query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
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|---|---|---|---|---|
In the TV show Good Omens, Crowley is shown wearing sunglasses in ancient Rome and in Elizabethan England, among other times and places. Are these accurate representations of things worn in the period or just Crowley looking characteristically awesome? | [
"Possibly related, in Francis Ford Copolla's *Bram Stoker's Dracula,* The Count also rocked some [dapper spectacles](_URL_0_). Were these accurate for the Victorian/Edwardian Era? If not, could they be explained away by the notion that Transylvanians (or the undead) were simply preternaturally fashion-forward?"
] | [
"The same way they have movies set in the Middle Ages even though there were no recording devices capable of filming it at the time. They're either drawings, computer simulations, pictures of other galaxies that are believed to look like ours, etc."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about astronomy:"
} |
How important was ping pong diplomacy? | [
"In terms of geopolitics, the US had strong reasons to \"open up\" relations with the PRC, and vice-versa, and would have done so with or without ping pong. Nixon was talking about having better relations with the PRC before 1971. Nonetheless, it was important from a PR standpoint - it symbolized the thaw in relati... | [
"How would you define \"winning\" a presidential debate?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Second Try: American Memories of the Korean War | [
"*MASH*. Both film and show. Those are how Americans remember the Korean War primarily. Other than those who were actually in the military during Korea, very few people think about it much because it is so overshadowed by Vietnam. So I would say that the American memory of Korea, especially right afterwards, was so... | [
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Was there ever a time when the world was at relative peace? | [
"The problem is that the further back we go, the more regions we know relatively little about. For example, in 200 AD I can talk about the Persians, Romans, Kushans and Chinese, but I'd know almost nothing about the relative peace of the American continents, or most of Africa, or many other parts of Asia, or Russia... | [
"Because when you were a kid, you were largely unaware of the problems of the time."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What are the origins of the saxophone? | [
"It was created by a man named Adolphe Sax. Long story short, it was created as a bridge between brass and woodwind instruments in french military bands in the 1800s. Sax started at the lower end with bass saxes, and he then went on to create tenor, alto, soprano, and all other crazy sizes! If you're interested, th... | [
"What color is the skin of most of the people who make and utilize those drawings? Theres your answer"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Is there any evidence to support that troops upon returning from the Vietnam War, were spit at and/or had rocks thrown at them? | [
"More can be said here, but [do check out this chain](_URL_0_) from /u/Bernardito and the link there as well."
] | [
"* they needed someone to blame...emotions ran pretty high, and returning soldiers were a very visible and accessible part of the war * part of the outrage was due to alleged war atrocities, which some, albeit very few, soldiers participated in * many of the protesters dodged the draft and suffered for it, and felt... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
We all know about prohibition in the U.S.A, but what about in Canada? | [
"hi! not sure whether these posts will address all of your questions, but they're worth checking out * [What led to Molson and Labatt to being Canada's largest breweries?](_URL_3_) * [Was there an international reaction to prohibition?](_URL_2_) - question is about intl reaction to *American* alcohol prohibition; s... | [
"Just the US as far as I know. To the rest of the world he was just another dictator. Possibly something to do with the proximity of communism to the US."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Sunday Digest | Interesting & Overlooked Posts | April 25, 2016–May 01, 2016 | [
"* [What changed around 1600 to enable the English to start colonising?](_URL_1_) by /u/jschooltiger * [How did medieval urban militias train?](_URL_0_) by /u/Ml13 * [Acadian origins and Acadian French](_URL_2_) by /u/GlendaleTrain Apparently I have nothing else to do with my life but enjoy Askhistorians posts. The... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about News:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about News:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why was Vercingetorix crowned at Bibracte and not Gergovia? | [
"Vercingetorix wasn't crowned at Bibracte--other than Caesar's statement that he was hailed as king by his followers and Florus' use of the title king when speaking of him we don't know whether he was actually conferred monarchy or not. I find it unlikely that he was every *actually* made king, as Caesar doesn't ca... | [
"What book are you reading? I've never heard of a \"Calvino\", and I am assuming \"Crasso\" and \"Varo\" refer to Crassus and Varus. Crassus was an important figure of the Late Republic, while Varus was the Roman commander responsible (in part) for the defeat at Teutoburg Forest in 9 A.D. Neither feature in any sch... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about History:"
} |
I've heard a lot of people say that 'there was no good/bad side in The Great War'. Is this really true? | [
"The Armenian genocide by the Turks was a war crime. The use of poison gas was too, but all sides used it. I've never seen the German reprisals in Belgium described as a war crime, perhaps because Belgians were actively resisting the Germans. Part of the reason for disillusionment and cynicism was the inflammatory ... | [
"As a Brit, I've certainly not come across the idea that it was accidental. Quite the opposite. Where is that interpretation taught?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Cape Canaveral and the Cocoa Beach resort around the time of the Apollo Program has been described as "that harlot of a town" by the wives of the early NASA astronauts. How pervasive was alcohol, prostitution, and infidelity on the space coast in the 1960s? | [
"*In the Shadow of the Moon* (the book, not the movie) touched on the issue of infidelity a little bit. The book didn't really name names or go into anyone's specific details, but it said that 1960s astronauts had a lot of opportunities to cheat on their wives and many of them did so. Frank Borman, Al Bean and Mike... | [
"Rockets are launched from Florida because it is the most ideal place - sparsely populated (at least in the '60s) and next to the water in case of malfunction and as relatively close to the equator as we could get. Houston was chosen because Lyndon Johnson was from Texas, and he used his influence to make sure miss... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Sunday Digest | Interesting & Overlooked Posts | February 20, 2017–February 26, 2017 | [
"The Rundown: * /u/Georgy_K_Zhukov answered [\"How easy was it to provoke somebody for a duel in 18-19th century Europe? How hard was it to evade a fight?\"](_URL_1_) * /u/astrogator answered [\"What were ancient civilisations like with charities? Did the Romans or mayans have charities in the sense we do today?\"]... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about News:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about News:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Is Guns, Germs and Steel worth reading? | [
