id stringlengths 13 25 | qid stringlengths 5 6 | question stringlengths 11 300 | answer stringlengths 64 13.7k | score int32 2 73.7k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
explainlikeimfive/cqxwrm3 | 34thwf | How does my brain know if sound is coming from somewhere in front of me or somewhere behind me? | This is actually quite interesting. We (along with a whole bunch of other animals), have what's called 'binaural hearing', which is essentially hearing with two ears. It's a hearing mechanism that we evolved with to help in situations where we needed to determine where a predator may be in the wild. Binaural hearing al... | 2 |
AskReddit/ca58jiv | 1ezbuh | What's your favorite thing to do in your spare time besides Reddit or being on the internet? | I just realized I spend way too much spare time on Reddit. Thanks OP, I feel sad now! Almost 6 years on Reddit and I could have probably invented something in the time I have spent browsing this site. On that note: videogames and discgolf. Real Golf got too expensive. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/d67lcao | 4wjxi7 | Why did Japan side with Germany in WW2? | They weren't really happy allies, they kept up with each other, but that was mainly circumstantial. Both of them had the same enemies, and as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Hitler was far closer to Mussolini than Japan. Both were imperial powers during their time and they wanted to conquer, and th... | 3 |
AskReddit/cqmva5f | 33odig | What superpower would you give your mom? | My mother passed away almost 4 years ago. My siblings (5 of us) were raised by our mother after she divorced our father for cheating on her multiple times. He never paid child support and Mom raised us working in a sewing factory in a very small town for $1.65 an hour (I'm 60 yrs old and this was many years ago), We ha... | 2 |
AskReddit/c0rcajh | cb4ix | What are people's thoughts on purchasing something with a 90 day warranty and returning after 89.99 days? | a) I think you would be wrong to do this. b) "90 day warranty" means that a defective product will be replaced or repaired at no charge if it malfunctions before 90 days. This wouldn't help you. | 2 |
AskReddit/c18oi2l | ek3v6 | How do you deal with Door-To-Door solicitation? | I just close the door. I used to work as a telemarketer. I understand why people get annoyed at unwanted solicitation. And I understand showing basic courtesy and manners to people. But when it comes to unwanted solicitation like door to door sales people or telemarketers, I have no problem simply closing the door or h... | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/diua6pq | 6gzfxd | What is exactly lower back pain and why does even a small injury sometimes take years to heal fully? | Short answer 10 leg lifts for 20 seconds each followed by 10 stomach crunch's for 10 seconds each. Not a medical anything, speaking of my own personal experience. 50 yr male. I've had multiple x-rays and exams and been told by multiple doctors that all my disc's look good nothing misaligned and that my pain is soft tis... | 6 |
explainlikeimfive/cpx0mv4 | 30yo44 | Why do people in movies always use boiling water and towels when a woman is in labor? | Because people in movies are idiots? Seriously though. . Towels because the birthing process is rather messy. And boiling the water sterilizes it so you can clean things up without contaminating the baby or the mother. Although if you're not boiling the towels I reckon there's a fault in that logic somewhere. Also I th... | 31 |
askscience/cpoafb5 | 2zyz63 | What does "conservation of angular momentum" really mean? | Keep in mind that vectors have a magnitude and a direction, but not necessarily a starting or ending point. The angular momentum vector is parallel to the axis of rotation, but it could be thought to be anywhere in space. As for sign, curl your fingers on your right hand in the direction of rotation and your thumb is p... | 2 |
AskReddit/c0tsh1o | cnarx | How can you compete for work with people who are willing to do it for much cheaper than you? | Look for jobs that stress a local contact or put emphasis on site content - most of the ones that do are essentially saying they want a native-English speaker to work on their project. Also, make sure that you are realistic in your pricing. Don't expect to be paid what you would be paid if you were an employee. Lowerin... | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/cymvrdn | 3zkrc0 | How do karate experts break bricks with their hands? | Practice. To explain the actual act, karate teaches you to punch through your target. This is why breaking boards is a popular test, it shows you understand the proper striking method. If you try to hit the wood, your hand will hurt. If you strike clean past it and through it, the wood splits along the grain instead of... | 4 |
AskReddit/envczme | bpnm9g | Which moment in your life made you really happy out of nowhere? | The girl who has broken my heart a million times, one day asked me to go to a restaurant one state over. I made the drive listening to her favorite music, singing out loud holding her hand. It was such an unexpected day (we hadn’t spoke in several months) and while it sounds cheesy when I think of my best day. That is ... | 3 |
