21–30 of 208 posts
In the U.S., lead was purposely added to food until 1988, so it’s not like this is an exclusively ancient problem.
That's a bold claim, do you have a source to back that up?
https://aapse.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/AAPSE%20Pu...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's a bold claim, do you have a source to back that up?
I think GP is referring to the ban on lead solder for tin cans that went into place in 1980. A bit of a stretch to call it intentionally adding lead to food, but in practice, not that different.
What does the “Fall of Rome” actually mean? It’s not like everyone died or disappeared. They just stopped being ruled by a particular government.
> Take Caligula as an example. We all know him as the mad emperor who supposedly once declared war on Neptune, then ordered his soldiers to attack the sea and take seashells as booty. The problem is that this story and the others like it all come from extremely late, hostile sources such as the biography Life of Caligula by Gaius Suetonius Tranquilus (lived c. 69 – after c. 122 AD) and Roman History by Kassios Dion (…
I was surprised how nice their homes were. Had nicer villas than most people's homes.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
And if you really want to boil it down to a single reason, the best candidate would be "becoming militarily dependent on hired mercenaries and then not paying them" rather than something more interesting
I can see that happening. Thinking about Canada. The other day I calculated it would take 25 hours of work for the minimum wage worker to afford a weekend camping. And I think that's a pretty good indication we're pretty close collapse. Workers not being paid enough, and out of control inflation is how the soviet system collapsed.
What does the “Fall of Rome” actually mean? It’s not like everyone died or disappeared. They just stopped being ruled by a particular government.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_the_Western_Roman_Empi...
"One of the main causes of the fall of the Roman Empire was that, lacking zero, they had no way to indicate successful termination of their C programs."
In the U.S., lead was purposely added to food until 1988, so it’s not like this is an exclusively ancient problem.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/common-chemicals-in-p...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think GP is referring to the ban on lead solder for tin cans that went into place in 1980. A bit of a stretch to call it intentionally adding lead to food, but in practice, not that different.
Hm, didn't know about that. I wonder if that is why my mom never bought canned vegetables when I was a kid. She always bought frozen if she couldn't get fresh.