"There are some notes concerning Diamond's work in the FAQ: [Historians' views of Jared Diamond's \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\"](_URL_1_) And from that, here's a post on [other relevant works](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"Well, if you want general history books about the US from the right and from the left, then read *A People's History of the United States* by Howard Zinn (left) And from the right, *A Patriot's History of the United States*."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Kind of a silly question but still I need to ask. Has there ever been a historical band of adventures like Jason and the Argonauts, Charlemagne and his paladins, Robin Hood and his merry men or Sinbad the Sailor? | [
"You might be interested in [John Fremont](_URL_0_) and [Kit Carson](_URL_1_) or other figures of the American frontier (especially mountain men like Jim Bridger or Jedidiah Smith). In the 1840s, Fremont (with Carson as his guide) explored routes across the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains to Oregon and California.... | [
"Because many empires have attempted to wage war there. Empires who have had great success in war have been defeated in what we now call Afghanistan. This quote from the princess bride sums it up fairly well. > You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Can someone explain the joke on this very old postcard? | [
"I think.. 'Both ways' refers to an [each way bet](_URL_0_) and in this context it's being used as double entrende to refer to two different sexual acts. Which those are is left to the imagination. She's saying both 'my sweetheart gave me a pound to put an each way bet on' and 'my sweetheart gave me a pound to pe... | [
"Out of curiosity, was this post prompted by the \"Amazing Story\" video on the front page?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What food would ancient armies have eaten on the march? | [
"You might be interested in past posts on this topic: * [*How did medieval armies handle logistics? How would you feed an army of thousands with limited resources, and few means of food preservation/preparation?*](_URL_1_) ^(25 Nov 2014 | 4 comments) ^(/u/AsiaExpert gives an overview of Imperial Chinese military ... | [
"Did sailors generally know the name of the ships they're fighting?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Can someone give me any information about this coin i found in the mediterranean sea? | [
"_URL_0_ Rather close match. Coin series was being minted from 1941 to 1959. Any close up shot, just in case there's a mint letter hiding in there? You sure it's aluminium? [Edit: Clarification on minting run vs. existence...language]."
] | [
"I dont exactly know what your talking about do you have a photo of a reference of this ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Did we know what would happen when Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947? | [
"The Bell X-1 certainly wasn't the first rocket to exceed the sound barrier. Both the British Miles M-52 and the German V-2 rocket exceeded the sound barrier. Scientists knew that the speeds approaching the sound barrier and the sonic boom itself could rip an airplane/rocket apart, several airplanes did fail before... | [
"If you're travelling at Mach 1, then you're travelling at exactly the speed of sound. Mach 0.5 is half the speed of sound. Mach 2 is twice the speed of sound. And so on."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
"What land is so distant, that from it no spectator is present in thy city?" Multiculturalism & Empire AMA | [
"Addressed at all participants: how did central cities reflect the diversity that was present in your respective region? Were capital cities home to representatives of various ethnicities, religions, and languages? Or were urban spaces the domain of particular groups?"
] | [
"Bruno was killed because of his religious views and insulting a lot of people, nothing to do with any \"science\". The line in Divine Comedy might depend more on translation. In this version it is a bit different: In even motion, by the Love impell'd, That moves the sun in heav'n and all the stars. _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Explanation for lack of Soviet infantry recoilless rifle. | [
"USSR had 65-mm anti-tank rifle prototype designed in 1931 by B.S. Petropavlovsky. _URL_0_ However, main problem was that during 1930-1937 all Soviet artillery designs wer governed by one man - L.V. Kurchevsky, who was an avid proponent of recoilless artillery. But due to bad designs (and Soviet manufacturing quali... | [
"This was a fun one to track down. They are referred to as chevrons and denote unit. Helps prevent friendly fire too Sometimed on Isreali Merkava tanks they might be followed or led by a letter denoting rank - battalion leader, etc"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I have heard Noam Chomsky say that from the 1930's on America was the subject of a huge propaganda campaign to move American opinion to the right. | [
"It is not a well studied area. Selling free enterprise- Elizabeth Fones-Wolf is one book, although it deals primarily with the 1940s and 1950s. edit- there's a site which documents chomsky's citations by area _URL_0_ there could be a few titles in there."
] | [
"Because of the Red Scare. During the 1950s the US was terrified of China and the USSR, the two largest communist states. The reason is that communism is the polar opposite of capitalism, and the US has a good reputation of fearing what it doesn't know. During this time the government produced propaganda and gener... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Foucault's idiosyncratic reading of history | [
"What's important about Foucault is that he helps redefine \"historical truth\"; so, asking if he strays from it is sort of missing the point. I wrote a long post of Foucault's influence on historiography [here](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"Atheism was still a crime punishable by death in Scotland, although he never publicly say said he was an atheism, but his philosophy was viewed as a philosophy of an atheist. Also in contexts of philosophy, one the most important work in philosophy Kant's Critque of Pure Reason was an repudiation of Hume."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When was nuclear power most prevalent in the US? How many reactors were active at once? | [
"In terms of total number of operating power reactors, [it peaked in 1990, at 111 reactors](_URL_7_). (Decommissioning has dropped it down to 99 today.) [Though almost no new reactor constructions were begun between 1977 and 2007](_URL_5_) (the renewed cheapness of oil made utilities lose interest, even before Thre... | [
"Nuclear power is safe, cost effective, and environmentally friendly. I never understood why environmentalists are against nuclear power. The only byproduct of nuclear energy is pure steam. IIRC, France gets 70 or 80% of its electricity from nuclear power."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
About the Catholic Church in Brazil | [
"Can you please rephrase this so it abides by our 20-year rule? We're a history forum, not a current events one, and I think your question is asking how things are today instead of how they have been in the past. Thanks!"
