query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
It's the 1800s and i am a young wealthy individual looking to study philosophy and political science after the encouragement of my father. Where do i go and what resources would my wealth present otherwise not accessible. | [
"Do you have a particular area of the world in mind? Also, do you have a particular gender, race, and/or ethnicity in mind?"
] | [
"One of the best parts about college (apart from the booze) is the library system, and particularly a world catalog. I am not sure what school you go to, but in many cases, you can order books from technically all over the world for anything you are interested in. Myself, I wanted to study more about the Babylonian... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
(WW2) Was there every any serious thought given to using ballistic shields during D-Day? | [
"I don't think you appreciate how heavy steel is. A German 7.92mm ball (not armor-piercing) round can go through 5mm of steel. A shield 5mm thick and large enough to cover a man would weigh around 120-150lbs. That's in addition to the 80lbs of gear he's already carrying. Such a shield would be completely unwieldy o... | [
"Destroying troops in cover or fortifications by air in WWII was hard. The Allies did try to launch a major bombing raid before the landings but they completely missed the target area."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Is there any compelling information to support the "Ancient Astronaut Theory?" | [
"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... | [
"What do you mean by the 'earliest breeds'?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How accurate was the portrayal of slave life in the movie "12 Years a Slave"? | [
"The movie is generally speaking taken accurately from the book. Many of the scenes that are added are for sake of time or for Hollywood (the stabbing on the slave ship for instance). The only major change that I disagreed with is in regards to Ford's character. In the movie Solomon reveals to Ford that he is a fre... | [
"Well, if you want general history books about the US from the right and from the left, then read *A People's History of the United States* by Howard Zinn (left) And from the right, *A Patriot's History of the United States*."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How was the USA viewed by the rest of the world during the period between WW1 and WW2? | [
"It's impossible to say all Americans were viewed like this but there was a general sentiment that they didn't understand European affairs and should keep out of it. A good example of this is the American president at Versailles (Woodrow Wilson I think) and how he was treated pretty poorly."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Were neanderthals really stronger than humans? | [
"My apologies if I'm wrong, but isn't this beyond the scope of this sub?"
] | [
"We didn't evolve from gorillas and chimps, we just have a common ancestor. Humans just got lucky and became smarter than others."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why were snakes and aspics so used in history as symbols ? | [
"Do you mean 'asp'? An aspic is a savoury jelly."
] | [
"We aren't 100% sure. There has been quite a bit of research into this but the heart symbol has been used by various cultures for 1000's of years and the exact origin isn't known. Theories regarding this are often nothing more than speculation, with many of them having been put forward as recently as the 20th centu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Do all countries have a version of "Taps" like the US does? | [
"The UK has \"the last post,\" it's the same or very similar to taps."
] | [
"In ceremonies involving the President and other military figures, the band is usually a military brass band, which has a particular brass-heavy sound. You won't find strings in a marching band, and that military / ceremonial connotation has leaked over to Washington culture. In addition to the brass, another commo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
What was the typical plunder per pirate? | [
"That can't really be answered because some pirates were wildly more successful than others. Black Bart Roberts captured over 400 prizes. Henry Morgan laid siege, successfully, to entire cities. Calico Jack and Blackbeard by contrast, while famous, both captured less than 50."
] | [
"Could you give an approximate year or period of the Empire when a citizen would be traveling?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How old was Xenophon during the events of the Anabasis? | [
"It is not exactly known when Xenophon son of Gryllos was born. However, he suggests in the *Anabasis* that he was slightly younger than his friend Proxenos, who was about 30 when he was murdered by the agents of Tissaphernes (2.6.20). It is therefore assumed that Xenophon was not yet 30 at the time of the expediti... | [
"Read one of the ancient historians like Thucydides, Herodotus, Livy, or Tacitus. I like Thucydides'account of the Peloponnesian war the best."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
AskHistorians Podcast 082 Discussion Post - The European Armoring Industry and Techniques 1300-1600 | [
"Wow! Great to see a podcast on this, a subject very close to my heart. If I could perhaps add a bit of additional information: The subject of the specific techniques that went into building medieval armour is still pretty open to discussion/new research. There was a fantastic paper published recently on the subjec... | [
"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 post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
In many westerns, there is usually a travelling salesman selling a dubious "cure-all" tonic. How common were they, and did any of their "magical elixirs" have any medical benefits? | [
"They were tremendously common. It's actually very amusing to go through old papers and see the kinds of nonsense claims they made. They look a bit like [this](_URL_1_). If you're interested, here's a bit of a homework exercise. Go to your library and look up your local newspaper from around 1880 to 1930. I was doi... | [
"It's like herbal remedies. You'll hear a lot of incredible claims about the power of chiropractic \"medicine\" but spinal adjustments have zero science behind them. In some cases it can even be dangerous."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did the tie evolve into the symbol of professionalism? What was it's initial purpose, if there was one? | [
"Since this is a fashion/necktie related thread, is it true that the style of ties tend to get wider and thinner over time? The reason I've always heard is that it's to make people buy new ties, but that's speculation. Edit: Just to clarify, I had heard from others that the point was to get people to buy new ties,... | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
I sometimes think the U.S. welfare system bogs the economy down. But I feel like part of my position is due to the fact I do not understand its history stemming from the Progressive Era.I've done some reading on my own, but can anyone explain the origins and evolution of the U.S. welfare state? | [
"The Progressive Era actually didn't install a lot of the components of the modern welfare state. There was increased regulation of the economy, but there was no real direct transfer of money from taxpayers to needy groups until the 1930's. The Roosevelt Administration brought in programs to specifically alleviate ... | [
"This is an excellent question that you unfortunately will probably not have properly answered in your lifetime. There are two reasons for this: 1. It is still intensely relevant to our current politics. How someone is inclined to interpret the New Deal is almost directly correlated to their contemporary political ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
What were some important historical figures who had substance abuse problems? | [
"Queen Victoria used a variety of drugs that are now illegal today."
