query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Did gas masks cause the decline of facial hair? | [
"[You might enjoy this earlier thread about beards, racism. and the perpetual crisis of masculinity](_URL_0_), with answers from /u/The_Alaskan and /u/whitesock"
] | [
"Why do some parts of the world call gasoline petrol?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
We know that Lichtenstein once returned with an extra soldier after seeing no action guarding a mountain pass. My question is, how do we know about this soldier? Did he stay in that army? | [
"/u/bodark43 and myself did some looking into this story [here](_URL_0_) awhile back. The short of it is that the soldier was most likely an Austrian military Liaison."
] | [
"If you mean the police showing up, it's the same police who showed up at the corpse of a man one of the main characters killed. If you're talking about the organ music in place of the end credits, no idea."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What happened to mead? | [
"At its height in the middle ages mead seems to have been most popular in Wales, Scandinavia and Poland. Even in those locations though mead was somewhat a special occasion drink mostly consumed by the elite due to its high cost. Beer/ale largely displaced mead in these regions as it became more popular."
] | [
"And to hijack this in a related way, what were the alternatives to \"America.\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did open topped vehicles in WW2 deal with inclement weather conditions? | [
"While I'm not able to guarantee it applies to each and every open toped vehicle used in WW2, all of the open topped vehicles I can think of were issued a canvas cover to keep the elements out of the fighting compartment. For example, here are some photos of common open topped vehicles with their covers on: * [M5 Half-track](_URL_2_) * [Marder III](_URL_1_) * [SU-76](_URL_0_). As for cold - crew would wear winter uniforms with gloves and warm jackets. Just like the infantry they fought alongside, they might be a bit cold; but warm gear would certainly help mitigate the worst of the winter cold."
] | [
"Follow up question: What other types of bootcamp training strategies would drill instructors use? Also what were training structures like when there was a massive influx of troops who needed to be trained quickly, such as when the US joined WWII after Pearl Harbor?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I'm a young American woman in the mid-19th century and I don't ever want to get married. What sort of life--in terms of both professional life and family life--is open to me? | [
"Are you stuck on mid-19th century? Because I can tell you about the lives and work of early women librarians, but that's more 1880s-1920s!"
] | [
"In a lot of Western cultures, feminist movements fought hard for the right for women to be independent and not be defined by marriage. Certainly if you go back even just a few decades ago, women here in the US would be considered odd if they weren't married by their mid-20s too. China has not had this same kind of societal change on a wider scale, so while many young women do not think they need to be married, older generations still pressure them because their beliefs have not changed."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Any book recommendations for books about the cold war? | [
"John Lewis gaddis \"the cold war\" is a good starting point. It's very easy to pick up and read. He has written many other books on the subject. \" We now know\" is good. No study of C20th international relations is complete without rise to globalism by Ambrose. \" The origins of the cold war\" by McMahon and Paterson part of the problems in American civilisation series, is good. It's a collection of essays on various topics."
] | [
"Just asked this in the other sticky, but maybe this is the better place for it: Does anyone have any good book recommendations about the Nigerian Civil War or about Biafra as a country?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph about Literature:"
} |
As I heard in class and didn’t believe, did a king of The Congo give up all of the Congo in a misunderstood agreement with a European power, while he thought he only have up a small portion? | [
"While not the Congo, events similar to that did happen on lesser scale. For instance, what became German Southwest Africa started out as a deceptive land purchase by Adolph Luderitz from Captain Josef Frederiks, the area native chief (despite the super German sounding name). Luderitz wrote the contract to specify the measure of land purchased in \"geographical miles\". Before reading of this in \"African Kaiser\" by Robert Gaudi, I had never even heard of this metric, so I can pardon Josef Frederiks. Frederiks assumed that he was selling English miles (as we know then in the USA today), but the geographic mile is roughly 4.5 times longer. Luderitz and the other European witness knew, of course, that Frederiks had no idea what was going on. I doubt Luderitz was the only European to exploit contract semantics to defraud locals out of land with dodgy deals."
] | [
"They once used to have their country and they believe it could be better if they had it now. I am also pretty sure that as they are a rich region, they pay a lot to the central government and get little in return."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
I'm a pretty standard Southern Vietnamese citizen in 1975. How much trouble am I in when the North win the war? | [
"I would love to post; unfortunately all I have is anecdotal evidence from my father's family who were upper class South Viets living in Saigon who escaped after the war. If the moderators allow it, I could ask my dad any questions you'd like to know about what happened and what they did!"
] | [
"Considering what happened to the Japanese Americans in World War II, I'm kinda curious what would happen to the Chinese Americans."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
When did people start ordering their meats to temperature? | [
"Roughly four hundred years ago. In writings from the 16th century there are references (snotty references) to less-than-civil people wolfing down undercooked joints of meat. By the 17th century we start to see references to meat being cooked *rare* rather than just plain underdone, and eating a bloody haunch began to be seen as a matter of preference rather than one of civility. By the middle of the 17th century, particularly in France, there was a healthy dialogue about whether rare-roasted beef was more favored by the digestion than well-boiled beef, and so on. It's pretty much a straight line from there to the modern sensibility that a steak cooked past medium is a waste of meat."
] | [
"Pizza is easier to order since you can order a few items for an entire group, same with Chinese food. Could you imagine ordering McDonalds over the phone for 5 people?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In 2018, 17 years after 9/11, every school in America holds commemorations. Did they do that for Pearl Harbor in 1958? | [
"It is against our subreddit rules to respond to questions with personal anecdotes. The mod team has deleted a number of anecdotal responses to this question already. For more info on this rule, please consult this [Rules Roundtable](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"Memorial Day is a traditional holiday that's been around for about 150 years. Many Americans do take the opportunity to remember fallen veterans, but the event usually is not tied to any specific event in history. I anticipate that most Americans are familiar with the holiday and its general meaning, but not its specific history. Compare that to 9/11, which is not a traditional holiday but rather a specific attack that's still an awful memory for most Americans living today. To most Americans, this is an event they remember very well because they lived through it. Kinda apples and oranges, there. A more direct comparison might be if a company tried to run a sale on December 7th, which many Americans will remember as the day of the Pearl Harbor attack that ignited our entrance into World War 2."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Whatever happened to Vasily Matusak, the Soviet who ran across the Korean border in 1984 sparking a 21-minute gun battle between the two sides? | [
"The name is Vasiliy Matuzok. [According to the people who have studied with him in MGIMO](_URL_0_) he survived and then was brought to Rome under the protection of the UN high commissioner for refugee affairs. Apparently he confided classified information to the «Far Eastern Economic Review»; He also gave an interview to «Time» and to «Radio Liberty» framing his defection into the narrative of a jail-break. [According to a Russian journalist in South Korea](_URL_1_) Matuzok currently resides in California. That's the reply he has received from a South Korean guide"
] | [
"Because during civil war the side that was against splitting won. During the Korean war neither side won and the war technically never ended. There have been many skirmishes at the DMZ since the Korean 1953, notably [in 1976](_URL_0_) where American soldiers were chopping down a tree in the DMZ and the North Koreans Army killed 2 Army officers with axes."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How did American politics move so far to the right? | [
"I would say that a lot of it comes down to the First Red Scare. In the early 20th century, the Industrial Workers of the World (an anarcho-syndicalist revolutionary labor union) was growing large and the Socialist Party of Eugene Debs was getting around 7% in U.S. elections, with hundreds of mayors, state representatives, and a few congressmen. During the First Red Scare, during and following World War I, the IWW was repressed, and socialist and anarchist leaders like Eugene Debs and Ricardo Flores Magón (a Mexican anarchist revolutionary and IWW member who had been in exile in the U.S.) were imprisoned, where many would die. Thousands of striking workers would be repressed, with public justifications citing socialism, communism, and anarchism. I know less about the Second Red Scare in the 1950s, but it's my understanding that there were a number of socialists and communists in the leadership of the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) that were purged."
] | [
"In the rest of the world, all of Obama's stances would be solidly center-right. It's just that the political spectrum in the US is heavily shifted towards the right, so things like universal healthcare are much further from the center than they are in other places."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What purpose did murder ballads of factual events serve and how did their contemporary audiences view them? | [
"While the style may have changed, the message really hasn't. There are still TONS of songs written about murder, war, and bloodshed, and not just in the gritty metal/punk scenes. \"Early morning, April 4 A shot rings out in the Memphis sky Free at last, they took your life They could not take your pride\" Those are the lyrics to In The Name Of Love by U2, which is about Dr. Martin Luther King and his assassination. [Here](_URL_2_) is a song about Sandy Hook, and so is [this song right here](_URL_1_) [This craziness right here](_URL_0_) is a list of songs about the assassination of John. F. Kennedy. Murder makes for good story telling, and that's what writing songs is about, telling stories. Now there is a little more ambiguity to most of them, but the spirit is still the same. EDIT: I don't format good"
] | [
"Some nursery rhymes are meant to teach moral lessons, others were a product of a society that was much more prone to morbid events and therefore psychologically influenced and drawn to them. Ring around the rosie for example as you mention was made during a time when people were fixated on death. It was not just in poems, but also in art, songs, and in the general attitude of everyday life. In short, morbid messages in poems tend to reflect how society felt at large."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Education:"
} |
Which natural resources were much cheaper in 20th century? | [
"There were similar predictions about \"peak coal\" in the late 19th century, and needless to say, they've not come true. I don't know about any mineral resource the price of which would increase in a dramatic way over the last century."
] | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
One reason for the success of the Mongols was down to their infamous horse archers, why dint medieval Europe copy this unit type after seeing their effectiveness? | [
"A significant aspect of the Mongol horse archers was their way of life (horsemanship, bow hunting, nomadic ways) and how that contributed to their military success. Europe can't just copy a unit of horse archers because it takes a life time to become a master horseman and/or archer. The Mongolian steppe lifestyle basically forces all of their men to become masters of these two aspects which are both practical life skills on the steppe and incredibly potent wartime skills."
] | [
"Games like Age of Empires tend to encourage a tactical rock-paper-scissors (crossbow beats sword beats pike beats horse beats crossbow) kind of approach down to quite a detailed level, with units having very specific strengths and weaknesses against each other. To what extent was this reflected on the actual medieval battlefield? Do you equip people based on your likely opponent (\"We're at war with England! Quick, what's the hard counter to longbows\")? In the middle of battle, to what extent could this be managed effectively (\"Look, there's some pikemen - where have the archers gotten to\")?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about History:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about History:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What books would you suggest to learn about American propaganda during the world wars as well as communist hysteria? | [
"Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States covers both topics in great detail. It also deals with a lot of other issues, but those may end up being of interest to you as well. It is both a TV series and book. I'm only familiar with the book though."
] | [
"There were a couple Red Scares based on the threat communist ideology posed to the existing order in the US. The modern animosity towards Communism was because it was the ideology of the Soviet Union, who was a rival to the US and its Allies after WW2. Due to the rivalry, the US played up the anti-freedom and anti-individual aspects of Communism and the USSR in order to indoctrinate its population against foreign infiltration. Additionally, as historians have studdied Russia and ther Communist nations, Communist revolutions have a nasty habit of involving a monstrous amount of mass murder and actual tyranny, which provides legitimate justification for sentiment thatwas seeded by what more or less amounted to propaganda."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
This Week's Theme: "Disability" | [
"Here is a [Monday Methods discussion](_URL_1_) of how historians investigate \"disability\" in the past. Although retrodiagnosis (especially of psychological disorders) is fun, tempting, and a very popular subject for freshman English students, historians treat disability *historically*. We consider *disability* to consist of two parts: physical or intellectual *impairment* on one hand, and how social conditions turn that impairment into *disability*: an inability to participate fully in contemporary society. Without a doubt, the most popular discussion of history disability on AskHistorians relates to PTSD in premodern soldiers--it's at the *top* of our [Military History FAQ](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does The Porajmos receive so little attention compared to the other atrocities committed by the axis powers in ww2? | [
"The social and actual status of outsiders of the Romani has much to do with this. Romani culture was mainly oral, so there were no survivors writing moving accounts of their suffering. After the war, they kept their grief inside their community. Also, their status as outsiders and their partly nomadic lifestyle meant that most non-Romani didn't have Romani colleagues, neighbors or classmates disappear. As all parts of European populations suffered during the war (although to different degrees), there was simply no interest after the war to what happened to the Romani. In the Netherlands for example, [an iconic picture](_URL_1_) of a young girl on a transport bound for Auschwitz-Birkenau was long thought to be a Jewish girl. Only in 1994 she was identified as [Settela Steinbach](_URL_0_), a Romani girl from the Southern Netherlands."
] | [
"Why is the US so upset over the labeling of US treatment of Native Americans as a genocide?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Similar to the concept of Valerian Steel in Game of Thrones and the Numenorean Steel bows in The Lord of The Rings, are there any manufacturing/crafting techniques from history that we do not possess the knowledge to attempt in the present? | [
"Sorry, we don't allow [\"example seeking\" questions](_URL_0_). It's not that your question was bad; it's that these kinds of questions tend to produce threads that are collections of disjointed, partial, inadequate responses. If you have a question about a specific historical event, period, or person, feel free to rewrite your question and submit it again. If you don't want to rewrite it, you might try submitting it to /r/history, /r/askhistory, or /r/tellmeafact. For further explanation of the rule, feel free to consult [this META thread](_URL_1_)."
] | [
"I think one of the problems that helps create the premise of the show, is just how ignorant most people are of the ingenuity of ancient civilisations. This, for me anyway, is what makes the show so irritating; ancient civilisations could only accomplish what they did if they had help from Aliens. If there is anything on the show that SHOULD spark our curiosity it is how little credit we give these ancient civilisations that created ingenious solutions to very complex problems that with our current technology we still can't pinpoint how they accomplished it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What was the use of debates like the Lincoln-Douglas debates for the Senate? Prior to the 17th Amendment. | [
"The use was to promote the candidates' respective parties. Lincoln and Douglas were campaigning before an election for the Illinois state legislature; shortly afterwards, the newly-elected legislature would vote for a Senator. The Democratic Party had promised that its legislative nominees would support Douglas for the Senate; the Republican party had promised its legislators would support Lincoln. So, both Lincoln and Douglas were enthusiastically supporting their respective parties' legislative nominees, and everyone understood that their vote for state legislature would determine the Senator."
] | [
"As a follow up question, how did one prove he was a citizen before the passage of the 14th amendment?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Did Congress really have debates as they are portrayed in the movie Lincoln? If so, when did congress stop operating this way? | [
"Could OP or someone else summarize how the debates are portrayed in the film for those of us who haven't seen it?"
] | [
"In theory, Congress is having a hearing so they can better understand what is going on, so that they can consider passing a law to improve the situation. In the real world, they are mostly just putting on a show to impress the voters back home."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why does this 2nd century CE Roman tabula depict a 9-spoked chariot wheel? Was there ever such a thing? | [
"Chariot wheels are not built like wagon wheels, they're built more like bicycle wheels -- a large number of spokes on a very lightly built wheel. In fact, it's fairly certain that wheels like this were used on Roman and Etruscan chariots at some point. Compare this 2nd century A.D. carving to the 6th century B.C. Etruscan [Monetleone chariot](_URL_0_) found in a town in Central Italy and now on display in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is a real chariot that was probably actually used, and it has a nine-spoked wheel, like in the carving you posted. You are correct that nine-spoked chariot wheels seem to be an mostly found on the Italian Peninsula; Greek and Levantine chariots of the 1st millenium B.C. usually had four to six spokes on their wheels. It's also worth pointing out that by the 2nd century A.D., chariots had been obsolete as a military technology for more than three hundred years, and were only used in ceremonies and sports."
] | [
"The Egyptian heiroglyphic for “star” was a five-pointed figure similar to the asterisk. It got into our culture from there."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why has (almost?) every currency lost so much value in the last century / last few decades? | [
"You may want to consider asking this in /r/Economics or /r/AskEconomics if you don't get an answer here. They may be able to provide you with answers related more to economic theory."
] | [
"The global economy is valued at $77.6trillion. That means he destroyed .000002557% of the worlds wealth. There is no noticeable effect of that action."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
AskHistorians Podcast Episode 005 Discussion Thread - The Aztec Conquest, Part 2 | [
"Thanks guys! This was an awesome start to my day! I was particularly surprised to realize how long the conquest took and how many times it seems like Cortez was extremely lucky (getting native support after breaking out of Tenochtitlan, having the forces sent to arrest him switch sides, almost being captured during the siege, etc.) Two questions about Cortez's native allies. 1) Are there casualty figures for them throughout the conquest? Were those casualties comparable to Aztec casualties? Basically, to what degree did Cortez's Spanish \"shock troops\" tip the balance away from Aztec dominance? Obviously, it caused them to win rather than lose, but I never got a sense of how balanced or unbalanced Cortez's victories were. 2) Did smallpox hit Cortez's native allies? To the same level? Less? More?"
] | [
"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 Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A Caro 9. A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan 10. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn 11. 1491/1493 Charles C Mann Sorry, couldn't keep it to 6."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Were STDs always a thing? | [
"I remember reading in my ancient history text book at university, that there is a grafitti found in Pompeii on a brothel wall, which says \"Here I got a sour one\". I'll see if I can find any other source on this."
] | [
"What's to explain? Why we have it? How it works?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
What was the draw weight of a historical Yumi (Japanese bow)? | [
"You would do far better to search on military forums, as there are no historical records of an actual number to it. There is no direct data that is reliable enough to draw a conclusion, unlike Chinese, Turkish and Middle Eastern, and European bows that still survive or were measured with quantitative draw weights. Not to mention that there are so many variables such as arrowtip, armour, range, penetration of various materials, the ability to wound v. kill, and so on."
] | [
"Try looking for battles during Henry VIII's reign where the longbow was used. Flodden Field is the only one I can think of off the top of my head. The longbow could be anything from 5 foot to over 6 foot in length and would be made from yew. Typically the yew would have been sourced from Scandinavia (not from the Mediterranean as suggested elsewhere) because the relatively stable climate produced a more reliable quality of wood. For more on longbows and the men who used them I heartily recommend: Hardy, R. (2006), *Longbow: a Social and Military History*."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
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Watching Mary Beard's "Meet the Romans" she reads the tombstone of a woman who cohabitated with 2 male lovers. She calls it "a Roman menage a trois" but can you give me any social context for such an arrangement? Historically the Romans were quite a bit more prudish than their movie counterparts | [
"Could you give us any more details about the tombstone / period etc? Pomeroy, and Fant and Lefkowitz, make it clear that the virtues adhered to by the aristocracy and outlined in the laws (e.g. emphasis on pudicitia, univira etc) were not always adhered to by the lower classes. And Rome governed a number of territories that had different laws entirely."
