query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
What is the earliest recorded evidence of a scam artist/swindler/con man? | [
"u/BaffledPlato last week provided a great example about a man named [Alexander of Abonoteichus](_URL_0_) in the second century CE, who set up a scam religious cult. Another one is the story of a Mede called Gaumata, who held the Achaemenid Persian throne for a while in the 6th century BCE by pretending to be a mem... | [
"Yes, you have committed fraud of one degree or another (Depending on the amount of money gained through by fraud) by misrepresenting what you were selling with the intent to deceive and profit from the deception."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How frequent where attempts to overthrow the US government, throughout its history? | [
"Can you be more specific here? How do you define \"overthrow\"? Do you mean attempts to *replace* the federal government in its entirety, or do you mean to simply replace the power of the federal government in a more limited fashion? Depending on your definition, something as small as a nullification movement coul... | [
"How would the president conduct a hostile takeover without the military? Also a takeover of what?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
During the Civil War what did they do with all the extra seats in the House/Senate? Was the room half empty? | [
"Follow-up question : Were there Senators in exile?"
] | [
"By New Yorkers do you mean citizens of the Colony of New York? Or people who lived in New York city? There is a difference between those who live in the back country and those who live in NYC Either way New York City had a lot of Loyalists in it. Howe was assisted by Loyalist spies during his invasion of New York ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What was the impact of Paradise Lost to the people of 18th century England? | [
"Point of clarification, you're asking about the reaction of people 100 years after it was first published? First edition was 1667."
] | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What was skincare like throughout history? | [
"Lead foundation was used as early as ancient Egypt. Ancient Romans used, as well as people in the renaissance. There are recipes in sixteenth century books for moisturising lotions for the face, but these were homemade and not bought in the store. By the 19th century you could have bought these in a pharmacists sh... | [
"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 post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
When I think about obscure US presidents, William Howard Taft comes to mind. Do any of his policies or legislature still have an effect on me? | [
"The [breakup of Standard Oil](_URL_0_) happened under Taft's Presidency. Indeed, Taft [broke up more trusts than Tesdy Roosevelt himself](_URL_1_)."
] | [
"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 Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What caused the US and Britain to have such a close 'friendship' and when did it happen? (if you could say were close friends) | [
"A significant amount of Americans who claim European ancestry came from the British Isles, 10,000 people are estimated to have emigrated from Scotland during the highland clearances between 1750 and 1850. Between the cultural similarity and a common language which facilitated trade and technology communication the... | [
"Because we then helped rebuild their country and became a significant trading partner for the next half century (also, don't forget that technically they started that war with us) In general though, the speed with which the beligerants of WWII became allies is pretty historically impressive. The unification agains... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did the world synchronize their calendars? (or... How did MTWRFSS take over the world?) | [
"The calendar you're referring to is the [Gregorian calendar](_URL_0_). Several previous posts about calendars have been collected in the \"popular questions\" wiki: [Calendars and timekeeping](_URL_1_)"
] | [
"It actually dates back to the Roman Empire. They had consuls (which were like the US president, except they had two of them) would enter office on the 1st of January. Because that was a big deal their calendar reset there. & #x200B; For a while during the middle ages, we stopped using January first as the start o... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Charleston activists recently put up a Denmark Vesey statue, here's an article from the NY Times using the "freedom fighter vs. terrorist" storyline to describe him. How accurate is that depiction of him? | [
"Certainly at the time he was hung it is applicable. Vesey was lauded later by Northern Abolitionists and of course villified by southern slave owners. I think a more interesting examination is why people would consider him a terrorist today. Certainly we can recognize that slavery is immoral."
] | [
"I think that the author of this article needs to learn the difference between \"racism\" and \"historical revisionism.\" He's not wrong to claim that the flag and the narrative around it obscures a lot of important facets of the American experience in Vietnam and paints (probably inappropriately) Americans solely ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What happened to the Lords/Governors of the Caribbean/Bahama’s islands? | [
"You might be interested in the answer I gave to [this question](_URL_0_), which deals with the path the nations of the British Caribbean took to independence or meaningful self-government."
] | [
"I haven't met anyone from the UK that thinks that but if there are such people I reckon they think 2 of the following count as states; District of Columbia (Washington D.C) Puerto Rico American Samao Guam U.S Virgin Islands Northern Mariana Islands DC is a federal district while the others are inhabited territorie... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Was the Cadaver Synod justified? | [
"When you ask Justified what do you mean? That the Synod had the Authority to condemn Boniface? That Their Condemnation was accurate? or that any associated political ambition which may have been a cause for this trial reached fruition?"