] | [
"Neither Down Syndrome or Autism are mental illnesses. Could you clarify what you mean by this question? Do you mean disorders such as Down Syndrome or Autism, or mental illnesses, more along the lines of depression or schizophrenia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why did old fashioned lamp posts have cross arms? | [
"As you can see from [this picture](_URL_0_) form the Dutch National Archives, when servicing the light the ladder of the lamplighter would be placed against the cross arms."
] | [
"They are hollow. You walk up stairs or ride a small elevator. At the top there are handholds for climbing the last bit. Source: that's how they replace the light bulbs on the TV station tower I worked at."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Is "Adam Ruins Everything's" Reanimated History really as accurate as it makes itself out to be? | [
"Could you provide a link, or perhaps a list of claims you are interested in verifying?"
] | [
"Scientology isn't as popular as they want you to think it is."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about Religion and Crime:"
} |
Can someone help me identify this man? | [
"I think the [Department Military Archives](_URL_0_) of the German Federal Archives would be responsible here, but as it says on the site: > The archive material from the period up to 1945 suffered considerable losses as a consequence of war. Many of the records of the central service units of the armed forces and... | [
"I dont exactly know what your talking about do you have a photo of a reference of this ?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
(Post-)WWII Naval/Military Question | [
"With ship to ship communication you could use less power so that you wouldn't transmit as far. Think about the difference between a kid's Walkie Talkie that will barely communicate across the street compared to a CB radio in a big rig truck. If you wanted to communicate at a distance you would have to use a more p... | [
"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... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why are medieval kings pictured holding a church-like building in one hand? | [
"I have an [earlier answer](_URL_0_) about this, if you're interested! The birdhouse of the soul in medieval art can have a few meanings--Google reverse image search shows that the two examples you picked illustrate two of the main ones, which is pretty awesome. Survey says the first painting (in the earlier thread... | [
"These symbols have been used since the 17th century. I'm not sure how far back exactly their origins lie, but they were used in alchemy. Basically: The male symbol is that for Mars, the god of war. It's said to represent a shield and a spear. The female symbol is for Venus, the goddess of love. It supposedly repre... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
I'm a slave-owner in 1800s America. I have a change of heart and decide that I want to make my slave a free man, how difficult is this and what is the process? | [
"It wasn't a long process to manumit a slave. You went down to the courthouse and declared before a justice of the peace that the person or persons are hereby free. [Here is an example](_URL_2_). In practice it was far more complicated for the freedman than getting a job and buying a house. Between social and legal... | [
"If the woman is free, then the child is free. Same happens if a freed female slave had a child. Since the mother has no owner, neither does the child. The only thing I am not sure of, is if hypothetically the mother is evil or crazy, and wanted to sell her child into slavery. I don't know would would be the legal... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why did hunting ever become a way to gather food when simply trapping animals is much more efficient? | [
"Hi, this question is about human behaviour that reaches deep into *prehistory* (and even pre Homo Sapiens). For that reason, it would be worth x-posting to our sister sub /r/AskAnthropology. While there are some anthropologists here, there are more there, and with greater focus on earlier time periods and human ev... | [
"We eat specific types of eggs mainly because we domesticated chickens and bred them to produce a lot of eggs. Its very convenient, you just have a coop and can get all the eggs of a pretty good size that you want instead of going around looking for nests and climbing trees. For similar reasons we like to eat chick... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
I heard that the Ancient Egyptians didn't have a word for "freedom." Is this correct? What does this tell us about how the people saw the world? I think this is fascinating, are there any other similar examples of this in Egypt or other civilizations? | [
"> What does this tell us about how the people saw the world? Are you implying that to have an understanding of a concept, that a culture needs to have a word for it? English doesn't have a common word for the German word \"schadenfreude\" but if I explained that it mean \"finding amusement in someone else's pain\"... | [
"I have an interest in Greco-Roman philosophy, and before I started reading primary sources I wanted to know more about who the Greeks and Romans were: their lives, their culture, the views on themselves and the world around them, and the major events that happened around them (ie, the Peloponnesian war). I've bee... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about history:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about history:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
With a modern understanding of English what is the furtherest in time I could go back to in England and have a conversation? | [
"a popular question! not discouraging anyone from contributing more info, but check out this section of the \"popular questions\" wiki [How far back could I go and still communicate?](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Because it is not in current use and does not get any new words added to it. This way, if you know Latin, you know the exact same Latin that any other person who knows Latin would use."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How many people did Francois Duvalier recruit to participate in his secret police, the Tonton Macoutes? | [
"Several historians estimate that when Duvalier created them in 1959, the _tontons macoutes_ numbered around 25,000. To put this in perspective, the population of Haiti around this time was about [three and a half million](_URL_1_). Butch Ashton, a former Marine who had served in Haiti and helped train the men who ... | [
"Some of his greatest hits: -helped orchestrate a military coup in Chile in 1973 that overthrew the democratically elected socialist president Salvador Allende and installed brutal military dictator Augusto Pinochet -in the Ford administration, approved Indonesian dictator Suharto's decision to violently invade and... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Book Recommendations: South African/Angolan Border War? | [
"Leopold Scholtz, “The SADF in the Border War 1966-1989”, is the best most balanced book I've read. Also try Fred Bridgland \"The War for Africa\" Helmoed Heitman \"War in Angola: The Final South African Phase\", these two are more pro SADF but they were both reporters in Angola and Fred Bridgland was the reporter ... | [
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When did written exams come into vogue? | [
"I know that the Scholarship exams for [Westminster School](_URL_0_) were entirely oral until 1855. I suspect that that would be a good rough estimate for Western education, probably connected to the relative decline of the classics in favour of the sciences."