AskReddit/d2dng4w | 4g0vni | To the Redditors in the U.S., what is your opinion of Harriet Tubman being said to be the new face of the $20? | I have a hard time knowing why I'm supposed to care. You could put a stick figure on there and it would still buy me $20 worth of stuff. Whatever. Honestly. I guess if you made me choose between Andrew Jackson and Harriet Tubman, I'd choose Tubman because Jackson was not a very good dude and obviously Tubman helped a l... | 1,866 |
AskReddit/d3940jk | 4js9fo | Do you generally bring a gift to an engagement party? | I always try to bring a host gift to a party, whether it is a little orchid, bottle of their preferred alcohol, or even just a card/gift card if it's a last minute thing. I've found that most people don't really do that anymore and it tends to mean a lot to the host. | 2 |
AskReddit/eagt3qc | a0dbi3 | If you could have ANY weapon from ANY fictional universe, what would it be? | This answer would depend upon whether or not other people also got fictional weapons, but hands down I would pick Richard Rider's Nova helmet, circa when he had 100% of the Nova Force, and the Worldmind. I would have an insanely advanced supercomputer to keep me alert, do various calculations, and help regulate the Nov... | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/deraixh | 5ymvn9 | Why are black and white photos sometimes more crisp than what we can take today? | Lens, negative size, and quality of the negative are big parts of it -- if you used a large-format camera instead of 35mm film, with a nice lens, you could produce crisp, quality photos today. Unfortunately, a lot of the photos taken in the last few decades are on cheap 35mm film (or smaller, remember 110?) with a smal... | 2 |
askscience/c6asmz8 | 106ca6 | Why does gum dissolve when I'm eating something else with it, and not on its own? | Hmm, not sure exactly about crackers, but I do know that if you chew gum and then eat chocolate, the gum dissolves. This is due to the fat and oils in the chocolate acting as an emulsifier to the gum base dissolving it. | 2 |
AskReddit/ety15uh | ce2cg9 | What's something amazing that got ruined? | Remember Godzilla 1998? The original movie planned to be the first American take on the character was going to be directed by Jan de Bont, with an amazing script from Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio and Stan Winston’s awesome SFX. It was even going to have a monster for Godzilla to fight, which would’ve been a massive chim... | 4 |
askscience/c3tqixy | q0jlh | Do dolphins from around the world communicate in different languages, or dialects? | All sorts of species have different "languages". Bird species, for instance, have different songs. Even within species, there is often variation of a culturally transmitted sort. Some species, tho, have fixed, genetically encoded protocols for communicating and they can't be overridden, such as the waggle dances of var... | 129 |
explainlikeimfive/c6cci1b | 10cfqi | What does an investment banker do? | If you want to sell your house, you may decide to hire a mortgage broker to help you figure out how much your house is worth on the market and then show your house to potential buyers. If you want to buy a house, you may decide to hire a mortgage broker to show you different houses based on what you want and can afford... | 27 |
AskReddit/c0qfbtt | c6g0h | When is it too early to drink? | If you start early enough and time it right you could get drunk twice a day. A few bloodies with brunch, then toss back some beer and take a nice nap at 1 - 2pm. Get up in a couple hours, basically sober again. Grab some lunch and start hitting the cocktails. By dinnertime you've got a good buzz going again and start t... | 3 |
AskReddit/crrycvz | 383f9n | What's the worst/most disgusting food you've ever been served? | Watermelon tea. I would not wish this treacherous substance on my worst enemy. It tasted like Satan himself had looked on this liquid and spat in it. It smelt nice enough, but when it passed my lips I immediately regretted my decision. It had the flavour of a mouldy melon that was rotting underground for months. The gr... | 3 |
AskReddit/epn5rha | bva0un | What do you do when you feel alone even amongst your "best" friends? | Understand that even if you feel ignored good friends love you for the value they know you have. Maybe try to be honest about how you feel to your friends. Especially if it makes you depressed at moments when you should be happy. Real friends are there for each other and want to help each other feel better | 2 |
AskReddit/ewkmdyx | coqg4w | What conspiracy theories turned out to be true? | The Nestle corporation is the devil. There was a rumor/conspiracy that Nestle gave free formula to mothers in poor African countries but only enough to make the mothers loose their own breast milk. Thus forcing the mothers to buy crazy expensive formula or watch their babies die of hunger while the Nestle board of dire... | 4 |
