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May be too broad a subject, but I think a "history" site with tags like "<american revolution>" or "<WWII>" would make a lot more sense than lots of sites on specific historical topics. – Massimo Jun 10 '10 at 12:31

I like the idea of having a "General History" site but it does require some boundaries (as seen from questions below): Does archaeology qualify? Human history or also natural world, etc? Should it stick to historical facts or how much subjectivity is allowed? How specific can a question be before it's off-topic? – Nick Gotch Jul 1 '10 at 0:16

I don't think having a "General History" site is a bad idea either. Yes, the topic is a broad one, but Stack Overflow is a general computer programming site not restricted to a single language and it seems to work fine. If the History site is broken down into more specific divisions, you might miss some cross over questions like those involving US/Japanese relations at the time of Perry, etc. Where would you put that? US history? Western History? Eastern History? Asian History? It would fit in a 19th century site just fine, but not in a site dedicated to a specific geographical area. – kelleystar Jul 15 '10 at 14:53

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69 Example Questions (10 closed)

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added by forefinger Jul 7 '10 at 6:15

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added by Mehper C. Palavuzlar Jul 11 '10 at 16:24

It was Asterix. Or Obelix. – random Jul 12 '10 at 12:41

@random: lmao :) – Mehper C. Palavuzlar Jul 12 '10 at 18:35

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added by Opt Jul 21 '10 at 3:39

Belongs on a Latin language or Classics site. – Richard Gadsden Sep 6 '10 at 16:39

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added by Noldorin Jul 23 '10 at 9:21

	How's ransacking a half of Europe a "failed" invasion? May be you could rephrase your question to say "halted invasion"? – SilentGhost Jul 23 '10 at 9:40
	Regardless, it ultimately failed. Question updated anyway. – Noldorin Jul 23 '10 at 9:51
	Reasons they set out in the first place or reasons it "failed"/"was halted"? – kelleystar Jul 26 '10 at 14:30
	Reasons the conquest never succeeded. – Noldorin Jul 26 '10 at 21:22
	@Noldorin: In which case I'd recommend "Why did the Mongol Empire's attempted conquest of Europe fail?" That's a better question for what you are asking. On a real group, you'd point out the partial success in the body of the question, and specifically ask why they didn't get farther. – David Thornley Jul 26 '10 at 22:03

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added by Noldorin Jul 23 '10 at 9:21

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added by Gaurav Aug 30 '10 at 4:34

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added by thyrgle Aug 31 '10 at 20:27

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added by RedBlueThing Sep 8 '10 at 12:07

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added by Gaurav Sep 9 '10 at 5:36

Intended off-topic: for much of history, we can't actually prove, we can only speculate. – Gaurav Sep 9 '10 at 5:37

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added by RedBlueThing Sep 14 '10 at 1:15

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added by orokusaki, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jul 13 '10 at 14:57

Two questions, one I think on-topic and one I think off-topic. As a result, it's a bad example of either. – David Thornley Jun 23 '10 at 3:34

I agree with David -- although the initial question isn't bad, "why don't we teach about this in history class," although totally a question worth asking, isn't necessarily right to ask in this venue. – naturalog Aug 16 '10 at 14:41

I disagree. This is a sensible and good question. – Noldorin Sep 15 '10 at 20:39

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added by forefinger Jul 7 '10 at 6:20

the question is too general.. the answer will have to be either very long or very imperfect – Louis Rhys Aug 22 '10 at 9:00

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added by random Jul 9 '10 at 5:54

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added by random Jul 9 '10 at 5:56

Trivia rather than history - if the answer is one word long (Athelstan) then it's a trivia question. – Richard Gadsden Sep 6 '10 at 16:41

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added by kelleystar Jul 9 '10 at 15:31

requires too broad an answer – Louis Rhys Aug 23 '10 at 10:06

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added by Mehper C. Palavuzlar Jul 11 '10 at 16:18

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added by webjunkie Jul 12 '10 at 17:32

looks like a homework question, why does there have to be 5 reasons? – Louis Rhys Aug 24 '10 at 2:39

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added by kelleystar Jul 15 '10 at 14:56

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added by FireAphis Sep 5 '10 at 13:09

	Argumentative... Not a historical question... – Max Galkin Sep 13 '10 at 20:09
	Then it is a great example of off-topic question, isn't it? You can consult area51.stackexchange.com/faq in the "Off-topic questions are important, too" section :) – FireAphis Sep 15 '10 at 13:48

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added by SilentGhost Jun 23 '10 at 11:50

closed as off topic by kelleystar, Gaurav, Tea Drinker, RedBlueThing, Reznor Sep 11 '10 at 23:51

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

	why is this not a good example? – SilentGhost Jul 18 '10 at 10:00
	This is current affairs/law, not history. – Noldorin Jul 19 '10 at 7:35
	It's called contemporary history – SilentGhost Jul 19 '10 at 10:44