] | [
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What were some interesting historical rude gestures? | [
"In 17th century England MPs farted during parliamentary speeches to show their derision."
] | [
"If the research I have done is accurate, mostly on wacky hijinks followed by learning heartwarming life lessons."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did the ATF get law enforcement control over seemingly unrelated public safety issues? | [
"Taxes. Here is a good history already typed out: _URL_0_ In short, **the ATF was not formed in the interest of public safety**, it was formed for tax collection. Even up until the 1970s the written mission of the ATF stated: \"The principal function of the Enforcement program is to prevent the fraudulent non-payme... | [
"They are trying to garner so much public support for their cause that republicans are forced to work on some legislation for the control of firearms. Specifically they believe there should be real background checks, no guns for those on no-fly/terrorist watch-list and that there shouldn't be process exceptions for... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Sunday Digest | Interesting & Overlooked Posts | March 09, 2015–March 15, 2015 | [
"I really liked /u/thejukeboxhero's [comment](_URL_0_) on the development of the cult of saints, it certainly deserves more attention!"
] | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about News:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about News:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What ancient language is this and what does it translate to? | [
"If /u/Cenodoxus is right (and I'm willing to bet there are more people around who can read cuneiform than that!) you're in luck that Reddit is a den of geeks! As he points out, the script is cuneiform - specifically, it looks to be ~~Neo-Assyrian or Neo-Babylonian cuneiform (but more probably the former)~~ Old Bab... | [
"Because try as we might, words can be very imprecise. Even nonreligious, everyday phrases can be interpreted in many different ways. And then add to that the fact that it's been translated from language to language to language, then the original meanings can be lost very easily. As an experiment, take a sentence... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Sunday Digest | Interesting & Overlooked Posts | January 11, 2016–January 17, 2016 | [
"Weekly Rundown: * /u/SickHobbit on [\"Why did East Germany consistently produce hardline-Communist leaders during the Cold War, while other countries such as Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland all had one or more reform-minded leaders?\"](_URL_2_) * /u/Bernardito answered [\"Did France have a realistic chance to w... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about News:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about News:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Is this sub included in part of the new /r/popular [META] ?? | [
"[It's probably worth noting that almost every non-NSFW subreddit is part of the \"popular\" set at this point.](_URL_1_) It's basically a slightly filtered /r/all. [One of the AskHistorians mods left a valuable comment in response to the admin's announcement, in which the mod notes that it might be difficult for m... | [
"There is a post on the frontpage on the topic: _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
The American liqueur 'Southern Comfort' is said to have "won the gold medal" at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. What was the competition, and what were its most prominent competitors? | [
"Related question: Jack Daniel's makes a similar claim yet the only source cited seems to be a collectible bottle of whisky they sold, is this whole 1904 World's Fair liquor competition an urban legend?"
] | [
"In the early days of motoring, the Michelin company put together a travel guide which rated hotels and restaurants. The idea was to encourage people to drive to distant cities. Over the years, the travel guide grew more & more respected. At some point, it lost its connection to the tire business & became a stand-a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why all the hate for Guns Germs and Steel? | [
"You might check out the AskHistorians FAQ section on that book at _URL_0_ In the app, the # anchor doesn't work, so you'd have to look for the header Historians' views of Jared Diamond's \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" about a quarter of the way down the page. This is not to discourage further questions, info, or deb... | [
"Well, if you want general history books about the US from the right and from the left, then read *A People's History of the United States* by Howard Zinn (left) And from the right, *A Patriot's History of the United States*."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What's the biggest disagreement among historians and academics with Guns, Germs, and Steel? | [
"We're always open to new questions on popular topics, but you might want to peruse our [FAQ page on this topic](_URL_0_) to see what others have already said."
] | [
"There were few native domesticable species of animals and plants. Because of this, early societies there were not able to progress beyond hunter-gatherer tribes. Read *Guns, Germs and Steel*, by Jared Diamond."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Is there any truth to the claim that the design of Ursula (from Disney's The Little Mermaid) was based on the drag-queen Divine? | [
"[In short, yes](_URL_0_). Howard Ashman, who worked for Disney as a lyricist but who also had influences on character designs and would sometimes coach the voice actors, was familiar with drag queens and gay culture of the time (and was gay himself). He was also a fan of Divine. Though it was Rob Minkoff who initi... | [
"It's well animated, with well developed characters and talented voice actresses. While it is intended for little girls, it was also intended to be enjoyable for their parents, so it has lots of references to things only adults would get (for example, Gone With the Wind, Greta Garbo, Sondheim, Star Wars, Star Trek,... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is the story about the movie 300 with King Leonidas and his Spartan Troops holding off King Xerxes massive Persian Army blown way out of proportions or is their more truth to it? | [
"Hi, I recommend [this podcast episode, along with in-thread posts and linked posts](_URL_1_) by /u/Iphikrates for clearing up this question."
] | [
"The problem is we really don't have much information on Spartacus. There is very little in the way of discussion of motivation in what few historical sources we have, because all that information is focused on his Roman antagonists. He is more of a situation than a person. Pretty much the closest thing we have to ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about movie accuracy:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about movie accuracy:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Does anyone have a good comprehensive demographics map of 17th century Virginia? | [
"According to the [University of Virgina](_URL_0_) and from what i have been able to deduce from Wikipedia the available data for the US starts in 1790."
