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Tuesday Trivia: What was “a day in the life” like for people in your era? This thread has relaxed standards and we invite everyone to participate! | [
"This is plain awesome. I love the high bar that the sub sets, it really forces top tier responses to questions, but letting the guard down for more trivial stuff (hehe) is probably a good thing for a little bit of a nicer community to form and for people that don't feel confident giving a fully developed excrusiat... | [
"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!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Let's be positive: What is the best academic article you have ever read? | [
"[Frantisek Graus](_URL_9_): [Pest - Geissler - Judenmorde](_URL_7_) (Plague, [Flaggelants](_URL_6_), jew murders); on the connection between the plagues and pogroms / extermination of the jews in southern Germany during the Middle Ages. Also, very sweeping, and very interesting for non-military experts: John Keeg... | [
"Simply wanted to say that I read your first explanation just yesterday evening, and it was the most useful primer on public policy I can remember. Thanks from Western Australia"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
[META] Could we update the Book List with a section for US Presidential Biographies? | [
"100% correct way to use the META tag! The book list is open for every flaired historian to edit, so if you see someone posting about your favorite presidents, please ask them to add their source books in! The mod team has also been holding off on updating the book list extensively because one of the mods is curren... | [
"Mentioning previous discussions is intended to be a starting point, not to discourage further discussion. Follow-on questions, info, or disagreement is welcome. The FAQ has a section on this very subject at _URL_0_ Unfortunately, the # anchor doesn't work in the Reddit app -- it just goes to the top of the page. S... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Did the United States ever have contact with The Republic of Venice? | [
"Yes. There wasn't an American embassy in Venice, but during the Revolutionary War diplomatic agents of the continental congress did communicate with the Venetian Government through the Venetian Ambassador in Paris Daniele Dolfin. Although the Republic did not take sides in the Revolution, anecdotal evidence points... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
/r/AskHistorians April Fools 2015 Round Up | [
"I was a little disappointed by lack of deleted comments. It's just not /r/Askhistorians unless half the comments have been deleted. And to make matters worse, much of that was the denial of the air nomad genocide. I am personally appalled at the mods for allowing such blatant lies to spread. Edit:other than that,... | [
"Stuff You Missed In History Class Also, /r/AskHistorians has their own podcast. Check it out."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Outside of the USSR itself, which Warsaw Pact nation had the strongest military? | [
"In regular army manpower count (which does not necessarily equate to the \"strongest military\") in 1977, the Warsaw pact had these numbers: USSR - 455k Poland - 204k Czechoslovkia - 135k East Germany - 105k Source: _URL_0_ In 1969, Defense expenditure by Warsaw Pact nations (in dollars ms) is given as: USSR - 42,... | [
"Because the treaty is about intermediate nuclear missiles and Europe is at intermediate range from Russia. Many eastern European countries furthermore have bad memories about the Soviet Union so obviously feel strongly about this."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Are the Spanish Armada and the English Counter Armada comparable failures? | [
"I wrote about the English armada [here](_URL_2_), and the Spanish Armada [here](_URL_1_) and most recently [here](_URL_0_), including some comparisons of the two. The short version is that, while it's natural for English-lanugage sources to play up the success of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada and th... | [
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Can someone describe Soviet doctrine in WII? | [
"[You may be interested in this thread in which /u/vonadler goes into depth about every major players military doctrine.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Followup Question, were the allies doing the same thing?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
[Meta] I've seen "Great Question" pop up a few times now as a category for certain questions. I was wondering how these are designated as such. Is this done by the modteam? Or individuel mods? Thank you for your input. | [
"Any individual mod can add a \"Great Question\" flair like we do with any other flair, but that said we sometimes discuss with other mods first in a SUPER SEKRIT BACKROOM we have. It's meant as a way to draw attention to a question that we find particularly interesting or useful (e.g., not another question about w... | [
"We're actually in a process of cleaning up the FAQ by removing old or poor answers, but it's an entirely volunteer effort (as, of course, everything here is -- moderators do not actually get paid in Amazon gift cards per person banned). The (informal) policy has generally been that we consign poor answers to the ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What are some good examples of heroic leadership addressing a country's domestic issues? | [
"You could argue that the Gracchus brothers of ancient Rome, who were both assassinated by conservatives for their radical populist reforms, would be a good example. The Gracchi pushed for land redistribution, citizenship reform, the transfer of some power from the aristocratic Senate, and the rights of veterans. ... | [
"Bad climate, terrible leaders, heavily sought after resources, cultural barriers, foreign invaders taking sought after resources, constant border wars, lack of industrialization, anyone got any other reasons?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What went down in the 1974 revolution in Portugal? | [
"I don't know much, but basically Portugal had been fighting two or three major insurgencies for decades in Africa - think two Vietnam's being fought with 1/30th the US's population base and 1/60th the US's financial resources. Eventually the populace revolted rather than continue the wars. On edit: Now that I'm no... | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Wednesday What's New in History | October 12, 2016 | [
"* [Scientists map genome of African diaspora in the Americas](_URL_4_) * [Food culture after 1066](_URL_2_) * [1,000 prehistoric individuals to be genetically mapped](_URL_3_) * [New database reveals ancestor veterans of the Hundred Years War](_URL_5_) * [Cambridge University archaeologists are uncovering a lost '... | [
"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:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why didn't more blacks from the South claim land in the Midwest following the Homesteading acts? | [
"SOME blacks did settle land according to the Homestead Act but overall they were not able to. The Act itself specified that you had to be an American citizen or declare your intention of becoming an American citizen. In 1862 a black person could not become a citizen. Remember that the Dredd Scott decision said tha... | [
"The two biggest events that took away power from the States and gave it to the Federal Government was the US civil war, and the expansion of the use of the Commerce Clause of the constitution to do things like ending segregation in the South."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What did the Queen (Elizabeth II) say of the Rhodesian Republic? | [
"Having read several biographies about QEII, I seem to remember that she did and said nothing publicly about this situation.. The Queen is a sphinx when it come to her personal opinions and rarely if ever lets them slip out."
