History
Exploring "Why" questions about History
491 articles
Why do historians talk about civilizations being more advanced who had “the concept of zero,” and why was that concept so hard to develop?
Creating a "concept of zero" is the first step towards using math for something more complicated than counting cows in a herd, or a weight in gold. Once you are at that point, it's possible to move on
Why does breaking the sound barrier create a sonic boom?
Imagine a tiny, bouncing ball on the surface of a pond, with ripples spreading outwards from it. The ripples always travel at the same speed, regardless of what the ball is doing. When it's still, the
Why does looking at the horizon help against seasickness?
It gives your mind a frame of reference to determine exactly what is level. When you know what "level" is, your brain can deal with the motions reported by your inner ear. If you're inside a closed sp
Why would sticking a fork in a socket cause any current to go through you? Wouldn’t the shortest path for the current to go from one leg of the fork to the other?
In most situations it won't. Done correctly, at least. But consider this: You insert the fork crooked, so it touches the hot contact but not the neutral.
Why are there no navy battleships with multiple large cannons in the US Navy anymore?
Because they're obsolete. They have been replaced by aircraft carriers and guided missile cruisers. Both of which can attack ships and land targets over-the-horizon more effectively than a gigantic ar
Why do hotels use two flat sheets instead of a flat and a fitted sheet when making the beds?
Efficiency. They don't have to keep up with two different types of sheets, and since a single sheet is at different times top or bottom sheet, they wear more evenly and don't have to be replaced as of
Why is Adolf Hitler talked more about for his responsibility for the deaths of about 17 million instead of Mao Zedong, who is responsible for about 3 times as many deaths?
Because you live in the West. Hitler's atrocities are more personal to you and your countrymen. If you lived in Asia you would hear a lot more about Mao and 1930's/1940's Japan.
Why, when speaking to a customer service rep from foreign countries, do they always say “kindly” in their directions?
< - Not an expert, but an amateur logician. One, "kindly" may be an easy word to use in the overall pronunciation sense, for those who do not speak English as a first language. Second, an
Why does it hurt significantly more standing on a 10 min bus ride, over walking for 20 minutes when commuting?
Standing tends to strain the same muscles over a long period of time. Walking spreads the load over several sets of muscles, so that while you're technically expending more energy no one set of muscle
Why is the USA drinking age set at 21 when in most other respects you’re an adult at 18.
In the 60s and 70s, the US had a **lot** of fatalities as a result of teenage drunk driving. Waaay more than any other country did. Really, there were two options available to them: raise the drinking