] | [
"I'd like to flip this and ask a question, can anyone shed some light on wintertime survival in Early Medieval Britain and Ireland?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Medieval Architects: Did they have blueprints? | [
"Well not really construction drawings as you would expect today. But the designer would produce a sort of reference drawings. Here's an example, from The Facade of Strasbourg Cathedral _URL_0_ The reason you haven't seen too many of them floating around is they're quite rare. I don't believe there's a single survi... | [
"Knowing how something works and being able to recreate it are not the same thing. See: Leonardo da Vinci."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Cortés and Pizarro destroyed two different multi-million empires with tens (or small hundreds) of soldiers. Is there a consensus on what made it possible? | [
"The Pizarro brothers read as much about Cortez as they could. They went into the Inka empire on their second voyage to Peru, with a pre-concieved plan of capturing the Inka emperor, and using him the same way Cortez used Montezuma. On their first trip, they landed at Tumbez, in northwest Peru, and found a prosper... | [
"Thanks guys! This was an awesome start to my day! I was particularly surprised to realize how long the conquest took and how many times it seems like Cortez was extremely lucky (getting native support after breaking out of Tenochtitlan, having the forces sent to arrest him switch sides, almost being captured durin... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
The history and military channel constantly shows this fighting move in its documentaries. Did this really happen? | [
"I try to avoid overgeneralizing in answers, but in this specific case, I'm pretty comfortable in saying that no warrior has ever been trained to deliberately expose his back to an opponent during hand-to-hand combat. Your assumption that it's just the choreographers trying to spice things up is correct."
] | [
"In a culture where hand to hand combat is important, like in the olden days, being left handed was an advantage because it was unexpected. This didn't answer the question at all."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
At about 1:42 into this cover of Dylans "John Brown" we see soldiers firing within what appears to be some sort of military base during the Vietnam War. Can someone please provide some context to the footage? | [
"The footage appears to be an extract from the documentary, \"Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam\" identified as images from the battle of Khe Sanh"
] | [
"France/Belgium/Germany seems relevant. Sandwiched between both major powers, Belgium was used by the Germans as a backdoor into France in both World Wars. Is that helpful? In truth I'm a little confused as to what exactly your looking for. Could you elaborate a bit more? Perhaps if you give us some insight as to t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Sunday Digest | Interesting & Overlooked Posts | April 18, 2016–April 24, 2016 | [
"Overlooked questions: does anyone know the answer to /u/mykeedee's question [how much the conquest of Gaul would have affected the average Gallic farmer?](_URL_1_) I'm curious about this because I have a friend from a very small town in the southwest of France, and his grandfather told him that in the entirety of ... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about News:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about News:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In *Jesus Christ Superstar* Judas scolds Mary Magdalene, saying that her "jar of fine ointment" could have been sold for 300 silver pieces or more. Judas later gets 30 for selling out Jesus. Do those numbers make sense in reality? | [
"A question was asked about [what Judas could have bought with his 30 pieces of silver](_URL_2_) a couple of weeks ago, and got very good answers from u/Celebreth, u/Erusian, and u/gingeryid. It's just about the thirty pieces of silver, and doesn't really deal with the perfume side of the question though."
] | [
"See, this is where it pays to have read the Bible. There is a parable where the master gives his servant some money to keep for him. To make sure it is safe, it buries it. When the master comes back, and the servant digs up the money and shows that he has not lost any of it, the master is upset because he has lost... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Can someone explain the differences in day to day life for people living in Revolutionary War times and Civil War times in the US? (E.g. notable inventions, popular societal customs, speech changes. Anything really.) | [
"By 1861 the US was much bigger than it was in 1788. California was already a state, and the Republican Party would soon pass the Homestead act that gave western land away for free. In the wake of the Revolutionary war, the federal government still expected people to pay for their western land. In terms of techn... | [
"cultural inertia, the US is fairly conservative, culturally. They take a long long time to change things, and this applies to damn near everything from the things you mentioned to language, politics, and socio-economic phenomena. A lot can be said looking at who originally coloniized the US as to why this was, and... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did Al Capone do in jail? Like was he powerful inside? Did he "run" things? | [
"Before Capone was at Atlanta U.S. Penitentiary, he spent several months in Eastern State Penitentiary (August 1929-March 1930). The prison is now open for tours, and they have a [reproduction](_URL_4_) of what his cell may have looked like. It seems quite nice in comparison to the standard impression you get from ... | [
"It's not allowed... But say you're in prison and a gang rapes you. You tell on that gang. Where are they going to go? Another prison? No, they just get some privilege taken away... and now there you are... mere feet away from them. You think they're going to just leave you alone now because you might tell on them?... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
"Many a military disaster has been prevented by reluctant obedience." True? | [
"_URL_0_ Perhaps the most world altering example I can think of, during the Cuban missle crisis the US began dropping depth charges on a Russian submarine in an attempt to make it surface. The Americans were unaware that this was a nuclear sub with some authority to fire. For all they knew, war had begun. The world... | [
"I understood this from another point of view: \"Ignorance is bliss\"."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why hasn't the US ever invade or buy the Bahamas | [
"1) War with England = Bad. 2) England didn't want to sell. 3) What is it worth? To small for large agriculture, can't reintroduce slavery into a free territory. No natural resources to speak of. 4) Benefits of England owning it outweigh the US owning it. During 19th Century would be a bitch to keep smugglers and p... | [
"The US didn't annex stuff. The US didn't have a treaty to protect the sovereignty of the country they were invading."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did people explain 'getting a shock' (from a door knob, standing on a rug, etc.) before they knew the true scientific causes? | [
"Hi there, you may be interested in [this section of our FAQ](_URL_0_) while you wait for a new answer."
] | [
"Wouldn't the spikes ground out the charge so you wouldn't be electrocuted if you were a little distance away? Unless the electrical charge was flowing higher than the conductivity of the spike I guess... looking forward to seeing a better guess than mine."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
[Meta] Side Bar Suggestion. | [
"Many new people don't read the sidebar, so no matter how good it is, it won't help everyone. Those that read the sidebar will see the FAQ, the booklists, etc. But if you want to write a tutorial \"how to do historical research\", by all means do so - you've got your work cut out for you."
] | [
"Explained in the original thread. Explanation: _URL_0_ Thread: _URL_1_ Thanks mocmocmoc81"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Was there a real fear of citizen revolt during the American depression in the 1930s? | [
"What JFK's father Joseph Sr. [said after the Depression](_URL_0_): > In those days I felt and said I would be willing to part with half of what I had if I could be sure of keeping, under law and order, the other half."
