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Who were the carpetbaggers?

Carpetbaggers were northerners who went south during the Reconstruction to buy up land and make money. Many of the carpetbaggers partnered with bankrupt southerners to re-establish cotton plantations. Other carpetbaggers were teachers, businessmen and journalists. Some were part of an official government organization called the Freedmen's Bureau sent with the mission to reform the South and help the newly liberated slaves.\nAlthough carpetbaggers were often viewed with suspicion by the southerners and seen as opportunists, many worked to help the region economically. Some carpetbaggers, h..

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How did Babylonians learn the Hammurabi Code of Laws?

An epilogue appearing at the end of the code encouraged citizens involved in disputes to read the code to determine how the law applied to that case. The code continued to influence Babylonian life after the end of Hammurabi’s reign in 1782 B.C. and was in force when the city was sacked by the Hittites in 1595 B.C. Portions of the code have been found on tablets dating 1,000 years after Hammurabi’s death. The code disappeared for many centuries but was unearthed in Susa, Iran in 1901. Archaeologists believe that the King Shutruk-Nahhunte of the Elamite Empire had the code transported to Su..

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What belongings did immigrants bring to America?

Families of modest means typically left large items such as furniture behind simply because it wasn't practical or affordable to try and transport them across sees. Important pieces of clothing and valuable items that were also useful, such china and linens or pots and pans, were common inclusions. Small trinkets and jewelry were also brought along, not only because they were important to the immigrants but also because these items could be sold if the family found itself in dire financial straits.\nCulture also frequently played a role in the choices immigrants made in deciding what to b..

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What are some interesting presidential firsts?

Advancements in technology also led to several presidential firsts, including John F. Kennedy holding the first presidential news conference on television and William McKinley campaigning by telephone, while advancements in health care resulted in Jimmy Carter being the first president born in hospital. Franklin Pierce was the first president to deliver his inaugural address from memory, with an astounding 3,319 words.\nOther presidential firsts instituted changes that have continued through to today, including Thomas Jefferson being the first president to shake hands with guests. Prior to Jef..

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What are Committees of Correspondence?

The first Committee of Correspondence was formed in 1764, in Boston, to increase opposition from the other American colonies of Britain's paper money policies. New York formed a committee the following year to oppose Britain's Stamp Act. In 1773, a colonial legislature decided that intercolonial communication should be conducted by a standing committee from each colony. These early committees led to the eventual creation of a permanent communication structure between the colonies, as well as the formation of the First Colonial Congress.

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What were the chariot racing rules in Greece?

Chariot races sometimes involved as many as 12 chariots at a time. The sand floor of the Circus Maximus, a large outdoor arena in Rome that measured almost a half mile in length, prevented lane designation, so drivers had to be astute. Lighter chariots won races, and it was not uncommon for collisions to result in drivers being tossed from chariots and subsequently trampled.\nChariots and their horses were usually owned by wealthy Roman citizens. Building the lightest and most efficient chariot was often costly. Because lighter chariots did not perform well in collisions, however, they frequen..

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Where can you find a list of British colonies?

Another site providing a more up-to-date list of what are now known as British Overseas Territories is available at OnlineNames. The term "British Overseas Territories" was introduced in 2002. Prior to this, the title for a British colony was "British Dependent Territory" after 1981. Prior to the 1981 British Nationality Act, the countries were known as Crown colonies. As of 2014, there are 14 territories that remain under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom.

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Who invented braille?

Charles Barbier, who had developed the Ecriture Nocturne as a means for night writing in Napoleon's army, was invited to speak at the National Institute for the Blind when members of the French Royal Academy of Sciences recognized its additional usefulness to blind people. The system he had developed proved too complex for the students, however. Louis Braille suggested several improvements, which were rejected by Barbier. Nevertheless, Braille continued working with the Ecriture Nocturne and ultimately transformed it into the system still in use today.

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Did Columbus discover America?

Five hundred years before Columbus was born, Leif Eriksson sailed to what Icelandic legends called the New World. The “Saga of Erik the Red” says that he was blown off course in a storm and that Eriksson, like Columbus, arrived in North America accidentally. The “Saga of the Greenlanders” claims that Eriksson set out to find the New World intentionally because traders had sighted it during their travels. Eriksson and his crew landed in North America and allegedly spent the winter in a place he called Vinland. In 1960, archaeologists believe they found evidence of that camp proving Viki..

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What are some facts about Demeter?

Demeter's parents are Cronus and Rhea. She is one of the god Zeus's lovers as well as his sister. The two conceived Persephone together.\nHades, god of the underworld, abducted Demeter's daughter and dragged her to his shadowy realm. Demeter searched high and low for Persephone, so desperate that she forgot her responsibilities as the deity of grain and caused widespread famine.\nHades eventually offered a compromise to end the starvation, allowing Persephone to go to the surface and visit her mother once a year. Her freedom is only temporary, however. According to Greek mytholo..

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