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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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In 1944, were American civilians able to buy 5 US gallon jerrycans?

In 1944 USA, were civilians able to buy empty 5 US gallon jerrycans, the type of metallic containers used by the military. Especially in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and other states in the North-...
Cham's user avatar
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Did Hamilton misrepresent Williams's view on democracy in the NY Ratifying Convention?

Founders Online New York Ratifying Convention. First Speech of June 21 (Francis Childs’s Version), [21 June 1788] quotes Hamilton: It has been observed by an honorable gentleman, that a pure ...
endolith's user avatar
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How did gas restrictions work in the United States during the 1940's? [duplicate]

Sorry for my bad English here (I'm French speaking)... I'm writing an adventure novel occurring in October 1944, in the USA. A woman (lets call her Alice) is working as a scientist in a military ...
Cham's user avatar
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2 votes
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How to travel from New Hampshire to Bayou Lafourche LA in 1940?

I'm trying to find a proper realistic time of travel through the USA during the 1940's. The routes weren't the same as of today, and there was a federal speed limit of 35mph (56 km/h) since 1942 to ...
Cham's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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What books were challenged by the Rhode Island Commission To Encourage Morality In Youth

The Rhode Island Commission To Encourage Morality In Youth was founded in the late 1950s and sent lists of books that they found objectionable to a number of publishers, which led to the U.S. Supreme ...
Brian Z's user avatar
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104 votes
2 answers
75k views

"This telegram must be closely paraphrased before being communicated to anyone." Why?

Some historical documents from WWII have a notice on them stating This telegram must be closely paraphrased before being communicated to anyone. The documents I've seen were received by the United ...
Dan Getz's user avatar
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5 answers
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If Lincoln was willing to tolerate slavery, why did the American Civil War not end immediately?

If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I ...
qwe ds's user avatar
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Why would a book about Abraham Lincoln stop at 1858?

I have these two thick volumes that I've never looked at and have been reluctant to look at because of the bizarre title: Abraham Lincoln 1809–1858, by Albert J. Beveridge, published in (I think?) ...
Michael Hardy's user avatar
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2 answers
1k views

Has an American president ever said "fuck" in a press conference, or other situation where he has had a microphone in his face?

Today Donald Trump said "fuck" in before an impromptu press conference. Has something like that ever happened before? That is, a president, in some more or less official context, such as a ...
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What is this artillery projectile from the US army?

My dad found this artillery shot in 1977 in the US army. And on the bottom of it says "CO", just want to learn about it.
Shawn Hatella's user avatar
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How come an FBI agent like Robert Hanssen had access to spy lists?

Just watched the movie Breach on the flushing-out of the FBI spy, Robert Hanssen. I just don't get two things: How did Hanssen have access to lists of spies and other top-secret information like ...
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Was Bob Dylan's "Hurricane" accurate in how it described the feelings of black people on the Reuben "Hurricane" Carter" case?

"Hurricane" is, of course, a song Bob Dylan wrote about the case of Reuben "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer who was falsely convicted of a triple murder. I have had the lyrics to the ...
Michael Atkins-Prescott's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
183 views

Has a president or an administration ever been found in contempt of the Supreme Court?

When it comes to utter disregard of the Supreme Court, is there any precedent for an administration being found in contempt, or the president of the United of States being found in contempt of the ...
Evan Carroll's user avatar
5 votes
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237 views

Why wasn't slavery mentioned more in Confederate songs?

The leaders of the CSA repeatedly brought up slavery as the reason for secession and declared the institution the 'cornerstone' of their nation. And despite claims that ordinary confederate soldiers ...
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21 votes
1 answer
7k views

Did Jules Verne not know how high the Rockies are?

In From the Earth to the Moon (Jules Verne, 1865), the Gun Club is trying to find a high-elevation location for a massive telescope to track the projectile it's sending to the Moon. Eastwards rise ...
Jacopo Tissino's user avatar

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