query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Can you help me find more films/series depicting the 18th/Early 19th centuries in Europe and the Americas? | [
"Hi! A message from the mods: suggestions are clearly welcome, but must be accompanied with a fairly good explanation as for *why you are recommending the media*. It might also be good to speak of what you thought was particularly good, and what potential problems it might have. Cheers."
] | [
"No. Opium smoking started sometime in the 16th century in China, and wasn't popular enough for there to be 'opium dens' until the 18th century or so. Most accounts of opium dens in Europe are 19th or early 20th century."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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After a village was sacked and "raped and pillaged", how would that village look at the victims of the rapes? Normally if a woman was raped it seems she "lost value", but was it seen as different from a societal standpoint when it happened to the whole town? | [
"To branch off into something more specific from OP's question, how would rape victims be treated in the Medieval Europe, depending on the time period (Early, High, Late) and on the location and region?"
] | [
"You touch people everyday. Strangers are allowed to tap you on the shoulder. We also expect that people will get into fights. Rape is much more socially unexpected. Strangers cannot touch you sexually. Most rapists were trusted by their victims. Being raped in an alley by strangers is the minority. So its like thr... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Is there any truth to this statement found on Facebook? | [
"> I have never heard of documentation of same sex couples being married in Pre-Colonial America before. Documentation of Native American family groups is pretty sketchy. Most didn't keep written records, only oral traditions. So proving anything for sure is very hard. It's also not useful to think of Native Ameri... | [
"As a person who frequently visits \"the internet\", this is the first I've heard of this. What are your sources?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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Was there any study of economics pre-consumerism? | [
"Yes. Consumerism is generally linked to the rise of industrial production and wasn't a phenomenon (at least outside the upper class) until the late 19th century. Before then you had such figures as Adam Smith, David Hume, Ricardo, Marx, Quesnay, Colbert etc all writing on economics. Adam Smith is considered the de... | [
"Salutations, Could you please point me in the direction of some cogent books/articles that address the historiographical debate surrounding histories status as an art or a science."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about News:"
} |
What is the earliest known manifestation of anti-consumerism? | [
"I'm sure it's not the earliest, but Thorstein Veblens critique of \"conspicuous consumption\" *The Theory of the Leisure Class* was one of the first works which criticized consumer culture. \"In order to gain and to hold the esteem of men it is not sufficient merely to possess wealth or power. The wealth or power... | [
"Welcome to the one of the strongest arguments against the prohibition of firearms."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Hello AskHistorians, what are the most interesting or important books within your specialty, and what are they about? I am a teacher, creating a recommended/optional reading list for highly motivated students. Thank you! | [
"It's late, so only one book for now. *Building New Deal Liberalism: The Political Economy of Public Works, 1933-1956*, by Jason Scott Smith. It's my favorite book simply because it puts a numerical face on the PWA and WPA. Sure you've heard about the post offices, bridges, and roads, but the numbers are just sta... | [
"I'm looking for recommendations for books to read if I want an overview of the history of the LGBT+ movement in the United States but don't have any previous background knowledge in the subject."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Literature:"
} |
When did it become legal to pay tipped employees less? | [
"It was the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 that got a minimum wage in the first place. Title 29, C.F.R. § 531.5 is the specific portion that states what you are asking, and that was put in on September 28th, 1967, if I am understanding [this source](_URL_0_) correctly."
] | [
"Because restaurant owners don't want to pay a decent wage to their employees so they make their customers pick up the difference."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I was just watching an interview with Chris Matthews where he said when a new President is sworn in the white house is redecorated almost immediately (at least that was his experience of the Carter to Reagan transfer). Did LBJ do it that quickly or did he wait so as not to appear in bad taste? | [
"Johnson moved into the Oval Office fairly quickly, angering Kennedy's staff, but did not move into the White House residence right away. I wrote about this [here](_URL_0_) before; I apologize for the brevity but am on mobile."
] | [
"US President is the highest office in the nation. Once you've been President, you can command many thousands of dollars in speaking fees, you can open your library, you can publish your memoirs and make more money, you receive a pension of $200,000 per year - why would you want to stay in politics? Anyways, they d... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How Should historians measure the success of civilizations. | [
"Success in doing what? I don't think there's a metric to \"overall success\"; something like that only exists in the *Civilization* (the game) series. Even if we are to narrow it down, it's pretty hard to judge; are Roman aqueducts \"better\" than the Great Wall of China? Or the Stonehenge?"