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added by Massimo Jun 10 '10 at 6:07

closed as off topic by mmyers, Robert Harvey, KennyTM, Firas Assaad, antony.trupe Jun 11 '10 at 21:12

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

Off-topic: s/he didn't. – Massimo Jun 10 '10 at 6:08

I think this actually is a good example of an off-topic question... – Massimo Jun 10 '10 at 14:41

Agreed. It's interesting to speculate, but falls outside of the realm of history. It's more like historical fiction or alternate reality. – Artemis Jul 3 '10 at 16:28

Where do we draw the line between speculation and counterfactual work? – naturalog Aug 16 '10 at 14:38

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added by Daniel Bingham Jun 17 '10 at 8:07

This is more horticulture than history. I think it might be worth deciding whether this is about "All History in General", or "Human History". – orokusaki Jun 18 '10 at 15:07

@orokusaki Well, but the cultivation and migration of plants plays into human history. What crops were raised by what cultures and societies can have a big impact on that society. Knowing that the potato was original from South America, but was brought back to the old world and became the staple crop in many places is absolutely human history. I would argue the same applies to basil and various herbs. – Daniel Bingham Jun 20 '10 at 12:52

I think there's a difference between basil and potatoes because of the significance of, say, the Irish Potato Famine. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can' remember a significant historical event concerning basil. This might be too specific. Should we have a separate site for doctorate level history research? (i.e. ridiculously focused) – Artemis Jul 3 '10 at 16:47

@Artemis Except the whole point of an SE site is to attract the experts, and the experts are those who would be doing doctorate level historical research. – Daniel Bingham Jul 5 '10 at 2:56

Perhaps we could rephrase this to say "What is the first documented use of basil in cooking? What culture began using basil in its diet?"? – kelleystar Jul 26 '10 at 14:32

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added by forefinger Jul 7 '10 at 6:16

the Civil War? as in Ugandan Civil War, of course? – SilentGhost Jul 7 '10 at 9:39

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added by webjunkie Jul 12 '10 at 17:30

closed as off topic by Tea Drinker, Gaurav, Max Galkin, RedBlueThing, Reznor Sep 11 '10 at 23:51

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

up vote -3 down vote

added by Louis Rhys Aug 22 '10 at 10:50

The only problem with this is that the answer would be too long - it would have to start with a critical analysis of "Guns, Germs and Steel" and then continue with a literature review of the mass of commentary since Jared Diamond's book was published. – Richard Gadsden Sep 6 '10 at 16:43

there is no short/summary answer for this? but the poster cannot be blamed for asking this, right? I mean how could he have know that the answer would be too long – Louis Rhys Sep 8 '10 at 2:25

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added by Noldorin Jul 17 '10 at 13:01

and how do you suppose this question could be answered? – SilentGhost Jul 18 '10 at 10:02

As any historical question could, with evidence and reasoning? – Noldorin Jul 18 '10 at 12:41

well, clearly, Roman Empire was doomed from its very inception. does this answer your question? – SilentGhost Jul 18 '10 at 14:25

Don't be dense. – Noldorin Jul 18 '10 at 15:29

It's not a well-formed question. Was it flawed? Yes, of course, all systems and societies are flawed. Was it doomed from the start? What do you mean by "doomed"? The Empire lasted centuries (how many depending on whether you're counting the Eastern part as Roman); how many societies last that long? – David Thornley Jul 23 '10 at 17:05

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added by webjunkie Jul 12 '10 at 17:35

The why part makes it not a good question. Who won FIFA world cup is a historical fact, why is open for arguments and speculation. Unless the expected answer is "because the have beaten Netherlands in last game .. " – Miro A. Jul 12 '10 at 20:35

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added by juanformoso, edited by Binoj Antony Jun 30 '10 at 10:31

Can't vote it because it's not really a great on-topic or off-topic examples, but this one really made me laugh :-D – Massimo Jun 10 '10 at 13:24

The one that voted NAGE has no sense of humor. None. At. All. – juanformoso Jun 10 '10 at 14:21

This question assumes the b-theory of time is correct. – Jonathan Sampson Jun 10 '10 at 16:09

Would it be better suited for area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/1908/physics or for area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/4451/…? – Massimo Jun 10 '10 at 17:05

Not sure it's a good example, but it does raise interesting questions about the nature of history and how it is recorded, communicated and retained by man-kind and all the inevitable chinese-whispers, misinformation and 'editing' that occurs. What really happened will always vary from what we think happened in the past - but by what degree? – bochgoch Jun 23 '10 at 8:54

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up vote -11 down vote

added by Binoj Antony Jun 17 '10 at 10:06

closed as off topic by DustyD, amolbk, SilentGhost, riadd, Nikhil Garg Jun 30 '10 at 10:01

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.