AskReddit/d00uj5a | 45xn79 | What is your favorite game to play on your phone? | I use a Gameboy emulator. On that I love playing Advance Wars. Probably one of the best games I've played that keeps you engaged, wherever you are. And the graphics are so simple, light, and welcoming. You just want to go back to it. And Pokemon. Can't forget Pokemon. | 4 |
AskReddit/dxh529i | 8cr9vn | What is something that people worry about when in reality nobody actually cares? | Face acne. So much time spent in middle and high school worring about ever bump on my face, like anybody cared. They were all too worried about there faces. I don't think I was ever actually made fun for my acne, but I still cared. | 4 |
AskReddit/dxjvv32 | 8d2x1c | How do you muster up the courage to break off an unfulfilling and mediocre long-term relationship with someone you still love dearly? | The best way is to remember that if you truly love them then leading them on any further will just cause more pain. being in an unsuccessful relationship isn't going to make either one of you happy in the long run and watching them be happy even if its with someone else is what you should want for someone you love TLDR... | 4 |
AskHistorians/cee0u18 | 1u0ggy | How did cashless point of sale transactions work before the internet? | How long before the internet are you asking about? No form of electronic processing was available until the introduction of computers in banking. Prior to the late 1960s (in Australia) banks did not use computers for accounts. In that period cashless point of sale would usually mean paying by cheque. There was no oblig... | 3 |
AskReddit/eew1du7 | ajir9w | What movie scene makes you cry every time you watch it? | Coco - The scene where Miguel was singing to his grandma to make her remember her father. The movie hits too close to home as I used to sing to my grandma when I was a kid and we also celebrate the Day of the Dead even though we're not Mexican. | 1,330 |
AskReddit/c2w39cd | lw7yh | For you outdoorsy types, what is the strangest thing that you've ever found out in the woods? | I was out on a bicycle ride with my ex two years ago. We saw something increadibly weird looking a few meters in the woods. We hopped off our bikes and walked towards it. When we got close enough to examine it we were really freaked out, it looked like an alien egg or something out of a sci-fi movie. I poked it with a ... | 4 |
AskReddit/eyll9qx | cxk83w | What do you think about police departments using Tesla's cars? | its a back choice because unlike gas powered cars they lack efficient power yes they can give you the power you need buy you will only get about 30 miles doing it. (I'm a specialist for mclaren I now work on the new Super Series.) | 2 |
AskReddit/elzhove | bibe42 | What are some ways to improve the education system? | More jobs, improve workers wages, and limit overtime. Economic security means people can take more time to focus on family and education by providing a nurturing environment. Lowest performing schools often have low wage earners w irregular jobs. The insecurity trickles down to the kids as anxiety and depression and ot... | 3 |
AskReddit/ccfaclm | 1n4abm | In your opinion, how long should you wait after coming out of a long relationship, before starting another? | I found it helpful to deliberately have a fling with someone you're attracted to, but don't particularly be with long term. You'll always compare your next relationship to your previous one, and it makes sense to get out of that habit before starting another serious relationship. | 2 |
AskReddit/c0g6hso | a75ky | What's your weirdest experience in a lecture hall? | I had a professor for a C Programming course that was a fairly recent Russian immigrant. He was a nice enough guy, but he was really out there. He canceled class for reasons like, "It's too nice outside" and "I went to the beach." The day before our midterm, he comes into class 10 minutes late with his laptop under his... | 32 |
AskReddit/d1d6fil | 4bx8s3 | What's the earliest childhood memories you remember? | I was screaming because my stomach hurt and I was in a crib. Someone gave me a red blanket and I ended up calming down, and after they fed me I ended up falling asleep. Don't remember how old I was and the memory is just one of those foggy thoughts at the back of my head. Every since then they just give me a red blanke... | 3 |
AskReddit/c2nuk6c | kwqp1 | If you have rights to freedom of speech and freedom from censorship, why do the girls on r/jailbait not have rights to privacy and dignity? | The rights to free speech and the like are in regards to the government censoring you or restricting your speech. A private establishment, such as Reddit, can be as restricting or careless as they want in regard to regulating speech or anything at all. | 7 |
AskReddit/c6h05h6 | 10vjf4 | Why do people get up in arms over the number of blacks in prison when an overwhelming majority are in there because they, y'know, broke the law? | People get up in arms, not because black people are in jail, but over the reasons that a disproportionate number of them are. For example, one implication of the is that white criminals, committing the same crimes are getting away with it more. Another implication is that the police are arresting black people more whic... | 13 |