] | [
"If you really what to see a long explanation of the \"dark side\" of M. Theresa, this Wikipedia article points to a book by Atheist activist Christopher Hitchens on the subject. He actually went to the Vatican to argue before church officials that she should not become a saint. _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Where and when did the concept of bloodlines originate? | [
"The question of kinship is a suprisingly deep and fundamental concept in anthropology. You might find folks better suited to answer this over at /r/askanthropology"
] | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
In the American west, when a family moved from town to town, was there some way of transferring their money between banks? Or did they have to withdrawal all of it and take it with them? | [
"It depends on how much money they had. In a one way migration from town to town, If they were poor or even middle class they had it on them in a physical way, either in cash, coinage, or mostly they bought supplies with it (wagon, oxen, rifles, etc) before they left. Later migrations they might have a check or a b... | [
"When you say \"before the internet\", you're probably thinking the early 90s or maybe even the 80s. Banks were using computers and networking back in the 50s and 60s to keep things straight. Before that, people used a lot of cash. If you wanted to travel, you'd get travelers cheques. If you wanted to move, you'd g... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Question on the Sinking of the Arizona at Pearl Harbor | [
"Alright, I did some quick google fu and I think I know what you are seeing. The *Arizona* and her sister ship the *Pennsylvania* received extensive modernization in the 1930's. Part of the modernization scheme for each ship was the addition of a substantial number of 5inch AA gun turrets. *Arizona* also had update... | [
"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 Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Logistically speaking, how exactly was large amounts of money transferred in centuries past? | [
"Well in 1867 we already had a banking system, and a form of money that was representative of a gold standard, rather than using actual gold. Moving around large sums of money in terms of gold, silver and the like was usually difficult, within Europe during and after the Renaissance period you could use banks and u... | [
"Theoretically it would would work. Logistically it would be almost impossible. Your talking about moving millions of tons of gases millions of miles across space."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Wednesday What's New in History | March 02, 2016 | [
"There's a newly discovered Anglo-Saxon site in Lincolnshire: _URL_0_"
] | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How has hosting the Olympics affected the host countries over the long term? | [
"I'm not entirely sure about other countries but I do know that the economic after effects of hosting an Olympics isn't always better. [Here](_URL_0_) is an article from the Daily Beast about your exact question. I do know it's often a huge undertaking for countries to host the Olympics because they often have to b... | [
"How would you define \"winning\" a presidential debate?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What equipment did the Kuwaiti Army use prior to the Iraqi invasion in 1990? | [
"I cannot answer #1, 2, and 5, but here are answers for 3 & 4. 3. The most common Kuwaiti MBT was the Chieftain MK 5/2 (165), followed by smaller numbers of Vickers MBT (70) and Centurion (40). The Kuwaitis also had a small number of M-84s (6) from Yugoslavia to replace the Chieftain. The primary armored reconnais... | [
"The Chinese were equipped with Soviet made MiG-15 fighters. They outclassed everything that the UN could put into the air and it stayed that way largely until the introduction of the North American Sabre. While the Sabre closed the performance gap, it was by no means a superior aircraft. Source: Xiaoming Zhang, \"... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Looking for sources (books etc.) about the daily life of british soldiers/seaman during the napoleonic war | [
"You, my friend, are going to want to read [The Recollections of Rifleman Harris](_URL_0_) for information regarding the life of a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. Keep in mind, of course, that Harris (who Cornwell based his character Harris on) does exaggerate, but it's still a pretty fun read."
] | [
"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 query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Hello, historians. Who can tell me more about swordsteps? | [
"I found this talking about the uneven steps. _URL_0_ Looks like it was pretty common."
] | [
"What do you want to know about them exactly?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
"Why did Japan lose in WW2?" - Where can I find proper data? | [
"This seems to be the kind of data you're looking for, yes? [US wartime production numbers](_URL_5_) [Military Production of Japan](_URL_0_) [Critique of Japanese Airforce \"Fatal Flaw\"](_URL_4_) [Overview of many of the types of aircraft, naval vessels, armor, and small armed produced and used by all participants... | [
"> first two world wars > Russia's losses > collapse Do you mean to ask about the heavy casualties in the wars and how they related to the rise and fall of the USSR? There are other.. stranger interpretations of this question so I'm trying to clarify for others."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How were one or more miscarriages viewed in the late middle ages? | [
"From my source (Cunningham's *Children and Childhood in Western Society Since 1500*) it is implied that there was grief for children. Not much is mentioned when it comes to miscarriages. But people did show a lot of concern when a child the first seven years of a human's life, *infantia*, died. Especially if the c... | [
"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 document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I often see a portrayal of an elegant English lady as a woman in Victorian-style dress, carrying a little dainty umbrella, and followed with, always, a beautiful white poodle. What is the origin of this picture, especially the poodle? | [
"Pet fancy (breeding dogs, cats, rabbits, and possibly other animals for show purposes) was a feature of Victorian culture. Having a tiny white lapdog definitely signifies idleness and upper class status. Parasols were used to protect women's complexions from the sun, because milky white skin was part of the beaut... | [
"I'm convinced it's because they look so damned undignified when they're wet. And no animal values its dignity as highly as a cat."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
how far could we go back in time before English becomes incomprehensible? | [
"This question has been asked a few times before - take a look through the threads posted [here](_URL_0_) in our popular questions list."
] | [
"It's tough to do that. What is required is a reference. For hiroglyphics in Egypt for example that reference was the Rosetta stone. On it the same text was written in hiroglyphics, greek and babylonian (I guess...) So they could work from there. If there is no reference whatsoever and it's not a 'root language' fr... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Did any armies ever actually "salt the fields" of a defeated foe? If so, how did this work? | [
"hi! there's always room for more info, but you can get started on this section of the FAQ* [Salting the Earth](_URL_0_) *see the link on the sidebar or the wiki tab"
] | [
"There's really only two: countervalue and counterforce. Counterforce strategy refers to targeting your enemy's military forces. The objective is to deprive your enemy of the *ability* to go on fighting. Countervalue means targeting things your enemy considers important, but which don't directly relate to their mil... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why was calculus invented in the 17th century? | [
"[I think this excellent answer to a related question by /u/ManicMarine elucidates an answer to this \\(at least in part\\).](_URL_0_) > The fact that the geometry of physics had become so difficult to deal with in the late 17th century prompted people to look around for alternatives, and when they couldn't find t... | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Any idea who this goddess is? | [
"[I found this](_URL_0_). The window originated in Munich, Germany, but seems to now reside in Mexico City. It appears to be on display in the museum at the National Preparatory School of San Ildefonso. Still searching for the figure depicted -- as the school appears to have been reconstituted along Comtean positi... | [
"Because you always know who your mother is."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How did this word become such a vilified word in the United States when it's generally not considered as negatively in other English speaking countries? | [
"You might be interested in [this thread](_URL_0_) from /r/linguistics. The tl;dr is that the social strength/vulgarnes of words evolves, often without discrete reasons why. Words are taboo because they're taboo in many cases, not because of some logical reason why they ought to be."
