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Who was the first Republican president?

The Republican party was formed in 1854 and gleaned massive support in the Northern states. The Southern states greatly opposed the new party and said they would secede if the Republicans won the presidency in 1860. Just weeks after President Lincoln's victory, South Carolina left the Union. George W. Bush was the 18th Republican president of the United States, while Barack Obama is the 14th Democrat.

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When did the American Civil War end?

In early 1865, Union and Confederate forces battled near Petersburg, VA. On March 25, 1865 General Grant launched a new attack. General Lee evacuated Petersburg on April 2, 1865 and warned Confederate President Jefferson Davis to leave Richmond, VA. On the morning of April 9, 1865 Lee attempted to break through Union forces blocking a route west to Danville, VA., but when that failed, he met with Grant to discuss the terms of surrender.

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Who won the War of the Roses?

Henry was of the Welsh Tudors, who claimed ancestry back to Rhys ap Tewdwr, last King of the Britons. He also claimed legitimized ancestry from the otherwise-extinct Lancastrians, giving him a valid claim to the English throne. When he married Elizabeth and defeated Richard III, the other main claimant, he joined the two houses and created the Tudor dynasty to replace them, ending the long War of the Roses. Henry and Elizabeth had three children, including Henry VIII.

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What year was the microscope invented?

The Janssens' microscope was hand-held and consisted of bi-convex and plano-convex lenses that could magnify images up to 10 times their actual size. In the 1600s, Anton van Leeuwenhoek developed a simple microscope with a more powerful focus and magnification to view microorganisms and cells. Robert Hooke's compound microscope used illumination to observe plant and animal cells, minerals and fossils. In the 1800s, Carl Zeiss, Otto Schott and Ernst Abbe further studied magnification and improved the color accuracy and glass. Ernst Ruska invented the first electron lens in 1931.

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How were the state flags designed?

While some states have used a unique state flag since the 1700s, most U.S. states were motivated to design a state flag because of the 1893 World Exposition in Chicago. Faced with an opportunity for exposure to visitors from all over the world, many states wanted to have a flag that made them instantly identifiable. Between this time and the first world war, most of the modern state flags were created, though many have been changed over time since then.\nThe methodology of designing a state flag varies based on individual design trend between states, but the basic strategy for state flag desig..

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What are some facts about Vietnam veterans?

During the Vietnam war, which lasted from August 1964 to May 1975, more than 58 thousand Americans died, while an additional 75 thousand became disabled. Of all the Americans killed during the war, 61 percent were younger than 21. The average age of killed service members during the war was 23.1 years.\nDuring the Vietnam War, the United States involuntarily conscripted military-aged men into military service by use of the selective service system. However, approximately 70 percent of all those veterans killed in Vietnam were volunteer servicemen.\nAs of the U.S. Census of 200, the surviving p..

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When was Israel founded, and who founded it?

Israel faced numerous hurdles throughout its early years as an independent state. On the same day it gained its independence, it was attacked by the armies of Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. However, these attacks were unorganized and were defeated by Israeli army, who were better coordinated.\nThe newly formed country also had internal problems with local terrorist organizations, many of which had fought on Israel's side during the war. However, these organizations were quickly disbanded by the new Prime Minister and Defense Minister, David Ben-Gurion. The leaders of the terro..

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What caused the Intolerable Acts?

American rumblings against the British government began after the Seven Years' War when the British Parliament imposed taxes on the colonists to help defray the costs of defending the colonies from their enemies. Angered at a lack of representation in parliament, the colonists boycotted British goods, wrote petitions to the king and spoke up at home and abroad in support of their rights as Englishmen. A further set of taxes, the Townshend Acts, enraged the colonists even more, paving the way for the Boston Massacre of 1770. After this tragic incident, the goverment removed all taxes excep..

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Did Tesla create wireless electricity?

Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower was a hugely ambitious and expensive project, and while Tesla initially received funds from the famous financier J.P. Morgan, Tesla's inability to produce quick results shook Morgan's confidence. Morgan withdrew his funding, and Tesla was never able to complete the Wardenclyffe Tower, much to his disappointment and frustration.

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When was the helicopter invented?

The design for the helicopter has a much longer history. Its origin dates back as early as 400 B.C. China when bamboo rotors were spun on a stick and flown as toys. In 15th Century Europe, Leonardo da Vinci designed a vertical flight machine on paper, but it was not until the 20th Century that designs were made into actual flying machines, with Sikorsky's design acknowledged as the first actual helicopter.

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