] | [
"The main reason is because of the religious background of the United States."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is there any evidence for Caterina Sforza's "ten more sons" quote after the papal siege of Forli? | [
"I believe they took some artistic liberties for the show. The version I'm familiar with goes like this: \"...Then they (the Orsi) having taken her children by the hand, did with a knife make pretense of slaying them in her presence if she broke her word with them. But the dauntless Countess, with unchanged counte... | [
"The idea that Napoleon's troops shot the nose off as target practice or, as is more recently put forth, because they wanted to hide the fact that the head had a distinctively sub-Saharan African physiognomy rests on no evidence and has been debunked numerous times. Drawings from 1737 shows that the nose was alread... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Is there any correlation between calendars and the menstrual cycle? | [
"Menstrual cycle roughly corresponds in length with the lunar cycle, which is one of the foundations of most calendars. The word \"menstruation\" comes from Latin \"mensis\" which means \"month\" - the relationship was always obvious. However, no actual causal link between them is known to exist. The cycles are not... | [
"It is 100% a bunch of nonsense. There is no way the positions of certain planets relative to Earth at the time of your birth could affect your personality."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Art Historians - Is this artwork historically possible/accurate? If not, is it fake? | [
"I'm no art historian so I couldn't possibly weigh in one the dating controversy argument, but as far as the birds themselves go: Grant K Goodman writes in *Japan and the Dutch: 1600-1853* that traders attempted to present the Shogun with a cassowary as a gift in 1657, but the Shogun's fussy gatekeepers rejected it... | [
"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 title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What was the first nation state? | [
"The general consensus among scholars of international relations^1 is that the [Peace of Westphalia](_URL_0_) in 1648 established the system of sovereign nation states as we understand the term today. If one accepts this as the beginning of \"nation states\" as we now use the term, then the answer to your question ... | [
"They were made in chronological order from when the state became part of the US."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why was "Me ne frego" ("I don't care") chosen by Mussolini as one of his mottoes? | [
"The catchphrase originated (not linguistically, but for this context) with the \"warrior-poet\" Gabriele d'Annunzio and became popular among Italian soldiers in World War I. It was an expression of courage and bravado, not carelessness: \"we might die tomorrow, but me ne frego.\" After the war, it continued to be ... | [
"Che Guevara was one of the leaders of the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s with Fidel Castro. He now enjoys immense popularity as a t-shirt."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
We're medieval peasants given weapons to go to war? | [
"Neither. You wouldn't go to war without a weapon of your own. Contrary to popular folklore, medieval armies weren't made up of peasant farmers armed with farming implements but by semi-professional soldiers who provided their own weapons and armour. [Here](_URL_1_) is a link to what most of the english army would ... | [
"We don't really want guns. We don't really want any weapon! We just want to drink tea all day and moan about the weather."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Can someone please help me interpret this portion of the 13th century London Coroners Rolls? | [
"The clue is in the sentence above, where it says that 'acknowledging [...] that he had committed the felony before-mentioned, [he] in their presence abjured the realm.' [Abjuration of the realm](_URL_0_) means that you give up all your goods and your nationality, go to some port (in this case, Dover) and take the ... | [
"Follow up question: how was this reconciled with the establishment clause in the first amendment?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Understanding a cavalry charge | [
"Sadly, I think this search will be in vain. The motion picture camera did not come into common use before the machine gun (and modern artillery) did. Firepower based tactics made the classic cavalry charge, which relied on shock action with the sabre or lance, too rare for capture on video. Of course, cavalry surv... | [
"Adrenaline kicking in for flight or fight response."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
In the early days of America after electricity was discovered, electric rail cars were installed in cities up and down the east coast. Who paid for the infrastructure? Who paid for the installation? Was it done by businesses or government? | [
"Streetcars predated electricity, They were originally horse drawn. They were largely privately owned but pieces of public infrastructure dedicated space for their use ( see the Queensboro Bridge among others). People did pay fares."
] | [
"a) Monopoly need to be carefully regulated. If there is only 1 or 2 choice for something, it's not a competitive market. Imagine if there is only 1 gas station in town and they decide to charge $25 a gallon. b) It's not entirely their infrastructure. Their lines run on public poles over public streets, or in publi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Internet speed and service:"
} |
Before "Eclipse Glasses" and safety knowledge, did mass amounts of people suffer eye damage whenever there was a Solar Eclipse? | [
"As a follow up question, I know I've certainly looked at the sun directly many times, and as far as I can tell I can see just fine still. Why is looking at an eclipse more dangerous?"
] | [
"It's a 1. Solar 2. Total eclipse 3. across a huge swath of the US. Many eclipses are lunar (the moon is covered by earth), solar is the reverse and creates a lot of interesting effects on earth. It's a \"total\" solar eclipse, many eclipses are Annular (most are not Total), in those not all of the sun is covered ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
There's an episode of the Twilight zone where they imply Adam & Eve were aliens who's ship crashed on Earth. why didn't that cause a scandal for the show in 1963 America? | [
"Someone here can write a beefier version of this, but basically, the whole show *was* courting scandal an awful lot of the time. [Rod Serling is remembered](_URL_3_) as one of the [most controversial writers in television](_URL_1_), coming into conflict with [censors](_URL_4_) and [the public](_URL_0_) (and, late... | [
"They put out a program on the mound builders about 15 years ago which hinted that they might have been built by immigrants from the Old World. The program was sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Just about lobbed my remote at the screen."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How much did America REALLY help in World War I | [
"America's contribution was pretty much vital in terms of the war finishing in 1918. From the point of view of the Western Allies, things were actually looking quite bleak in 1917. For one, the French Army (who had shouldered most of the burden on the Western Front) was nearing breaking point (something that result... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
I've been reading a lot about chariot racing in the Byzantine Empire and the connected Fan groups/Hooligan Gangs. These groups had huge influence and sometimes caused riots where thousands of people died. Can anyone explain them in more detail? | [
"The Byzantine Emperor Justinian was a supporter of the Blue team, which supported the largest, oldest and most successful of the chariot racing organizations in Constantinople. He was basicly like a fan of the New York Yankees or Ferrari F1 team. For much of the history of Chariot racing, there were other fan g... | [
"Interesting question that I don't really have the answer to. From an American perspective I'm kind of interested in why there is such large-scale organized hooliganism around sports fandom in Europe. I mean you'll see American fans wearing their team jerseys and maybe bad mouthing the other team, but it's usually ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Which historical fiction books (in your field) would you recommend for their historical accuracy? | [
"I second /u/Searocksandtrees' link to the FAQ. Speaking for myself, Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series is generally quite good at conveying the flavor of life aboard ship -- O'Brian read many contemporary accounts of the time period and quoted in some places directly from journals kept aboard ship. His novels... | [
"Haha, this is a fun and difficult question. There are thousands to choose from. Let me ask a few follow up questions: What time period (medieval, modern, etc.)? What type of history? Do you simply want a political history that discusses how the structure of the kingdom changed form monarch to monarch, or do you wa... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
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Can AskHistorians help solve this Maryland Historical Society mystery? | [
"Its solved in the comments: \"According to a 29 July 1908 article in the Baltimore Sun (page 12), the Baltimore Detective Department initiated a “mask system” that “enables detectives to examine crooks without being recognized.” The description is of masks “of the ordinary white dominoes with white muslin covering... | [
"Can someone please answer this question? This is such an interesting question."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Today, lots of people use drugs or drink solely in order to alter their consciousness. Historically, were drugs usually medicinal or were they used solely for pleasure? | [
"There's a great book on this topic: it's called Artificial Paradises, and was edited/compiled by Mike Jay. It's compendium of primary source writings about drugs and altered states of being, starting with the snippets of references in poems from BC, moving to the birth of Christianity (one source posits that early... | [
"Psychoactive chemicals react with receptors in your brain and cause processes which produce pleasure. As a matter of fact, drinking does make you happier."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When I was a kid cartoons often depicted peeling potatoes as a punishment in the military. Was this pop culture image rooted in reality? | [
"The punishment for relatively minor offenses (often referred to as non-judicial punishment, or NJP) in the military is often extra duty (iaw DA PAM 27-10 CH 3-16(a)). Often this can include KP (kitchen patrol) duty. So an easy way to depict this duty as an undesirable task is peeling potatoes."