] | [
"I think the Duke of Edinburgh is more into hula-hoops than the Queen, from what I read on The Onion."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Historians of Reddit. What is the most important lesson from history? | [
"Eh, I'd say the most important thing history teaches is simply *perspective*. It shows that you we aren't the first, we won't be the last, we aren't nearly as important and pivotal as we like to think, and we're just a very small part in a *very* grand and complex human story. Lessons like \"Never start a land wa... | [
"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 Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Literature:"
} |
Wednesday What's New in History | November 29, 2017 | [
"University of Leicester has said it has found evidence for where one of Caesars invasions landed in the UK: _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 post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Did Stalin really say that "the British gave time, the Americans gave money, and the Russians gave blood"? | [
"Although not an exact copy of the quote, you may be intereseted in [this post](_URL_0_) from 3 years ago. There is a post from a year ago, but that post just links to the original post. /u/e8ght 's post provides a source for the quote, and says that it is actually \"British Brains, American Brawn, Russian Blood\".... | [
"We weren't allies, really. We had a common enemy. That's it. After that enemy was eliminated, we went right back to being enemies, only with bigger weapons. Remember, Russia was on the side of the axis before Hitler betrayed their agreement."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why do some Submachine Guns (MP18, Sten, Sterling) have the magazines on the side instead of down the bottom? | [
"Follow up question: I remember reading that school boys in metal shop classes were put to work manufacturing Stens in WWII. Is there any accuracy to that at all?"
] | [
"The bullets in a revolver are in a rotating cylinder behind the barrel. In a semi-automatic pistol, the bullets are in the handle. The shape of the bullets puts a geometry constraint on the handle."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Did Vikings or pirates ever develop moral codes limiting what they could do to their victims? | [
"Pirate ships would have their own moral code agreed on by the sailors (or enforced by the captain) so it would vary from ship to ship. Some were extremely brutal in their treatment of hostages, some quite gentlemanly. The pirates themselves have been frequently documented repenting for their sins upon being sente... | [
"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 | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Would your average Norseman during the "Viking Age" be able to swim? | [
"Written sources from the end of the Viking era frequently have references to swimming, but never portray as as a sailor safety training. There is plenty of routine mentions in character introductions where is on of the items in a list of skills, intellectual or athletic. Also, a few extraordinary swims are mentio... | [
"In his book *the Vikings* by Robert Ferguson he claims that there are several theories and factors. I can't remember all of them but one was that people would get bannedshed (sp?) and have to find new places to live. Another one was that people were looking for new places to trade/ live because the economies \"bac... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Anthropology or History to study ethnohistory? | [
"Well, given what you have described I have a good idea who you have studied with, ethnohistory is a small field. I would say that lack of a history MA is not a problem. I had a Anthro BA (with a Art History double major) and was admitted to two excellent history programs to work with ethnohistorians. In fact down ... | [
"Archaeologists don't study dinosaurs. Paleontologists do that. Archaeologists study human civilizations and societies."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Which is the best translation of The Art of War for a military tactics interest? | [
"I think is what you're looking for is a 'Dynamic translation'. But I would refer you to ask such a question regarding translations over to /r/linguistics."
] | [
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about Literature:"
} |
How was South Korea's astonishing progress ever since the Korean War possible? | [
"I am not capable to answer the question you pose because I do not have the literature with me right now, and I have to follow the rules of course of sourcing, but I just wanted to say that South Korea is not \"unique\" in Asia in its incredible growth. South Korea is one of the four nations/regions making the \"Fo... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
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Wednesday What's New in History | August 17, 2016 | [
"Today the german historian Ernst Nolte died at the age of 93. In the late 80s he started the so called *Historikerstreit*, a huge debate about atrocities in Nazi Germany in comparsion to the ones in the Sowjet Union. It included arguments about the idea of absolute and comparable \"evil\". Here's a short article i... | [
"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 paragraph about News:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
I'm writing a story about Native American tribes on the East Coast just prior to European Colonization, and I had a few questions. | [
"Not a historian, but I think something like this could be useful for you: [The Delaware Indians: A History](_URL_1_) ------------------- [Link to Master List of books in r/askhistorians which includes a few sources on Native Americans.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Natives. Literally. If we look at the bible as a semi-historical text, it goes back a few thousand years. People started migrating over the Land Bridge into North America from Asia before that. Meaning that while David fought Goliath, Geronima was chasing the buffalo. While Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, Sacagaw... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Quick question to Viking experts. | [
"Not to discourage further answers, but in case you don't get one, you might be interested in /u/Aerandir's answer to a question [here](_URL_0_): > Stockfish would have been the normal food for raiding expeditions, which is not particularly what I would regard as a 'power dish'. Normally people would have eaten ce... | [
"What country are you from? Serious question lol"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about history:",
"pos": "Represent the document about history:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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A book by Ayn Rand and Robert Hessen has this to say about the end of child labor | [
"It's not really a fair thing to say. It states that the owners of the companies were responsible for the end of child labor by paying workers more, but ignores the fact that workers were only paid more after minimum wage laws were passed by the states and US Congress, which were generally passed at the same time a... | [
"The people who made the laws had a different opinion on what was acceptable at the time than you do now."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Can someone tell me about this coin I found in my basement? | [
"/r/coins would be a better place for a response over 5k subs compared to /r/numimatics 500 But it is a flying eagle cent everything you need to know: [here](_URL_0_). They were made 1856-1858 as for a value ebay is always best with these kind of things but I would say the condition yours is in it would be $30-40 ... | [
"It looks a lot like a lock I used to have... hard to tell from the pics. I think they were sold to tourists in the Middle East. Mine was inherited from my grandmother."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do I conduct a decent interview with my Grandmother before she loses her memory? | [
"I'm not a historian, and I hope a more useful post follows this. I'm a teacher, and a useful tool I have used with students is story corps. _URL_0_ It will help you with formulating questions and you can even record the interview with the app. Hope this helps."