] | [
"It has been and is socially acceptably in a huge range of cultures, and not just Japan. From ancient Rome to the modern Netherlands, it has long been enshrined as acceptable in both law and custom in many different places and specific contexts. I humbly submit that you're confusing your own location with the rest of the world..."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What insider accounts of the practical side of corruption are out there? | [
"Roman historical literature is, of course, full of corruption, but it tends to be more on the moral side. Tacitus beautifully describes the way in which the realities of the Principate destroyed the aspects of Roman government that made it great in the first place, but I assume that isn't what you are looking for. For the kind of corruption you want, you might want to read Cicero's speeches, particularly In Verres. For all of his faults, Cicero maintained an admirably consistent view on the corruption of provincial governors. Maybe the best example would be in Ammianus Marcellinus 28.6. He describes how the provincial governor in Africa is able to use his connections in Rome to despoil the province without punishment."
] | [
"What are the must read books about the American revolution published within the last five years? What are the current arguments being discussed by historians who study the era?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Literature:"
} |
In the various societies that practiced concubinage, what typically happened to concubines who became pregnant? | [
"As an additional question for when this gets answered, what about children birthed to concubines of royalty? Would they be royalty as well?"
] | [
"It largely related to inheritance. When a man got married, he expected his wife to give him heirs. Chastity, for women, was a way for the man to ensure that his heirs are actually his heirs. This was also why chastity was more important for women than it was for men."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What's the historical relevance of this "black sun" occult image and why do modern day Nazis use it? | [
"Follow-up question: Was it carved into the Wewelsburg floor before the 1930s when the Nazis took up residence there?"
] | [
"Part of the \"horned, cloven foot devil\" imagery is an attempt to discredit some older pagan mythological figures."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
After the Weimer Republics hyperinflation of the 1920s Nazi Germany implemented Labor Certificates as Germany's currency. How did those Labor Certificates work? | [
"The Labor Certificates were also called Metallurgische Forschungsgesellschaft, or MEFO Bills. They were used for funding. Germany's economy was based heavily in industry and it needed money for the re-armament industry after the Treaty of Versailles. However, re-armament was for Germany was made illegal under the Treaty of Versailles. Because of the illegality of re-armament, Germany needed a way to fund re-armament without leaving a paper trail. Normally, the government would borrow extra funds by offering a higher interest rate, but the rate was set at 4.5%, so they were not able to do that. So, MEFO was created. The MEFO bills were able to convert to Reichsmarks when demanded to do so. The bills were used to pay armament manufacturers. The bills made it able for Germany to run a greater deficit than normal. This re-inflated Germany's economy and made the re-armament possible. The bills also did not show the military's expenditure which was illegal under the Treaty of Versailles."
] | [
"Dictatorship, large government spending financed by seizing goods from Jews and stopping paying reparations for the First World War."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about history:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about history:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about history:"
} |
a good primary source for christianiziation of the Vikings? | [
"You might want to e-mail your instructor about this one. *Viking Age* is a collection of *multiple* different primary sources--the book itself it simply a vehicle for their translation and publication. Might you meet the requirement simply by citing from multiple texts within that book?"
] | [
"do you have to cover all of history? i would honestly focus on the variability of early christian doctrine and non european christianities in places like india, nubia, and armenia. expand how they think of christianity."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Help Identifying Squadron/Location? F4U Corsair, X-62 marking. US Marine Corps, circa WWII. | [
"There's only one Marine squadron that I know of that flew the Corsair and had the white stripe at the front of the cowling: VMF-114, the \"Death Dealers\". They stood up at El Toro, and cut their teeth at Peleliu flying ground attack missions. If it *is* from VMF-114, I've got a helluva treat for you: [how does a 26 minute long home movie of the squadron sound?](_URL_0_) Perhaps Granddad is in there somewhere. Edit: Holy crepe, how about [THREE HOURS of interviews with a man who flew with VMF-114?](_URL_1_) That's part one of six."
] | [
"Most I found was this blurb \"A five-ship formation of Egyptian AF F-16C Block 40s (a.o. #9981,#9969)over the pyramids. These aircraft were delivered from 1994 to 1995 under the Peace Vector IV program. The day-glo panels help distinguish them from F-16s from neighbouring countries. [Egyptian AF photo]\" underneath this photo _URL_1_ Found here: _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
my grandfather was on one of the ships doing the Arctic Convoy when he was my age. He once told me that some of captains were so inexperienced that all they had before the war was like a yachting licence. that true? How can it be that made more sense than just promoting the jr officers or non coms? | [
"Funny coincidence this. While I have no knowledge personally, the BBC have recently broadcast a show about this exact subject. [PQ17: An Arctic Convoy Disaster] ( _URL_0_) actually touches on your question and describes in great detail the experience of such a captain. A fascinating documentary and well worth a watch if you can stream it."
] | [
"They go to sick bay and get given anti sickness drugs, put up with the symptoms and eventually get used to it. Usually just before they hit land for a while and then have to go through the whole process of acclimatisation again. Souce: my dad was in the navy and gets sea sick. He still enjoyed his time as he did so much more than just feel sick on a ship."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
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"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Following the dissolution of the USSR, how were military units allocated to the newly sovereign republics? | [
"Follow up question: how was the nuclear arsenal allocated? You don’t just drop by and pick up ICBMs."
] | [
"The usual answer: Ronald Reagan demanded it. A more complex answer is that the federal government of the Soviet Union relaxed and allowed more freedom for its states. The USSR had a constitution but for a long time the federal government didn't allow the states to really follow it. One of those freedoms was the right of the states of the USSR to secede. Many of the states began to openly discuss seceding with a number of them doing so. Both Russia and Ukraine indicated that they would secede as well. Russia and Ukraine were the 2 largest states of the USSR in terms of population and economy. With it obvious that the USSR could no longer exist a number of presidents of the states of the USSR got together and declared the USSR non existent."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
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} |
Why did 'Beatlemania' happen? | [
"Would you like the short answer on the long answer? The short answer if that 4 fairly attractive men could make music good together and people were attracted to them because of that. The long answer is that Lennon/McCartney spent more time studying what made a song popular, or catchy, or relevant than any musician ever has, for or since. They tried to write in different styles, and especially once they'd already been successful, they experimented, but realistically, for the most part, they always tried to innovate on what had already been successful- take something good and make it better. But most of the innovation happened later, once Beatle-Mania was already firmly entrenched, and regardless of the styles the wrote in. So, I guess the real answer (long or short) is that the first boy band ever happened to all be geniuses who knew their history an tried to emulate it as well as their contemporaries...and did it well. and also, their looks didn't hurt."
] | [
"What's to explain? Why we have it? How it works?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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How did everyone agree what year it was, regarding BC and AD? | [
"I'm not sure if you are aware of it or were looking for a text-based answer but one of the topics of AskHistorians podcast has been \"What year is it?\" which answers and discusses everything you have asked and more. It can be found here : _URL_0_"
] | [
"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 talking about, but many would just record it in reference to whoever was ruling at the time. So it might be the 13th year of someone's rule, or the 130th year of a particular dynasty, etc. > And when was the BC and AC calendar adopted? AD 532 is the year it was invented, but when it was adopted varies depending on who you are considering."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Has there ever been states in the US to accuse other states of meddling in its political elections? If so, what action, if any, was taken to correct/punish an offending party? | [
"[Bleeding Kansas](_URL_3_) comes to mind. Essentially, while the 'free' states were just as numerous as the 'slave' states, meaning they had equal representation in the US Senate, the 'free' states had nearly double the population. So to ensure that neither side gained an advantage in the Senate, a number of measures were introduced to maintain the balance. The first was the [Compromise of 1850](_URL_1_). This was followed by Popular Sovereignty, in which the settlers in Kansas and Nebraska would determine whether to be slave or free states. Basically, Kansas elected a pro-slavery government essentially by pro-slavery squatters from Missouri crossing over and voting. This was answered vith violence by John Brown and other abolitionists from outside Kansas, and by 1859, 56 people had been killed. The actions of [William Quantrill](_URL_0_) and [Bloody Bill Anderson](_URL_2_) in Kansas and Missouri during the war were a continuation of the earlier unrest in those states."
] | [
"Nothing. The President can only be impeached if he himself has committed \"treason, bribery, [or] other high crimes and misdemeanors\". Being the beneficiary of the crimes of some other foreign government is not grounds for impeachment so long as they were acting without his knowledge or consent. If, however, it can be proven that he knowingly conspired with a foreign government to affect the election then he could be impeached and possibly found guilty of treason. Note: I am not a Trump supporter by any stretch of the imagination, simply acknowledging the reality of the situation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is the real story behind Joanne of Arc and Gilles de Rais? | [
"Are you referring to Margaret Murray's.....proposal... that those two were the leaders of a secret pagan cult that existed in opposition to the Catholic Church? Or are you just looking for info on them more generally?"
] | [
"He was ambassador to France at the time."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How long have Londoners been complaining about house prices? | [
"OP says: > When they started tracking, the average London house price was around £50,000, and the average salary was around £6,000 per year. This seems like an inaccurate figure, because generally, both wages and cost of living in London has been significantly higher than the rest of the UK. How has this fluctuated over time? Has London always been more expensive than the rest of the UK (ie. in the middle ages, and through the industrial era), and is its relative cost growing or shrinking?"