] | [
"Same as the difference between a war movie and an actual war. One is idealized, a wish fulfillment most of the time, while the other is, well, real."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
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Whitewashing early humans? | [
"You may also get a good answer from r/askanthropology"
] | [
"British Empire -- > Post-WW2 / Cold War America -- > British and American pop culture -- > Silicon Valley."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
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How did the American government gather enough public support to engage in the Korean war so soon after WW2? | [
"1) The fear of Communism was very much real \"The Red Scare\" 2) North Korea was the initial aggressor, and after WWII Americans were seen as the ultimate liberators 3) The Japanese defeated the Koreans with ease and the Americans defeated the Japanese, so why wouldn't the Americans defeat the Koreans 4) All the k... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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Did Vietcongs cut children's arms off after they were vaccinated by the US Army? | [
"_URL_0_ /u/bernardito talked about in in a previous thread here"
] | [
"1. US dispersed the Agent Orange, not the Vietnamese. 2. We started the war with a glass flag attack in the Gulf of Tonkin, giving us an excuse to invade the country out of fears the pro-communist faction fighting against the democratic faction may win."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
In very old churches, why are there so many bricked-in arches? | [
"2 Possible Reasons: 1 is renovations. Sometimes if a church didn't have the money for proper glass repairs, they could fill the windows in to keep the buildings still functional. 2 is more interesting. It is common to see this in windows during the Georgian period in the United Kingdom because there was a [tax on ... | [
"You know how we place tombstones on graves with inscriptions on them? They did that back in ancient times as well. Only the inscriptions were on and inside the tombs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Architecture:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Architecture:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Can anyone point me to a good map of medieval England? (1200 AD) | [
"The [Digital Atlas of Roman and Medieval Civilization](_URL_0_) has some of the things you need. I would also recommend looking at: * Bengtson, Hermann, and Vladimir Milojčić, eds. Grosser historischer Weltatlas: Erläuterungen. 4 vols. München: Bayerischer Schulbuch-Verlag, 1996. * Jedin, Hubert, Kenneth Scott La... | [
"Are there any books on Berlin during 1920s?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Literature:"
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Question about maps of early medieval England | [
"These areas were not necessarily unusable or uninhabitable but were/are definitely swampland. The one in your map that is in the southwest (between Edington and Exeter) is the Somerset Levels. The name 'Somerset' may actually derive from the fact that this area is near the sea and/or only usable in the summer (due... | [
"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 Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Any movies that depict an assault on an 18th-19th century star-fort? | [
"Well, I haven't seen anything that does but for lack of a better word, for good reason. Forts of the 17th century, such as the Vauban fortresses, served two purposes; they served as garrisons and storehouses or they acted as a barrier which an invader had to take before marching in. These fortresses were expected ... | [
"Did you have a specific time period in mind? Because for most of the age of colonization by those powers (let's paint with a broad brush and say roughly 1500 to 1850), there was no \"Germany\" to speak of as a nation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
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Mental health amongst "Great Men" (or women) | [
"hi! you might find this roundtable discussion from a few weeks ago of interest * [FEATURE Round-Table | Psychology and History](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"I do really like \"In our time\" with Melvyn Bragg (BBC4). 45 minutes per week of a condensed fact (or fiction) historical talk. Mainly academics from Oxford, therefore you must be accustomed to British English (brilliant). *In Our Time With Melvyn Bragg* > Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the history of ideas... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Education:"
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Why did James Cook land on the east coast of Australia and not the west or north? | [
"The point of the voyage where he first landed in Australia was to do scientific observations and exploration in the Pacific Ocean. So naturally he would land on the East Coast."
] | [
"They're really not that close. South Africa is as close to the south pole as southern USA is to the north pole."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How was time recorded before the B.C./A.D. standard? | [
"See the FAQ in the sidebar--this question is asked a lot. In my field of study, people either reference a commonly-known event (the reign of a king, a war, an exile) or use the system of Jewish years, which counts genealogies in the bible back to get the date of Adam's creation."