] | [
"My great grandfather was in World War I and would never talk about it. The family was always afraid to ask him questions. One day when my parents went to visit him toward the end of his life, he suddenly started talking about the war. My dad said he talked for hours and it was totally unprovoked and unexpected. My... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
A question on oil during ancient battles. | [
"Does Keegan say in his footnotes/endnotes which book/chapter of Caesar's Gallic War he's referring to? I can't answer this one, but it'll save whoever does some time in looking up the original source quote. (I suspect a translation issue.)"
] | [
"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 title about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What steps did the UK go to; to eradicate rabies. The only information I've found states that rabies was eradicated in 1922. I want to know what the common man especially farmers and herders had to go through to help. | [
"From the letters to the editor (or equivalent?) of the Lancet ([link](_URL_0_)): > [R]abies was only brought under control after the 1867 Metropolitan Streets Act and the 1897 General Rabies Order, Muzzling Order for the Metropolitan Police District, and Importation of Dogs Order, acts which enforced the shooting ... | [
"Because it's a scary disease where the majority of people infected die( 60 - 90% death rate ), they die really quickly and they is no known cure. (There's a small number of serums under test and used to treat some victims, however, the actual effectiveness of there are still unknown). EDIT: Most of what you see on... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about News and current events:"
} |
Where would I go to get more information on the old city hall in my town? | [
"Try checking your local library or historical association. If nothing else, your library should have old newspapers on microfilm or possibly digitized. They might even have some municipal records. Sometimes larger historical libraries (like the University of Michigan's Bentley Library) will have regional records o... | [
"I live in Wisconsin. Is there anywhere in the state where I could see first hand items from this era? Infrastructure or left over commercial areas?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When was the last time there was such a large difference between public opinion and gov't opinion like we're currently seeing with the Snowden leaks? | [
"This is not a forum to discuss current events. The mods will be deleting any discussion on Snowden and his popularity among U.S. citizens. Yes, we are aware that OP's claim of the public being against the gov't on Snowden might be suspect according to polling. Just answer the question assuming that OP is correct o... | [
"In short, if the government took that step they would be opening a can of worms. Right now they are already on the hot seat for using this technology, but there has been no major uprising, because the purpose of the technology is specifically to prevent plots against the *nation*, not against individuals, the enti... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Have there been outbursts similar to Rep. Joe Wilson calling Obama a liar throughout U.S. congressional history? Is this really an isolated incident? Am I wrong to assume that congress has often been a place with many such outbursts? | [
"What made it unprecedented, wasn't that Wilson called Obama a liar. It is that he did it during an State of the Union Address. Presidents have been called liars before, but not in that context and not as an interruption to a SOTU Address. One has to recall that from Jefferson until Woodrow Wilson, the Constitution... | [
"It is against the decorum and rules of the senate to impute another senator on the Senate floor. Essentially, you can't use the Senate floor to question the conduct of another Senator. There are other ethics committees and places where such matters are meant to happen. The idea is that the Senate floor is supposed... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Was Edward Mordrake a real person? There's surprisingly little information considering his apparent affliction. | [
"No. [The Museum of Hoaxes](_URL_0_) has a thorough debunking. He was invented by a 19th century poet called Charles Hildreth. There are other clues that the story is fake, too: the \"heir of one of the nobelist peerages in England\" would have relatives and forbears, but no such surname appears anywhere. The stor... | [
"We don't know. There are a few theories that get tossed around every now and then, but there's no known definitive reason."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
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} |
Question about a popular historian | [
"This book is published by Yale University Press. It's a textbook, not a popular history. According to Amazon: \"**About the Author** Thomas R. Martin is professor of Classics at the College of the Holy Cross. His publications include Herodotus and Sima Qian: The First Great Historians of Greece and China, Ancient... | [
"Was he the referring to a specific mad professor?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
WWII Photo Question - Great Grandfather (German) | [
"Can't help much, but I'd say this photo was taken in about 1938. The helmets are still surplus First World War issue, and the pouches are leather and the tunics appear to be wool: heavy and dark. These items would soon be replaced by newer and/or cheaper items. The machine gun appears to be an MG34. These were in ... | [
"I will explain like via the medium of pictures! _URL_1_ German factory in 1945. _URL_0_ American factory in 1945."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about history:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about history:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about World Affairs:"
} |
Who or what was depicted on early currencies in the United States? | [
"I can't answer for bills, but the first official coins minted in 1793 (the half cent and the cent) each had a different depiction of Lady Liberty. Liberty has had many renditions over the years. The lion's share of all early American coins (into the early 1900s) featured Liberty and a wreath or an eagle, occasiona... | [
"I would be happy to tell you about these banknotes. The first one and the fourth one is a Romanian 25 leu banknote and a Romanian 10 leu banknote. This particular banknote was in circulation between 1952 and 1966. The two following that are Eastern Caribbean dollars. These were issued and circulated amongst the is... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Would "across the river" or "on the right side of the Tiber" said by a roman refer to the east or west bank? | [