] | [
"If it didn't rain all the time, there is a risk that English people might start being cheerful."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Sergey Lavrov says post-Napoleonic international system was stable and just. It ensured peace in Europe and was destroyed by West European attacking Russia in Crimean War which directly led to destabilized international system, even implies it caused WW1. Do any actual historians support this view? | [
"> in the wake of the desire to marginalise Russia in European affairs ... > Russia was defeated in the Crimean War of 1853-1856 Lavrov forgot to mention that Russia was **responsible** for starting Crimean war, since they've attacked Sinope against previously signed treaty. From Alexander William Kinglake, 'The Invasion of the Crimea: Its Origin, and an Account of Its Progress Down to the Death of Lord Raglan, Volume 1': > This onslaught upon Sinope, and upon vessels lying in port, was an attack upon Turkish territory, and was therefore an attack which the French and English Ambassadors had been authorised to repel by calling into action the fleets of the Western Powers."
] | [
"First off, Putin has acted in ways more akin to the Soviets during the Cold war than any leader since the fall of the USSR, such as invading Ukraine, having opposition politicians and journalists killed. Secondly, the evidence suggest it's not about being best friends or equal super powers with them, but Russia gaining benefits through control of Trump at the expense of the U.S. or the rest of the world."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Where do you find online resources for historical research (archives, maps, etc.)? I need Ontario/Canada, but do you have general tips too? | [
"A good online reference I've come across for photographs, maps etc. is the [Virtual Reference Library](_URL_11_). The problem you might come across is that most of the archives are centred on Toronto since it is run by the Toronto Library. However there are some photographs from the Ottawa region that might be of interest. As for maps, McGill University has a good website called the [Canadian County Atlas Digital Project](_URL_13_). It includes quite a detailed map of Carleton County and surrounding areas from 1880. Other than those websites, it might be a good idea to check in with the [Ottawa Public Library](_URL_10_) or the [City of Ottawa Archives](_URL_12_). They would most likely have the resources to help you in your research. Good luck!"
] | [
"Try checking your local library or historical association. If nothing else, your library should have old newspapers on microfilm or possibly digitized. They might even have some municipal records. Sometimes larger historical libraries (like the University of Michigan's Bentley Library) will have regional records of municipal meetings and minutes and whatnot. Those are generally more helpful than newspapers as primary sources, if you can find them. You may also be able to find photographs of the old building. I would start with your local library, see if they have the old records and newspapers. Then check for a regional historical library. Those are quite amazing for local histories."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What are some good, historically accurate novels that I could read? | [
"Colleen McCullough's \"Masters of Rome\" is an historical fiction series tracing the late Republican and early Imperial age of Ancient Rome. Not only is it widely celebrated as excellent fiction, but it is extremely detailed and well-researched for the time period it fictionalizes. Be warned - the attention to historical detail might be a bit overwhelming, especially if you are unfamiliar with Roman history. It might be prudent to read some non-fiction covering the rise of Rome before delving into The Masters of Rome."
] | [
"Does anyone have any recommendations for books that are about the Korean War, particularly ones that focus on the North Korean/Soviet/Chinese side of it? It's not a topic that I know a ton about, and I'm interested to learn more about it. I'm not opposed to books that are more American/South Korean focused though, if anyone thinks that they're also worth reading"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Literature:"
} |
What did the World at War documentary leave out? What would be good supplementary sources? | [
"Even when the documentary series was British-centric, it missed a very crucial part; the breaking of the Enigma code. It was only disclosed a year after the series was released. Had it been made public before the production of the series, it would have most likely earned an episode dedicated to just that."
] | [
"What are the must read books about the American revolution published within the last five years? What are the current arguments being discussed by historians who study the era?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Literature:"
} |
Why, during the American Civil War, would people gather and watch battles for recreation? Wouldn't heads being blown off disturb them and their picnics? | [
"To my knowledge, this only happened at the very beginning of the war, as everyone had their sharp new uniforms on, and people expected neat Napoleonic type warfare, with minimal civilian casualties (and people expected to watch from very far away). It was the common thought at the time that \"their\" side would win very quickly and easily. Either the rebels would bloody the Northern \"wusses\" enough right away that they would lose the will to fight, or the Union would stomp out the South due to superior numbers and equipment. So people came to watch their team win, but they were sorely disappointed and quickly this stopped happening."
] | [
"A fence. Sure you could always climb a tree or something and watch, but you wouldn't be able to hear the sound. Drive in movies were also pretty cheap, which discouraged people from going out of their way to be sneaky."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What were the reactions to the limitations on civil liberties during war time such as during Lincoln's presidency and the civil war? Are there more modern examples or comparisons for these kinds of practices? | [
"Lincoln suspended habeus corpus only to have it overruled by the Taney Court. Later the Congress tried and succeeded in habeus corpus suspension in 1863. You could also make a case that the draft was an assault on civil liberties as well since all military service has been voluntary up to that point. Both were met with civil challenges but were deemed by the public at-large as necessary evils."
] | [
"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 history. After WWI, Wilson's administration continued to attack civil liberties. The United States, under Wilson, has been quoted as very close to becoming a police state. Wilson, himself, vetoed a racial equality cause in the League of Nations. My assumption would be that he supported WWI."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Qing Dynasty: I'm a healthy 28 year old political advisor with no wife or kids and a harsh King--what's keeping me in the state instead of walking off in search of better opportunities in another state or in some tribe? | [
"Do you mean the Qin Dynasty? The Qing Dynasty was the last of the Imperial Dynasties, and in that period (1644-1912) no figures analogous to kings existed (except in tributary kingdoms beyond the borders of China proper)."
] | [
"The country may be poor, but the state (government) is really strong. No matter how miserable people are, it would still be madness to oppose Kim Jung Un. Even planting the seeds of rebeliion would be squashed immediately. Also, they have very little notion of what the rest of the world is like, they may believe that risking their lives in a low probability effort to get perhaps a marginally better situation isn't worth it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Historians familiar with the Victorian Empire! Please help me find this propaganda song and cartoon. | [
"[We don't want to fight, But by Jingo if we do, We've got the ships, We've got the men, And got the money too. Right to this link.](_URL_0_) It has musical files, too, although I don't know if they will suit your purpose. The wording looks original in the lyrics. The cartoons are harder to place, but a lot of the images look like Tenniel's from *Punch*--the \"Right Against Wrong\" Britannia with lion is very close to a piece printed around the Crimean War. But I've had no luck scaring up propaganda cartoons such as might have been screened (film not yet having quite hit its heyday)."
] | [
"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 title:",
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Did JFK have any plans for dealing with a military coup? I know the possibility was probably extremely remote in his mind, but didn't certain generals like Curtis LeMay border on outright insubordination? Or is that an exaggeration? | [
"To piggy back a question on the question about the Soviet Union's intelligence about relationships between the President and the various Joint Chiefs, did the Soviet Union have a term similar to Kremlinology? Or did the relative openness/transparency of our institutions make that unnecessary?"
] | [
"Not so well. In Robert Caro's last LBJ volume he talks about the relationship in detail. LBJ saw JFK as a lightweight in the Senate. But JFK saw the value in having Johnson on the ticket because oil-rich Texas was a crucial fundraising state for Democrats. Once in the Whitehouse JFK basically ignored Johnson and essentially treated Bobby Kennedy as his Vice President. Caro writes that during the run up to the Cuban missile crisis JFK solicited Johnson's opinion and was horrified by what he considered Johnson's irresponsible hawkishness. Their relationship got so bad that many believed Johnson was going to be removed from the ticket in 1964 in favor of then Texas governor John Connally."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How did American Football become a winter sport? | [
"The sport got its start in the Ivy League and other northeast colleges. All of whom only generally began after September 1. So add on time to find a squad, and to get a schedule together, it's not uncommon to see early seasons begin in late September or October. Then schedules only became longer as more schools started teams and the popularity grew. However for decades the end of terms and students going home put a hard limit for most games being played into December, save for special occasions like the early Bowls. Profession leagues obviously did not need to deal with academic schedules. But at all levels the reason the season has now stretched from August to January/February is simply that people enjoy and want to consume more football."
] | [
"It is in a class of sports played on foot instead of on horseback. There have historically been many sports called football. American Football developed from Grid-Iron Football, which in turn developed from Rugby Football. Australian Football also developed from Grid-Iron Football, though it did so somewhat independently of American Football. Association football, Gaelic Football, and half a dozen or more variants were also common at the time. Interesting note, the term Soccer for Association Football was actually invented by the British. They shortened the name to Soccer and used that for a long time. Long enough to export the game to the US, Canada, and Australia. It was after this point in time that they switched what they called the sport from Soccer to Football. The older name for the sport stayed in common use in many of their former colonies."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Since when have humans lifted weights? Before some certain introduction of gym equipment or the idea of "weightlifting," were there ever "buff" or very fit people? | [
"I don't have a specific source to cite on this, but in general everyday life was more physically active throughout most of history than it is today. Farming is very physically demanding, especially before the invention of gasoline-powered tractors. Hunting is also quite physical, as are jobs like carpentry, blacksmithing, masonry, etc. There were many fewer \"desk jobs\" in ancient Carthage, or even in Colonial America, than there are today. Most people didn't have to plan exercise time in to get a good workout each day. I do imagine that soldiers in civilizations with organized armies have always done drills such as marching, practicing sword fighting and throwing spears, and other physical activities like that. That's still a bit different from just exercising to look good or be healthy, though."
] | [
"I've always found [this image](_URL_0_) to be the best way to look at it. Those 'beer bellies' are really very strong core muscles built specifically to help those guys lift very heavy things. That's not to say body builders aren't also strong, but as I recall, those 'Worlds Strongest Man' contests involve a lot of non-traditional things like the Keg Toss, to which guys who are built like strongmen are more trained to deal with that kind of exercise. From my readings, the 'body builders' primarily look strong, without necessarily having the muscle structure to 'be' strong, if that makes any sense."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Surviving combat operations of two major wars? | [
"Lots of people did. The wars were only 21 years apart, after all. 50% of all French males in 1939 were combat veterans. German pilot [Theo Osterkamp](_URL_0_) scored 32 victories in the first world war and 6 in the second. [Harry von Bülow-Bothkamp](_URL_1_) scored 6 victories in World War I, and became a Luftwaffe Ace in World War II, with 12 additional victories."