] | [
"Do you mean: \"Did the fear of communism enable the working class to obtain improved social conditions in 1950s until the 1980s in Western Europe?\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
[Meta] Can we allow people to post "you will find answer here" comments? | [
"I don’t know, I feel as though it’d decrease the actual number of answered questions on this sub. Experts who might otherwise take the time to write a thoughtful answer might instead decide to let the book speak for itself, denying it context or a summary of similar historiography. There’s also the fact that many ... | [
"1. It is a Reddit Guideline : _URL_0_ 1. It helps when someone has already read/responded to a comment and it has changed (Maybe they highlighted your mistake) 1. If you edit after 3 minutes your post will be tagged as edited and people will wonder why."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Can someone help me decipher this WWI political cartoon? (European War Dance) (x-post from askreddit) | [
"This cartoon is not referring to World War 1, as can be seen by the copyright stamp from 1877. It refers to the [Russo-Turkish War](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"hi! Do consider x-posting this to /r/vexillology (the flag sub!)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Need some help with paleography of an early 20th century US immigration record. | [
"Loiacono Rosa, Esposito Francesco and Esposito Guiseppe. The capital G looks a little odd to modern eyes, but you can compare it to its use in Giorgi in lines 8 and 9 where it definitely cannot represent capital I. The second and third family names are definitely Esposito, as they are travelling to meet their fath... | [
"Siglum parochiae borsumensis = sigil of the parish of Borsum. Borsum is a small village 10miles away from Hildesheim. If you need help translating the letter let me know. Part of my studies is learning to read/transcribe 18th century letters."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Sunday Digest | Interesting & Overlooked Posts | June 20, 2016–June 26, 2016 | [
"Rundown: * /u/iguana_on_a_stick answered [\"How accurate is the popular view that \"uncontrolled immigration led to the fall of the Roman Empire\"?\"](_URL_2_) * /u/fatherazerun on [\"The United States Second Amendment starts with \"A well-regulated militia...\". What was intended by the phrase \"well-regulated\" ... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about News:",
"pos": "Represent the document about News:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How accurate is the D-Day Omaha Beach Landing scene in 'Saving Private Ryan' to what it was really like? | [
"It's been lauded as one of the best-shot, most truthful WW2 combat scenes ever. Spielberg spent the money and time to do it right. Beyond actually being there, you won't get closer. In reality, it probably was worse...there's no substitute for having to actually live it. Plenty of vets either approved, or had fla... | [
"The Things They Carried by Tim O'brien is a great read that talks about what it was like to be a young man being drafted and sent to Vietnam from his own perspective. He continues the story in 2 more books called Going After Cacciato and If I Die In A Combat Zone."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Do we have actual historical evidences of tarot and cartomancy being invented by gypsies ? Or is it just an assumption ? | [
"According to Sir Michael Dummett's \"The Game of Tarot\", the first mention of Tarot came from the upper classes of Italy in the 15th century for a card game still played in parts of Italy today. The Roma traditionally practiced palmistry. The first reference to the Roma and Tarot came in the highly fanciful \"Doc... | [
"In the same vein as OP'S question, I recall reading a book that stated Egyptians slept on beds of stone, I'd dismissed the idea as pseudo-history (due to the source). What does history tell us about hard beds and pillows long long ago?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Was the "Southern Strategy" during the U.S. civil rights movement a real thing or a myth? | [
"Not to discourage conversation here, but the FAQ has several good [threads](_URL_1_) on this topic, including several great answers from /u/Samuel_Gompers [here](_URL_2_) and [here](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"The alignment of Southern evangelicals with the Republican party is much, much later than I think you realize. You don't need a 19th century historian; you need a mid-20th century historian. Prior to that, Southern evangelicals generally went firmly Democratic. I'm not qualified to explain in detail why, but I wou... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is this piece of artwork a legitimate piece from the past, or a modern construction designed to look old? (NSFW) | [
"So yeah, it's old, but it's not _old_. It is in fact from 1890, it's called \"Le dejeuner interrompu\" (the interrupted lunch), it's French and I don't know a whole lot more about it except that someone in my department printed out a copy and hung it above the shared printer about a year ago. Other googled facts: ... | [
"Because you can't prove, with 100% certainty, that the substance in the photo is genuine and not a prop for a movie or something. Imagine if every Walking Dead cosplayer and Halloween celebrant were forced through a murder investigation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
was Justinian I a failure or success? | [
"In terms of military conquests, the simple fact is that although he successfully reconquered large swathes of land, neither he nor his successors had the ability to maintain nor to build upon them. Though it would be pointed out that his campaigns drained the imperial treasury, that want the only reason for the em... | [
"the Emperor Constantine adopted and practiced Christianity. He also ordered old Roman temples destroyed. are you going to go against the Emperor?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Are there any examples of past civilization squandering non-renewable resources which could have had a more effective use today? | [
"Silphium was a plant that was used as a contraceptive by Romans and had other medical and culinary uses. They apparently drove the plant to extinction and it no longer exists. This isn't a top level answer by any means, but it was the first thing that came to mind. _URL_0_"
] | [
"There's a number of other scarce resources that will still be scarce should an unlimited free source of energy be adopted. There will still be issues with scarce metals, water, land, human capital, etc. As a whole, the quality of life of pretty much every human would rise. The economic system however, would remain... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What books would you recommend for Seven Years' War and Thirty Years' War | [
"The most cited English-language book is *The Thirty Years' War: Europe's Tragedy* by Peter Wilson. To this recommendation I would add *The Thirty Years' War* by Geoffrey Parker. These two books are highly complimentary, for such a complex topic. For more advanced reading, I like Cramer's *The Thirty Years' War an... | [
"Just asked this in the other sticky, but maybe this is the better place for it: Does anyone have any good book recommendations about the Nigerian Civil War or about Biafra as a country?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about Literature:"
} |
What is the best referencing/organizing software you use to write history and why? | [
"If your research project includes lots of references and if you're looking for an advanced reference manager, I would recommend [Citavi](_URL_0_). I have yet to see a reference manager that comes close to it. I can't really name that *one* feature that makes Citavi special, it's the overall product and attention t... | [
"There is a /r/askacademia sub that you might find useful! Are you doing the translation yourself? If not, site the book you found the translation in."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Sunday Digest | Interesting & Overlooked Posts | August 20, 2018–August 26, 2018 | [
"This week I had two answers that sorta flew under the radar: * For this one I summarized quite a bit of literature on [How have historians interpreted the Indian Rebellion of 1857](_URL_1_). One thing I find fascinating about 1857 is how central it is to Indian history (writing), but how comparatively little-known... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about News:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage about News:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Did Magellan's crew engage in cannibalism? | [
"I found an English translation here: _URL_0_ And it does not use the phase \"I bit into\" as it seems to say in Italian, but only \"we lost twenty one men\". Is this a sanitized translation? Or is the Italian version using some idiom which does not actually say that the author himself bit into men."