] | [
"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:"
} |
Has there ever been a head of state that led a country, ended their term and then led a completely different country? | [
"This may not be exactly what you're looking for, but the thirteenth-century Republic of Genoa (Italy) would employ a foreign noble as their ruler (the *podesta*) in an attempt to quell conflict between two clan-based parties - the Menacianos and Camadimos (think Shakepeare's Capulets and Montagues) - which undermi... | [
"If I remember right, Mussolinis government was overthrown by the dissent, who then formed their government and gained support of the military, killing their fascist leaders. I cant think of a time an independent nation switched sides in the middle of a war and didnt also change the group of people in charge"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Wednesday What's New in History | April 05, 2017 | [
"I have a new article out — new argument about how the Soviets got their H-bomb design: \"[The Secret of the Soviet H-bomb](_URL_0_)\""
] | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Egyptian mythology - is this a good lecture? | [
"I doubt anyone will sit through the 3 1/2 hour video, but I skimmed the book on Google Books, and repeated phrases like \"post-Atlantean cultures\" and \"Lemurian epoch\" are obvious signs the book is full of pseudohistory. Written in 1908, it's also woefully outdated. I recommend starting with [*The Complete Gods... | [
"What are some of the primary sources that you have found? This sounds interesting. Would you recommend any books for a fun read?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
What is the earliest known speculation on extraterrestrial life? | [
"the earliest known seems to be [Lucian's](_URL_2_) fanciful [*True History / True Story*](_URL_0_) - English translation [here](_URL_1_). For more examples are in the FAQ* * [Early ideas about aliens and UFOs](_URL_3_) *see the link on the sidebar or the wiki tab"
] | [
"It would be tantamount to what Thomas Kuhn termed a ‘paradigm shift.’ Basically, it would revolutionize the most basic conclusions scientists have had about the origins of life for hundreds of years."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
It's said that after the Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson's men openly cried for him in scenes of unalloyed sorrow. Is this true, or just propaganda? It seems hard to believe given that they were all hardened sailors | [
"At the time, manliness did not automatically mean an inability to emote. Manliness in the 1700s and early 1800s had two components - the plain-speaking, patriotic, independent man, and the paternal, emotional family man, which were combined in the ideal. This was particularly true for military men, who were expect... | [
"It's to do with protecting the weaker in society, those who depend on the strong for survival. There is evidence for an evolutionary aspect to protecting children, even when they're not our own. In many societies protecting women falls into a similar category. It seems to be most famous in nautical circles. For a ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did pre-Columbian land locked Native Americans get iodine? | [
"You'll probably be interested in [my previous answer](_URL_0_) regarding the pre-Columbian salt trade in the Eastern Woodlands. Since that post is now archived, if you have any follow-up questions, let me know here."
] | [
"There were few native domesticable species of animals and plants. Because of this, early societies there were not able to progress beyond hunter-gatherer tribes. Read *Guns, Germs and Steel*, by Jared Diamond."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What is the earliest year we could go back to with relative certainty that there is nothing that the US government is still classifying? | [
"By \"Government Secret\" Do you mean written records still extant today? There are a good many secrets (i.e. intelligence networks from the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars) that former government officials never committed to written records or perhaps destroyed the records without ever making them public."
... | [
"It is absolutely possible in theory. However, we have found no evidence that it happened. As far as we can tell, all the life that's ever been on Earth is related."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Another Django Unchained-inspired question: How common was foreign immigration to the US fairly prior to the Civil War? | [
"Immigration was very common before the american civil war. The immigration kicked off with a bang early during the 1800s. Some of the nationalities involved in the mass emmigration which started to take place was swedish, irish and german. Around a third of the swedish population did infact emmigrate to America."
... | [
"Germans moved over in several waves. Most other countries came in one or two waves. Look at the Pennsylvania Dutch. They are German. Germans came made another mass exodus prior to the American Civil war to escape political hardships, this time choosing Texas to settle. Another wave came before each of the Great Wa... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about History:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about History:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Has the recent declassification of the records of the french army mutinies of WW1 shed any new light on the events? | [
"This was brought up somewhat recently, so you might enjoy the discussion in [this thread](_URL_0_) on the topic of the declassification of French Army documents."