] | [
"Catherine Merridales Ivans War. It describes the experiences of ordinary soldiers of the red army in the second world war."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
University-level history lecture series podcasts | [
"I just started John Merriman's HIST 202: EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION, 1648-1945. Open Yale Courses. On ITunesU. He's wonderful. Also at Open Yale, I liked Paul Freedman's Early Middle Ages. UC Berkeley, Stanford, Oxford and Yale are among my favorites. All on ITunesU. ProTip: For almost all these spoken word podcasts, for listening on my Ipod 4th Gen in the car, I find it necessary to boost the volume to the max in the \"Get Info/Options\" box. I also set EQ to spoken word. YMMV."
] | [
"All of the appeals that are allowed before the sentence is carried out. Court costs"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
A few good examples of academic level history podcasts | [
"I am obligated, as the host and producer, to plug our very own [AskHistorians Podcast](_URL_1_), which features interviews with flaired users of this sub and the occasional outside academic. While not exactly fitting the mold of the Great Courses, some podcasts featuring professional academics that I have enjoyed are: - [15 Minute History](_URL_3_) from UT-Austin, featuring interviews with professors and grad students there. - [Backstory](_URL_2_), which is public radio program with three history professors covering a particular theme. - [In Our Time](_URL_0_) from the BBC, which is a round-table discussion by a trio of academics on a particular topic, not always historical."
] | [
"Hey there! Would you be able to provide some examples of the texts your're talking about?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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Why do we consider the Battle of Mogadishu as a loss for the U.S? | [
"The battle was supposed to be a quick snatch and grab of Aidid's top men, including his foreign minister and top political advisor. From beginning to end, it wasn't supposed to take more than an hour. It ended up being a day and night of close-quarters fighting with two helicopters being shot down and the convoy being re-routed by road blocks, leaving men stranded in different areas. Tactically, the UN lost 20 troops and killed ~1000+, so you could say that was a victory. But, since nothing went according to plan, the groups of Rangers and Delta Force found themselves desperately battling their way out of a city full of militia trying to kill them. Considering it was supposed to be a 30 min mission that stretched into 18 hours with 20 KIA, it was deemed a failure."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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} |
suppose you live in Northern Alaska circa AD 1000. how often do you completely change your clothes? post-infanthood is there any time in your life it'll be safe for you to be completely nude (I'm counting a sleeping bag as clothes)? | [
"I can't speak to the average temperature there in 1000 AD, but in Barrow, Alaska the summer averages above freezing for a high four months of the year. During the coldest part of the winter the lows average around -20 (lowest record is -56). Even at -20, with no windchill (assuming they're indoors) it takes [about 30 minutes to get frostbite](_URL_0_). While it may not be comfortable to disrobe in extreme climates, sheltered by a fire would keep it from being unsafe in short periods. Dampness caused by sweat can be more dangerous than the changing process, so likely that will be the biggest incentive to change out the under garments."
] | [
"Well, we do wear socks as an easily washable boundary layer. But its basically cultural. People used to put on a pair of long underwear in the fall and not take them off until spring, and they didn't die from it... But at some point the mix of washing machines and central heating made us decide that was disgusting."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
In a 1758 publication, an author gives the different 'levels' of 'Whores' in London. At the bottom are 'bulk-mongers' and 'bunters.' What are those? | [
"definitions from [The Covent Garden Ladies: The Extraordinary Story of Harris's List](_URL_0_): > bulk monger - a homeless prostitute who lives and plies her trade from the benches below shop fronts > bunter - a destitute prostitute"
] | [
"['Pimp'](_URL_0_) is a late 16th century word, possibly deriving from the french word 'pimpant' (meaning alluring in seductive dress). Around 1785 in London, the word was first seen in text in the [Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue](_URL_1_) and meant \"A male procurer, or cock bawd\". In the 1970's, media attention coupled with a growing african-american subculture made terms like 'pimpmobile' and 'pimp walk' popular among their communities. ['Ho'](_URL_3_), on the other hand, is a much more recent term from the 1960's - the shorthand of 'whore'. The etymology of the word ['Whore'](_URL_2_) stems from the Old English word 'hora' meaning 'desire'. TL;DR - the original pimps and hoes were English."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Was flak from WWII antiaircraft fire dangerous to people on the ground? | [
"More of course can be said, but [this older chain of comments might be of interest.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"They weren't used over battlefields. The most well known use of them was to bomb England. Their high operating ceiling protected them from enemy fighters and anti-aircraft guns until high altitude fighters, equipped with newly invented incendiary rounds, were developed. After that zeppelins were pushed back, and bombing raids on England were mostly relegated to new heavy bombers instead. A less well known use of the zeppelins were their use as patrol craft, keeping a lookout for enemy naval forces. To this they were well suited as they could stay in the air longer than aircraft. (Air ships were also used by the US in WWII for subhunting along the coasts of America where there were no enemy fighters to threaten them.)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Are there any indigenous groups world wide whose staple form of protein was either insects or reptiles. | [
"it may be worth x-posting this one to our sister sub /r/AskAnthropology"
] | [
"Survival is not the same as good health. We are adaptable and that allows us to thrive on a variety of diets. Raw meat is full of vitimin C. People like the innuit eat an almost all meat diet."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why did the emperor just not send a load of people to Arrakis and kill everyone? | [
"The Landsraad and the Spacing Guild wouldn't have stood for such direct intervention. The Empire is essentially feudal; direct imperial control of the Spice would have both destroyed CHOAM's profits (and hence the income of the noble houses) and deprived the Spacing Guild of the essential element of space travel. The reaction to overt movement against a noble house and towards dominating Spice production would have caused an immediate revolt of the Landstraad. Not to mention, if the Spacers knew large numbers of Sardaukar, why would they consent to transport them? Better to control the spice through the Landstraad covertly. The reason Maud'dib was able to effectively control the Spice and get the cooperation of the Spacing Guild was he already had an army there - he effectively took the spacers hostage before they knew what was happening, because he didn't need ships. Once he had control of the Spice the Spacing Guild was compelled because of their addiction to assist his troop movements."
] | [
"There is no safe place on this Earth. None. So you pick the best place you can, and hope. Might as well ask why people didn't just uproot from New York after Sandy happened and turn it into a ghost town, abandoned and decaying."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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} |
When China entered the Korean War why was the US Air Force not better at helping the retreat to the 38th Parallel? I assumed we have had dominance in the air over Korea. | [
"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, \"China and the Air War in Korea, 1950-1953,\" The Journal of Military History 62, no. 2 (1998). pp. 349"
] | [
"Going in was long before the Yalu. The intent was simply to keep the south from being incorporated into the north. Americans' concern was not to be embarrassed by having to retreat from Pusan. There was no UN mandate to do more which is why it was a UN police action, not a US war. Anyway, America was war weary after WW II and had disarmed. Civilians could buy jeeps and M-1s. Optics for Norden gun sights were available in the first simple catalogues of Edmund Scientific. The focus was on Europe and we certainly didn't want war with the new Communist regime in China."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
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When did people start thinking about going to the moon? | [
"I'd make the case that serious consideration begins with \"From the Earth to the Moon\", published by Jules Verne in 1865. While he was wrong in his approach (he postulated a large gun to launch his manned projectile), he did make the effort to conduct the mathematical calculations to see if it would be possible. Tchaikovsky in 1902 was inspired to analyze and rebut Verne's conclusions about a voyage to the moon in his advocacy of rocketry."
] | [
"Because there is a lot of distance between us, compared to just about every other country."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
When were the United States first considered a Super Power in world politics? | [
"I believe the US became the #1 Economic power (although it was a very close 1 2 for a while) approximately in the 1910-1915 range, just before WWI. However they also become the #1 Military power during the course of WWII, so I would say their Super Power status has been cemented since about 1944-1945. They were \"relevant\" since about the late 1880s however, and around the turn of the 20th Century, they had gained enough steam from initial immigration and the Industrial boom, that they would have been approximately on par with most of the large European powers."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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Theory Thursday | New Format! Take a look... | [
"My HS history teacher mentioned the French Annales School, but he did a terrible job of explaining it's significance. How did the 20th century historians shift the practice of history??"
] | [
"Question 1: Am I a celebrity? * Yes: Move onto question 2 * No: Who gives a shit about you? Question 2: Do I like to look terrific in photographs? * Yes: Move onto question 3 * No: Use your iPhone for nude selfies Question 3: Do I mind being raped? * Yes: Call Annie Leibovitz * No: Terry's your man!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
American Revolution Conspiracies | [
"I have done a little research paper last year about the Blount Conspiracy that took place in the late 1790's. I know that it is some years after the Revolution but it was in the wake of it. The continental expansion of the US was (or could have been) greatly changed if the conspiracy had went through. Right now I am not home and don't have much time to find the sources I used, but here's William Blount's wiki _URL_0_ Hope it can help!"
] | [
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
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Just saw a documentary that said we don't really know how old the Pyramids are-- is this true? What is the evidence we have for dating them? | [
"You gotta be more specific. What are the parameters? Do we know exactly what day the Pyramids were finished? Of course not. The month? Nope. The year? Definitely not. The decade? Sorta. The century? Pretty certain. So does not knowing the exact year mean \"we really don't know\"? Because that's really inconsequential. Narrowing the build date to a time frame of a decade or two seems pretty accurate to most historians considering the time period."