"If you look at [this](_URL_1_) map of Rome roughly at the time Livius' story takes place, you'll see that it is completely on the left bank of the river. 'Trans Tiberim' is here the area immediately across the Tiber from the city itself. You'll often see this formula to refer to places in the (larger) city of Rome... | [
"It comes from the term \"countryside\" like the side of a mountain or a valley. If there was a town there you would call it by the town name but since there is no town you just refer to it as land."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Was there a Texan chickpea puree dish that evolved independently of hummus? (Enjoyed by LBJ, much to the consternation of Chef René Verdon.) | [
"Verdon seems to have resigned in December 1965, NYTimes reported the \"cold garbanzo bean puree\" detail in January 1966. Reading the various news releases regarding LBJ & Veron, there seemed to be a big clash between Verdon's French Cuisine and the basic/bland tastes of the Johnson's. I would hypothesize that th... | [
"For actors in the US, they need to pick a name which is unique. So Christopher John Grace (That 70's Show) is Topher Grace, not Chris Grace or John Grace, since there probably was already one registered (with Equity?). Historical figures, probably more likely to be tradition, like Hillary Rodham Clinton (her prefe... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What are main evidences of early humans playing games to entertain themselves? | [
"I suspect you will get a better answer if you more carefully define ”early humans’ The species vastly pre-dates the historical era and if you are interested in the play behavior of several hundred thousand years ago historians probably aren't the experts to ask. A better question for this forum might be ’what is t... | [
"The actual reason for this phenomenon is roughly understood. One of the leading theories for this behavior is that it imitates their spaceships. The ones they used over 2000 years ago to make contact with the ancient Egyptians and enslaved them to create beautiful statues."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why is Mark Lehner considered a legit archeologist, if he wrote a book about a psychic who thought he was a reincarnated Egyptian god? | [
"Lehner wrote this book in his youth, when he was just a first-year student in Egypt. He was first drawn to Egyptology through the mysticism, but stayed for the archaeology. This is a good lesson for people not to publish too controversial things under your real name so early in your career. It is slightly misleadi... | [
"Amateur here. When and how did archaeology shift from \"loot everything and get it to the British Museum\" to \"let's be really careful and make a grid first\"? One more, if I may: Is it anachronistic thinking to hate on Heinrich Schliemann? E: or Herodotus for that matter."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What happened in the immediate aftermath of Australian Prime Minister Harold Holts disappearance? | [
"In short, a caretaker government was enacted. The leader of the Country Party: John McEwan was sworn in as caretaker Prime Minister until Holt’s Party chose a new leader, as per the Westminster system. Under a caretaker government there are certain protocols and restrictions to be followed. McEwan served as careta... | [
"As a way to snub George W. Bush."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
In "All Quiet on the Western Front" the protagonist serves as a private for 5 or 6 whole years during the First World War and is never promoted. Was it common? What did he have to do to be promoted? | [
"On this topic, how accurate is the description of life at the front, in \"All Quiet on the Western Front\"?"
] | [
"Also, would her military experience be any useful in finding a job? Did women serve in the British military during World War 1 and if so, did they go back into the workforce afterwards?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Was Robert E. Lee Suicidal? | [
"You do not need to hypothesize suicidal tendencies, in order for him to be acting that way. Foote has also said that when Lee's blood was up, you couldn't keep him from fighting. John Keegan has also noted that it was thought important that an officer was willing to expose himself to fire, in the early 19th centur... | [
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Do you think Rasputin's grandchildren (or great grandchildren) ever had to learn about him in school? | [
"According to [this article](_URL_0_), all of his present-day descendants (well, as of 2005) live outside of Russia, so I'm not sure if they would've learned about him in school. The one who's visited Russia (Laurence Huot-Solovieff) strongly disputes the common view of him. I'm not sure what happened to this thing... | [
"My friend's uncle was in the Hitler Youth, don't know if he would be interested but do you want me to ask?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Maps of Japanese defenses in the Pacific Theater | [
"\"The Pacific War Atlas: 1941-1945\" by David Smurthwaite (1995) is available in paper back at a low price. The maps in this book for the major battles are about as detailed as the one in your example, of Normandy on D-Day. However, most battles in the Pacific War were much smaller in scale and the maps in the boo... | [
"The Pacific Theater was thus named because most of the battles occurred in the ocean/on islands deep in the Pacific. The European battles were mostly fought on land."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Is NATO the longest military alliance in the history of the world? | [
"Depends on how you put it. The oldest alliance in the world is the Anglo-Portuguese alliance, dating back to 1386. England/ Great Britain have been allies with Portugal since then. But specifying military alliance, (even though Portugal and England did assist each other militarily) One could argue that that Inter-... | [
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Was there ever a Ramadan truce during the Iran and Iraq war? | [
"No. There was an attempt to do so in the first year of the war though. According to my book *The Iran-Iraq War* by Efraim Karsh, Iraq offered Iran a Ramadan ceasefire in 1981, but Iran rejected it. Karsh doesn't go into any details as to why the Iranians did so, and poking around the web hasn't turned up anything ... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
"Furlough specials" planes during WW II | [
"They're not planes, but trains instead. They were coaches/cars attached to regular trains specifically for soldiers on leave. They would have been cramped and unpleasant, compared to chartering a plane or even regular train travel. For more information, see pages 58-64 of [this book](_URL_0_), an official history ... | [
"during recession - currency during extreme meltdown of society - precious metals"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
any historical language specialists here? | [
"You might want to ask this in /r/linguistics as well."