AskReddit/dwm5zeh | 88ohay | How does one undo years of emotional abuse? | Therapy. You probably can't undo the abuse, but a good therapist well help you learn coping skills to help you make better decisions and avoid future abuse. This is not something that can be effectively helped on the Internet. Please find a therapist. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/cexhqug | 1vys38 | What is the difference between cheap shampoo and expensive shampoo? | Source: I used to be a chemist for a private label cosmetics manufacturer. The more expensive brands have higher quality fragrances and a higher surfactant to water ratio (lower priced ones are essentially watered down). Also, many have silicones to make hair shiny and silicones are expensive relative to other shampoo ... | 8 |
AskReddit/c9vlhqd | 1e0hsw | What are you thinking about right now? | I am thinking about the stubborn resistance that some people have to the idea that circumcision is wrong. It is done without the boy's consent, and is not medically necessary. People get outraged at the idea of FGM- but think MGM is just ducky. | 3 |
AskReddit/cgqd33y | 22tw5l | Which hit song was released before you were born, but speaks deeply to you now as an adult? | Harvest Moon by Neil Young, I was born a couple of years after that song came out and I just recently found out about it. Honestly I thought it was recent until I saw the music video. Great song nonetheless. | 4 |
AskReddit/cqr9w96 | 344st6 | What legal rights do people think they have but in actual fact don't? | In the US most people think the protections in the Bill of Rights are much more absolute than they are. The legislature has regularly passed statutes limiting those rights, and the Supreme Court has regularly upheld the statutes. Freedom of speech doesn't apply to "fighting" words, threats, obscenity, defamatory speech... | 10 |
AskReddit/el1ajeq | bdwsqh | What is the most heated argument you’ve had over the simplest thing? | I got into a really heated debate on whether the fleshy part of the apple was called the food. My logic was that the whole entity of the item was considered the fruit and the edible part was the food part. I was very intent on this being the case and the argument lasted for hours with many insults thrown. | 2 |
askscience/d7lvpzw | 52lh4y | Why don't eyebrows/eyelashes grow like normal hair? | They do. Hair grows, or rather is produced by a follicle, to a certain length. After this it stops and later falls out to eventually start over again. Hair in different areas grows to different lengths, with the longest ones being on our heads. The only difference is the length to which hair grows before it stops. | 2 |
AskReddit/dj5wz4k | 6ifx8x | What's your cry song? | Are we talking about songs that make you cry or songs that you play while crying? Make me cry: Mockingbird - eminem When im gone - eminem Headlights - eminem Play while crying Beautiful - eminem Till I collapse - eminem Like toy soldiers - eminem I listen to eminem a bit. | 4 |
AskReddit/ejav94i | b534tf | What is the strangest way someone has fixed a computer issue? | The first thing I do when a user calls me with a problem that isn't obvious is to ask them to check the network cable. This mysteriously fixes an enormous number of problems, even ones that have nothing to do with the network, because when they look at the back of their computer they notice something loose or unplugged... | 2 |
AskReddit/daasj4c | 5e9mm9 | What does your family consider normal that other families would find bizarre? | Driving so much. My dad has his own business, and part of his routine as the owner is that he personally does the estimates. This means visiting clients' homes and talking to them for a few minutes. My mom and I tagged along a lot when I was younger, she still does it. We also live 40 minutes away from what is consider... | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/ebmwwbb | a5j5gh | What is the difference between earnings per share and earnings per diluted share? | Diluted shares are promises to give someone new shares that are likely to be used. Companies have several ways they can trade shares for things they want, like employees working there or a lower interest rate on their bonds. It allows other investors to have a handy way of predicting how many shares there could be in t... | 3 |
AskReddit/cavbk01 | 1hkxxz | What's the worst thing you've ever woken up late for? | A Bio midterm. I'm pre-medicine, and this was one of the many classes where you have to get a good grade. I slept through the whole thing. I woke and balled. Then I emailed my professor. He let me take it. I ran barefoot in my jammers through campus and made it to the building still half crying. He gave me a cup cake a... | 3 |