] | [
"It's much much much older than a few decades. The best guess is 1475, although it could be older. There's a lot of competing theories as to its origin."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Agrippina is accused of poisoning (or arranging the poisoning of) her husband, the emperor Claudius. When ancient historians make such a charge, are they relying on evidence, and, if so, what would that be? | [
"It is notoriously difficult, when discussing periods in which early death, and sudden death caused by infection or disease, could carry off even the strongest and healthiest with very little warning, to determine when a death was caused by poison. That said, there was an extensive literature on poisoning. Doctors would be looking for specific symptoms, among which were excessively violent vomiting and much drier stools, and, on autopsy, blackening or withering of the bowels. I touched on some of these issues in considering poisoning scares in the early modern period [in an essay here](_URL_0_), and although 1500 or so years had passed since the period you are interested in, many of the issues and the diagnoses actually remained the same. I'd also suggest checking the essays in Philip Wexler [ed.], *[Toxicology in Antiquity](_URL_1_)* for more detailed analysis of how antique diagnostics worked in cases of poison."
] | [
"The problem is we really don't have much information on Spartacus. There is very little in the way of discussion of motivation in what few historical sources we have, because all that information is focused on his Roman antagonists. He is more of a situation than a person. Pretty much the closest thing we have to a description of motivation is Plutarch saying he aimed to leave Italy by marching through the Alps."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When and why did the anti-union sentiment develop in recent US history? | [
"Could you specify what anti-union sentiment you're talking about?"
] | [
"The main reason is because of the religious background of the United States."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Are there any biographies out there on the life of Harald Hardrada? | [
"I can't find any books that focus exclusively on Harald Sigurdsson (aka \"Hardrada\"), no, but there are a few sources that will get you started in the right direction. These are the English references Claus Krag includes in his (relatively short) bio of him in the ODNB. * E.A. Freeman, *The history of the Norman conquest of England*, vol. 3 (book, over a century old, but not useless) * F.M. Stenton, *Anglo-Saxon England* (book) * S. Blöndal, \"The last exploits of Harald Sigurdsson in Greek service,\" in *Classica et Mediaevalia*, 2 (1939) (journal article) Also possibly useful: * Oleksandr M. Fylypchuk, \"Harald Sigurdsson and the Russo-Byzantine War of 1043\" in *Slovene* (2014) (journal article) Good luck!"
] | [
"Are there any good introduction books to historiography in general? JFK in particular? Thank you"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
People I have talked to and myself associate the Federalist Papers with James Madison even though Alexander Hamilton wrote more essays for it and John Jay contributed. Why has history, or at least a New York high school curriculum, overshadowed the other two? | [
"Two factors: 1. Madison wrote the most-read of the Federalist Papers, [No. 10](_URL_0_), which deals with the problem of faction. 2. Madison is also considered to be the \"father of the Constitution\" because his notes of the proceedings form much of the basis of our understanding of what the debates were about."
] | [
"Richard Hofstadter discusses this topic in \"Anti-Intellectualism in American Life\" he argues that some discontent between the intellectuals (smart nerdy types) and the common working man has always existed. In America this Anti-Intellectualism (distrust or scorn for educated elite) was shaped by our puritan roots and our democratic form of government. For example: during the early 19th century a college education would usually include instruction in Greek and Roman classics. The working class farmer viewed this as a mostly worthless topic. Naturally there developed some resentment about rich kids sitting around learning worthless info while everybody else worked for a living. I recommend you pick up a copy and read it. It's pretty easy reading and somehow it manages to be one of those books that everybody agrees with, always assuming the anti-intellectuals are the other guys."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Language History: Why did the Thorn fall out of usage in English? | [
"Quick answer? It was not included in the printing sets imported from Germany and Italy. By then time it was written as a \"y\" anyway, and in print that trend of using Y instead of Þ just continued (think \"Ye Olde Shoppe\" is pronounced \"*The* old shop\" not the way you hear people say it..) But since \"th\" was in common use by then anyway, they just didn't bother. If you wanted to into detail you could include reasons for it's decline: the normans didn't use Þ. Written form is the form of the elite (Normans) and spoken form is for the common people (Anglo-Saxons) it was confusing with \"P\" and \"Y\" etc in writing. But really literacy came with printing, and that was the final nail in the coffin. I'm going to add that this is way out of my area of expertise.. so take with a grain of salt."
] | [
"They aren't considered to be the same language, that is why it is called Old English. The same with German, Old German, or to be exact the version spoken by the Angles, is the origins of Old English."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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Has there been any examples of a strong ruler being able to reverse or postpone dynastic decline following a series of weak rulers? | [
"Several Byzantine rulers accomplished this. [Basil I](_URL_3_) came to the Imperium from a peasant background and initiated the [Macedonian Renaissance](_URL_0_). [Alexius I](_URL_2_) came to the throne following a major decline in the Empire's power as well. I would like to argue though that many of the actions he took, while they stabilized the Empire in the short term, were destructive in the long term. Foremost among these was an increased reliance on \"Latin\" (Western European) mercenaries. Letters Alexius sent to Latin rulers were used as justification for the First Crusade, part of a chain of events which would lead to the [Sack of Constantinople](_URL_1_), the Imperial Capital."
] | [
"As well as what /u/portabledavers said, it's important to note that the mandate of heaven was often a post-hoc explanation to justify passage of power from one leader to another. The kind of disruption that normally precipitated a major power shift (massive droughts/famines) or were part of one (rebellions/uprisings) were then used by the next dynasty as evidence of the previous one losing it's mandate."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Found this old picture of who I am guessing is muhammad ali. Can anyone help me figure out who took it and who it is. Is it worth anything? Link in description | [
"That is Joe Louis and I think the photographer is a man named Marvin Smith. (Morgan and Marvin Smith) [NY Times](_URL_1_) [Wiki](_URL_0_) (minor edit) - If that is an original it must be worth something and perhaps a museum would be interested in taking it."
] | [
"Could you post the full transcript / who wrote it / when / where it was posted from? Cheers."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
In ancient Rome, what was "portico" and "peristyle"? | [
"The portico is a section in front of a building's entrance, often with a floor and ceiling. Rome's [Temples of Portunus](_URL_0_) Nimes's [Maison Caree](_URL_1_) have good examples of the standard Roman portico, a tradition inherited from the Etruscans. They are extensions of the temple's main *cella* with two or three rows of columns which lead into the engaged columns that continue around the building. These creates a strong frontality in comparison with Greek porticos that could wrap around a building (e.g. the Parthenon). A peristyle is a colonnade that surrounds a plaza, court, garden, or similar open space. The House of the Faun in Pompeii contained two large ones, as seen in its [plan](_URL_2_)."
] | [
"Afaik there were thermopolias and cauponas where you could get some food and drink. A thermopolium was a restaurant/snack bar with some tables and a street counter for to-go orders. Often they also had brothels on the upper floor. The caupona was a smaller establishment more wine inclined, so closer to a modern bar. In cities like Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ancient Ostia plenty of these establishments were found. Google Caupona di Fortunato or Thermopolium di Ostia to see some examples. I suppose Claudius is just commenting on the lack of quality wine."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
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What was life like in Communist African countries? | [
"I think you should be more specific in your question. How about \"What was life like in Ethiopia under the Derg/Communist dictatorship?\""
] | [
"A follow-up and related question: how about young people in other parts of the world in this time period? I.e. South Asia, China, West Africa, South America?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Does Daniel Gibson thesis regarding Petra as being "the Mecca" hold any validity nowadays ? | [
"Not really. There are some historians (e.g. Patricia Crone, who I’m not sure how serious she was about the point or if she was just trying to be provocative) who have argued that the rise of Islam makes more sense in a north Arabian or southern Jordanian context thenthe central Hijaz location of Mecca. This is a pretty fringe revisionist position. That Petra, specifically, was “Mecca” I’m not aware of any evidence for."
] | [
"Follow-up question: If it is purely a modern idea, where did this idea come from, and how much validity is there to it?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Where and/or did the concept of Yahweh develop? | [
"You might be interested in the book *A History of God* by Karen Armstrong. It attempts to trace the rise and development of the three Abrahamic religions. Now if I recall correctly, there was a Canaanite god named Yahu from which some scholars believe the cult of Yahweh arose. At first even among the Israelites, Yahweh was considered one of many gods, although he was believed to be the mightiest/chief god. The Israelites remained henotheists for most of their early history. It wasn't until around the time of the Babylonian exile (around 600 BCE) that the Israelites (particularly the Jews) became strict monotheists. After that there was no turning back, at least for the Jews. The contemporary Samaritans (the descendants of the northern Israelites) reverted to a form of polytheism, which was a point of contention between them and the Jews. However, modern day Samaritans are strict monotheists."
] | [
"It has been my understanding that Goat deities were common in pre-Christian cultures (specifically paganism). When Christianity was introduced, Christian officials would demonize the present deities (Beelzebub; Lord of the Earth = > Lord of the Flies, Horned God = > Satan). Or maybe I'm completely wrong. :/"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
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What is the Origin of Yahweh? | [
"Mark Smith in *The Early History of God* and *The Origins of Biblical Monotheism* traces the original cult center of Yahweh to the town of Tayma in NW Arabia. According to this theory the proto-Israelites were a combo of local Canaanites and migratory shepherds (much like the modern bedouins). The migratory shepherds were spending part of their time in and around Tayma where they picked up Yahweh worship and then carried him into Canaan where he was adopted by their more settled relatives. He then first joined the Canaanite pantheon and then superseded it. The theory isn't universally accepted yet, but it has become the most popular among biblical academics. Other competing theories are that he was imported from Mesopotamia or that Yahweh originally started as a nickname for the Canaanite God El, and eventually replaced or superseded El."