] | [
"there is also _URL_9_ that was a big coup for the development of epicurean philosophy _URL_8_ anyone know of a place online that reports new findings? i find it very interesting but whenever i hear of something to that effect it is just by random luck."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How can I check on a history books credibility? | [
"The most credible sources are published by universities (i.e. Cambridge, Oxford, Princeton, etc.). Though there are few publishers that have a great reputation for history resources like Wiley-Blackwell or Routledge. You can find book reviews from history journals via databases like JSTOR and ProQuest. If you're r... | [
"This is really cool! Is there an easy way to search through it for a particular topic?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
In the days before smartphones, what did these New Yorkers use to film amateur footage in 1988? | [
"I'm not sure if this is a joke, as talking resolution and megapixels is kind of silly with the technology of the time. But big, handheld, VHS recorders were the most popular at the time. VHS resolution in the US was 333x480. 1/6 of a megapixel. Something like this: _URL_0_"
] | [
"Consider yourself lucky. Back in the early 90's, our instructional videos were all shot in the 70's."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How well founded are claims of pre-columbian contact with america during the late medieval period. | [
"The L’Anse aux Meadows site in Newfoundland is widely accepted in the archaeology community as a ca. 1000AD Viking settlement. The inglestad excavations in the 1960’s at L’Anse were well done, by all accounts. Patrica Sutherland has been doing a lot of recent work on Thule sites (and potential Viking sites) datin... | [
"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 | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
My grandfather never talked about his WW2 experiences, but we found him included on this old passenger list; are there any records/histories I can look into based on his unit info? | [
"Just from that sheet you can see he was part of the Headquarters of the 1st Battalion of the 255th infantry regiment. And that he was part of the Signal Corps. That 3 digit number on the end the MOS will tell you more accurately what his job was and what he was trained in."
] | [
"There is a resemblance there, I'll grant you that. When looking at the picture the first time, I also picked out the same person as the suspected Adolf. But, I don't actually think it's him. For one thing, Hitler had a much more pronounced brow than the man in the photograph. But that might also be the lighting. U... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about history:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about history:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why was Operation Market Garden such a failure? | [
"There's always room for further contributions or follow-up questions, but a couple of previous posts on Market Garden should give a good start: * [What went wrong with Operation Market Garden?] (_URL_1_) * [What made operation Market Garden a failure?] (_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How did we determine how much property we owned? | [
"For the second part of your question: Spanish and Portuguese conquests had their legal basis on different papal bulls, and treaties among the two countries. It all began with the bull [*Dum diversas*](_URL_4_), that allowed the King of Portugal to enslave pagan natives and the Saracens, after the first were discov... | [
"How much do they cost vs how much will they generate."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
State pensions for the elderly | [
"Keep in mind we still have pensions for the elderly called Social Security. It is considered by most people not to be a living wage."
] | [
"The money is given to charities and also the retirement fund for former NFL players."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
President Harry Truman remains fairly well known for the motto on his desk, "The buck stops here." Are there any other Presidents who had such mottoes that were famous in their day but have since faded from collective memory? | [
"I visited Ronald Reagan's Oval Office. He had a plaque on his desk that said \"The Buccaroo Stops Here.\" (serious)"
] | [
"First, the US has 44 administrations, but only 43 different presidents. Grover Cleveland was the only US president to hold 2 non-consecutive terms, so both his terms are counted as different administrations. Even in such a small group as that, you can't expect every president to be a stand-out. William Henry Harri... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about History:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about History:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Art History, and History of Science - What is the first instance of refraction of light through water accurately being represented in a painting? | [
"Interesting question. I wonder if Van Eyck tackled that challenge. What came to my mind was the genre of Saint Christopher paintings (_URL_0_), but those are probably based more on fantasy and aesthetics, so perhaps an extremely studied still life painter was up to the task. I would imagine that with the advent of... | [
"It's complex and also involves a lot of what has survived over the years as well as ideas about the purpose and function of artwork. Take a look at the Fayum Mummy Portraits if you want good examples of realism way before the Renaissance."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Trying to verify story about a minister getting killed upon renouncing Christianity | [
"The trouble here is that it's difficult to prove a negative, so if you don't hear anything, it's hard to know whether that means that the story you heard was wrong or that no one bothered to read your question. It would be tremendously helpful if you recall or could ask the person who told you for any more details... | [
"Heavy religious new believers say that they found salvation in God. The father in the story found salvation (from starving) in that squirrel."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Was there controversy when American Presidents started making announcements on television? | [
"Same question, but with other communication mediums. Was the move to using radio for such announcements controversial. Etc."
] | [
"He is also going to be addressing the US Congress in a couple weeks, which was controversial due to the circumstances of the invitation being extended. Additionally, he is coming under fire for his personal expenses."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Cults of mortification and philosophies of human wretchedness | [
"Sorry. I'm on mobile and I can't figure out how to edit my post. But [here's the link to the article](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"> The Buddhists gave us renunciation, which made sex, family, wealth, labor and comfort into crimes and which made of idle communism and parasitism the saintly way of life. Only if you completely ignore tantric Buddhism. Really, the whole passage seems hopelessly teleological."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How did people decide on how many seconds there would be in a minute, how many minutes in an hour, and how many hours in a day? | [
"There are a number of threads about this subject in the [popular questions section](_URL_1_). UsuallyonTopic's answer sums it up pretty well though."
] | [
"The way I see it, it's all relative to the way we measure time against our own lifespan. For example, when you're 5 years old, a year is a whole 5th of your life, but when you're 50, a year is only a 50th."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did people keep leftovers before refrigeration? | [
"Farms in hilly terrain often had a Spring House, a small shack over a fast moving stream, preferably on the north slope of a hill. Items were placed in bags and hung down in cool water. Temperatures in most spring houses were as cool as modern refrigerators. Dairy farms would often built bigger Spring Houses to co... | [
"Reason # 1 : Food spoils more quickly in hot climates. Spices are preservatives. Reason #2 : Not many edible and spicy plants in colder climates."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Has there ever been a human society where "sexual surrogate" or "surrogate partner" was a common profession? | [
"I believe they prefer to be called \"companions\"."