] | [
"Everything East of Europe used to be called the Orient. Europe used to be called Occident. Those from the Orient were referred to as Orientals. Somewhere along the line people, especially in the US, started thinking Oriental was a racist term. Elsewhere in the English speaking world it's frowned upon as being old... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
I've read a lot of novels where the characters will agree to meet "an hour before sunrise," or some other really vague time. Was there ever a period in history when people really used such unspecific times to make appointments? | [
"[\"How did people wake up before alarm clocks?\"](_URL_0_) [FAQ: Waking up without alarm clocks](_URL_1_) for more general timey-wimey answers. Hope some of those help!"
] | [
"It is \"of the clock\" as was already answered. I'll take it a step further. Now with digital clocks we're used to everyone's clocks being in sync. This wasn't always the case. Clocks being out of sync used to be a major problem, and the further back in history you go the worse the problem was. So \"of the clock\"... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about History:",
"pos": "Represent the document about History:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Were the "Swimsuit police" real? | [
"You're looking a colourised version of USofA Library of Congress negative number LC-F8-19191, now filed as picture item [90708909](_URL_0_). The item title is *Col. Sherrell, Supt. of Public Buildings and Grounds, has issued an order that bathing suits at the Wash[ington] bathing beach must not be over six inc... | [
"\"Twitter comes to the rescue of the KKK\" not good publicity."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Was there International pressure on Britain to deconstruct their Empire, and if so how did it develop until it was finally disbanded? | [
"The left wing voice within Britain calling for the empire to be disbanded began with the Paris treaty of 1919 (with Wilson's emphasis on local rule) and continued and evolved through the 1960s. There were some external influences, notably Gandhi, but the dialogue was mostly taking place in upper class sitting room... | [
"I think your question is misplaced, what era did America force Britain into decolonisation? It can't have been the American revolution, as the empire only grew after 1783, and didn't peak until 1922 150 years *after* the American revolution. If you are speaking of post WWII, then it was Britain herself who forced... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence about history:"
} |
Al-Jazari and the Byzantine siphon | [
"Can you give me a full citation on the book?"
] | [
"Looks like whats Known variously as a chaperon or a bourrelet."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
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} |
When did humanity realize that photosynthesis was an aspect of plant growth and agriculture? | [
"The sun has been associated with growth and fertility for as long as people have been writing about religion. The earliest evidence I can think of is the Pyramid Texts of Unas, a 5th Dynasty Egyptian king who ruled 2375-2345. They describe Re as a sun god who created himself and provides the deceased king with gra... | [
"Because through the various traits of evolution (which doesn't really have a why, it just is) a substance which happens to be white turned out to be the best one for chewing food."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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} |
Are there any accounts of telescopes watching the moon landing? | [
"No because it can't be done. For example if you put a football stadium on the Moon it would appear as 1 pixel in a picture by the Hubble Space Telescope. I know, but how does it look at other galaxies when they're so far away? Because galaxies are huge. Even something like the Andromeda Galaxy, which is over 2 mi... | [
"because the rocket was so high up, that it was not shaded by the earth. just like the moon that is also visible in the video. This was only possible because it was shortly after sunset."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about science:"
} |
What would an empty barrel cost in 1860's? | [
"Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't \"barrel\" as used to measure petroleum simply a unit of measure and does not imply that there is a physical barrel involved?"
] | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How did profanity develop? | [
"If you want to try a sub with linguists they hang out at /r/linguistics! However, we do have historical linguists around this sub too so your questions is fine here. :)"
] | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did James I manage to pacify the borderland between England and Scotland and end the border reavers? | [
"Both London and Edinburgh had the physical power to end the border reaving any time in the sixteenth century; they just needed to send out magistrates who would consistently enforce the law and hang cattle thieves. It wasn't that they couldn't catch the reavers; there are lots of court cases against various raider... | [
"Dublin may not have been sacked in recent times but it changed hands by force many times in its early history. For example the suburbs were sacked by Robert the Bruce in 1315 and it fell to the Fitzgeralds during the Wars of the Roses. There were two unsuccessful sieges during the confederate wars in the 1640s."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What made the Norse/Scandinavians more willing to take the long and dangerous sea voyages they took? | [
"/u/isndasnu shared a lecture series in [this thread](_URL_1_), where archaeologist [Professor Neil Price](_URL_0_) talks about the \"The Viking Mind\" at Cornell University. He discusses Norse beliefs and values, including motivations for their expeditions, starting in lecture #1 @ 54:00. He describes an especiall... | [
"The Vikings did set up a few short term colonies for resource exploitation however. It is thought that the reason they did not set up large permanent colonies was due to hostile relations with the natives, whom the vikings were far too few in number to subdue like the Spanish did later."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What are some of the most underrated historical events? Events that have had a huge impact on our lives, but we almost don't even think of them or realize their impact. | [
"I mention this not because I am an expert at all on the subject, but because I want someone else to flesh things out, but the **Treaty of Westphalia** in 1648 essentially created state power and sovereignty as we know it today, preventing other powers from controlling domestic affairs inside a foreign country."
] | [
"I think significance is a relative term to use. The way we perceive what happens in our lifetimes depends on who and when and where we are. I imagine everyone to ever live believed their time was the most trying in human history to some standard. Sorry if that doesn't help. I do find that a fascinating question."
... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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} |
In the video game Crusader Kings 2 medieval rulers send their diplomats to fabricate claims on titles has this basis in reality? | [
"To clarify: it forges documents such that the sender had a legitimate claim on it"
] | [
"The Germanic tribes adopted Christianity (giving them permanent links to Rome and to other European groups) adopted writing, and transitioned into being feudal kingdoms. Feudalism started as little more than warlords pledging their loyalty to stronger warlords, with the various warlords controlling/protecting the ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why did the Chinese lease colonies to Germany, UK, France and Portugal in the 19th Centuries? | [
"They didn't really have a choice? The Chinese had huge armies, but were using Middle Ages tactics against European powers using the latest in 19th century hardware and tactics. Look at the numbers: in the First Opium War, the Brits had 19,000 troops vs. 200,000 for the Chinese. But by the end of the war, only 521 ... | [
"Arguably, Japan made out quite well during the first World War. At the time, Japan was an ally of the United Kingdom, and early in the war Japan arranged to strike at German territories in China and the Pacific Islands in exchange for continued occupation of those areas after the war. Japan ended up intervening (o... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How/when did the convention of numbering English kings from 1066 start? | [
"hi! you may be interested in these posts * [Why is it that the regnal numbers of the monarchs of England start from the Norman Conquest? For example why is Edward I not known as Edward II, and Edward the Confessor known as Edward I?](_URL_3_) featuring /u/Miles_Sine_Castrum * [Why did the regnal numbers for the ... | [
"First, it is BCE for \"Before the Common Era\" and CE for \"Common Era\". Or prior to that it was BC for \"Before Christ\" and AD for \"Anno Domini\" or \"in the year of the Lord\". AC is for air conditioning or alternating current. > but how did they measure the years at the time? It depends on who you were talk... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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} |
How did Scipio escape death at Cannae? | [
"It seems as if he managed to make it back to the Roman camp at Canusium in a group of several thousand Romans who had also managed to escape. I can't find anything in more detail, I'm afraid. He rallied them and prevented them (including senior officers) from fleeing to Sicily seeing as Rome was apparently wide op... | [
"It is unsure how many of Hannibal's elephants even survived the march across the alps. When Hannibal clashed with the Romans at the Trebia, he still had some elephants alive (the claims range from \"some\" to \"all 37\") but those that survived the battle fell ill from infections and a sudden cold snap afterwards.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What have people been wiping their butts with over time? | [
"You might also be interested in [this section](_URL_0_) of our FAQ."
] | [
"They've been rubbing flavour juices all over each other."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
What are some notorious "bad history" sites/sources, in the vein of _URL_0_ and the Institute for Historic Review? | [
"Rather than provide you with a list of sites, your educators would do better to teach you to be critical of all source material. When you find a site that looks suspicious (amateurish layout, sensational headlines), find out who the writers are and what their background is. For instance, at the bottom of the front... | [
"It is an old and standard conspiracy theory. See e.g.: _URL_4_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Did the Romans hold aquatic races? | [
"There is a [long scene in the Aeneid](_URL_0_) where they hold a ship race. Of course, Virgil could have been somewhat fanciful, but he certainly got the idea from somewhere."
] | [
"Was there a similar attempt to recruit Japanese scientists?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
"The Americans" portrays the Soviets as believing that Alexander Haig's "I am in control" statement as meaning that a coup was being undertaken. Is there any truth to this portrayal? | [
"I don't know the show at all, but I'm obviously familiar with Haig's famous quote. My initial thoughts are that they are incorrect. As you can see [here](_URL_0_), the Politburo was busy with \"the Polish Crisis\" in March 1981. In fact, on Mar 31, the general strike began, and the Politburo was looking at that. D... | [
"Actually, none of the above! The official North Korean line, both at the time and now, is that North Korea was invaded by South Korean forces (supported both openly and covertly by the American jackals), and that it sought only to defend itself against this naked aggression. In fact, Kim il-Sung's military genius ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Was Louis XVI's financial situation really so dire? How did they fail so fantastically to get ahead of their finances? | [
"I am on mobile, so apologies that some dates and numbers are generalities, but it feels like nobody has discussed a huge component in the Haitian Revolution, which is partially responsible/overlaps for the conditions of revolutionary France. At its height, the island was producing 2/3rds of all of France's exports... | [
"The USA has a massive economy & can manage to make payments on those debts because its citizens pay taxes. Being deeply in debt is not an issue as long as you can make all your payments on time. Greece is a tiny country with rampant tax fraud. They can't keep up on their payments & the bill collectors are showing ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Over on /r/history there's a post about Chief Joseph, a native Nez Perce leader, possessing an Assyrian cuneform tablet. What can we do, as historians, to combat this kind of pseudo-history BS? | [
"Not much. By their very nature conspiracy theories tend to imply that \"mainstream\" historians are not to be trusted and are in on the conspiracy. At best you can spend a lot of time and effort researching rebuttals."
] | [
"No. If you're interested in analyzing specific evidences presented on the show, I'm sure one of us would be up for it. But overall, the theory is based on sensationalism, selective use of sources, ignorance and inexperience with primary research methods, presumptuous mistrust in authority (a silly concept I like t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about history:",
"pos": "Represent the post about history:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How were wages determined in the USSR? | [
"A follow-up question, what was the most that one could make via legitimate methods and what job did they have?"
] | [
"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 document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Did the sun literally never set on the British empire? | [
"While it was not true for the British Empire throughout its life, it certainly was true that the sun never set on the Empire at its height of its geographical extent in the 1920s. If we run through the 24 time zones, we can see that each one was home to a British territory or mandate of some sort after the divisio... | [
"For a while the British had the largest and most dominant empire in the world. They spoke English. Extend that out."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What was the largest advantage that one civilization held over the rest of the world in military technology at any time? | [
"The Hitties had the advantage of iron in the bronze age. Once should note it wasn't steel and poor iron likely not as good for arms and armor as good bronze. The main advantage of iron was that it was much more readily availiable in the area, therefore you could field a much greater number of troops."