] | [
"A.D. Is not after death. There would be time missing in between where Christ was alive. It mean anno Domino (in the year of the Lord). Edit: Towards the end of high school teachers began using B.C.E. which stands for Before Common Era. C.E. can be used in place of A.D. for Common Era."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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Military Firearms in Civilian Hands. (United States) | [
"You. I like you. I don't even have much to add, you've covered it. Sad thing about the Civil War: It was a horrible fusion of outdated tactics and new technology. Troops that marched in line formation would be cut down incredibly quickly because of how accurate the guns were. Sharpshooters picked off people in c... | [
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is it true that Napoleon Bonaparte shod his horses backwards to trick the Russians? | [
"His horse would be lame in no time. Take a look at why horses are shod and how it's done. That would be extremely painful for the horse not allowing it to walk correctly, on top of Bonaparte risking not being mounted and not having effective cavalry? I'd say it's completely made up."
] | [
"You really shouldn't wait til Sunday night to do your home work! Napoleon did not bring enough supplies assuming they could live off the land. The Russians burnt their crops as they retreated so there was very little forage. They sacked Moscow but the Tsar and all his officials had left so there was no one to surr... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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Can anyone recommend a reputable book on the election of 1860? | [
"[Team of Rivals](_URL_0_) is probably what you want. It covers all the main contenders for the Republican nomination in great detail (Seward, Chase, Bates, and Lincoln). Additionally, while it is nominally about Lincoln and his presidency, it continues to follow Seward, Chase, and Bates during the Civil War as mem... | [
"Follow up question: Does anybody have any info on how early elections were overseen to avoid electoral fraud?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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I'm a temporary worker in the US trying to learn more about this country's history. What basic historical facts about the US should I know. | [
"I'm a an engineer working in Oil and Gas. I'm from Brazil. I have been in the States for over a year but realized there are a lot of things that I don't know. Like when and why they said \"The British are coming\"? Why they threw tea in the Boston harbor? I have a general understanding of the civil war, like it wa... | [
"I'm looking for recommendations for books to read if I want an overview of the history of the LGBT+ movement in the United States but don't have any previous background knowledge in the subject."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Literature:"
} |
"Wilderness" vs. National Parks | [
"Wilderness Areas have greater restrictions on human impact than National Parks do. National Parks encourage visitors to come and see their natural beauty and have roads, parking lots, visitor centers, hotels, and other intrusions into them. Wilderness areas allow no motorized vehicles or mechanized transport (moun... | [
"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 the differences in stone projectile point technology globally? | [
"It would be extremely difficult. Styles vary so much that virtually any style may be found in a different location at a different time. For example the large finely flaked bifaces of the Solutrean period (20-15 kya) in what is now western Europe could very easily be lost among Cascade Period (6-9 kya) bifaces in t... | [
"Southern China is very wet and is very poor in terms of building stone, so buildings were constructed with pounded earth. Yet we can build a very long archaeological sequence for it, so short answer is not really at all. Archaeology method has developed very sophisticated methods for uncovering the evidence of org... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
The Indian beauty ideal of fair skin. | [
"I don't know specifically about India, but in China fair (or fairer) skin is associated with the lack of need to do physical labor in the fields, hence denoting wealth. Also there's a regionalist tendency to view southern Chinese as more \"barbaric\" as they are further away from the capitals in the north, and nor... | [
"They think they are beautiful basically, they compare it to a woman's beauty."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Language and Culture:"
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Why did Stannis Baratheon succeed in his cavalry charge against the Wildlings? | [
"I'm not sure a question with such a clearly pro-Stannis stance is suited to /r/AskHistorians. Saying he *almost* won the Battle of Blackwater Bay is not an accomplishment. He lost at the Blackwater, plain and simple. Now please don't mistake me for anti-Stannis or interpret my criticisms as support for Joffrey's c... | [
"The North has always had a strong tie with it's native wolves. One can only imagine the first men's reactions to encountering such a formidable animal. Living amongst them must surely create both fear and respect. Ancient ballads tell of the savage War of the Wolves, where a King of Winter felled the skinchanger G... | eli5_question_answer | {
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Where did the use of the word phylactery to describe a Lich's soul container come from? | [
"The term really means amulet, from an ancient Greek word which means \"to protect.\" The word \"phylacteries\" to describe tefillin comes from the New Testament, in Matthew- it is not in the Septuagint at the part of the Bible where tefillin (or as they are called, totafot) are mentioned). The word then leaked int... | [
"As a follow up I heard it said several times that the Romans would use urine as mouthwash. Is there any truth to that?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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If Spear men have an advantage against Calvary how were Philip/Alexander the Great able to use them against Greece so effectively. | [
"Well a hoplite formation requires flat terrain to operate in, if they can find that space to fight in then cavalry could as well. The reason you don't hear about Greek cavalry is because they didn't have enough land to support them. Land that's supporting horsebreeding is land that's not available for farming and ... | [
"In short they were professional soldiers. You really can't compare farmers that fight one season who have poor equipment to roman soldiers trained 24/7 with (at the time) the best gear. By being trained they could execute complex maneuvers, even basic stuff like feign retreat is not possible for a peasant army , ... | eli5_question_answer | {
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How/when did the trope of bad Soviet engineering develop in the West? Was this part of a delibrate propaganda campaign? | [
"It is only one lone example, but nevertheless, I imagine /u/the_alaskan's response concerning [the Tu-144 would be of interest for you.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"There were a couple Red Scares based on the threat communist ideology posed to the existing order in the US. The modern animosity towards Communism was because it was the ideology of the Soviet Union, who was a rival to the US and its Allies after WW2. Due to the rivalry, the US played up the anti-freedom and anti... | eli5_question_answer | {
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Is Sparty not dressed as a Spartan at all? | [
"This comparison of Greek, Roman, and Medieval armor by /u/Daeres might help: *[How does Greek and roman Armor of the classical period compare to European Medieval armor?](_URL_5_)* The helmet isn't a Greek design: > The helmets in the Archaic Period were the famous [Corinthian](_URL_0_) type, but later preferred ... | [
"Are you sure they were defeated at all?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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NSFW How did people deal with erectile dysfunction before modern medicine? | [
"Believe it or not... [I have partially answered this one before.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Because over use of antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistant bacteria like MRSA. Doctors already prescribe them too much, imagine what a layperson with no medical knowledge whatsoever would do. By the way, the flu is a virus; antibiotics have absolutely no effect on them."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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Can we get a weekly read this book? | [
"So a ways back we tried to have a [book club thing attempted](_URL_0_). It didn't get much participation and as such, folded. As others have said though, we have an extensive booklist you ought to check out, and the thursday thread is always a good place to find more recommendations."
