or 45 minutes) used by many nations. Solar noon moves closer on average (depending on the month and day) ...
9
votes
2answers
138 views
Why did the political parties in the US give up power to run primary elections to some states?
In the US, it seems that in certain states, the political parties have allowed the state to prescribe the manner in which delegates are selected to the party's national convention. This includes ...
4
votes
1answer
75 views
Why didn't Ronald Reagan become Republican candidate for the President of the USA in 1976?
I'd really like to know, how did it happen that Ronald Reagan lost the Republican Party presidential primaries in 1976, against Gerald Ford.
It's easier for me to understand that he could fail in the ...
1
vote
0answers
25 views
When was the electric iron introduced to the state of Georgia?
I am aware that the electric iron was invented in 1882 by Henry W. Seely, but I would like to find out when rich and middle-class Georgians started using it.
5
votes
2answers
306 views
Why did the USA take no action to help Pakistan during their 1971 war against India?
In 1971, USA and Pakistan were known to be strong allies or were they?
Why did the USA just pretend to help Pakistan and actually do nothing in the Indo-Pak war of 1971? Why did the 7th fleet not ...
4
votes
3answers
173 views
Has any US President served in a government position with a foreign nation before or after their presidency?
Has a person elected to the US Presidency ever held a government position in a nation besides the United States?
I think any government-related role would be an interesting answer. I think the ...
4
votes
3answers
94 views
Did any of the US States ever attempt to secede, aside from American Civil War times?
Reading about the non-governmental organizations in support of the Texas secession movement, I've started to think if there were any States where such movements achieved something more.
My questions ...
6
votes
1answer
567 views
Who was the last US president who did not start a war?
Who was the last US president who did not start a war?
5
votes
0answers
77 views
Is one of the causes behind the cultural atmosphere surrounding the Scopes trial, and the concepts about family, “children are the future”?
To start, I noticed that during the peak of the American eugenics movement (1920-1929) that anti-evolutionary bills and eugenical bills were being passed in the same 37 states (well, just about), ...
14
votes
3answers
881 views
How was the United States able to produce excellent tanks in 1942?
Most military histories of the war in North Africa, and especially those produced from a British point-of-view, emphasise the greenness of the American troops which landed there in 1942. There is a ...
3
votes
1answer
100 views
Is the Terrorist Exclusion List (TEL) still used for anything?
Section 411 of the USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001 (8 U.S.C. § 1182) authorized the Secretary of State, in consultation with or upon the request of the Attorney General, to designate terrorist organizations ...
10
votes
2answers
266 views
Why were there no Internment camps for German-American Citizens in USA during WW2?
I am certainly aware of Japanese-americans being detained in Internment camps , after the attack on Pearl Harbor , and subsequent declaration of war on United States , by the empire of Japan.
About ...
4
votes
2answers
84 views
Was there anything like African American architecture style or symbolic in the beginning of 20th century?
At the beginning of 20th century, large masses of black people were migrating to North or between districts of the same towns (like in New York from Tenderloin or San Juan Hill to Harlem, previously ...
2
votes
1answer
91 views
How many illegal aliens were deported under “Operation Wetback”?
There are all kinds of numbers surrounding Operation Wetback. My understanding is the vast majority left voluntarily. Is there any official number on the amount of illegal aliens that were actually ...
2
votes
0answers
39 views
How has enforcement of the USA-Mexico border changed over time?
Illegal immigration into the United States across the USA-Mexico border has been a big hot-button issue in recent years.
As many people here may already know, a person from Mexico wishing to travel ...
0
votes
1answer
102 views
Battle of Seattle [closed]
The "Battle of Seattle," a large civil protest that led to sporadic rioting in 1999, is commonly portrayed as influential in the sociology of Western activism, and in the contemporary history of ...
6
votes
5answers
383 views
What incentives are in place for American soldiers to go fight in Iraq?
I am from Brazil, a country that has not fought any war since WW2. If you join the army, go fight in Iraq and then return, what will the USA pay you? Is there a health plan for life, a pension, or ...
3
votes
3answers
200 views
Why Americans like to enroll in military services despite huge risks involved?
Working in US military is one of the riskiest jobs in America because of the regular engagement in battles compared to other military in the world.
I live in a third-world country. Even in my ...
7
votes
1answer
102 views
Why did the states that were born out of the Louisiana purchase adopt a common law system, and not a civil law system?
The French system of laws is a civil law system that is based upon the Napoleonic Code, and further back the Justinian Code. The legal system in Louisiana is now bijuridicial retaining some of the ...