] | [
"Everyone has sex. Its what humans do. Its a biological imperative that no personal situation -- short of non-functional sexual organs -- can prevent. A better question to ask here is why anyone (but a real 5 year old) would think that another human being should (or even could) possibly forever abstain from somethi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
[Meta] The sterility of modern History, and a case for bias. | [
"That is one of the big reasons for the popularity of popular history with a clear agenda. People so enjoy bold ideas written strongly. The problem is that it is very hard to get your facts right if you do this. There is a danger of history becoming a series of \"hot takes\". Where I agree with you is that historic... | [
"What do you mean by downfall? This is still a dominant part of current culture."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did we get the whole world to agree to the same calendar/year system? And how long did it take for people to start thinking "right now we're in year ____" | [
"I can't answer the whole question, unfortunately, but I can say that the whole world really hasn't agreed to use the same calendar yet. For instance, I live in Taiwan (Republic of China). The year in Taiwan is 103. That is, 103 years ago the Qing dynasty fell and the Republic was formed, and on all official papers... | [
"Because midnight sucks. No one wants to live in the areas where the date changes in the middle of the day. It would be a massive headache and a constant source of confusion to always have to second guess what \"day\" your upcoming events are going to fall on. What does \"let's have lunch of the 5th\" mean if in yo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Did the Viking Gange Rolf, or Rollo as he was called conquer part of France and become ruler of Normandie? | [
"There is debate on whether or not it is the same person. The facts of the siege of chartes, the treaty of ste clair-sur-epte and the baptizing of rollo are all agreed upon. The trick comes when looking at the sources. The older sources simply call him rollo or hrolf, the medieval historians however said that he wa... | [
"There was quite a lot of contact. Many Norse ended up in Iceland because they ran afoul of a King of Norway, or Earl in the Orkneys. The best source for contacts across the N Atlantic is the Icelandic sagas. Many characters such as Njal and Egil, live in Iceland, but are often in Norway or farther afield. Egil r... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
As I am reading about Roman conquests, I often see: “Caesar noted the ___ “. Where can one read the consolidated notes of Caesar? | [
"Caesar wrote a book about his campaigns in Gaul (the title is usually translated as Commentaries on the Gallic War). It was intended to promote his victories (and defend the legitimacy of his campaign) with the Roman public, to check the influence of his numerous elite critics. It's a good read, but you have to ke... | [
"According to Suetonius they crossed a small bridge over the Rubicon. Specifically, he claims Caesar said \"Once across that little bridge, we shall have to fight it out.\" However, it should be kept in mind that Suetonius was writing in around 121 CE. This was a long time after the events had transpired and his de... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Before readily available contraceptives, how did the sexual relationship between married couples work? | [
"The most common form of natural conception was, somewhat unsurprisingly, simply not having sex at all. There's some evidence for withdrawal being used, but by and large 'stopping' (as demographic historians call it) was the main driver of fertility limitation. The period I'm referring to is Britain in the late nin... | [
"Historically, parents helped children find suitable mates. Only in recent history have children selected their own matches."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
what would I find in terms of people and how they lived if I went to Japan in 1100BC? | [
"The best evidence demonstrates that the Japanese main islands were inhabited by the \"Jomon\" people and their dwellings have been dated as far back as 14,000bce. They were hunter-gatherers and as such, moved periodically. How often though, is currently debated, as their pottery (from which their name is derived) ... | [
"Do you have a period you specifically want to know about? This is ranges from slightly different to totally different if we're talking about Asia Minor and Syria circa 333 B.C., Italy in 216 B.C., Gaul 500 A.D., Palestine 1066 A.D., Brandenburg in 1630/31 A.D., Silesia in 1740 A.D. or Sedan in 1870. I'm sure we co... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
What happened to J. Robert Oppenheimer after the nuclear blast of the Trinity test turned him into death, destroyer of worlds? | [
"I thought it was well known. He became a bitter old man writing quatrains about how Neo bested him in the 'duel' for Trinity. I'm pretty sure the History Channel had an episode about it this week"
] | [
"Only one nuclear device was tested before Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This was the Trinity Test in the USA. It was done in the middle of no where. It's not like the tested it in Central Park."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
According to a /r/TIL thread, Winston Churchill's GP wrote him a prescription for Alcohol during a visit to Prohibition-era USA. Was this a legit way of circumventing the ban? Did many other people do this? | [
"Not the standard source but Ken Burns did a fantastic documentary on Prohibition that actually addresses this. Prescriptions were extremely commonly used to circumvent the ban. Often times entire families would get a prescription because the amount was limited to, if I recall correctly, a quart a month."