] | [
"Do you have a reference to this happening? The US had been following the political situation/unrest in France for a long time before the French Revolution broke out. Perhaps there's some misinterpretation due to that."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
During the construction of the Great Wall where there any attempts by laborers to revolt, large or small, once they saw the working conditions? | [
"Remember that, if you wish to comment in this thread, your comment must not only be sourced (beyond a link to wikipedia or search results for a YouTube documentary), but also must have **context**. If you give me two or three lines about a subject and nothing more, your response is going to be immediately deleted.... | [
"They would either be arrested, or in the process of overthrowing the government. Military command's pretty rigid."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Fortification Rifles (Firearms 18-19th Centuries) | [
"There's a bit of a blur between what is considered a swivel gun and a wall gun (which is the term I have heard used most often). Swivel guns often had no stock and were instead mounted in forks that were fixed in prepared positions (but they could be pulled up and moved). Wall guns usually looked like over-sized m... | [
"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... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What is the longest border in history? | [
"One could argue that the Treaty of Tordesillas defined the longest border between only two nations that has ever existed. The treaty divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between Portugal and Spain along a meridian 370 leagues. A meridian is a line from the North Pole to the South Pole, and assuming E... | [
"They were made in chronological order from when the state became part of the US."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Briefly, what's up with the historical significance of Unix and C relationship? | [
"Just for reference, one of the definitive \"overview history\" documents on the development of C as a 2nd iteration of BCPL-lite (aka 'B') is the short essay [*The Development of the C Language*](_URL_5_) written by [Dennis M. Ritchie](_URL_5_) (Bell Labs/Lucent Technologies , original copyright 1993, versioned fo... | [
"I would assume this is all talking about the 19th century; is this a typo?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
2000 years ago, what percentage of the population could read and write? | [
"In which region? Or are you looking for global statistics on literacy?"
] | [
"These languages all had mostly developed by the time long-distance travel had become common. You gotta remember for most of human history, the vast majority of people never traveled more than ~30 miles from where they were born."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Panel AMA - The Spanish Civil War | [
"How revolutionary was the general populace in areas controlled by the anarchists? Did they actually believe in the anarchist ideals? To what extent were those ideals actually carried out?"
] | [
"The Art of War in the Western World - Archer Jones"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Education:"
} |
In southern Sweden, there is a river called "the Holy River" in old Swedish. How common were river-based cults in Northern Europe during pre-Christian times? | [
"Pretty common. Many rivers in the Germanic and Celtic world have theophoric names, but the Greeks also had river gods. Actually, the practice of sacrificing in rivers goes back at least to the Bronze Age, and is widespread across Europe. River gods of course are not part of Christian belief, but in France people h... | [
"There's actually quite a lot of discussion about this among academics; even when it was written is uncertain, with dates ranging from early 700s through 1020 or so. So... ELI5: There were Anglo-Saxon invaders coming into England from around the 500s. The Anglo-Saxons were Germanic tribes that belonged to a larger... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about history:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about history:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Did the NYTimes run the headline "The Apostle of Hate is Dead" in response to Malcolm X's assassination? | [
"Maybe they're confusing it with this Guardian headline? _URL_7_ Source: _URL_6_"
] | [
"Because he became President and his name wasn't George W. Bush."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
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} |
Any rare legends, histories, or cool stories of the Native American peoples? (x-post r/History) | [
"Way too vague... want to narrow it down? No connections I know of between Thai and Burmese and Indigenous Americans; however, Taiwan has the best Indigenous TV news service in the world."
] | [
"You'll probably get more of a response in the subreddit /r/HistoricalWhatIf."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why was "prefecture" decided upon as the English translation of the Japanese administrative sub-divisions rather than something more common like "district?" | [
"The Portuguese arrived in Japan first, and they used their word _prefeitura_, and when the English speakers got there they made the perennial mistake of translating to the cognate 'prefecture' rather than a word closer in actual meaning. The Portuguese also started using the Indian term 'mandarin' for Chinese gove... | [
"Both words derived from Latin word \"*gubernare*\", but gubernatorial is a much newer word and was a direct derivation of the original Latin word while the word *governor* is much older and made a detour at Old French's *governeor* before becoming English *governor*."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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} |
What is the most peaceful century in history? | [
"In terms of overall decrease in violence throughout the world then the last hundred years has easily been the most peaceful. Despite what you see on the news there has been a trend of violence sharply decreasing. Largely it's because of the proliferation of stable democracies. (At the eve of World War I there were... | [
"What period and country are you asking about? There’s no context in your question."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Eli5 has asked where the term "Russian Roulette" comes from, but the answers are a mess. Historians, is there any historical explanation for the term? | [
"Hi, more discussion is welcome here, but do check out this earlier thread * [Russian roulette - what is the origin? Has it actually been played? Are there testimonials from survivors?](_URL_8_)"
] | [
"As in intentionally destroying historical records? This is not exactly a rare occurrence. So as to avoid a bunch of anecdotal answers, is there any time or place you're interested in?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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} |
How did the Pharaohs attach their metal ceremonial chin thingy? | [
"Most artwork shows that they were attached using ribbons or bands, going up around the ear or connecting to the traditional *nemes* headdress. You can see this particularly well on these specimens from the [Rijksmeseum](_URL_0_) and the Vienna [Museum](_URL_1_) of Fine Arts."