] | [
"Egypt is one of the oldest civilizations on the planet and we hear a lot about them and their history prior to European colonial era. We also hear a lot about the Caliphate eras of the middle ages and dark ages which controlled much of North and Central Africa, and of Carthage that was in North Africa during the R... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Both the UK and the US saw game-changing conservatives (Reagan and Thatcher) replaced with center-left leaders (Clinton and Blair). Was this due to interactions across the Atlantic, or just a coincidence? | [
"Neither Reagan nor Thatcher were followed by Clinton or Blair"
] | [
"The conter-intutitve idea that in a recession the government should spend more money, not less, was largely proposed by the economist John Keynes and were widely taken up by governments all over the world in the 1930s, with varying degrees of success. Since the 1980s, however, Keynes's ideas have been largely out ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why was Machiavelli's "the Art of War" considered a failure? What was it about his ideas, strategies, and tactics that didn't work? | [
"I am not sure where you are getting the information that it was considered a failure. While not perfect it was relatively well received at the time and still holds interesting nuggets of information. I would agree that it is not nearly as well known or considered as the more famous document of the same title; howe... | [
"I have a related tangential question: While Machiavelli's 'The Prince' often seems to be interpreted as a 'how to' for unethical small-time nobility to gain and maintain power, I've often felt that this is too literal a reading. It's my understanding that Machiavelli was a dedicated civil servant (a 'technocrat', ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
"Of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them" Is this true? If so, what years where those? If false, when was the last year without war? | [
"Isn't this an unanswerable question? For much of that time we don't have any sources on what was going on in the Americas for example. While we could've had one or two years of peace in Europe and Asia (though I doubt it) we don't know what happened in the Americas. Could've been loads of wars."
] | [
"Firstly, we cannot really accurately list all military conflicts. It's such a broad concept, and can include everything from border wars to drug wars. After some research, I do have some numbers though. But, according to _URL_0_, there have been \"over 250 major wars\" since 1945. So, we'll use that number. Of all... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
[META] What about adding to the schedule a day for discussion of major factional/ideological splits within the current-day historical and academic community? Sort of a more informed SubRedditDrama for history academia? | [
"My upvote is a \"yes, please\". I have been proposing a more general \"What's new in academic history?\" day for a while now. We could include *current* trends and debates in historiography, new books, the politics of academia, etc. I know that Friday and Saturday would cover these, but a more focused weekly day m... | [
"Because as the side bar states this sub is: > Appropriate for questions about current events, history, **politics**, culture and more. Outside of the US election or the odd other massive event the level of politics questions are never high enough to swamp this sub or justify a new one."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Is there conclusive answer to the Jefferson - Hemings question? Was it Thomas Jefferson or is their evidence it could have been another jefferson | [
"While there is a general agreement that Thomas Jefferson did father children by Sally Hemming, is there any evidence to prove or disprove that it was consensual? Was at an affair with some degree of romantic feelings or did Jefferson take advantage of Sallys position as a slave?"
] | [
"Because you can be absolutely certain that the child is related to the mother, but you can't be absolutely certain that they are related to the father."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Historians of reddit, what would a "This week/year in history" look like? What are the hot topics of academic History? | [
"If you're not aware, we have a weekly thread here on \"What's new in History?\""
] | [
"Something to think about for context- there was only the network and local evening news and newspapers at the time, and the Vietnam War, Cambodia and Laos, the 26th Amendment, shool busing in the Supreme Court, the Pentagon Papers and Daniel Ellsberg, the Aattica prison riots, the Sylmar earthquake, and so on were... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Question about using Hayden White and Metahistory in a paper. | [
"We need to see where you are with White first. Could you post a paragraph or so explaining what you think White says? From there we can build on why that's important, and how to use White and other theorists. For now, keep in mind that \"theory\" in history is something that helps us think about how history works.... | [
"Having just written a primary source analysis as part of my coursework for a history unit at university, this helped me critically analyse a primary source. (link to 'How to read a primary source' on the side bar) _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Monday Methods: Comparison as a method in history | [
"I'd love to know what is the experts' stance on comparisons to our current era. How does one even prevent presentism in such cases? Logically to me, it seems that the broader the context necessary, the less useful an analogy to the past is. In cases like \"Is XY presidency as troubled as YZ one in the past?\" it's... | [
"Reddit as the new opiate of the masses?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
I've been reading a book on the Cherokee and it keeps mentioning a dish called connahayny that was favored among them. Where can I get my hands on a recipe for it? | [
"Could it be [Hominy Corn Drink, aka Gvnohenv, pronounced Guh-no-he-nuh](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Fortunately there is a cook book from the late 4th or early 5th century CE. That book is Apicius. Keep in mind these recipes would have been for the upper class of society. There is a section on fowl which includes chicken, pheasant, goose, duck and doves. It also includes ostrich and peacock along with a few othe... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Was there anything resembling science fiction prior to electricity? | [
"I've looked at the sort of \"prehistory\" of science fiction before, if you're interested: * [Before 1700, where there any books or plays with a definite setting in the future? How did they present future society, and what were their predictions?](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"What makes you think they didn't? For instance, in his novel \"The Mysterious Island\", Jules Verne describes a discussion about the future of civilization after coal runs out."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Herodotus says Xerxes invaded Greece with 5 million people. I know this is unlikely; but did he intend this to be taken literally? Did his readers believe this number? | [