] | [
"They don't want to be known as the perpetrator of millions of deaths and ethnic cleansing."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Sunday Digest | Interesting & Overlooked Posts | June 11, 2018–June 17, 2018 | [
"I took a look at the question of what impact [the sack of Guangzhou (Canton) in 879, in which 120,000 Persians and Arabs supposedly died](_URL_0_), had on the transoceanic trade between the Abbasid caliphate and Tang China. An absolutely fascinating topic, but by the time I had finished my (ridiculously detailed) ... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about News:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about News:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
I love reading about the early history of Christian, Jewish and Islamic religions but I often have a difficult time mentally placing the various groups in location and time. Is there a quick pictograph or short video showing the movements of these various people over time? | [
"I'll answer the Islamic part of the question and tell you that any simple pictograph would be redundant because the subject matter is *very* complicated, however, Robert Hoyland's book: *Arabia and the Arabs* is the best easily available resource, it contains tables and maps which aim to simplify some information ... | [
"I guess the first question is, how are you with earlier antiquity? It's hard to grasp the events of late antiquity without an understanding of the developments before that. Brown himself is focused on the dichotomy between East and West, and primarily interested in the Roman state over other actors like the German... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Where should I start for learning about European Expansion/Exploration? (~1492-~1776) | [
"I'll give a provisional recommendation to James Belich's *Replenishing the Earth : the Settler Revolution and the Rise of the Anglo world, 1783-1939.* I take issue with the way he defines the \"Anglo world,\" and I'm not as convinced as he as about the uniqueness of English-speakers' settlement. For a detailed eco... | [
"To clarify, Crusader Kings 2 spans ~800AD to ~1400"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did the people of the United States of America come to circumcise a majority of their young male children? | [
"hi! more input is welcome; meanwhile catch up on previous responses in these related threads [How did medical circumcision of male infants become the norm in the United States?](_URL_0_) [Why did circumcision catch on in places like the US, Canada and Australia but not in Europe?](_URL_2_) [How did circumcision gr... | [
"It's their religious practice. According to their holy text, God instructed them to do it as a sign to set them apart as His chosen people."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What effect did the Yom Kippur War of 1973 have on relations between the U.S. and the Soviets? | [
"It had a pretty negative effect. The United States went all out to aid the Israelis with [Operation Nickel Grass.](_URL_2_) At the same time, the war was more or less started with the blessing of the Soviets, who [supplied Egypt and Syria with their latest military equipment.](_URL_0_) The United States went to it... | [
"I actually just wrote a paper on this. Heavy industry in China actually underwent incredible growth during this period, with heavy industry output increasing by 230% from 1958-60. Global output of resources such as coal and steel increased, resulting in China becoming a global leader in those industries. The numbe... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Did Freud steal the Oedipus Complex from Diderot? | [
"Didn't know this actually, but it got my scholarly mind going, so I did some research. And I found an answer in [\"The Oedipus Complex: A Philosophical Study\"](_URL_0_) by Seymour Keitlen. Let me quote: \"(...) [T]he idea of the Oedipus complex would have to be attributed technically to Diderot. However, it was F... | [
"The biggest things he is known for are: Collective Unconscious, Extraversion and Introversion, and altering some of Freud's work to be more scientific based and less high on Cocaine based."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
I'm a blacksmith in London, ca 1400. How much money do I make? How educated am I? What kind of goods do I make most often? | [
"Also, how many competitors do I have? Is there any regulation for quality, are there guilds I am a part of?"
] | [
"Because you were VERY likely to inherit your profession as well if you were a member of the lower class. If you father was a smith chances are pretty good he would teach you and when he died you would own his smithy and your son will be a smith as well. There wasn't a lot of upward mobility in ancient society."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Was there ever a point during the War of 1812 where the British could have tried to return the US to colonial status? | [
"Sure, they could have tried but would have resoundly failed. All major British invasions during the war of 1812 were defeated notably Lake Champlain, Baltimore and New Orleans. Britain couldn't even even gain control of the Great Lakes which was a perquisite for control of most of the Northern states. British succ... | [
"Several reasons - 1 - It was horrendously expensive. Like... really expensive. The Americas are a long long way from England and the passage was not easy. Shipping any amount of troops would be a serious feat of logistics. 2 - It was not their highest priority. We Americans like to think that our Revolution was a ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Horses and Pollution | [
"You are thinking of the great horse manure crisis of 1894."