] | [
"Is this why old guys wear there pants up to their arm pits?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Resources on Anne Boleyn? | [
"The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives is a fantastic read. It's one of the most in depth accounts of her life (seeing as so many other accounts tend to look at Anne as just one in the succession of Henry VIII's wives), and he poses very convincing arguments that paint Anne's execution as a result of polit... | [
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How do you as historians treat information gathered illegally or through espionage? | [
"Archivists and librarians are held to a strict ethical code, which notably prescribes they won't disclose confidential information held by law. I come over secret or private documents when i work a the archives, and there are a lot of things i can't disclose to the public or in my works. Sometimes it's because of... | [
"The idea is to make sure everything is done by the books so nothing is coerced or planted. The only way to do this fairly is to do it indiscriminately."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Was there any special celebrations or events of note when the year 999 A.D. changed to 1000 A.D.? | [
"There is a previous answer to this question given by u/savvysioux here: _URL_0_"
] | [
"Because we started counting centuries at 0. Year 1 was in the first century, 101 in the second, 701 in the 8th, 2001 in the twenty first. EDIT: added word “centuries” for clarity"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why isn't Canada's John A MacDonald viewed in the same way as Washington and the founding fathers? | [
"I'm not quite sure what you're getting at OP. In Canadian circles that I know of MacDonald is considered to be on the same level as Washington and Franklin. Just some more background information would be nice because there are some reasons that I know of, but most of them are not historical reasons per se. They i... | [
"Just the US as far as I know. To the rest of the world he was just another dictator. Possibly something to do with the proximity of communism to the US."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If you were a peasant living in the countryside during the Middle Ages and there was a change in your governing body, whether by a death in the royal family, a coup or an invading force, how would you hear about it? How long would the news take to reach you? | [
"In Europe, the clergy had their own messenger service. They were actually required to maintain correspondence with Rome, or Canterbury. Most people were illiterate so town criers were also present to read approved prieces of information to the masses. News did travel very slow compared to modern times. I can't fin... | [
"Most royal families date back well over 500 years. Many spring from medieval times, when they controlled a great deal of land, had many serfs living under them, and were lord to many knights and soldiers. They then had the power to expand, taking more land, and getting more money, men, and soldiers at their dispos... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Are there any examples or records of pacifists or anti-war protestors in ancient civilizations? | [
"During the Peloponnesian War (431-404BCE), Athenian playwright Aristophanes wrote anti-war plays, *Lysistrata* (411BCE) being the one I'm more familiar with. It's about the women of Athens and Sparta joining together to protest the war by engaging in a sex strike."
] | [
"Are you referring to modern day people rebelling against the government, or historically among tribes?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
During the Three kingdoms period, was Lu Bu real? And was he as strong as people say he was? | [
"Lü Bu was a real person, yes. Chen Shou's *Sangouzhi* (三國志, Records of the Three Kingdoms, written in the 3rd century) mentions him, and that's pretty much the most cited historical document for the time period/location. While the site itself is mostly dedicated to Luo Guanzhong's *Sanguo yanyi* (三國演義, Romance of... | [
"It empahsis both his animalistic, childish behaviour with urination as well as his humanity and 'god hood' with his ability to write his own name. The story of Journey to the West, especially in the more modern takes of it, is about the duality of all of the characters, but especially the Monkey King in his abilit... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I have a few questions about this medieval European armor. Picture inside... | [
"The general style looks late 14th/early 15th century to me, particularly the leg-pieces and the gorget. However, if you're interested in composite armours, you should definitely check out [this report](_URL_0_) of the excavation of the Visby mass graves from 1361."
] | [
"To add on to this question, especially the nose?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about History:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about History:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Is Hisarlik Definitely Troy? | [
"The consensus is that the Homeric Troy and Trojan War is a literary invention, but that the Hisarlik Mound contains the remains of the city it was inspired by. Here's a previous answer by /u/kookingpot that goes over some evidence: [_URL_0_](_URL_1_)"
] | [
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Thursday Reading & Research | June 28, 2018 | [
"I'm looking for recommendations for books to read if I want an overview of the history of the LGBT+ movement in the United States but don't have any previous background knowledge in the subject."
] | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did elite Westerners entertain long-term visitors before the twentieth century? | [
"Nothing elaborate, and not an answer to your question, but one thing I will point out just for some reference is that prior to the late 19th century, the entire idea of a hotel did not exist. Sure you had inns and taverns, but those were not places the wealthy would stay. Instead if the wealthy traveled, they woul... | [
"Europe brought the world Mozart, Wagner, Rembrandt, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Kant, Aristotle, Gödel, Händel, Bach, van Gogh, Leonardo and Dumas. America brought the world the Baconator, NASCAR, double stuff Oreos, Ally McBeal, Ben Affleck, Paris Hilton, Jersey Shore, the Five Dollar Fillup at KFC, and the last three... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Has there been a society or commune that had no written laws, but didn't plunge into anarchy? If so, how did it work/fail? | [
"Technically speaking, a commune with no written laws is anarchy. Recent examples of anarchist communes would be Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War, and the Ukrainian Free Territory for a short time after the October Revolution."
] | [
"In general, It's talking about morality and the rules we live by, the rules society sets for us to live by, etc. If our rules or morals lead us to some form of malevolence, or cause us to experience pain, etc. why follow the rule? I'm sure someone can explain it better, but that's my take."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Has any aspect of the way you view the society you live in changed based on the period of history you study? | [
"My studies on race, urban, and media history has profoundly changed the way I view American society. Understanding media's role in the \"red scare\" and government's response to socialism, along with its fight against labor, allow me to understand the world I live in today. If we include Cold War history, almost t... | [
"This is a very broad question about an enormous international event. Can you narrow it down at all? Is there a particular kind of thing that you're hoping to hear about?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Covert infiltrations of military bases by one person sneaking around or taking out guards is a staple of movies and especially video games. Has anything like that ever happened in real life? | [
"You might be interested in the story of Sgt. Léo Major of *La Regiment de la Chaudière* during WWII. Major, then a Private, along with Corporal Wilfrid Arsenault, was sent to reconnoitre the Dutch city of Zwolle. During their approach, Cpl. Arsenault was killed and Pte. Major continued the advance alone. Once he w... | [
"When the US launched a raid on Osama Bin Laden, Seal Team Six breached an ally's border in a top secret stealth helicopter that had never been seen publicly before. The only reason anyone found out about it was because the helicopter crashed and though they attempted to destroy the helicopter with explosives, it w... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is it true that Mao Zedong rarely bathed and on other occasions took women against their will into his bedroom? | [
"I believe most of those claims came from [*The Private Life of Chairman Mao*](_URL_0_) by Li Zhisui. Li served for a time as Mao's personal physician. Many of the claims in the book have been disputed, not only by the CCP (of course), but also by historians and sinologists in the West. The main issue is that his c... | [
"It was really only common for Nobles and Royalty. Most common folk would share a bed, sometimes the whole family shared the same bed/bedroom. Nobles and Royals had the luxury of having huge houses so they often had a shared bedroom, then each had independent rooms that they would use. Now most would use their sha... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
With Trump's claims that the markets would crash if he was impeached, how did Nixon's resignation and Clinton's impeachment affect the stock markets? | [
"This submission has been removed because it involves current events. To keep from discussion of politics, we have a [20-year rule](_URL_0_) here. You may want to try /r/ask_politics or another current-events focused sub. For further explanation of this rule, feel free to consult [this Rules Roundtable](_URL_1_). Y... | [
"The reason why a non-investor should care is that when a long term downward trend happens, it generally means investors have less confidence in the market. Lower confidence in the market is typically an indicator of a weakening economy. As of today (12/24/18) the DOW is at the same level it was at in July of 2017.... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
The Guardian just wrote that North Korea was "once one of the most prosperous and industrialised [countries] in the region". Is that true? If so, when? | [
"Could you add a link to the article in question so the context is included?"