askscience/c8b2pnp | 182qrj | Could you put two hydroelectric dams in a row from the same source of water? | Potential energy of a body of water is E = ρ x V x g x h where ρ is density, V is volume, g is g and h is the height water drops from. Divide by time to get power: P = ρ x f x g x h where f is flow rate of the river. As you can see, most of those are constants for the same source of water and it comes down to the heigh... | 96 |
AskReddit/c1n33at | gezl8 | What are your favorite TV shows, Reddit? | I love Lost. A lot of people hate on the show, saying "It's a bunch of idiots on an island and there's a hatch or something" screw them. It was one of the best drama shows I've ever watched, and even though the ending was a little suspect I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. | 3 |
AskReddit/ck038jm | 2ejly7 | Why do canals (such as Panama) have locks instead of letting the waters on either side flow into equilibrium? | One side is higher than the other. The ship goes into each lock, the gate is closed and water is added or removed until the ship is at the appropriate level. Oceans are pretty big and constantly flowing, I doubt you would ever achieve equilibrium. Don't forget to factor in things like tides. | 2 |
AskReddit/ch8z0wy | 24nrpm | What's a job that you just can't understand how people can do it? | I'm glad I got into the medical field! It's not all doom and gloom. Working in a pediatric clinic, I mostly just give physicals and treat your everyday colds and flu, plus it's really fun to watch the kids grow. What I don't get is how people can stand working office jobs. Sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours a day just se... | 2 |
AskReddit/cr7jqn8 | 35t3ta | How do you make friends? | Find people in similar life stages, who you interact with regularly, and have similar interests. You really only need two to make a friend. Clubs, organizations, and scheduled activities are great for this. | 2 |
AskReddit/dija2s8 | 6fme4w | What's something that, as a child, you thought would be a bigger deal in life? | Myself. And education. i thought a degree was the be all and end all. turns out it's a necessity that stops a couple more doors from being slammed in your face, irrespective of GPA. Character matters, not GPA, GPA only matters to little rich kids that have no character or charm. | 5 |
AskReddit/c9f9l1s | 1ccupa | How do I get a job overseas? | Well there are a few options you are. One of which is to find an American company which has offices overseas and then they could sponsor you, this is usually the easiest way. But the real easiest is to take a risk. Go to a country like Australia or New Zealand, and go to a hostel. Make sure you have a few thousand save... | 2 |
AskReddit/ca71pk5 | 1f539b | What's the best way to invest an incredibly small amount of money, let's say $100? | Lottery tickets. No, seriously. No traditional investment is going to work with an amount like $100. The ones you can buy into at that amount have useless interest rates. Assuming you are talking about financial gain (and not personal gain or anything not substantive), you are not in the ballpark. So, what is your best... | 4 |
askscience/cfc0i6t | 1xjshr | What is the evolutionary advantage for mammals having pregnancies vs laying eggs? | Well, to be honest, there's a lot we can talk for this. For starters, it isn't as cut and dry as "mammals get pregnant, everything else lays eggs." There are lots of examples of reptiles and fish which give live birth. Some of these just retain the eggs internally, but for many there are "placenta-like" structures wher... | 25 |
AskReddit/chp5qku | 26afbs | What are basic methods to check is an internet offer is a scam ? | Google the company name and if "scam" is one of the recommended searches then you have your answer. I'd recommend doing a little digging if it isn't though. In fact, if you feel like a company or offer might be a scam then ask yourself "what is it about this situation that feels fishy?" and go from there. | 2 |
AskHistorians/c3un0qq | q46z1 | How chaotic, if at all, was the process of writing a letter or sending a message to someone in a different country in the 19th century and earlier? | Here's a tidbit from getting mail back from the exploration expeditions in the late 1700s and early 1800s back from, say, Africa, or at least Mungo Park did this when he set out looking for the Niger and many others under Joseph Banks did the same. On the back of these letters, they'd say that whoever delivered this ba... | 22 |
AskReddit/cb7hcsn | 1ircfc | What's the most uplifting, warm, beautiful thing you can say to someone? | My professor had asked me and a couple of classmates to go to her office to discuss a special project for a department event. After I left, I was still in the hall and heard her tell her TA "See, I told you she was amazing!" Hearing people praise you behind your back is extra uplifting because you know they mean it. Pl... | 9 |
askscience/dgxlf0y | 68d1zk | How do animals like whales not get the bends when breaching at high speeds from the depths? | The reason people can get the bends is because they are breathing compressed air. Air is mostly nitrogen and when this gets released at depth, the nitrogen bubbles get into your bloodstream. It takes time for these to dissipate as you ascend, which is why you ascend slowly when on compressed air. If you take a big brea... | 328 |