] | [
"That's asked on a weekly basis. Use the search"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Are the pieces in the 1967 battleship board game based off of specific ships or are they generic designs created for the game? | [
"No. They are generic pieces meant to be similar to real ships only insofar as they are recognizable by type (carrier, BB, CA, DD, Submarine). Only the carrier is superficially similar to a real class (Essex)."
] | [
"Follow up question, are puzzles identical, or are the pieces different even though it's the same picture?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Did Yamamoto ever actually refer to the U.S.A. as a sleeping giant? | [
"The first time that the Sleeping Giant quote appears is in the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! There is no historical basis for it and I'd say that it's a poor historian who uses a Hollywood movie as a source. The writers of Tora! Tora! Tora! claimed that they got it from a legit source but they were never able to produce... | [
"> why didn't they land troops to control and defend Pearl Harbor? This would cause a breach in supply to more Western Pacific territories like Midway, The US wasn't a combatant at the time. The Japanese were launching a surprise attack to cripple the US military capabilities and discourage the US from joining the ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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What is the earliest recorded instance of a zoo? | [
"Herodotus writes about seeing a giant Indian ant (whatever that means) kept at the court of the Persian King. Apparently they're really good at eating camels and digging up gold. [Here's the passage](_URL_3_). No body believes it was a giant ant. Different people have different small furry ideas for what this is. ... | [
"What do you mean by downfall? This is still a dominant part of current culture."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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I've heard that during the golden age of piracy a good map was worth the same as a ship. Was this true? If so what made these maps so valuable? Can anyone link to one of these high quality maps? | [
"Were there people who deliberately make low-quality maps to mess with folks?"
] | [
"This sounds like a pretty classic urban legend, and I'd be fairly skeptical of it. *Caveat lector*, I am not a historian of the Spanish navy, but as far as I know Spain (like most powers) had terrible manning problems for its fleet throughout most of the 18th and 19th century. They weren't really in a position to ... | eli5_question_answer | {
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I want to learn more about The Scramble For Africa after listening to a very interesting podcast about The Berlin Conference. Anyone know of any good documentaries, books, additional podcasts, ect? | [
"[Henk Wesseling (*Divide and Rule: The Partition of Africa, 1880-1914*, *The European Colonial Empires 1815-1919*) has written some of the better books on the Scramble era](_URL_1_), although arguably [Pakenham's *The Scramble for Africa*](_URL_0_) is more \"pop-readable.\" If your interest is in depth, Wesseling'... | [
"Rome spanned over 1,000 years. Finding a good over view could be tough. Hopefully someone will chime in with some good reading recommendations, but in the mean time I'd recomend [The History of Rome](_URL_0_) podcast by Mike Duncan. I know you are requesting a book, but this is one of the best over views of Wester... | eli5_question_answer | {
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In my Developmental Psychology class, my professor said that children from a few thousand years ago would often be sacrificed and put into the walls of buildings and other structures. Does her claim have any validity and which societies did this and for what reason? | [
"In the bible, Joshua is said to have constructed some buildings wherein a first-born child, presumably the offspring of a slave, was killed and then placed under the foundation as a way to ward off evil. Your teacher is profoundly mistaken if she believes that this was even remotely common throughout ancient socie... | [
"Just to provide a little encouragement, this is definitely answerable! The Greeks, Romans, Middle Ages Christians, and Hindus all definitely wrote down or alluded to their understandings of food's necessity and the operation of the body. I would even be willing to bet we can glean some understanding of earlier vie... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Anthropology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Anthropology:",
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} |
I've been watching MASH. How did the phone connection from the front work? I assume there were no satellites at the time, so how was Radar able to get through to the states? | [
"Had to do some digging to match up with what I remember from school, but in the early 50's a lot of it was VHF, microwave, and long haul cable. _URL_2_ The biggest benefit was a pretty extensive cable system called the Tokyo-Mukden Cable: _URL_3_ > \"Originally built by the Japanese through slave labor from both... | [
"When you're using Skype, you're both using regular internet connections, running through cables in the ground. This is relatively lag-free. When they speak to people on the news etc, you'll often hear them specifically say \"we're speaking to them live via satellite\" because they're in a remote location without a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Technology:",
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Has there ever been large scale fighting in Patagonia? | [
"The largest scale fighting in Patagonia occurred in from 1878-1883, when General Julio Argentino Roca (later President of Argentina), launched the *Conquista del desierto* (Conquest of the Desert). This was a series of campaigns by the Argentine army against the indigenous people to establish Argentine control ove... | [
"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 title:",
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If the blame HAD to be placed on a specific State, who caused WWI? | [
"* [The July Crisis] (_URL_0_) * [Lead up to and outbreak of WWI] (_URL_1_) * [Balkan Nationalism and the Outbreak of WWI] (_URL_4_) * [To what extent was WWI inevitable?] (_URL_3_) * [Could the July Crisis have been resolved peacefully?] (_URL_2_) > but which State had the most to do with these factors, to the po... | [
"A follow up & relevant question, how close did the CSA come to being recognized by a European Power?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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what is your favorite history documentary (no specific subject or time period, I just like learning about history) | [
"* *The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara* * *The Great War* (BBC series from 1964) and their more recent *The First World War* is good too"
] | [
"Haha, this is a fun and difficult question. There are thousands to choose from. Let me ask a few follow up questions: What time period (medieval, modern, etc.)? What type of history? Do you simply want a political history that discusses how the structure of the kingdom changed form monarch to monarch, or do you wa... | eli5_question_answer | {
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Was Divine Right a Real Idea? I have exposed myself to much literature about the middle ages and haven't seen it referenced once and am starting to think it's one of those made up in history class things. | [
"I've handled tons of medieval Scottish royal charters, official royal documents the kings issued, dating from the 1350s to the 1450s, which use the Latin, \"dei gracia rex scottorum\" - translating to \"by the grace of god King of the Scots\". No one can say what the kings and scribes believed privately, but the d... | [
"What you might want to read about is called Historiography. This is the history of the history I guess you could say. Schools of thought or \"updates\" to the type of question you asked. I am not a working historian so with that said, The Illiad was written by Homer, was recorded after already being a part of oral... | eli5_question_answer | {
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At what point did it become clear that the USA was on its way to becoming a world superpower? | [
"The Civil War was one starting point. The US showed the world it could field modern industrial armies and fight a continental war. The economic growth of the subsequent decades soon led to the US being the largest economy in the world. The development of the modern USN (Great White Fleet) and the pasting of the Sp... | [
"You made the mistake of thinking that the primary intention of the US government when going to other countries is to promote freedom."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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How did you know which branch you were drafted into? (WWII) | [
"I answered a question similar to this [here](_URL_0_), but I'll repost it below."