] | [
"Tradition, ease of growth or manufacture (yeast and sugar make alcohol) tobacco is a common plant and grows across a wide swath of the US, and popularity of them make enforcement of a ban on them a logistical nightmare. Do they still cover the Prohibition era in history classes? When enough of the general populat... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is it true that Neanderthals never developed projectile point weapon technology? | [
"I believe that the physiological built of the Neanderthals meant that swinging the arms was difficult, to the extent that projectiles were almost impossible. Instead, it's likely they had 'thrusting' weapons. Wear marks on some Neanderthal remains suggest activity similar to that of a bull rider, therefore close q... | [
"No. They would not develop bigger brains because they started to use stone tools. They would start to use stone tools because they developed bigger brains. The stone age refers to technological advancement (that occurred after we had evolved to a certain point). Not evolutionary advancements."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
In ad60 during Boudica's revolt, the IInd Legion (based at Exeter) failed to join the fight. Why? | [
"According to Tacitus’ Annals, you are right that the II Augusta’s senior commanders were with Suetonius. That left the Prefectus Castrorum, Poenius Postumus in command. Tacitus records that Postumus disregarded Suetonius’ summons. He does not explain why, though he does note that it was ‘contrary to all military ... | [
"I was a bit surprised by this as well, so I did a bit of detective work and I must conclude that the introduction is confused. According to chapter 8 of the Historia Augusta biography, Marcus Aurelius faced a frontier war in Britain when he first assumed the position of emperor. He dispatched one Calpurnius Agrico... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
When electricity first became viable in the 1800s, how was it generated? | [
"Electrician here: DC generators and batteries. The Edison generator _URL_0_ Thomas Edison helped with (General Electric)GE to mass produce DC generating systems. That is your answer in a nutshell. However this is a gross oversimplification. Please understand while most generators today produce alternating curre... | [
"There was no need to develop an international standard. In the early days of electricity it was used first for generating power for lights (streetlights and later house lighting) and then next for producing power for machinery in factories. Neither streetlights nor factory equipment are the sort of things that peo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did westernization happen ? | [
"I cannot speak intelligently in detail on this topic, but Victoria de Grazia's *Irresistible Empire: America's Advance through Twentieth-Century Europe* (Harvard, Belknap, 2006) is probably a good place to start. From the publisher: \"Victoria de Grazia’s brilliant account of how the American standard of living de... | [
"To be a little less specific, what did people think the future in general would be like before the Industrial Revolution?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did people do their taxes before computers were invented? | [
"No scholarly links or background here but a first hand account of someone that was around in the bad old days of tax before computerized submission. You got a form, you filled it in. There were instruction booklets of various degrees of helpfulness & help lines you could call. If paperwork wasn't your thing, wel... | [
"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 passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
DNA indicates that many shrunken heads are fake, but some are real. Have historians or anthropologists reinterpreted, revised, contextualized, and/or obliterated myths about the practice of shrunken heads? If so, how? | [
"I mean this with all sincerity: what is a cosmological context for human sacrifice? Do you mean that people decided to sacrifice based on the position of the stars, or do you mean that the universe outside the Earth somehow caused the sacrifice to occur? I don't see the relevance of cosmology here."
] | [
"It is short for head shrinker. In the mid 20th Century, shrunken heads were a recurring theme in adventure movies. Very loosely based some real tribal customs, the movie would portray indigenous peoples as primitive savages, complete with the bone through the nose, who would take the heads of their slain enemies, ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Do the 3 ancient civilizations record share a simultaneous gap? | [
"There's always room for discussion, but perhaps the section [Flood Myths Around the World](_URL_0_) from our FAQ will answer your question."
] | [
"From the article: > \"It would be fascinating,\" Baker adds, \"if there were some record in China or in the Middle East that reported powerful aurora or some other such event\" around the same time as the observed 14C increase. So we're looking at that area?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How often would gladiators actually die during gladiatorial games? | [
"Hi, do check out this recent post by /u/Celebreth ; if you have follow-up questions, just jump into the thread * [Gladiatorial fights in Ancient Rome; were fights to the death as common as Hollywood leads us to believe?](_URL_0_) Here are a few others from the last year or so that may be interesting * [Were there ... | [
"The way gladiators are portrayed in media doesn't particularly hold up to history. Gladiators ate a vegetarian diet, rich in carbohydrates. Gladiators also weren't the buff, oiled up dudes you see on TV. They commonly packed on quite a few extra pounds. Part of that is because they didn't train for looks (The buil... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
I often hear the humans can outrun/outwalk a horse over long distances What was a typical daily/weekly travel range of pre-mechanized cavalry unit vs that of an infantry unit? Is there any work that compares these numbers between different cultures? | [
"If I could add to this: What about just normal couriers (a single runner vs. a single horseman)? Also, any info on merchant travel times? A man, his wares in a cart, and his oxen/horse, what kind of time would such a person make while traveling. I suspect these questions along with OPs would all be answered by t... | [
"Not an answer, but a question to add onto this, did the Roman Legion have a series of camp followers? What was life like for these people?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Were tombstones all over the frontier/Old West clever and punny? | [
"I am genuinely interested in this question, but alas, 14 hours and no answers!"
] | [
"Can't remember specifics but something about nuns creating a shape that looked like children folding arms."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Has any war ever happened for the sole purpose of helping the people of another country of another nation and they never took advantage of it? | [
"The US interventions in Somalia and Kosovo could be included here. In both cases, the interventions were provoked primarily by humanitarian concerns, and it's very difficult to find concrete material reasons for intervention. Both those places are quite poor and could provide very little potential payoff."