"Hi! I answered your question a while ago [here](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"Thank you for taking the time to answer. Interesting stuff. One thing though. Can we really assume that Livy and especially Polybius could be wrong/lying on a subject? Polybius was almost contemporary to the event. One might think that at a time he wrote his Histories everyone still knew quite definitely who was i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Persian glassware has been found in a 1500 years old grave in Japan. Under which circumstances did it get there? (details inside) | [
"In 500 AD, the Sassanid empire controlled Samarkand and cooperated with the Jin dynasty to keep the Silk Road through Central Asia open and safe for travel. The Persians traded with the Han dynasty, so the Sassanid were merely continuing a long tradition. This glassware had around 300 years to get into China, then... | [
"There are many depictions of 16th and 17th Century Europeans in Iran, like in murals in Isfahan. Europeans often traveled and lived there. Many Dutch and Portuguese are shown in murals on the Chehel Sotun reception palace _URL_2_ _URL_1_ These tiles in the Metropolitan Museum in NY show a romantic scene _URL_... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
A top response in an askreddit thread about great lies in history claims that Kim-Il Sung (Kim Jung Un's grandfather) was very likely an impostor. How much legitimacy is there to this claim? | [
"While I can't assess his claim (mostly because there's no evidence provided) I can tell you that I'm extremely skeptical that it's anything more than propaganda. Contrary to what the people in the thread say, we do actually have a pretty decent record of the time, between Japanese, Chinese, and Soviet resources. W... | [
"I'd recommend you ask it in /r/NorthKorea, because that's where you'll find the most people who know about the issue. But are you sure you mean Kim Jong-Il? He ruled North Korea from 1994 to 2011. Pre-1994, he was less involved and his father, Kim Il-Sung, would be the ultimate authority. So you you mean Kim Il-S... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Was it common in history for landowners to sell their woods for timber before forfeiting them? Or, on a related note, was it common to deforest the lands of the enemy? | [
"hi! Could you clarify the scope of this question? Are you mainly asking about practices in Scotland / the British Isles roughly around the Civil Wars, or landowners anytime anywhere? [hint: [say the former](_URL_0_) ]"
] | [
"It's handled by the winning party, and it is handled however they see fit. They can either have people show proof that they owned land and try and give it back to the original owners, or they can seize it and hand it out to the people that supported them in the war. Alternatively, it can be appropriated by locals.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Wednesday What's New in History | August 23, 2017 | [
"Over the weekend it was announced that Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, had actually made another major undersea discovery following up on their 2015 discovery of the wreck of the IJN battleship *Musashi*. Allen and his team with aid from the US Navy found the site of the *USS Indianapolis* in the Philippi... | [
"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 document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How accurate are the points in this Cracked article? | [
"It's actually not terrible, which is unusual for Cracked. I feel like the author might have actually done some research for it. This isn't to say it is perfect (for example, even though the Church was the center of \"learning\" it wasn't as if everyone else was uneducated) but I think this article might actually l... | [
"Out of curiosity, was this post prompted by the \"Amazing Story\" video on the front page?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
I read that the first university in the New World was founded in Mexico in 1544. What university is this? | [
"This is a tricky question. The University of Santo Domingo was founded by papal bull in [1538](_URL_0_), then authorized by royal decree in 1558. As an institution it predates either university founded on the mainland, even if the royal authorization post dates both."
] | [
"The Phillipines was part of the Spanish empire for over 300 years. It was even named after King Philip II of Spain."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Wednesday What's New in History | May 18, 2016 | [
"Well I don't know what's new in history, but what's new in _bad journalism about history_, the UK newspapers/tabloids have been [passing this terrible, stupid story around](_URL_0_). Let's check off the sins: * Running random, unevidenced assertions of an elderly person? check * Total lack of following up on actua... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Was there such a thing as price control in the early Roman Empire? | [
"In 301 The Emperor Diocletian enacted price controls in his attempt to stabilize the Empires economy. The results were what we would now expect. Even with the penalty of death a possibility, people still largely ignored them. This is a link to the actual Edict translated from the Latin. Its ponderous as most legal... | [
"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 title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Help me identify grandfathers War trophy. | [
"On the blade of the sword is a mark with the word \"Solingen\", which is a place in germany. After some search with the given information i found this website ([_URL_9_](_URL_6_)) with WW2 swords for sale. If we take into account the swastika on the right side, the colour of the metal, the hawk and the handguard d... | [
"Something About an apple or fruit.. Source: book i found in the drawer at a hotel."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Wednesday What's New in History | September 07, 2016 | [
"[13th century Maya codex, long shrouded in controversy, proves genuine](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Good (US) Civil War overview book recommendations? | [
"Probably the best one-volume general history of the war (and its causes) is James McPherson's [*Battle Cry of Freedom*](_URL_0_). I'm not sure what you mean by a \"time-line style book,\" though, so this might be an off-base suggestion."
] | [
"Chronological: - Ray Harris Jr.- The History of World War 2 - Mike Dunkan - The History of Rome - Robin Pierson - The History of Byzantium (follow up podcast) - Khodadad Rezakhani - Iranologie (History of Iran) - The British History Podcast Other: - The AskHistorians Podcast (Intervies with AskHistorians contribut... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
What was the purpose of the satchels worn around the neck and on the chest of many Entente soldiers during WW1? | [
"That is a gas mask bag. They wore it there because it gives access to it much quicker and easier, as well as being a holder for the filter canister."
] | [
"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 passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How did one secure a boat during the age of sail | [
"In the sagas there is a great deal of description of travel by sail. In general, the boat owners stayed with the boat. If the had to leave the boat when they were away from home, they usually left people aboard with the express task of keeping the boat safe. At home boats were often hauled out of the water and kep... | [
"Are you considering the 18th century to be in conjunction with the great divergence?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Can someone explain the Cold War as if they were talking to an idiotic 5 year old? | [
"You might want to try r/ELI5... seems appropriate."