] | [
"China hasn't been communist for a very long time. We call it socialism with Chinese characteristics. A mixed market economy with enough room for both the government and the private sector. It's extraordinary, the sheer number of foreigners who think that China is communist because of the communist party. North Kor... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Thursday Reading & Research | March 08, 2018 | [
"How have others approached large volume searches of old scanned newspapers? (e.g. looking at shifts in opinion on an issue over time) Two main problems seem to make it a timesink. Older material is more difficult to digitise well. This means searches may lead to the wrong page, or to the wrong place on a page wh... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
My grandpa was awarded this pin in the Korean War. It's been on my backpack for years in his memory. Anyone know what it is? | [
"veteran and former paratrooper here. this is the badge for completing [airborne school](_URL_0_) and becoming airborne qualified. edit: the pin is colloquially called \"airborne wings\" or \"jump wings\" which is what veterans will probably call it if it comes up."
] | [
"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:"
} |
Why did the U.S. institute parliamentary governments in S. Korea and Japan? | [
"I'm not familiar with Korea, but Japan *already* had a parliamentary system, going back to the Meiji constitution. There was a concerted effort on the part of the occupation government to not make too many aesthetic changes; so instead of replacing the Emperor and the Diet with a more American-style system, they k... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Lobster for prisoners cruel and unusual? | [
"I don't know the truth of this particular anecdote, but to understand why lobster was not well regarded as a food, consider this: Practically every lobster served at a fancy restaurant was alive right before being cooked. There's a reason lobster in the grocery store are the only living animals present. That's bec... | [
"Fat food is cheap, healthy food is expensive."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How long did it take to set up the DMZ in Korea and how long did it take to remove all the dead, mines, obstacles, and all other military debris from the country and allow it to be the countries they are today? | [
"The DMZ is still full of landmines. The Korean War had stalemated pretty close to the 38th parallel by the time of the 1953 armistice and so the DMZ was pretty much already set at that time."
] | [
"Well, it actually is demilitarized. The border area is indeed heavily militarized, but there is a space of no man's land about two miles wide in which no military are allowed. A buffer zone, as it were, with the one exception being the Joint Security Area, which can have an agreed-upon number of troops. The total ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How much of the "crazy Andrew Jackson" stuff is factual? | [
"You might find useful u/JeannHusse 's response to a question about Jackson's temperament [here](_URL_0_), and u/The_Alaskan 's response to a question about Poll, Jackson's African Grey parrot, [here](_URL_1_). This is not to discourage further discussion."
] | [
"What information do you have that leads you to believe that their depictions are accurate, and not merely full of fictional details?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
What is the origin of the French practice of voting using pre-marked ballot papers, rather than having voters fill in their own ballot paper? | [
"You might be interested in [this SI web exhibit](_URL_0_). It notes that the United States in the nineteenth century largely used the system of pre-printed ballots (this is the origin of the term \"party ticket\"), but moved on to lever machines and other systems. So, it seems like the French system is the anachro... | [
"Audit trails. In every good elections system, there's a way to go back to the physical ballots and count them again, and to compare how many ballots there are as compared to the number of people who showed up at the polls. There's no need to tie a specific ballot to the person who cast it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Did President Garfield write with both hands...and in different languages? Simultaneously? Was this more of a pub-trick or a practical application? | [
"James Garfield was the first ambidexterous president of the United States. He could amuse his friends by writing an answer to their questions in Greek and Latin, simultaneously. It wasn't a pub trick, because Garfield was an ordained Protestant minister and never drank alcohol. It was more of a parlor trick than a... | [
"Eventually, but it will take years. I broke my arm as a kid and wrote with the other hand for 14 weeks. It went from \"OMG this kid has brain damage\" to \"where is the kindergartner who wrote this scribble\". Another couple of years of doing it off and on as a parlor trick, and both look like a human wrote them. ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Prior to the knowledge of electricity, what were static shocks called? | [
"Have a look at [this](_URL_0_) earlier answer by /u/hillsonghoods!"