] | [
"What was the form for? And what area do you live in?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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How is the history of capitalism linked to human rights? | [
"Well, you're wading into something of an intellectual minefield. Between roughly the 1950's and the 1990's, a lot of discussion was about the general debate between Marxist and Liberal historians, and this was a big theme. For example, there's a big debate about the relation between capitalism and slavery in the A... | [
"Can anyone suggest respected works that deal, on a theoretical level, with the concept of elites? Specifically from the standpoint of history."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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How accurate is this image macro regarding same-sex marriage and the early church? | [
"This is a very controversial hyothesis by John Boswell which has been widely discussed in its time and thus has a big problem of credibility. In my oppinion Richard Hays is right when he claims that Boswells theory is a \"a textbook case of 'eisegesis', the fallacy of reading one's own agenda into a text.\" Hays ... | [
"The main reason is because of the religious background of the United States."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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Pointed toes on knights armored feet. | [
"They weren't *used* for anything. They just mimic a type of shoe called \"crakows\" that reached its zenith of popularity in the late 15th century. The long pointed beak is usually referred to as \"poulaine\". They weren't practical, they were removable must the knight fight dismounted. Also those things in your p... | [
"Because they were orginally for horse back travel."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Is there any historical significance to this symbol? | [
"It's used in Scandinavian counties to denote places of cultural significance. It's also the symbol on the command key of a MacBook."
] | [
"I would assume this is all talking about the 19th century; is this a typo?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Did the Code of Hammurabi influence Mosaic Law? | [
"There isn't a definitely known connection--there aren't notes from the bible's authorship that says \"I got this bit from Hammurabi\". But the similarities are sufficient to hint at some knowledge of the Code, either direct knowledge or just cultural diffusion of particular legal concepts. The bible was written ma... | [
"1) Jesus is God in Christianity. They are one and con-substantial. 2) Jews don't recognise Jesus as being divine. 3) The Bible is a collection of scriptures written over a long period of time. The Scriptures as we see them today were put together in the late 4th century. The New Testament contains the Gospels. 4) ... | eli5_question_answer | {
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How did the 20 years rule of this subreddit came into existence? Why was it created and why was it specifically choosen to be 20 years and not 10 or 30? | [
"Hi there -- this [Rules Roundtable](_URL_0_) has explanation and discussion of that rule. If you don't mind to take a glance at that, it is meant specifically to explain why that rule exists. If anything remains unclear after that, you are welcome to come to us with specific questions about it. Thanks."
] | [
"Not OP but I'm unsatisfied with the answers so far. They're all based on knowledge of a day being 24 hours. How did they determine there are 24 hours in a day and not 4 or 6 or 8?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Did we have a valid reason to rebel against England | [
"Taxes did go up significantly over a short period of time, but taxes were still a lot higher in England. Also the French-indian war is the american name for that war, the other name is the seven years' war, much of the war was not fought in America."
] | [
"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 | {
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Were people in the 14/15th century able to reproduce the same "shade" of color consistently? | [
"Dyeing with plants depends on the growth conditions of that year, when the plants are harvested, water temp. and which mordant is used and how. This will all give differences in hues but master dyers are able to adjust a dye bath as it's curing, amending the colour to the exact shade desired. Especially Dutch flag... | [
"This is mainly due to a lack of knowledge of color names. You know what grey and pink are called but don't know names such as \"Celadon\" for a light shade of green. Ultimately the delineation of colors depends most on how many names we have for the shades. For example in the past the color blue was not in the voc... | eli5_question_answer | {
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In 1972 the Kingdom of Tonga sent troops to squash the nascent micronation of Minerva, which consisted of a small tower and a flag atop a soggy artificial reef, along with some novelty currency. Why did Tonga bother to dignify Minerva with an official response? | [
"Wait. They sent out a boat to respond January 20th and it arrived June 18th? Is that correct?"