] | [
"Can you explain that question like I'm five? Then explain that answer like I'm a fetus."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
A friend of mine found this in her granddad's WW2 memorabilia after he passed away. What is this, what does it say, and who is this person? | [
"It's a wehrpass--a document all German men were issued it after they registered for the military. Active duty military men wouldn't have that with them--they'd have a military document instead. This guy's name looks to me to be Emil Albert Gmelin and there's a stamp on there that says \"Mosbach\", which is a city ... | [
"Far left is a sticker for participating in a 10k run, mid-right is a turtle, far right appears to be an identification tag of some sort, and I don't know what mid-left is."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about history:",
"pos": "Represent the comment about history:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
WWII - Found this is a box of my deceased grandfathers possessions. What is it? | [
"Lagergeld (literally storage money or storage charges), during WWII, were employed within ghettos and concentration camps in replacement of actual money. This would ensure that prisoners would not have any valuable currency on their person if they should escape. This money had been used by German authorities sinc... | [
"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 query about history:",
"pos": "Represent the document about history:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
The teacher you wish you had. | [
"I think you should do your best to undermine the \"Dark Ages\" - > \"Renaissance\" narrative. Point out that lots of interesting things were happening all over the world in that period, and don't stay in Europe."
] | [
"Because you always know who your mother is."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I always hear about the misdrops on D-Day and how common they were. Before D-Day did the paratroopers have any specific training for dealing with the consequences of misdrops? If they didn't, did they have any for when they dropped into Holland? | [
"US doctrine didn't rely on pinpoint accuracy of drops, because the procedure was to land, proceed to a predetermined rallying point (using orientation and land navigation skills) and then continue from there. Otherwise, doctrine emphasized the value of initiative and targets of opportunity. This is from Field Manu... | [
"> but why are those soldiers being thrown from planes? For mobility. If you need to get troops somewhere RIGHT NOW and you don't have time to send them by sea or land, sending them by air provides another option. Also, maybe you want to attack a location behind enemy lines. One famous example was D-Day, when the A... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
From where did the Venetian Arsenal get its supplies of timber to build ships/galleys? Was there ever timber shortages? | [
"The land surrounding Venice provided a wide range of timbers of [excellent ship-building quality](_URL_0_) which, as a state-run operation, were exclusively available to the Arsenal and not private ship yards in the city. These lands were gained by the Venetian Republic in wars on the Italian mainland and were inv... | [
"Ramming was a big element of pre-gunpowder naval warfare. Ram, board, murder, take, and repeat. Why do you believe it would be *easier* to raid costal communities? In its early history, the republic of Venice seized various cities along the Dalmatian coast (Pola, Zara, Ragusa, Spalato) to better check pirate raidi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How was the alliance with a communist country (USSR) durring WWII viewed by U.S. citizens. | [
"[The Myth of the Eastern Front](_URL_0_) - this book has at least a chapter or two on American perceptions of the Soviet Union, Stalin, etc., during and immediately after the war."
] | [
"By the US, you mean Rooservelt, because the US actually did help a few of its western allies (i.e France) try to keep their colonial domains after 1945. Especially with the start of the cold war. But also helped the colonized/ex-colonized (i.e Suez, Indonesia) after the war. But Roosevelt's basic view was that Eur... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What was supposed to be the appeal of the "bullet"-style bra of the 50's? | [
"The same appeal as Victoria Secret's smooshy-pushy bras of today - to draw the eye! Bras create a breast shape, and bustlines go through fashions like anything else (waistlines, hemlines, etc.) Now the fashionable bustline is very rounded, so the bullet-look seems more extreme to you I'm guessing. It was a small p... | [
"It's just too soon. In 2005 we didn't have a good idea of what \"90's fashion\" was (except for maybe early 90's, 1990-1991). Give it another 10 years and there will certainly be a \"2000's\" fashion and music style."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Bones of giants, described within the memoirs of the conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castello | [
"/u/drylaw gives a very good answer, but I want to address the issue of REAL giants rather than simply being a buzz kill. Take a look at [THIS!!!!](_URL_2_) You can see from the size of my hand compared to this cast of a prehistoric bone that this was one huge individual. But wait!!! So you thought that was a thig... | [
"I don't know about Columbus, but with Cortes many of the survivors were given lands in Mexico once the conquest of Mexico was complete. Many went home to Spain. Example - Bernal Díaz del Castillo - a foot soldier in the conquest of Mexico with Cortes. As a reward for his service, Díaz was appointed governor of San... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
What actually makes a general a great general? | [
"[I wrote a piece about Zhukov's legacy which you might find useful.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"In the real world why would anyone want to be a politician?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Happy 2nd Birthday, AskHistorians! | [
"> Your favorite askhistorians moment Four words: April. Fools. Rule. Changes. That was fantastic."