] | [
"Both are entirely correct, as the voltage change is what drives the current change. Back in the early days of electricity, it seems more members of the public understood the notion of current."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Did the economy of France collapse in the French revolution? How did the people get fed? | [
"I will let somebody far braver than me analyze whether the economy of France \"collapsed\". But I can in part answer the question about being fed. Potatoes which had been pushed as an inexpensive and nutritious food source for decades by various rulers suddenly became popular in continental Europe at the end of th... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Were Harold Hardrada and William the conquerer aware of each other's plans to invade England in 1066 and was there any communication between the two? | [
"This got asked a year or so ago and there are some pretty good answers in this thread: _URL_0_ :)"
] | [
"Svend's (normally *Sweyn* in English) claim was based on the fact that he was the nephew of Canute the Great (Svend's mother, Estrid Svendsdatter, was Canute's sister) who had ruled England. And Svend did (sort of) push his claim - in 1069/70 he invaded East England to aid Anglo-Saxon rebels against William. Howev... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
You know how back in the WW2 U.S. pilots would sometimes paint racy (for the time) images on the side of their craft, such as half naked women and the like. Were there many/any conservatives in the military that complained about that and/or tried to put a stop to it? | [
"Follow up: Is there any connection to figureheads on ships, sometimes also depicting semi nude females?"
] | [
"Most warriors throughout history have been male, and they put female attributes to their weaponry and vehicles because those things are their constant companion. So much so they are as close as a spouse. It applies to all kinds of weaponry as well. Fighter planes were often given female names, and during the Amer... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do the UK and the USA use different formats for dates? When did this split happen? | [
"hi! fyi, you'll find lots of discussion on this topic in these posts * [Why does America write the date as Month/Day/Year when most of the world writes Day/Month/Year?](_URL_1_) * [How did the U.S.A. end up with the MM/DD/YYYY date format?](_URL_0_) * [When did the USA originally start using the mm/dd/yyyy format ... | [
"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:"
} |
Has there ever been massive protests after a presidential election like the ones now? | [
"Hi everyone, I'd just like to remind anyone seeking to answer this question to keep your contributions focused on discussion prior to 1996. While limited discussion of current events is permissable for this question, the focus of your response must be in accordance with our [No Current Events](_URL_0_) rule. That ... | [
"It's still going on but isn't getting the same level of attention is was a few years back. According to the news, they've moved on to Iranian vessels."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Tuesday Trivia | The Good Old Days | [
"Something that always puts a smile on my face as being a rather fun if not weird event is \"Gottorp Fury\". This is the name for a series of ill-doings and pranks done by the young king Karl XII of Sweden aswell as his cousin Fredrick IV duke of holstein gottorp. Some of the more well known things they did was to... | [
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
According to S3E9 of the West Wing, the term "red tape" originates from the difficulty in accessing the records of American Civil War veterans, which were all bound in red tape. Is this accurate (all sources on this are shoddy)? | [
"Going to call BS on this one, courtesy of the Oxford English Dictionary, which pegs it as much earlier. Original practice of using red tape on legal documents, late 17th century: > 1. Woven red or pink tape used to secure legal documents and official papers. 1696 in Laws of Maryland (1765) 8 Will. III. c. 24, T... | [
"\"Why\" appears to be an unknown, \"when\" is... also appearing to be an unknown. Somewhere between 1777 and 1843 at the absolute latest; the first being documents agreed on the date that we now in the US celebrate as Flag Day and when the colors were listed in that order, the later being when the popular song *Co... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Is there any truth to the story that the word "Bistro" comes from the Russian word "быстро" meaning quickly? | [
"The online etymology dictionary: _URL_0_ says that the origin of the word is unknown. It does recount your story that it is \"commonly said\" that the word came from Russian soldiers occupying Paris (in 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon, not in WWI or WWII) using the Russian word *bee-stra*, or \"quickly\", but... | [
"Nobody knows. There are probably a dozen different stories as to its origin, and no real evidence to support any of them. For example, one theory is that it started as a humorous misspelling: \"Oll korrekt\" meaning \"All correct\". Some say that originated in the military, others that it had something to do with ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Does anyone know of a good book about enlisted life during the early American wars? (Fiction of nonfiction) | [
"Co. Aytch: A Confederate Memoir of the Civil War remains one of my favorites. Informative, and a damn good read."
] | [
"For a movie, check out *Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World*. It gets pretty much everything right, with a few minor exceptions (who owned Valparaiso at the time, etc). Also look into Dean King's *A Sea of Words*, which is a naval-focused dictionary that plays off the book series that movie is based of... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What year (in the past 1500 years or so) would I need to have been born in to live through the least amount of historically significant world events in my lifetime? | [
"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."
... | [
"More instances on what sort of timeline? The world is probably the least violent it has been since the beginning of written history. However, over the last year or so there has been a slight uptick in violent behavior. We're still nowhere near the levels we were at 100 years ago. With regard to ww3. Personally I ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
During Prohibition, how did drinking establishments prevent themselves from standing out due to traffic/drunk patrons leaving. | [
"Passwords to get in to certain clubs, secret rooms for drinking and private parties. Some establishments actually had tables whose tops slid apart to reveal a funnel through the stand, down into the floor and basement so all beverages could be immediately disposed of if the Bureau of Internal Revenue's Prohibition... | [
"Cigarettes certainly do not have the same bad effects alcohol does, though yes neither is good for your health. When a store, bar or restaurant starts selling liquor, it increases the odds there's going to be drunk people in the neighborhood. This can mean late night partying, it might mean people being stupid and... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How is a slave different from a serf? | [
"The main difference is that a serf is legally tied to the land. A serf can't be moved around or sold as an individual - rather, if you sold the land, it came with the serfs legally bound to it. A slave, by contrast, can be bought or sold as an individual and sent wherever his owner wants. Note: I'm talking about t... | [
"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 Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How much if any of the American War of Independence fought on European soil? | [
"On the European continent the French and Spanish laid siege to Gibraltar for over three years but did not succeed in capturing it."