] | [
"Sleep - Shake Unconscious - Splash Coma - Wait and Hope Vegetative State - Wait and Bury"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What was the purpose of the inflatable bombs attached to strings that floated above ships and other structures during war time? | [
"The aim of barrage balloons was to protect valuable strategic targets from air attacks. The balloons were attached to the ground by thick cables - an aircraft running into them would not have a good day. Some models even carried explosive charges to increase the lethality. They were effective against low level att... | [
"The continental US has been attacked several times. Look at the War of 1812. There were incursions during the Mexican-American War. Though at sea, German U-boats sank a number of ships off the east coast and some in the Gulf of Mexico during WWII. The Japanese captured a few islands near Alaska during the war, as ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
What are some of the sections of histories that are underrated? | [
"I came here totally prepared to talk about how interesting and cool twentieth century French history is - like I mean the May 1968 protests and the Algerian War and postwar France in general, and France in the 1930s, not just the World Wars - but then I read your clarification and I realized I didn't really have a... | [
"What are some of the primary sources that you have found? This sounds interesting. Would you recommend any books for a fun read?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
When and how did people first notice that hurricanes have a spiral shape with an eye in the middle? | [
"In 1815 an American scientist named John Farrar published some observations on a hurricane that struck New England that year. He concluded that hurricanes are \" a moving vortex and not the rushing forward of a great body of the atmosphere\" He reached this conclusion by comparing reports of the wind direction in ... | [
"All are spinning masses of air. Tornadoes are much smaller than the others being only a matter of yards across. A cyclone is air spinning around a low pressure system and can be used regardless of the size. Cyclone is also used for a violent tropical storm, especially one originating in the southwestern Pacific Oc... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Weather:"
} |
Could a black officer or non-com give orders to a white solder in WWII ? | [
"Read \"Black Armor\" written by the White Commander of the Sherman unit. He talks about what the 'real situation' was for these men. It was hard as hell for him to get any of his men promoted to officers, they had more NCO's that Commissioned Officers. Yet they were one of the highest decorated tank units during W... | [
"A related question were there public figures at the time who were apologists that tried to justify for the actions of the Japanese military at Pearl Harbor?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
At what point did the term "Odyssey" become a generic term for a journey? | [
"It seems to have been a relatively recent shift, at least in English. The Oxford English Dictionary lists the first usage of 'Odyssey' in the sense of a long, adventurous journey as being in 1886 - in *Kidnapped* by Robert Louis Stevenson no less! Before then, in English, Latin and Ancient Greek, it seems to only ... | [
"What do you mean by downfall? This is still a dominant part of current culture."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Would it be possible for scientists in the 1940's to learn anything from a modern day electronic device? | [
"I would say it's better in askscience because while the scientists in the past could easily understand the functional blocks of modern highly integrated electronics (I'm thinking circuitry) they would not have the equipment necessary to investigate it, especially digital stuff in part due to the speeds involved."
... | [
"We don't know. For all of the amazing things we're able to discover with modern science, we still haven't been able to figure out how the brain works."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Neuroscience:"
} |
Did the Romans have a concept similar to being cool? If so, what made a Roman cool? | [
"Suetonius and others record interesting snippets that indicate fashion or cool was a feature of Roman life at various times. “Beware the badly belted boy,\" Sulla is supposed to have said about Caesar. According to Suetonius, it was noteworthy that Caesar used to wear a loose belt over his tunic, which in his case... | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
The Great Purge of 1937. How, and why? | [
"Give us something to work off of. This is an extremely broad question."
] | [
"...Tell us more about the New England vampire scare. Where and when?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How did people in your area of study deal with every day occurrences, like brushing their teeth, menstrual cycles, waking up on time... | [
"Please look at the [\"Daily Life in the Past](_URL_0_)\" section of our Popular Questions page. All your questions - and more - are answered there."
] | [
"Another thing I’ve realized with some of my wealthier friends is they are blissfully unaware about very day-to-day things you’d think would be common knowledge like how to do laundry or wash the dishes because they’ve always had someone else do it for them"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about History:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about History:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
During the Antebellum era, were there any practices for maintaining a safe, healthy slave workforce? Like an early OSHA or physical therapy | [
"I've written before about legal and social proscription regarding treatment of slaves which can be found [here](_URL_0_), but in short... There was very little to protect them. A smattering of laws existed that we're enforced only in the most extreme circumstances."
] | [
"When child labor was banned a number of other measures went into place; minimum wage, increased social services. Many workplace changes occurred in and around the same time frame."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
What are some interesting and reliable history podcasts? | [
"Chronological: - Ray Harris Jr.- The History of World War 2 - Mike Dunkan - The History of Rome - Robin Pierson - The History of Byzantium (follow up podcast) - Khodadad Rezakhani - Iranologie (History of Iran) - The British History Podcast Other: - The AskHistorians Podcast (Intervies with AskHistorians contribut... | [
"Just asked this in the other sticky, but maybe this is the better place for it: Does anyone have any good book recommendations about the Nigerian Civil War or about Biafra as a country?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Literature:"
} |
Recommended reading on 17th - 19th century military tactics/history? | [
"[Hans Delbrunck has a nice series on warfare. Although for some reason amazon seems to not have the first volume of the series](_URL_1_) [Carl von Clausewitz](_URL_0_) is also a must if you're talking Napoleonic warfare [Jomini's Art of War](_URL_3_), which also happens to be available for free ion Project Gutenbe... | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How many people are interested in working on the Viking Age Period and if many, is it still worth to follow this path? | [
"If you're interested in working on Early Medieval Scandinavia, your best bet may be to get into archaeology. Due to the immense pop-history fetishisation of the Vikings, Norse Pagan mythology as a field has been largely picked clean, but the lives of actual early medieval Norwegians, Danes and Swedes still has muc... | [
"I'd like to flip this and ask a question, can anyone shed some light on wintertime survival in Early Medieval Britain and Ireland?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Looking for WW1 combat reports from units issued body armor | [
"You'd have to dig in the archives for actual military documents, but you might take a look at Bashford Dean's [Helmets and Body Armor in Modern Warfare](_URL_0_) (1920), which covers many types of body armor used by different nations in WWI, including some data from empirical testing, reports from the field, etc."... | [
"American during the World War I era, possibly a member of the 92nd or 93rd Infantry Divisions, or any number of other segregated Army units. The [M1912 coat](_URL_0_) and puttees gives it away. Was there any more information on the photo?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Sunday Digest | Interesting & Overlooked Posts | November 20, 2017–November 26, 2017 | [
"I quite liked u/LordOssus on the discrepancies between Taiping and mainstream Christian theology and why, among other things, it precluded Western support for the rebellion, [in answer to a question about why the Taiping, despite their Christianity, did not see Western support](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about News:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about News:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How prevalent of a problem was brain drain in Germany after world war 1 and Japan after world war 2 and how did they try to control it? | [
"Why not consider a \"brain drain\" out of Deutschland after World War 2? I know their economy was worse following the Versailles treaty, but before, during and after that war, wasn't there a considerable exodus of thinkers?"