] | [
"Huh, literally *just* was involved in a discussion about this topic with a history professor. Here's a list of some of the books he recommended: Ahmad, Anis. Global Ethics, Environmentally Applied: An Islamic View. 2009. Dien, Izzi. The Environmental Dimensions of Islam. The Lutterworth Press, 2000. Murad, Munjed M. Inner and Outer Nature: An Islamic Perspective. 2012. Richard C. Foltz. Animals in Islamic Tradition and Muslim Cultures. One World Publications, 2006. Quadir, Tarik.Traditional Islamic Environmentalism: The Vision of Seyyed Hossein Nasr. University Press of America, 2013. Speth, James Gustave. The Bridge At The End Of The World. 1st ed., [New Haven, Conn.], Yale University Press, 2008. Tlili, Sarra. Animals in the Quran. Cambridge University Press, 2012."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Did we ever find out what was behind that secret door in the pyramids that they found in the ventilation systems with a robo cam? | [
"I remember a Fox special in the early 2000s where they drilled through a door thing only to find another door. Is this what you were talking about?"
] | [
"How about through that opening on the side of your head?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Egyptian tombs:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Egyptian tombs:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How were native Icelandic and Greenlandic people's treated by Danish colonizers? | [
"There is some speculation that Iceland may have had a small colony of Irish monks - but that remains in dispute. Otherwise, there was no indigenous population in Iceland."
] | [
"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 query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Are we actually eating more salt than ever, or is this a myth? Considering that before refrigeration, most food was heavily salted or cured. | [
"Americans consume 3400 mg of sodium per day, up about a third from the 1970s and 50 percent over the USDA recommendations. HOWEVER. In 19th century Europe, consumption was [as high as 18,000 mg per day](_URL_0_), especially in the winter. This wasn't just from eating prosciutto or salt cod; sauerkraut was an important source of vitamin C during the winter months and, according the USDA, contains half of the daily sodium allowance in a 100g serving."
] | [
"We don't need lots of salt. In fact the level of salt intake for most western consumers is several times more than the recommended daily requirement, which then is a significant cause of raised blood pressure and higher risk of heart attacks and stroke. So there's a certain irony in the fact that we're told not to give food to birds and animals because its salt content is bad for them, yet the same food's salt content is also bad for us, yet we generally eat it because our palates have become accustomed to the taste of over-salted food."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
William F. Buckley did not support the Civil Rights movement because he did not believe protests were appropriate for the cause. Was this a typical conservative view in the 1950s and 1960s? | [
"May I question the assumption behind the question? William F. Buckley didn't support the Civil Rights movement because he was a racist. He outright stated that the white race was superior.^^1 His defence of that statement was around the idea that it was due to sociological reasons that the white race was superior, and thus time needed to be given for PoC to catch up.^^2 I'll let you make your own conclusion, but frankly this seems to be deeply backwards, both in that it suggests you have to earn rights and in that it removes the possibility of 'advancement' for PoC. ^^1 John B. Judis, *William F. Buckley Jr.: Patron Saint of the Conservatives* (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2001), p. 138. ^^2 Deborah Soloman, 'The Way We Live Now, 7/11/04: Questions for William F. Buckley; Conservatively Speaking', *The New York Times Magazine* < < _URL_0_; [Accessed 17 May 2017]."
] | [
"Malcolm X was racist for most of his life, but toward the end when he rejected the Nation of Islam, he similarly rejected racism. Otherwise, to put it succinctly, he was one of the most prominent black intellectuals and activists during the Civil Rights Era. He spoke, wrote, and put himself in harm's way to promote the rights of black people in America. He was also so genuine in his convictions that he was willing to walk away from the Nation of Islam, which he had vastly more popular, disavow it, and ultimately be assassinated by its members. He's considered to be something of the flip-side to Martin Luther King Jr.'s approach to black empowerment, being much more militant but no less compelling. White people seeing and hearing Malcolm X's words made them a lot more amenable to the alternative approach of Dr. King's."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
After framing a satirical WWI map (thanks /r/mapporn!), some of the symbolism is over my head. Does anyone know why Austria-Hungary would be depicted with a clown? | [
"The clown is a *Pierrot* who is a tragicomic character chiefly known for his unrequited love for another commedia del'arte character, the lovely Columbina, and for his less than stellar intelligence. So Austria here is a bumbling fool who perhaps bit off more than he could chew by provoking the Russian bear. He has been knocked off his feet in dismay and is desperately holding on to the German eagle. [This page](_URL_1_) has a bit more detail on the other characters as well. The author of the map is described by the [publisher](_URL_0_) (pdf) as \"the well-known Anglo-Russian artist\" J.H. Amschewitz, so it is drawn from the perspective of the Allied powers (properly the Triple Entente)."
] | [
"Well, Churchill's V for Victory sign is fine, that's like the stereotypical Asian teen girl sign. It's the backwards V that's frowned upon, another poster explains where that comes from, though."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Any recommended books on the dawn of civilization? | [
"it may be worth x-posting this to our sister sub /r/AskAnthropology as well"
] | [
"Just asked this in the other sticky, but maybe this is the better place for it: Does anyone have any good book recommendations about the Nigerian Civil War or about Biafra as a country?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the post about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the post about Literature:"
} |
Who in your opinion is the most tragic figure in human history? | [
"I imagine there's a more tragic figure somewhere in the world, but: Franklin Pierce, 14th POTUS. Three kids die in childhood, the last of which is in a train accident with Pierce and his wife just weeks after the election. He sees the child decapitated, attempts to hide the body from his wife and fails. She sinks into a serious depression and drags him along with her, regarding her children's deaths as God's punishment for his political life. He goes on to have one the worst presidential terms in U.S. history, so bad that he isn't even nominated by his own party for a second term. His alcoholism gets worse, his marriage dissolves. Any remaining respect he received dried up when he came out in support of the Confederacy and personal correspondence between he and the Confederate president showed up in the media. Died of cirrhosis."
] | [
"A related question were there public figures at the time who were apologists that tried to justify for the actions of the Japanese military at Pearl Harbor?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Is it intellectually dishonest to approach an historical topic by contextualizing it within the modern day? | [
"Eireannach's comments from the linked thread seem to have been deleted. Is it possible to summarize them?"
] | [
"Can anyone suggest respected works that deal, on a theoretical level, with the concept of elites? Specifically from the standpoint of history."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
In War and Peace, Tolstoy often talk about women's mustaches as beautiful feature. Was that ever a thing or is it just Tolstoy's strange taste? | [
"//“The young princess Bolkonsky came with handwork in a gold-embroidered velvet bag. Her pretty upper lip with its barely visible black mustache was too short for her teeth, but the more sweetly did it open and still more sweetly did it sometimes stretch and close on the lower one. As happens with perfectly attractive women, her flaw – a short lip and half-opened mouth – seemed her special, personal beauty… Anyone who talked with her and saw her bright little smile at every word and her gleaming white teeth, which showed constantly, thought himself especially amiable that day.”/ I take it to mean that her upper-lip hair (not really a moustache as we would understand it) is an endearing flaw in her appearance and that she is being described as beautiful *despite* her flaws, not because of them. Like how you might describe someone today as having a cute gap in their teeth. It's not a conventionally desirable feature, but it adds individuality to a face and humanises it. It's the 'girl next door' effect."
] | [
"The way I heard it is Russian society has gone a very long way in a very short time. From feudal peasantry in 1900 to an industrialized nation in 1960. This fast transition in exterior circumstances was not matched by an equal transition in the way Russian people reflect on life, the Universe and everything. Most notably drinking yourself into a coma is viewed as manly behaviour, as is starting a fist fight for no good reason (well, perhaps because you are drunk. That would be a good reason). Amongst other highlights of popular culture are driving like an asshole, having no respect whatsoever for women and the attitude on gay people is approximately what it used to be in England in the first half of the previous century (*vide the treatment of Oscar Wilde and of Alan Turing, amongst others*). Putin is not a gay basher, he is a political animal. When he bashes gays he is not acting against gays, he is acting in his own best political interests."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How common was it for Japanese citizens to be privately critical of their government and the invasion of China during WW2? | [
"I think this is a difficult to answer question. Firstly, in *Barefoot Gen*, his father is actually quite publicly against the war, and that's what got the Nakaoka family into trouble (like the jailing of the father or the other school kids destroying the Nakoaka's unfired pottery). So I do not think Daikichi Nakaoka is a good example of a Japanese citizen (real or otherwise) who was privately critical of the Japanese government, because he was also publicly critical. And secondly, how would a historian really be able to figure out if \"**many** other Japanese citizens\" (emphasis my own) were privately against the war if, by the definition of the word privately, they kept those thoughts to themselves? The only source I think you would be able to trust would be diaries. But what constitutes as \"**many**?\" 1%? Because that would be 730,000 diaries or so you would need to find."
] | [
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Who were the men with white hats behind Martin Luther King when he gave his "I have a dream" speech in 1963? | [
"Security. The men in white caps were mostly visiting police and firemen, recruited to work security. The man to the left of Dr. King is Charlie Jackson, a Jersey City detective. Many of King's followers wore Indian Congress Party caps, because of its association with nonviolence."