] | [
"I'm going to ask this as a question: Are there not still legacy treaties in place between USA and Holy Roman Empire? Stemming from Revolutionary War mercenaries that performed well?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
During the Third Crusade, did the Crusaders and the Muslims start using each others equipment upon discovering their respective previously unknown equipment/technique? | [
"I know you've asked this question (or questions similar to it) several times now, and I've been waiting to answer in hopes that I might be proven wrong. But there's no evidence that I'm aware of for European or Muslim troops adopting each other's equipment during the Third Crusade; one expects that, if they were g... | [
"It is important to remember that the Kingdom of Jerusalem lasted for almost 200 years during which a portion of the waves of Crusaders from Europe stayed behind in the Holy Land with new lands and titles. The knights that stayed lived the rest of their lives there, their children were born there and lived and died... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
[META] Should a top-level answer be *required* to provide a source? | [
"For people who know their stuff, it should be _no problem_ to say, \"if you'd like more on this topic, check out _this book_ and maybe _that book_.\" It might not be the source for the entire answer, but it is a place to follow-up for those seeking more and some evidence of knowledge of the subject matter at hand.... | [
"I'm with you; I think that the rules in this sub are overly restrictive. But the official answer is that if a question is answerable in a very short way, the *question* itself probably wasn't appropriate as an ELI5."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How would the modern-day United States be different if a Federal Bank had been established as Hamilton proposed? | [
"Hamilton's National Bank *was* established. There was a National Bank from 1791-1811, then no bank for 5 years, then a new National Bank from 1816-1836, then no bank for a while, then a new National Bank from 1863 (Civil War debts and loans and what-not) until the early 20th century when the Federal Reserve banks... | [
"Wilson is commonly misconstrued when taught about in history courses. Under his administration he carried out policies such as racial segregation, and there were a lot of military invasions. Example: The United States was involved in Latin America more times under Wilson's administration than at any other point in... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are collection boxes for the United States Postal Service blue? | [
"It's actually in your document. > The next year, Loewy/Snaith suggested painting collection boxes one color instead of three, recommending a sky-blue color. Sky-blue paint was tested on a few trucks, but the color failed to impress postal officials. In 1968, the Department began testing dark blue collection boxes... | [
"Less than 1% of the federal budget goes towards foreign aid."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about International relations:"
} |
I really liked Bill Wurtz's "history of the entire world, i guess ". Are there any real documentaries or series I could watch, which would not presuppose that I have any knowledge of history? | [
"If you're interested in Roman history (and can forgive the blatant self-promotion), you might be interested in my [History of Rome in 15 Buildings](_URL_0_), which uses 15 short (15-20 minute) YouTube videos to explore fifteen historical moments in the long story of the Eternal City."
] | [
"I haven't read it, but, in general, universal histories, from any time period, tend not to age well. No one can be expert on that many subjects in any meaningful sense, and as a result such a work will inevitably turn into a tertiary-source-esque encyclopaedia. It may actually be worse insofar as specialist encycl... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
French fries, French toast, and French kissing. Why do the French get credit for these things? | [
"French fries have an unclear origin. We know that Thomas Jefferson ate potatoes \"served in the French manner\" in 1806, but we don't know if they were fried. An 1856 specifies the recipe for a dish similar to modern fries and calls them \"French Fried potatoes.\" Belgian journalist Jo Gerard claims that a 1781 m... | [
"Someone I worked with asked me why the French are so important to cooking. I started asking him the names of the various items in our professional kitchen. Indeed a huge amount of them are French. You used the word \"cuisine\" which ain't no German. Cooking techniques, from the Bain Marie to the Coq au Vin, Sous V... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Do we know anything of Ancient Roman gestures and signs, general body language? | [
"As an additional question to this, what obscene hand gestures did they have? Did they even have any?"
] | [
"Previously, it was everything you needed to know to operate in political society, like poetry. Kind in mind, we are talking Roman and Athenian society. These days, it is everything not related to an actual career. History, literature, basic psychology, social sciences, etc."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Wednesday Week in History | Oct. 9 - Oct. 15 | [
"Tell me about that last one, I haven't heard of it."
] | [
"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 title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Did North Viet-Nam pose any treat to the US at home or abroad? | [
"North Vietnam by itself, no. The reason the US took such an interest in it, and fought a war costing thousands of lives, was because we were trying to limit the growing influence of communism via the USSR. The Vietnam War was part of the (not so) Cold War, one of many individual proxy wars influenced by the US and... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Who investigated crimes in Tang China? What methods did they use? | [
"Followup: If someone knowledgeable in the topic is familiar with Robert Van Gulik's Judge Dee novels, how accurate are they in portraying Tang Dynasty China? Are there any significant historical discrepancies?"
] | [
"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 passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How did America gain its artillery fire data in World War II? | [
"Calling u/vonadler: he/she provided an [interesting and detailed post](_URL_0_) on artillery fire itself, but only very briefly (but equally interesting) on the data collection, computation, and land surveys required for it. Perhaps he/she or someone else will kindly elaborate on it some more?"
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What happened to the military conspirators in the early 90s coup-attempt in the USSR? | [
"The leaders of the coup were arrested after the coup failed but pardoned in the mid 90s after the USSR collapsed. Most of them went on to have careers in government, academia, the military or the private sector in post-communist Russia. You can read about the fate of individuals here: _URL_0_"
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
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