Questions tagged [united-states]
The United States of America is a sovereign state stretching across North America between Canada and Mexico, 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 the 1700s, the US spread across the continent by conquest and land-purchase to become the most powerful country on the planet after the Cold War in the 1900s.
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Why did this anti-communist pamphlet, from the USA in the 1950s, include UNESCO among its targets?
The English language Wikipedia article on McCarthyism includes an image of an "anti-communist" pamphlet, apparently from the 1950s:
I was intrigued by point 4:
RIGHT NOW films are being ...
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Why did Associate justice Black speak of a Pyrrhic victory?
At the end of the case Beauharnais vs Illinois, the Associate Justice Black said:
In his dissenting opinion, Associate Justice Black quoted Pyrrhus of Epirus by alluding to the term Pyrrhic victory: &...
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Did Washington ever impose any sort of investment ban on Nazi germany?
There is archived coverage about multinational companies, headquartered in the US, that have had operations in Nazi Germany, like here. While these multinationals appear to have received some public ...
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Why did the US Navy and Marine Corps use satanic symbolism in WW2?
When you look at certain names and symbols used by the U.S. Navy (USN) and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) during WW2, you could see they are heavily loaded with satanic symbols. You have the F6F Hellcat ...
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Why did the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal take a much longer route to the Des Plaines River?
So reading about the the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal, you can see on the map that the route travels about 15 miles parallel to the Des Plaines River.
I've been trying to find out why. This ...
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Were there universities that treated socioeconomic status as a major factor in college admissions? [closed]
For many years I have been asking myself the same question: Are there universities that treat socioeconomic status as a major factor in college admissions (without taking race into consideration at ...
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Why hasn't the Centralia fire been starved to death? [closed]
The infamous Centralia coal mine fire has been burning for approximately 60 years now. Googling "why hasn't the Centralia fire been put out" gives plenty of results for why it would be ...
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When did "cultural appropriation" become a concept?
Acts which nowadays are called cultural appropriation have been going on for a long time in the US, at least since the 19th century. But when did certain behaviours start getting labelled in the US as ...
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Which WWII Medal and ribbon are these?
I am trying to identify a possible medal that my great grandfather was awarded as I am putting his medals together for my grandmother. Though I'm not quite sure it's a medal. I looked through his ...
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Is there any evidence that the US strategy at Midway was deliberate?
The Battle of Midway was a crushing US victory over the Empire of Japan that, at face value, appears to be due to good SIGINT and a huge amount of luck by the Americans.
In particular, the piecemeal ...
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Is the Cold War still going on? [closed]
Do any historians consider the Cold War, or Cold War II, to be going on?
I'm asking because some features of the Cold War still exist, such as an antagonism between Russia and the Western world, and ...
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What is the story behind the tall Northern offshoot on the West Virginia map?
It seems like such a tall thin slice should have a story.
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How confusing was British currency compared to decimal currency circa 1850?
This question quotes Terry Pratchett's claim:
The British resisted decimalized currency for a long time because they thought it was too complicated.
Is this a fair comparison with its inference that ...
MCW♦
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Did a significant number of women drive in late 1950s/1960s USA?
During lockdown, I have become addicted to old 1950s/60s Perry Mason series. I am struck by the number of women, from all walks of life - waitresses to wealthy matrons - who owned and drove their own ...
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Were doctors who were drafted in the 1950/1960 years, compelled to take an officer's oath of allegiance?
Anyone who's ever watched M*A*S*H, knows that many of the doctors there, didn't want to be there, and had been drafted. Then I recently ran across this (non-official) article, which says
Officers on ...
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What's the relation of FDR and Wilson to War on Terror/terrorism in House of Cards? [closed]
In House of Cards, Frank Underwood brings up FDR and Wilson when saying that he wants to declare war on ICO (fictional terrorist group possibly related to ISIS). What's the relation please? I mean, ...
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How did the US "Greek" fraternity system at universities arise and what is its relationship with ancient Greece?
How did the American college fraternity and sorority system come to incorporate ancient Greek names and motifs? Was this a 19th century phenomenon?
Any color on the following would also be appreciated....
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Were families allowed to watch boys swim naked at the YMCA before the 70s?
from Minneapolis Tribune, 1950 as cited in Medium
And does "families" mean female siblings would have been allowed to watch or was it just the parents?
I found American High Schools Mandated ...
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Were there written (draft) Soviet proposals that would have effectively restricted the US navy from (parts of) Europe?
I'm pretty sure that if one trawls the Soviet propaganda, one can find something asking Americans to bugger off from Europe altogether (ok, on a more serious note--Gorbatchev did propose the ...
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Has a US President's family member ever been indicted or arrested during or after the Presidential term?
No United States president has ever been indicted or charged with a crime during or after their presidency. (According to my search / this Quora post)
Has a president's family member ever been ...
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In the Gettysburg Address, what is the exact meaning of the phrase 'under God'?
Recently, while studying Chinese translations of this classic speech,
EDIT:
that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and
that government of the people, by the people, for the ...
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Was Frederick Douglass right that in his day 'religious slaveholders are the worst'? If so why would this be?
I am quoting from the autobiography of Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), who as many readers will probably know escaped from slavery in Maryland in 1838, settled in Massachusetts and became an anti-...
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Was being in the KKK politically/socially acceptable in early 1900's American South?
This question was inspired by the movie O Brother Where Art Thou, set in Mississippi in 1937. While the events are clearly fictional, the film draws a lot of historical inspiration from real prople ...
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What happened on July the 5th, 1943, at the Gerbini airfield on Sicily?
I read on this site an event that happened on July, the 5th 1943:
About 30 Flying Fortresses which set out to bomb the Sicilian airfield at Gerbini are attacked by more than 100 enemy fighters, 35 of ...