] | [
"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 | {
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Are there any examples of historical (anything before WW1) armies realizing that what we call P.T.S.D. is bad for moral of other troops to be on the battlefield. Or this a modern concept? | [
"This is also covered in the FAQ: _URL_0_"
] | [
"The draft was last used in ~~World War II~~ Vietnam, at that time (and more so at the time when the program was first created) women where not seen as fit to fight in the armed forces. Also the whole protect the women and children rule that has been with humans for as long as we have been around. Even today there... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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What factors led the decline of Londinium and how did this change and allow London to develop? | [
"London is essentially a port city. Even if it isn't literally a port, it is a good \"hub point\" for much of the British island to connect to the Thames, and thus essentially controls much of the trade into and out of Britain (Bristol is probably the biggest exception). Therefore, its fortunes are heavily dependen... | [
"The major catalyst was the industrial revolution in the late 18th and early 19th century. Political stability and the ability to efficiently produce food were contributing causes to the industrial revolution happening."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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In my recent visit to a museum in Prague, I found numerous examples of very, very strange weapons and armor, with little to no descriptions despite dates which are hundreds of years old. Are these real artifacts? | [
"The horned viking helmet is indeed a reason to be suspicious, as that's a well known misconception. The helmets do look very strange to me. They seem hardly to have been affected by the 1000 years or more that have passed since they were made. Nevertheless they seem to be extremely plain, without any kind of decor... | [
"I recommend that you ask whether the classic Viking funeral with the burning boat ever occurred. There is plenty of archaeological evidence consisting of gravesites surrounded by stones arranged in the shape of a boat, and there are a few buried vessels used as graves, so the archaeology is good for this sort of g... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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Where are the remnants of the Challenger and Columbia shuttles? | [
"The fragments of both shuttles are in storage. *Challenger*'s remains, totaling about 30% of the shuttle and 75% of the crew area, are stored in a pair of retired missile silos at Cape Canaveral. Something like 84000 pieces of debris from *Columbia* were recovered from all across the American Southwest, and after ... | [
"The Space Shuttle got back a small part of the system, plus some solid rocket booster parts that were recovered. The SpaceX solution gets back more than half of the rocket."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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Looking for some good works on Southeast United States European colonialism. | [
"Check out Gallay's [Indian Slave Trade: Rise of the English Empire in the American South 1670-1717](_URL_1_), though it does focus a bit more on the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida than the western portion of the South. Also [Mapping the Mississippian Shatter Zone](_URL_4_) is a great collection of essays on how t... | [
"Are you considering the 18th century to be in conjunction with the great divergence?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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It's 1944: I'm a young American man. I just found out I've been selected for the WW2 draft. What happens next? | [
"I made a rather titanic post about the subject of the draftee [here](_URL_1_), but I'll reproduce it below. The height-weight-chest circumference standards I reference below are [here](_URL_0_). Routinely writing comments that approach the 10,000 character limit and need to be posted in quick succession has firmly... | [
"Blown to bits. Shot & lost in a jungle. Captured and tortured and killed without ever officially being recorded. Going crazy and running away. War is messy. You can't always keep track of everyone."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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What was the transition like from the Hapsburgs to the Bourbons in Spain? | [
"In what sense? The actual transition between ruling dynasties was bloody and very messy: the War of Spanish Succession was fought between the major powers of Europe over whether a Bourbon - and, more importantly, Louis XIV's grandson - should be allowed to ascend to the Spanish throne. But are you talking about th... | [
"Where would I go for material on the medieval monarchy in France? Ideally from the emergence of the Capetians to sometime in the Early Modern Era."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about Literature:"
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What libraries and institution hold the most unique knowledge? In the wake of the fires at Timbuktu, what other locations are most vulnerable to destruction? | [
"I believe that the Vatican is most likely the world's most valuable library, and from what I understand there has been work to digitize their collection (I don't know the process of what is chosen for digitization, but I imagine that there is some sort of sorting process.) Given the security of the Vatican, and th... | [
"It didn't set anyone back technologically. There were no secret weapons or forbidden knowledge hidden there. The value of the library was that it was a central hub of learning. There was so many rare and unique books there that it attracted a lot of really smart people. It may have been the largest library at one ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about History:"
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Is there a safety net for a First Lady in the event a president is assassinated in the United States? | [
"\"A presidential widow is provided a $20,000 annual lifetime pension and franking privileges. The widow must waive the right to any annuity or pension under any other legislation. \" This does not specify that the president was killed in office, but I believe that the rules stille applies. This rule comes from the... | [
"How would the president conduct a hostile takeover without the military? Also a takeover of what?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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How effective was literal salting of the earth? | [
"You guessed wrong, Carthage was not salted. The story of the salting of the city doesn't appear until the modern period, and is not in any ancient text. It wouldn't really have made sense, since Carthage was resettled within a couple decades of the city's destruction during the Gracchi's abortive attempt to establ... | [
"Welcome to the one of the strongest arguments against the prohibition of firearms."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Could someone point me in the direction of any autobiographies of the first explorers of the new world or Africa please? | [
"You might want to check the [log book of Columbus](_URL_0_), an interesting read. (Don't know if the edition is good, though, I only read it in German) Another interesting journal is the [one from James Cook](_URL_1_). If you're more interested in Africa, check out [How I Found Livingstone in Central Africa ]( _UR... | [
"Hi OP, can you clarify, are you asking about the initial settlement and migrations through the Americas by Aboriginal peoples, or colonization by Europeans? And in either case, what kinds of information are you looking for? This will greatly assist anyone considering answering here. Thanks!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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Bomb Shelters in Disney? | [
"While there are basements throughout Disneyland for the cast to use as break rooms, I've never heard of any of those spaces being built to bomb shelter level. Even with only 18 rides available on opening day they expected about 15,000 people (it ended up being 28,154). They reached 1 million visitors within a few ... | [
"Check out Robert E. May's *Manifest Destiny's Underworld*."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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Copy of an Egyptian hieroglyph on papyrus | [
"While Ask Historians is not here to do homework for people, I think it's probably ok if I point you in the right direction to find more information on that item (the mods obviously will correct me if I'm wrong!) The scene on that souvenir there is taken from the wall of the tomb of Horemheb, a pharaoh of the 18th ... | [
"Starting at Image 6 as requested, but will do the rest tomorrow: The title says \"Zanoza\", which means 'splinter'. Smaller type underneath says \"magazine (journal) of artistic satire; edited by R. L Antropov. The caption of the illustration is Sacrifice to the God Baal. It's hard to see what the victims have on... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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} |
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