askscience/djp352y | 6kr9p7 | Why don't potential Mars settlers simply wear heavy suits to increase gravity's effects? | It's not clear what the effects of prolonged exposure to Martian gravity would be. Microgravity is clearly problematic for human physiology, but some think that low gravity could be just fine, or have minimal negative effects. We'll have to see. Your idea is one way of dealing with it if it becomes problematic. | 9 |
explainlikeimfive/cfzq8vn | 204ljp | Why do some people get "stage fright" when using the restroom in front of others? | I would assume part of it is because using the restroom is something private. Imagine you grow up and get used to doing your business in the comfort and privacy of your own bathroom. What happens when suddenly you find yourself in a PUBLIC bathroom with other people? That sense of comfort that you associated with priva... | 2 |
AskReddit/d8ywgw4 | 58agv9 | What is a realization that you've come to that gives you an uneasy feeling? | I'll never amount to more than what I am, right now. I make decent money, I'm a good father. I'm not in love anymore, and I'm aging like a Strawberry left on the counter top. I've been all over the place, and kissed a lot of face. All in all, life is just boring. | 2 |
AskReddit/dlyw87b | 6v9xo8 | What's a movie that had a great impact on your life and how? | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my favorite movies of all time and it drastically changed how I see relationships. Just because something works now doesn't mean it always will, love comes in so many shapes and sizes. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's not so great. Everyone is their own person who has... | 2 |
AskReddit/d6sa83v | 4z2e9j | What is the dumbest thing you've seen people fight over? | I once worked at a small music-industry related business. Two of the front office customer service people got into a screaming and throwing stuff fight because one had a bowl of candy on her desk while the other was on a diet. | 6 |
explainlikeimfive/cs327bm | 39g7ju | Why do proponents of free market/laissez-faire economics seem to hate unions? | In theory, libertarians do not hate the idea of unions. In practice, frequently unions collude with government using force to keep out competition, such as regulation. Taxi medallions are the most egregious example I can think of off the top of my head. | 4 |
AskReddit/d5jz182 | 4tsxpm | What rhyme or game from your childhood would probably be banned from schools today? | At summer camp we use to play "Rock". That was when someone threw a rock into the air and yelled ROCK! everyone had to run away or else you might get hit by the rock. If you got hit you lost. It was fun because anyone could start the game whenever they wanted, all you needed was a rock. I'm sure it would never be allow... | 3 |
AskReddit/cs51rr2 | 39oehd | What is the best advice you can give to new drivers? | Practice paying attention to things happening all around you. New drivers tend to only look at the car ahead of them, rather than what's going on hundreds of feet ahead, behind, and in the lanes around. Experienced drivers can often tell, for example, when someone is going to merge into their lane without signaling. Th... | 3 |
AskReddit/ccw00p4 | 1ovcoa | How did people survive on beer before mass sterilization of water supplies? | Because beer doesn't actually dehydrate you. It's mostly water. They also drank all kinds of herbal teas, ales, mead, and other beverages. They drank plenty of soup and broth as well. They even drank water, and many of them didn't die, because most water wasn't contaminated. | 5 |
AskReddit/exzjvv5 | cuw130 | Who might be the least expendable person in history? | During a period known as "The Age of the Generals", where the success of failure of an entire country depended on the success of one person, my pick would be Napoleon Bonaparte. If he were missing, obviously the Napoleonic Wars would not have happened, but more to the point, he was the sole decision maker in so many ba... | 3 |
AskReddit/cxexqm9 | 3ugnqk | What's meant for kids but adults love anyway? | Kids' food with some sort of special feature that's supposed to excite kids/make them want to eat them. For example, Dino Egg oatmeal. Man I love that stuff.look at the little dinosaurs hatch! | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/cgmuycq | 22hg9r | Why is capitalism different from the typical trade and exchange going on for thousands of years, so much so it gets its own name? | Well, first of all, it's important to recognize where the word "capitalism" comes from. It was coined in the mid 19th century, and then popularized by Karl Marx. Marx used it as a pejorative label for the socio-political system in which the middle class (or bourgeoisie) owned the means of production (i.e. capital) and ... | 3 |