] | [
"It's not a stupid question, the phrase is a bit outdated. It's more appropriate for WW1 and WW2 when the soldiers were literally fighting back imperialism (I mean, others, not our own, of course) wherein another nation wanted to overtake less powerful nations and rule over them. Now, the saying is less appropriate... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
I need help with the Mayan language for a story, could an expert help me? | [
"If you're interested in some early Mayan script, I would check out _URL_14_. It's a site with free resources from Mesoamerican scholars, especially concerning writing. If you're willing to dig into it a little bit, under the \"Writing\" tab, and under Mayan, you should find a \"Glyph Guide\" or two, as well as som... | [
"Hiya, it would be really helpful if you could tell us where and when do you plan to set the story, so that our wonderful medievalists can have a rough idea where to start."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
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} |
Question(s) about the Cold War | [
"Not being entirely certain of where/when Bush said that the Cold War ended in 2001, I can take a stab. While many people would say that the Cold War ended with the fall of the Soviet Union, that left the Americans without an enemy. Further, Americans were still heavily involved in global affairs reacting to the fa... | [
"There is a post on the frontpage on the topic: _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
A redditor and I are having an off topic discussion in a main page thread. In 1734 a Danish peasant was given a gift of 200 rigsdaler from the Danish monarchy. How can we convert it to today's money? [link to thread/what we've found so far inside] | [
"[This](_URL_0_) PDF has a graph of the price of gold in Britain from 1596 to the present, which could be useful in evaluating the value of the gift. From what I can read, it seems like an ounce of gold in 1734 would be about $3,860. Since 1 rigsdaler is 1/8 of an ounce of gold, 200 rigsdaler would be , or $96,500.... | [
"You can't just cancel debt like that. Every dollar is backed by a dollar of debt. If you canceled debt, you also devalue your currency. This is why if Greeve defaults and walks away from its debt, the Euro will be in trouble. Hapax_legoman has a great eli5 post about the theory behind this (I'm on a mobile and can... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How did the crossword become a newspaper fixture? | [
"According to Eugene Maleska, former crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times, [Arthur Wynne first introduced simple crosswords to the Fun page of The New York World Sunday Magazine in 1913](_URL_1_). NPR did a 100 year anniversary special about it and reproduced [Wynne's first newspaper crossword](_URL_4_) T... | [
"Reddit as the new opiate of the masses?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
When did writing on shirts become a thing? | [
"The earliest shirt with text is probably the team uniforms worn in the 1870s. Here's an [example](_URL_0_) from an archive photo at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Outside of sports, the first printed t-shirt was a costume in the Wizard of Oz (1939) with characters wearing a shirt that said \"oz\" [(link to a... | [
"On another note, is it possible to get one of these? These shirts were a staple of a young person's closet in the early 90s. I want some nostalgia."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Wednesday What's New in History | January 24, 2018 | [
"A [report](_URL_1_) has come in which archaeologists have suggested that Teotihuacan [should be called Teohuacan](_URL_0_). They cite the Xolotol Codex and the reference to a city whose named is spelled with a sun and a temple. The archaeologists have suggested that the Spanish changed the name of Teohuacan to Teo... | [
"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:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
When talking of recent history, we seem to group fads and patterns by decade. Has it always been this way, or is this way of cataloging history something unique to the 20th century? | [
"[here is a related question/the same question from a while back. Some good responses](_URL_0_) as a sidenote the \"naming\" of decades seems to be a long 20th century thing"
] | [
"For the sake of simply classifying people based on the world in which they grew up, people are divided into various generational categories. Each so-called generation is the group of people born during a specified time frame, usually about 20 year longs. Definitions vary, but Millenials are usually defined as peop... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Need some questions answered about studying history for an assignment. | [
"Do you only need one person to talk to? Do they have to be living and working in Mexico? I'd be happy to talk to you but I'm in the US."
] | [
"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 about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What are some good sources for US involvement in the drug trade? | [
"The typical book recommended on this topic is Gary Webb's *The Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion*. There's some controversy over some of the claims in the book, of which I'm still not too certain about. Instead of Webb's book, I'd suggest these two: Alfred W. McCoy, *The Politics... | [
"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:"
} |
What can I, as an average Joe, do to help future historians? | [
"Donate money to a good history department of a university. (Serious answer)"
] | [
"In the real world why would anyone want to be a politician?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What do we know of Zheng He's travels, and how do we know it? | [
"I summarised the position here with regard to written sources in [an earlier response](_URL_0_) which you will hopefully find useful."
] | [
"Considering how strong of an isolationist tradition Japan has I find this very unlikely. The journey from Japan to Southern California would have been unprecedented, as the only journeys remotely comparable came about a century after the author dates the supposed arrival of the Japanese in America, with Zheng He's... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
In literature depicting the "romantic" medieval period, the Knight Errant is a common trope. Is there any historical basis for this character type? | [
"I answered a very similar question about 2 weeks ago: _URL_0_"
] | [
"Your question is tricky because \"Celtic Society\" can cover not only very different geographic locations but also eras spanning hundreds (if not, thousands...) of years. You use the term \"knight\", so does this mean the question you're posing is one focused in the medieval era? Warfare differed greatly from era ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How exactly did India develop a nuclear weapon? Who helped them and how did they keep it hidden from the world until their first test? | [
"The Indian nuclear program was started by Homi Bhabha soon after independence. It was a relatively low priority until the India China war of 1962. From 1963 onwards the Indians worked hard to gain nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union and India were close allies during this period, but there was no direct cooperation ... | [
"A similar deal was given to North Korea in the 1990s with regard to their nuclear program. Now they have multiple nuclear weapons and have spread the technology to other countries like Pakistan, which have since built some nuclear weapons of their own."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Where does the expression 'break a leg' come from? | [
"Check out this answer by /u/caffarelli and /u/AshkenazeeYankee: [When/how was the phrase: 'Break a leg' first coined?](_URL_0_) TL;DR: we don't know, but there are some interesting theories about it. EDIT: fixed circular link"
] | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How reliable is Plutarch? | [
"Good question! Plutarch is, to my mind, one of our *least* reliable classical historians, which is unfortunate because in many cases he is the only one we have. the problem is that he was primarily a moralistic philosopher, and a rather conservative one at that. As a comparison, Suetonius is another rather unrelia... | [
"Are there any good introduction books to historiography in general? JFK in particular? Thank you"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
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