] | [
"It should be noted too that the USA's taking of the former Spanish territories of Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico was very much in the vein of European geopolitical horsetrading. Germany in particular was less than pleased about the new permanent US presence in East Asia and there was a standoff in Manila B... | eli5_question_answer | {
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How accurate is our stereotypical view of the Vikings? | [
"we had a similar question last week.. quoting myself: Not discouraging any of the Norse experts from weighing in on this one, but there have been tons of questions on Vikings/Norse culture, so running some searches will find lots of answers. Search for \"Viking\", \"Vikings\", \"Norse\". The Reddit search can miss... | [
"They don't want to be known as the perpetrator of millions of deaths and ethnic cleansing."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Is the history I was taught in AP World History/US History accurate/unabridged? | [
"The American Pageant is a decent textbook, whoever as a textbook it lacks the intensity of a specialized book on the subject, the things are simplified in a very easy to understand way for the exam. Really the point of an AP course in general is to prepare you for the exam, not to teach the history, (unfortunatley... | [
"Hi there, Not to preclude further discussion, but this is a question which arises quite frequently. You may be interested in the following answers: - [Is history written by the victors?](_URL_1_) by /u/TenMinuteHistory - [People say \"history is written by the winners\" and imply it's biased. Was there ever a time... | eli5_question_answer | {
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Did Chinese forces really ride horses wearing gasmasks towards a surface test of a nuclear device as shown in this video? If so what was the context/motivation for doing this? | [
"Are they really? I never see soldiers and the blast in the same from, except maybe kinda-sorta at 3:08. It all looks like editing to me."
] | [
"When the US launched a raid on Osama Bin Laden, Seal Team Six breached an ally's border in a top secret stealth helicopter that had never been seen publicly before. The only reason anyone found out about it was because the helicopter crashed and though they attempted to destroy the helicopter with explosives, it w... | eli5_question_answer | {
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Sunday Digest | Interesting & Overlooked Posts | September 05, 2016–September 11, 2016 | [
"In honor of my [one-year anniversary](_URL_0_) brave enough to post in AH, here is my [first ever answer](_URL_1_) in the sub. With its distillation of an awesome topic (religious persecution! stake burnings! drownings! fugitives!) into utterly dry prose rightfully earning a total of 2 upvotes--including the freeb... | [
"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:",
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When did parody first become protected by law? What conditions or changes had to happen for it to occur? | [
"_URL_0_ This isn't when parody became law but it IS when the concept was first seriously tried before a court. Many of our freedoms we owe to Larry Flynt believe it or not."
] | [
"Follow-up question: If it is purely a modern idea, where did this idea come from, and how much validity is there to it?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Reading list for history of the United States - 1812 - 1861? | [
"The Battle Cry of Freedom is a great read and covers most of this era. Some of the early years are in broad strokes, however, as it mostly focuses on the build up to the Civil War and the War itself. There is a lot of good discussion of the development of industry (plus, an interesting comparison of early industri... | [
"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:",
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What is the origin of this style of neck armour? Link in comments. | [
"It's known as a gorget, and it's part of jousting armor, which is usually more ornate and decorative that combat armor. It's designed to be worn around the neck, and prevents a lance from striking the heavily defended breastplate and riding up to pierce the throat. It's worn with a helmet on top for full protectio... | [
"What period and country are you asking about? There’s no context in your question."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Why was Bill Clinton's approval rating so low in the first few months of his presidency? | [
"Im surprised no one has mentioned the three-candidate nature of the election. Clinton only won the election with 43.01% to start with. Bush had 37.45% and Ross Perot 18.91%. Clinton never really had a majority to start with. Others have commented on why he slipped but I think it's important to remember he never st... | [
"Well, let me list the final approval ratings of all Presidents since Truman. * Truman: 32% * Eisenhower: 59% * Kennedy: 58% * Johnson: 49% * Nixon: 24% * Ford: 53% * Carter: 34% * Reagan: 63% * Bush I: 56% (34% in the final poll before the election). * Clinton: 66% * Bush II: 34% I suppose there are three Presiden... | eli5_question_answer | {
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What were the laws 1500s Bavaria for carrying various arms? | [
"German here. Do you mean Bürger? As in free citizen, but not a noble? Or do you mean Burgherr, as in the lord of a castle? Can't answer before that."
] | [
"Follow up question (please don't delete) how influential were nobility titles on economic upward mobility in the Europe of that same time?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Before around 1700, where there any books or plays with a definite setting in the future? How did they present future society, and what where their predictions? | [
"This question has been asked before and appears in the FAQ, perhaps start there: _URL_4_ _URL_5_ _URL_5_ _URL_4_"
] | [
"So please correct me if I'm wrong here, but I've read on other threads here that getting the opinions of the general public was difficult because very few of the read and even fewer wrote things that survived to today. So I guess my follow up question is this: how can we even begin to understand how the commonfol... | eli5_question_answer | {
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Question on conducting archival research | [
"Well you might just be in luck, according to [this](_URL_0_) article all of Russia's WWII archives are to be available online by 2013. The [website](_URL_1_) is available in Russian and English, though I don't know about the records themselves. It's a place to start. edit: After looking through the website a littl... | [
"incentive for continued periodic creation of good original material"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Archiving:",
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How did the sex offender registry start? Are there any historical precedents to it? | [
"If you happen to be referring to making those lists public so that the local community will be notified when a sex offender moves in around them, the major wave began in 1994 after a 7 year old girl named Megan Kanka was raped and murdered in NJ by a former sex offender. The NJ state legislature passed what became... | [
"I'd like to hijack this and ask a follow up question: What sort of laws did the Romans have regarding treatment of slaves as opposed to the USA?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Dear WWI historians. I am thinking about writing a story with the setting in the Italian front of WWI. What books should I look into for some history and facts? | [
"If you look in our sidebar, you'll see a link to [the AskHistorians Master Book List](_URL_1_). In there, you'll see an *immense* [section on books about World War I](_URL_0_) (as compiled by our own NMW). Enjoy!"