AskReddit/e8ro01p | 9suxlh | What did you do on your 21st birthday? | Ah it was my 21st birthday last week! I went to dinner with my girlfriend and pub on the actual day, and the rest week I went to an Oktoberfest event with my friends in lederhosen, went out in Halloween costume the next night and had a dinner with my extended family, gf and best friend on the Saturday! It was one of th... | 3 |
AskReddit/dhl1g0f | 6bahra | What do you absolutely hate about social media right now? | That people only post their best pictures and accomplishments. This creates a subconscious image of our peers being 1) more attractive 2) more successful 3) happier 4) pretty much everything else that we are struggling with. I believe social media one of the greatest sources of depression and anxiety amongst my generat... | 77 |
AskReddit/dvgzhwo | 83de4e | What are some movies that could use a remake? | That is a difficult question because I don't want to choose something that was good, for fear of them flubbing it. I guess something that fell on it's face the first time, I guess I would like to see a remake of Cirque du Freak, where they keep to the source material, and don't try to squeeze 12 books into one movie. | 6 |
AskReddit/cg8sl46 | 211rt2 | What song will you never forget hearing for the first time? | I remember listening to 105.5, KNAC back in the 80s. There was this new song by Metallica that had just been released. The DJ gave it a big buildup, saying it was possibly the coolest heavy metal song he had ever heard, and I was thinking yeah yeah, sure. Then they played One by Metallica. and my young mind was blown. | 6 |
AskHistorians/drf5736 | 7kimrj | What did the US highway system look like immediately before Eisenhower approved the Interstate System? | The interstates were not the first superhighways; by the time a nationwide system was under construction, superhighways in many urban areas had been in use for 30 years. Even in rural areas, several divided, grade-separated sections had been built as interim improvements on many cross-country routes. When the 1956 high... | 19 |
askscience/cbbcrie | 1j5n07 | Is time actually linear? | Linear means having one dimension. This means that a point in a linear space can be described with one real variable. Time is very much linear in this sense. You can describe a point in time with a single variable (for example: 42562457 seconds after big bang). This differs from points in "space" space, which is three ... | 3 |
AskReddit/c73qw44 | 13gikh | What's the stupidest thing you've ever heard a guy say while trying to flirt with a girl? | I've seen/heard a ton of videos and voice mails that guys leave. One guy said something like, "I only choose to procreate with women of the highest genetic standard, so you can see how my dating options would be quite slim." | 3 |
explainlikeimfive/djb9c5d | 6j3raf | Why does the stomach "grumble" when hungry? | This sound originates from the small intestine, not the stomach. If you are hungry, your intestine is relatively empty, and sound the sound of intestinal contractions will be more easily heard due to the lack of food which would normally muffle these sounds. | 2 |
AskReddit/ctpyaw4 | 3fmfyt | What is your stance on robots taking over many jobs in the future? | Seriously disturbing. .we already have such a shortage of jobs due to computers (eg automated phone receptionists, banks, etc ) I fear sooooo many more jobs will be gone forever.leaving so so many people unable to work / earn $ to support themselves & family. Nope, don't like it one bit. | 2 |
AskReddit/ch02ami | 23s823 | How do you handle a computer repair shop misdiagnosing a computer problem? | I am a tech and have owned my own shop. The correct response to this scenario is you go back to the shop who misdiagnosed it, who charged money for the misdiagnosis and with your invoice for the correct repair in hand you ask that shop for a refund. You probably will not receive one, however you will have the satisfact... | 3 |
AskReddit/ddeuz64 | 5sgize | What types of videos/pictures do you absolutely despise? | Videos of someone playing video games. I don't care how funny my friends are, I want to play video games, not watch them play, same goes for some stranger on the internet streaming from his mom's basement. | 2 |
AskReddit/clhs74o | 2k4e10 | What shirt, if you see a random stranger wearing it, would let you know you would be friends? | Anything with a Dalek on it, Dr. Who (tenth doctor only, I like my friends to have good judgement.maybe Peter Cipaldi too but I haven't made up my mind about him yet). I would also be friends with anyone with a Return Of The Jedi shirt. | 4 |
explainlikeimfive/cfo9noe | 1yw43q | Why are graphing calculators so expensive, even with their archaic features? | Probably due to simple supply and demand - most high school math classes require one, as well as college level math, and TI has a huge foothold in Graphing Calculators. Also they are built very well with good materials and rarely break even when dropped. | 24 |
