What are some good examples of failing to learn from history? [more inside]
posted by Hargrimm on Jul 1, 2009 - 36 answers

How exactly did Christianity come to dominate the Western world to such an extent? [more inside]
posted by timepiece on Jun 24, 2009 - 42 answers

Can you please recommend some books on daily life, home life, and general society in the UK and the US in the 1840s - 1880s for me? I already have What Jane Austen Ate, and What Charles Dickens Knew and An Elegant Madness. It doesn't have to be specifically on daily life- creative nonfiction like Larson's The Devil in the White City or Johnson's The Ghost Map are awesome, too.
posted by headspace on Feb 16, 2009 - 13 answers

A history of the camera and its' effects on modern society in five paragraphs. [more inside]
posted by Northwest on Jan 22, 2009 - 8 answers

I am looking for good pairs of quotes/articles/other from different points in history, which make the same observation but both think they're identifying a recent or "modern" social change. [more inside]
posted by so_necessary on Apr 15, 2008 - 5 answers

Where can I find a downloadable version of Michael Murphey's classic, "Temple of the Sun" to download? Of course I am willing to pay for the copyrighted, legal, etc. version. But I would rather not have to buy the entire Swans Against the Sun CD to get this one song. Also, HUGE Bonus Points if you can lead me to similar(?) songs which might interest my sons (see inside for more on this challenge). [more inside]
posted by misha on Jan 7, 2008 - 8 answers

Books about Burma? [more inside]
posted by UbuRoivas on Nov 19, 2007 - 17 answers

What were some of the most idyllic communities to have ever existed? I’m not looking for opinions, I’m looking for hard anthropological examples or studies that have been carried out on such cultures. [more inside]
posted by heylight on Aug 29, 2006 - 9 answers

I'm having trouble tracking down information about a movement in Dada-ist Art I heard about a few years ago. From what I remember Dadaist idealism inspired a group of artists to contemplate the organic development of urban environments. Art, using the defined structure of the city, to reflect the chaotic order which arises from nature. Did this century old movement exist or has my brain made it up?
posted by 0bvious on Apr 26, 2006 - 10 answers

Where can I find an extensive list of 'labeled generations'? (i.e. 'X', 'Y', 'The Greatest', 'Baby Boomers', etc.) [more inside]
posted by Wild_Eep on Dec 6, 2005 - 8 answers

I'm over 30 and probably know as much or less about history, politics/ gov, and current events as my 7 year old niece. Now, I want to be aware and don't know where to begin. I've tried just "merging in" but the references, terms, and names are lost on me. I need a starting point that will give me a framework or bird's eye view to start from and build on. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 24, 2005 - 27 answers

In your opinion, what is the most awe-inspiring, amazing invention created in human history? And why?
posted by grefo on Dec 3, 2004 - 72 answers

Can a free people in a democratic country that has grown to such an enormous power remain to its historically told ideals of basic human rights, government from and for the people? Could the desire for control of that power be great enough to collapse a free society? Is humankind enslaved to war?
posted by the fire you left me on Apr 30, 2004 - 22 answers