] | [
"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 | {
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What book would you recomend for learning about Mexican History in its entirety? | [
"Do you mean the history of the country of Mexico (1810-present), or do you also want a book that cover the Viceroyalty of New Spain and/or pre-colonial Mexico? For the former- I liked *Mexico's Crucial Century* and *Mexicans in Revolution* as a whirlwind introduction (mostly political history) to the period of 181... | [
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What is the best History Book for Spain? I am Cuban American and like to study heritage etc. I am looking for a book that covers the origins of Spain to its modern history. I have 2 books recommended by professor for my interest in Cuba+USA. If I can have a recomm. for this it would be great!! | [
"Joseph Pérez, *Histoire de l'Espagne* (1997). 760 pages but very easy to read, stretching from Prehistory to the 20th century, and an attention to debunk myths about Spanish history common in foreign historiography. The part after the end of the civil war is however very lacking. The author's strength is the Habsb... | [
"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 title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Has there ever been a situation similar to the cold war in pre-world war times? | [
"The Great Game between Britain and Russia is probably a good example and one with a wealth of information easily accessible."
] | [
"Do you mean the common conflict in the middle east or are you speaking of a specific war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Was the Embargo act of 1807 by Madison hypocritical of republican ideology? | [
"For starters Jefferson was president, however Madison was Secretary of State and a major figure in the administration so he was certainly a major force behind the embargo acts. However I would note that political ideology changes over time, and too many look at the issues of 1792 and assume that the stances remain... | [
"Hamiltonanism was a political/economic belief in a Strong central government, encouragment of national industries and commercial economy and a distrust of the common man. The ideas of it still have no left us according to Michael Lind. It has been a persistent battle between Jeffersonian agriculturalists vs Hamilt... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Theory Thursday | Professional/Academic History Free-for-All | [
"I've always been fascinated by the wide variety of \"Fall of Rome\" arguments and how they're affected by historical perspective. I was wondering: **Does your historical specialty advocate a certain theory for the fall of the Roman Empire? or what's a unique argument for the fall of the Roman Empire that you've co... | [
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Theory Thursday | Professional/Academic History Free-for-All | [
"Finishing chapters or articles is hard. Especially when you find yourself rethinking your theoretical basis when you've already got forty pages written. Is the trick to just plunge ahead and not worry about it?"
] | [
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Theory Thursday | Professional/Academic History Free-for-All | [
"Here's one to start us off: Readers of /r/BadHistory will be very familiar with the heavy frequency of troubling historical beliefs running rampant in certain fields. Those studying Jewish history and the Second World War have Holocaust Deniers; those studying the American Civil War have Lost Causers; you know the... | [
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Theory Thursday | Professional/Academic History Free-for-All | [
"Here's one for the people with a big laundry list of publications under their belt: How do you shop for journals to \"sell\" an academic paper to? Do you write the paper first, then shop it around, or do you pick a journal and then try to write a paper for them?"
] | [
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Theory Thursday | Professional/Academic History Free-for-All | [
"So, it's almost a month into the term -- for those of you currently working as instructors or TAs, how's it all going?"
] | [
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Theory Thursday | Professional/Academic History Free-for-All | [
"War. Man. Good God y'all. What is it good for? By which I mean, how do you as a historian handle war? As we know, there is a certain degree of inhumanity about it, and it is important to keep in mind the pain and hardship it involves, but to take too critical of a reading risks distorting the societies involved, a... | [
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Theory Thursday | Professional/Academic History Free-for-All | [
"When you write a longer paper or thesis, do you write while researching? Or do you just collect quotes and ideas to write down at a later point? I'm still not sure which way is more advantageous. I'm always wary that writing too much while researching will just lead me to subconsciusly reiterate the arguments I ju... | [
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Where can I find out more information about the Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg? | [
"Palmer's work is decent. It's pure pop history, of course, but if ever a figure fits a sensationalist narrative it's von Ungern-Sternberg. Less welcoming, for me, was the regular intrusion of a history of Buddhism and 'I woz ere' travelogue, no doubt a product of Palmer being a travel writer by trade. Worth a read... | [
"Would you like to share the criticism from Kant?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Did Pol Pot plan to let Chinese settlers colonise emptied cities in Cambodia? | [
"Its completely bunk because the Khmer Rouge actively went after the pre-existing Chinese minorities in Cambodia. The Chinese in Cambodia were mostly urbanized merchants and traders which made them enemies in the eyes of the Khmer Rouge as symbols of the old order and class enemies. Not only that but Pol Pot did no... | [
"1. US dispersed the Agent Orange, not the Vietnamese. 2. We started the war with a glass flag attack in the Gulf of Tonkin, giving us an excuse to invade the country out of fears the pro-communist faction fighting against the democratic faction may win."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Have pedophiles and child molesters always been viewed as the lowest of the low or this is due to recent awareness? | [
"Related/follow-up question: did the Victorians think child sexual abuse was worse than now-accepted sexual practices that they considered immoral, like adultery or homosexuality? Or in the same league?"
] | [
"Neo-Nazism and White nationalism are NOT mainstream by any means. It is simply not true that more and more people are getting whipped into a frenzy over the existence of racial or sexual minorities. The racists and sexists were racist and sexist long before Donald Trump and will continue to be racist and sexist lo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the background on 'Call Girl Credit Cards' used by American soldiers during war time? Were these real? | [
"This is a novelty card, you would buy it the same place you might buy dirty mags. The membership number is FUN-69-OK and the signatures are by women named \"Wanda Bagme\" and \"Gee You Biggs\"."
] | [
"Follow up, if this warrant a new post please tell me: How did politicians and the general public react when they found out these companies were aiding Nazi forces in WW2?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
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