explainlikeimfive/cjyay14 | 2ecyqr | What is happening inside our brain that causes us to find something funny? | Intelligence. Understanding something and being able to break down the complexity into something less serious can make the mundane genuinely humorous. When we understand a reference or something or find it to be a parody of something we've known, it usually causes a laugh. It's like watching someone slip on a skateboar... | 3 |
explainlikeimfive/c2it9aw | kavqp | What's the deal with Tibet and China? | Tibet was under the control of the Chinese empire during the Qing Dynasty. In 1911 the Qing Dynasty fell and China was controlled by a number of different warlords, during this period Tibet gained de facto independence. Tibetan society had a feudal structure- like Europe did during the dark ages. Buddhist monks owned m... | 10 |
AskReddit/c20dttd | i2lkw | What is it about fat nerd guys that makes them think they are too good for fat nerd women? | Actually, I LOVE this topic. Whenever I see a fat nerd guy calling a super hawt girl superficial for not being interested in him, despite there being tons of plain girls who would be interested, I'm completely baffled by their hypocrisy. But of course it goes the other way around, let's not pretend. | 475 |
AskReddit/cw6olrl | 3piz6d | What movie or tv show would you do with a 1 billion dollars budget? | Halo I think if done right a Halo movie could be remarkable, especially with a budget like that. Another one I'd like to see is At the Mountains of Madness become a thing. For those unaware, it's based off a short story by H.P. Lovecraft and supposedly Guillermo del Toro has been wanting to do it for a while, but due t... | 3 |
AskReddit/cxylhfy | 3ws23l | What is the difference between people who get good grades and people who are smart? | Getting good grades is basically about being able to fill out forms really well. Memorize lists, construct a paper to exact specifications. It's a very specific skill. Actual intelligence is a lot more nebulous, harder to define. I'm not sure how you would do that really. | 6 |
explainlikeimfive/dgrd0hc | 67leto | What makes a cancerous cell a good candidate for an immortal cell line? | The NCI 60-panel cell line (which is what you're talking about with chosen immortal cell lines) is composed of various agreed upon immortal cell lines that are chosen to predict (or chosen because they predict) the behavior of distinct phenotypes representative of the known types of cancer. The program was designed to ... | 2 |
AskReddit/d75fq2c | 50njkp | What is "decent" standard of living? | My life, is a good example. I'm not super rich, I don't have a ton of money, I need to work for a living like most people. But.I've got a house of my own, near any public transportation so a car is hardly needed but a few times a year. I got food on my table and a roof over my head, fresh air to breathe and a really go... | 2 |
AskReddit/cijh94w | 29c42x | What's a white lie your parents told you as a kid to get you to stop doing something? | Omg sooo many. 1) I'm Chinese and I was told by my grandma that every single grain of rice I left unfinished in a bowl would end up as a stain or crater on my face. To this day (age 22) I cannot leave a single grain of rice in a bowl. 2) If you're blowing up a balloon and it pops in your face, the rubber will become pe... | 6 |
AskReddit/cnlbg5j | 2s1lug | Is life our burden to carry or a gift from the universe? | I think it's both a burden to carry and a gift from the universe. I believe that everyone has their own ups and downs and it's how they deal with it that makes all the difference. Life is unfair, yes, but I think it's also important to realise that just because someone looks like they have all the luck in the world, it... | 2 |
AskReddit/ck5c64g | 2f2p86 | What's the hardest word or sentence to type on a QWERTY keyboard? | I don't know what could constitute hardest but "stewardesses" and "johnny-jump-up" are commonly mentioned as hard to type because they don't alternate hands. I'm not sure if anyone's figured out one based on travel distance. | 5 |
AskReddit/clzcxra | 2lymzk | If your life was a story, what is the title of the current chapter (and why)? | When you read Biographies, there are usually times in every persons life where not much is going on, or where they are laying the groundwork for the work they will do later in life. That's basically where I am at right now. But I am also gearing up to hike the Appalachian Trial from March-August. So that will be a grea... | 2 |
AskReddit/d5oc4p5 | 4ubbmk | What happened during a time when you (and the people you were with) were "those people"? | I and a group of my fellow Americans (students) spent a month at a nice hotel in Chamonix, France, surrounded mostly by retired French people. They stared at us with horror and disgust the whole time. Nothing we did met with their approval. Nothing we ate, nothing we said, not how we said it, not how we dressed, not ho... | 2 |
askscience/c2nrm9u | kw7rc | How much plastic gets into plastic-bottle vodka? | Most probably none. The negative health effects of drinking the VODKA would far outweigh any negative brought about by drinking the hypothetically vanishingly small concentration of plastic in the vodka. | 7 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.