] | [
"Well, in 1968 when Robert F. Kennedy was campaigning for the presidency, he made a stop in Indianapolis when he heard of Martin Luther King's death. In response, Kennedy gave an impassioned speech urging nonviolence and peace: _URL_0_ We can never really know the impact of the speech for sure, but there was rioting in most major American cities, but not Indianapolis."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
[META] r/AskHistorians rules – now with extra awesome! | [
"One question: it used to mention in the rules that a flaired user (such as myself) was not held to the standard of flaired users, just the normal top level comment standards (i.e. not required to be an expert, but still contributing something useful) when replying outside their field. Is that guideline still in place? If so, it would be a nice thing to have on there. EDIT: I say this because I replied to a post outside my field 10 minutes ago and I need to delete it if that isn't the case- I'm not a sports expert."
] | [
"Did you try readinng the rules? > Posts must begin with \"ELI5:\" > Posts only > Reported as: 10. Posts must begin with \"ELI5:\" > This is meant to help identify ELI5 posts on the frontpage or /r/all or any other collection."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Appreciation:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Appreciation:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Is there a place that has the readings of famous (natural) philosophers? | [
"it may be worth x-posting this one to /r/AskPhilosophy"
] | [
"what are the two meanings you think it has?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
were general living standards in the US higher in 1923 (before the depression) or 1947 (after world war 2)? | [
"Follow-up question: How do historians compare standards of living and income across periods of time? Adjusting for inflation is commonly done, but how do you also take into account the changing value of goods themselves? Purchasing power? Consumer price index? Which of these is best to use? What can we do for time periods in the remote past (say, 2500 BC in Egypt)?"
] | [
"\"the 80s were some of the most prosperous times for the middle class\" Source? I don't think your stipulation is generally accepted as true. The 80s were arguably better than times since, but the late 40s through early 60s brought much greater gains in income and living standards to the middle class than the 1980s saw."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
As I understand it, to build their first navy, the Romans reverse-engineered a captured Carthaginian boat and used that as their template. How did their reverse-engineering process work? | [
"I've no knowledge of my own to share, but [this thread](_URL_0_) and the suggestion that there may not've been such a capture may be of interest to you."
] | [
"Judging from the pictures, the left-most images show ships with junk rigging - Vikings probably used square sails and definitely not junk rigging. Note that central (fourth-from-the-left) ship appears to have oars. I'm not aware of any ocean-going, long-distance European ships having banks of oars in that fashion. Ok - so these aren't Vikings so far. What about the two on the right? They both exhibit lateen sails and two masts, the left-most ship showing two head sails. This is a variation on the traditional caravel sail format, indeed, the right-most ship appears to have a poop deck which implies fairly advanced naval architecture. Viking longboats were much simpler in their construction and didn't use lateen sails. This is probably a depiction of European explorers or traders during the Age of Discovery rather than remnants of a Viking expedition. An interesting question is \"Who drew these?\" The drawings are pretty detailed and reasonably technical with what looks like reflections of the ships"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Saturday Reading and Research | December 31, 2016 | [
"This week I've been listening to Our Crime Was Being Jewish by Anthony A Pitch. It is 13 plus hours on Audible (I had a very long car trip over the holidays) already in the 3 hours that I have listened I've learned mini detail most of them small and personal but things that I have never heard all my years studying the Holocaust. Well they appropriately fall in line with what one would expect it still makes for a fascinating listen or read. It is made up entirely of accounts recorded by survivors both of the Holocaust and those who assisted survivors. Voice actors are used in the audible butt each peace is capped at the end with what archive it is from and the specific archive number for the interview."
] | [
"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 Massachusetts Press, 1988. > > Howe, Daniel Walker. “Church, State, and Education in the Young American Republic.” Journal of the Early Republic 22, no. 1 (April 1, 2002): 1–24. > > Kaestle, Carl. Pillars of the Republic: Common Schools and American Society, 1780-1860. 1st ed. Hill and Wang, 1983. > > Spring, Joel. The American School: From the Puritans to No Child Left Behind. 7th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. > > Katz, Michael B. “Horace Mann: What Went Wrong?” Reviews in American History 1, no. 2 (June 1, 1973): 218–223. > > Messerli, Jonathan. Horace Mann: A Biography. New York: Knopf, 1972."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What do we know about the fowl of the roman empire? | [
"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 others. If you'd like you can check out the book at the following link from project Gutenberg. _URL_0_ You are also correct in turkey being a recent addition to European cuisine. The turkey is among one of the New World foods."
] | [
"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:"
} |
In 1995, what sort of decisions and predictions faced the distilleries that laid down the 20-year-old whisky that is now being sold? | [
"Why weren't they in the market before? Too costly, or was it another concern?"
] | [
"It's a secret sheepishly admitted to by some of the newer whisky brands: for the first few years, they would just buy commodity whisky from other distilleries, bottle & label it, and sell it under their own name, until the whisky they made themselves is ready. Once established, a small distillery might routinely distill a lot more whisky than they expected to be able to sell (as premium, name-brand stuff), pick and choose the barrels they want to keep, and sell the rest to a bottler that produces cheap blended whisky."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Curtis LeMay was bestowed the Order of The Rising Sun by Japan. How did this come about? | [
"I never put much thought into it, but I assumed that it was largely Cold War politics. The US brought a fair number of accused Japanese war criminals back into government on the basis of their anti-communist cred and discipline in their attempt to contain communism. I just assumed that it was reciprocation. Sort of an official, Cold-War, \"Medals and appointments for everyone! Let's pretend we never fought!\" As far as I know, he didn't *do* anything to deserve it. [This guy](_URL_0_) has looked into it and found some conspiracy theory on Japanese blogs about it being given as part of an exchange of medals rewarding a Japanese official who had been instrumental in arranging the purchase of 180 F-104 fighters, who was also involved in a scandal in the 70s where he took bribes in exchange for pushing for the purchase of lockheed aircraft. There doesn't seem to be all that much evidence for the theory though, other than the fact that the official, Genda Minoru, strongly supported LeMay for the medal."
] | [
"Because he became President and his name wasn't George W. Bush."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Sexuality in Corinth, around the time Paul wrote to the Corinthians? | [
"There was actually a discussion on this a few months ago that became quite popular. [Here](_URL_0_) was the original post. My response/criticism is directly below it. Don't miss the link to [this](_URL_1_) recent paper, which pretty comprehensively explores the semantics of *porneia* in the Greco-Roman world, and Judaism/Christianity."
] | [
"You probably meet in a house/apartment. There are not church buildings at this time, and it's unlikely you would meet in any other kind of building. Likely you meet at least weekly, on the Sunday morning to celebrate Jesus' resurrection, but given social conditions you probably meet very regularly with other believers. The NT, in the introductions and sign-offs to letters seems to indicate multiple churches, i.e. multiple gatherings, in some cities, often identified by whose house they met in. Probably a typical house church was not more than 20. For further reading, Edwin Judge would be my starting point, something like *The Social Pattern of the Christian Groups in the First Century\" 1960. (One of his earliest works, but the later stuff is good too)."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What was going on in China that so many of them migrated to work for the railroads in the U.S.? | [
"I'm assuming you're talking about China & US mid/late 19th century. There was HUGE internal chaos in China at the time; not least the Taiping Rebellion (as elmononenano has pointed out). At the same time, there were a bunch of other rebellions: The Nian Rebellion, which was basically a bunch of bandits roaming around the Jiangsu area pillaging and beating people up, huge muslim rebellions in the Chinese northwest, and separatist movements in Yunnan (the Chinese southwest). These were all happening simultaneously. More deeply, however, China had been in sharp decline ever since the end of Qianlong's reign. Systemic corruption, complete degradation of the administrative class and economic disruptions from Imperialism had wrecked China. It was completely chaotic, and hence lots of Chinese people left for the US."
] | [
"The Russian Empire DID spread over the Bering straight. Vitius Bering was the Russian explorer who gave his name to the straight and the shallow sea to the north of the Aleutian islands. However, the Russian colony in Alaska was so remote, it was quicker to sail from St Petersburg, south to Cape Horn, then north to Alaska than it was to go by land across Siberia. There were only about 25,000 colonists from the Russian Empire living in Alaska in 1850. When word of the California gold rush reached Alaska, most of them moved to California. The Russian government soon decided to sell Alaska to the United States. Source: \"East of the Sun: The epic conquest and tragic history of Siberia\" by Benson Bobrick. Chapter 11 Russian America. pp 211-268"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How did Chinese immigrants to the USA in the 1800’s learn about the job opportunities? What kind of advertising was used to attract them to build railroads? | [
"A decent starting place is [this post](_URL_0_) 'Questions on Chinese in the Old West' see the last question answered by /u/keyilan"
] | [
"One of the main problems in westward expansion before the civil war rest in debating over whether slavery should be allowed in the new territory. With the slavery question answered after the end of the civil war, there was actually less impetus to westward expansion. The federal government encouraged westward movement with projects such as the Union Pacific railway, connecting the coasts with \"rapid\" transit, and acts such as the Homestead act, which allowed settlers to claim large tracks of land and led to events like the Oklahoma land grab of 1889. There was lack of social mobility throughout most of the east coast urban centers during this era. Populations swelled from increasing birth rates and immigrants escaping turmoil and famine in Europe. But what kept hope alive for many citizens was geographic mobility, the prospect of finding better lives far elsewhere in the country. Combined with standard intrigue and lure of the romanticized west, many people headed to new territory after the civil war."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
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