] | [
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Does anyone know what this is? Looks like an old weapon. | [
"Can you take some more pictures? Specifically, down the \"tubing\" from both angles and flipped over from how it is? I am specifically curious about how the metal is folded over."
] | [
"They don't; you're thinking of a different kind of battery."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
I want to write a novel in medieval Austria. Can you help me with some information so it's accurate? | [
"The best thing I've ever read on historical novel is from Perry Anderson 'The Historical Novel' _URL_0_"
] | [
"Follow up question, if anyone has read *The Journeyer* by Gary Jennings, would they be able to comment on its historical accuracy as well?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I used to have an audio recording of the prayer a military chaplain said over the atomic bomb before the mission to drop it. But I lost it and can't find it on google. Can anyone help me? | [
"Blessing the crews and their two missions was Fr. George Zabelka, the Catholic chaplain to the 509th Composite Group -- the atomic bomb group. _URL_0_"
] | [
"Because Bell (the telephone company) started doing it so everyone started doing it, there was a video made fairly recently on it, can't seem to find it right now."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
I'm watching the John Adams miniseries and I'm confused about something. Can you help? | [
"I think Wikipedia used the wrong adjective there, the White House was still under construction and this is probably what it was referring to."
] | [
"How about you explain the question to me like I'm five."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Physics:"
} |
How do historians view Tom Holland's "In The Shadow of the Sword"? | [
"/u/shlin28 has a few views on this _URL_0_ _URL_1_ the historical doubt article seems especially good with comments by others like /u/yodatsracist . And Tom Holland himself briefly talks about his reception to his work in his history of byzantium podcast interview here _URL_2_"
] | [
"1. The First Salute by Barbara Tuchman 2. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown 3. The Civil War by Shelby Foote 4. Reconstruction by Eric Foner 5. The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman 6. Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch 7. Brute Force: Allied Strategy and Tactics in the Second World War by John Ellis 8. The... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How was "The Prince" by Machiavelli received in its time of release? | [
"I studied Machiavelli and \"The Prince\" in a Social and Political Thought class this year. Five years after Machiavelli's death, \"The Prince\" was published and was received negatively pretty much everywhere. As a result, the Medicis (who \"The Prince\" was directed to) labelled Machiavelli and his work as immo... | [
"What are the must read books about the American revolution published within the last five years? What are the current arguments being discussed by historians who study the era?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about Literature:"
} |
Question about the viewership of Apollo 11 | [
"This is a really interesting question, and I have no real answer for you. I will say, however, than on a recent episode of This American Life, a guy stuck in a Chinese prison for eight months described how people from around the world were pretty much positive that American had NOT landed on the moon. So, anecdota... | [
"There have been hacks on TV, try googling the Max Headroom incident."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Would this sub be a good place to ask about historical currency? | [
"This sub would be the best place to ask about historical currency!"
] | [
"Before I write stuff for this, can you maybe give a bit of background on how much you know about atomic orbitals themselves?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Someone told me that the Roman empire was well on its way to steam power before its fall. How accurate is that? | [
"the use of steam power in the early industrial revolution is overrated. Much early progress was done with water power. Look up Richard Arkwright and the textile mills he setup, all water power. In the US, the Lowell textile mills, the largest manufacturing center in the US, was water powered well into the 19th cen... | [
"It was a long process, really, filled with poor leaders and horrible economics. The empire itself physically ended after barbarians invaded and looted Rome several times. In 432, the Roman government sent out a letter to its various provinces as a notice along the lines of \"Don't expect any help from Rome anymore... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
From my understanding, several European countries wanted North America during the 1700s, so why did England end up winning it? | [
"Just to add my voice of support to LordKettering and Irishfafnir's points below - Anglophone North America was far from being the entirety of the story. If you have the time, I'd suggest a glance at Eliga Gould's 'Entangled Atlantic Histories: A Response from the Anglo-American Periphery' from the June 2007 *AHR*.... | [
"Not sure about home soil, but the US did invade Canada (then part of the British Empire) during the American Revolutionary War. _URL_0_ It failed. Also, what do you mean by a colony invading its mother country? Did the colony declare independence and then invade the mother country? At that point, it's more of a t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Could Akhenaton have been a woman? | [
"[No, we have his body. He's a dude. ](_URL_1_) I remember going over Akhenaten in my art history class, and my professor actually mentioned that Akhenaten depicted himself as like androgynous, and he had some spiel with how it worked with his new religion Atenism and it was intentional for religious reasons. Like ... | [
"Someone wrote a whole new book in the US, said it was buried there by ancient Jews and was the next part of the Bible. Some people believed him and here we are."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Evidence that Hadrian had a sexual relationship with Antinous? | [
"I discussed Hadrian and Antinous in our recent panel AMA on the Roman World ([here](_URL_0_)). In the post I include all the ancient literary evidence we have for their relationship (spoiler alert, it's not much). If you have any further questions I'd be happy to answer them!"
] | [
"It was likely inherited by his younger son Marcus Licinius Crassus. He don't know a lot about this Marcus Licinius Crassus, except that he apparently survived the civil wars, and was made Pontifex. His son, also Marcus Licinius Crassus, was nicknamed Dives (or the rich) as was his adopted son... also named Marcus ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
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