History
Exploring "Why" questions about History
491 articles
why does February have 28 days instead of making two 31 day months into 30 day months
There isn't a good reason. February was initially just a filler month for the Romans. Before February, there were just some days tacked on to the end of the year.
Why is the Holocaust studied more than the Japanese war crimes during WW2
We (the US) identify more with Europeans because that's our background. Asians killing Asians is almost too abstract for us to sympathize with.
Why do I crave cigarettes exponentially more while I’m drinking as opposed to when I’m sober?
There's two major reasons. The first one is psychology. You have likely [conditioned](_URL_0_) yourself to drink when you smoke, and to smoke when you drink.
Why is the Wounded Warrio Project needed, does our government not take care of these soldiers after sending them to war to get maimed?
Not sufficiently. They get medical care, but help readjusting to life after severe injuries isn't covered by the Veterans Affairs office. Counseling, therapy, and advice on how to return to normal are
Why in the U.S. are we not told the upfront cost of medical care so that we can shop around like we can when making any other purchase.
In a word: greed. The U.S. Health care system is a for-profit business.
Why people no longer pray upon Greek Gods?
[They do, although it's a reconstructionist movement.](_URL_1_) Historically it died out the way most native European polytheist faiths did: Christian conversion at swordpoint. The hellenic world was
Why Is It Called a “Blow” Job When The Chick Is Actually Sucking?
Because it's orgasm focused. Now, that's a bit of an oversimplification. I don't think there's a definitive answer, but if you look at sources like [this](_URL_0_) or [this](_URL_1_) they mention that
Why can’t video games make walking/running look realistic?
A lot of movement animation is captured live with peoples' actual body movements ([Example](_URL_0_)) and then these are applied to the character's animation when moving in-game. The problem comes bec
Why is it sometimes economically rational to keep loss-making firms afloat?
The product may also be so socially or economically valuable that the government chooses to subsidize the industry. Many governments do this with basic services like electricity, water, and gas to con
Why does security cameras have those red dots around its lenses when working at night?
Those are infra-red LEDs. Since they're right on the edge of your vision range, they appear pretty dim red to you, but the camera can see IR just fine, and they're actually quite bright.