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Why did Jimmy Carter handily win the state of Georgia in 1980, despite losing other southern states?
Two explanations easily come to mind.
The first is that Georgia is "bluer" than other southern states. In support of this theory is that Joe Biden won it in 2020, and Bill Clinton in 1992.
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What is the name of the ceramic artist who created this large platter?
I am trying to find the name of the name of the ceramic artist who made this large platter. I think it is an American piece made by a woman. I’d like to know her name.
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Were Russians in the cold war era USA discriminated against for their ethnicity?
As a Chinese living in the western world, I am a little bit concerned about the next decades where there might be a war or a series of conflicts between the rising Chinese power and the current world ...
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What was that book that listed all the rich/influential people and defined socioeconomic status for many Americans?
Americans in the upper-elite class specifically, I think. It was a semi-annual publication, and was significant before WWII, perhaps even before WWI.
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Were there plans to admit the Territory of New Mexico as a slave state? [closed]
Prior to the Civil War, were there any plans to eventually admit Arizona and New Mexico as slave states?
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Did the U.S Constitution revoke or merely amend the the Articles of Confederation?
This may seem like a silly question, but I only ask because of a U.S. Supreme Court case that actually cited the Articles of Confederation.
After the civil war, there is this case called
Texas_v....
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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 110,000+ ...
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Why was Harry Truman chosen to be Vice President in 1944?
In 1944, FDR was running for his fourth and final election. He was starting to age rapidly, he would be dead in just 82 days from being sworn in to his fourth term. Henry Wallace had been FDR's VP ...
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When did formal social dance fall out of favor in the US?
Up until about the 1950s, one can see instances of social dance (especially ballroom) dominating the social scene. This includes instances such as the tennis court scene with Humphrey Bogart and ...
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How was coffee brewed in Philadelphia (or surrounding area) in 1904?
I am writing a story about a physician in Philadelphia in 1904. I read that Hills Bros. packaged the first 'vacuum packed tins' of coffee. I just don't know if there was enough distribution that he ...
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Were weapons allowed in Carpenters Hall during the first and second continental Congresses?
During the founding of the nation, what restrictions were in place at public forums related to the carrying of weapons (fire arms, knives, small caliber pistols, etc.), especially during the ...
MCW♦
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Why was Hannah Ocuish believed to have been mentally disabled?
Hannah Ocuish was a 12 year old Native American girl who had the dubious honor in 1786 of being the youngest female to be legally executed in the United States, allegedly for murdering another girl ...
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What impact did Georgists have on the Sixteenth Amendment, and vice versa?
The Sixteenth Amendment, which allows the federal government to directly tax citizens' incomes, was ratified in 1913. That seems to be the same period of time (late 19th and early 20th centuries) that ...
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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 ...
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Were there weapons that a private citizen could not legally own in 1789 in the US?
For example: a cannon, certain types of muskets etc...
Were there laws for whether women or freed slaves could not own specific weapons?
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Who is the Pentagon General nicknamed Darth Vader referred to by Arthur C Clarke?
In an introductory blurb to his story "The Golden Seas" in "The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke", p.935, Arthur C. Clarke writes
This was my first response to President ...
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What was the new identity of the white slave in Kentucky ~1840, called the Boy John, after he was freed?
In 1897, a book called "The Boy John" was published by a Kentucky lodge of the Order of Odd Fellows (a mutual benefit society with history going back to England), detailing the efforts of ...
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What other ships were with USS Saratoga when it was hit by a torpedo on 1942 Jan 11?
USS Saratoga (CV-3) was a Lexington-class Carrier of the USN. On 1942 Jan 11 it was hit by a torpedo from the Japanese submarine I-6, and then went in for repairs.
However, I would like to know what ...
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Did Harry Dexter White obstruct a proposed $200 million loan to Nationalist China in 1943 as a U.S. Treasury department official?
Another example of White acting as an agent of influence for the
Soviet Union was his obstruction of a proposed $200 million loan to
Nationalist China in 1943, which he had been officially instructed ...
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How did lecturers magnify their voice in the days before amplification?
I am going to be portraying Mark Twain on the lecture circuit circa 1896.
I want to make the performance as realistic as possible, so that the sufferers (audience) can adopt a "willing suspension of ...
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Have primary voters in US overseas territories or their delegates ever had a noteworthy influence in any primary election or convention?
While watching Ken Burns' The Roosevelts I noticed that from the days of TR up through the early 1960s, footage of the party conventions where presidential candidates were nominated seemed to ...
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Is there a historical explanation as to why the USA people are so litigious compared to the French?
I'm French and I often hear that people in USA tend to sue for almost anything. I don't hear the same about countries neighboring France (Spain, Italia, Belgium, etc..) and, since a good part of USA ...
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In the US Constitution, did the Three-Fifths Compromise apply to Native Americans?
In the U.S. Constitution, the Three-Fifths Compromise is part of Article 1, Section 2, clause 3. It says:
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be ...
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During the Indian removal were native Americans fed rotten food and taken through diseased areas?
In 1993 Stannard wrote a book called American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World: Columbus and the Conquest of the New World. In it, Stannard mentions (page 124) the Indian marches where they ...
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Why did three states delay ratification of US fifth amendment?
Massachusetts, Georgia, and Connecticut were states in 1791 when the constitution and bill of rights became law. But they did not officially consent until 1939.
It seems from USConstitution.net that ...
MCW♦
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Has the USA ever sanctioned Israel? [closed]
The USA has always been a strong supporter of Israel. In comparison, USA has repeatedly sanctioned Iran. When searching if USA has ever sanctioned Israel, didn't find anything.
Has USA ever sanction ...
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