query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
[Meta] Historians Meet-Up in London this weekend | [
"Great idea. Just my luck to find myself at the other end of the country as soon as something interesting to do crops up back in London."
] | [
"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 post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Did American culture ever impact Europe the way the "British Invasion" did? | [
"Well the British Invasion was a second wave response to Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, Buddy Holly,Gene Vincent (as rockers) and of course Blues greats like Broonzy, Son House, Leadbelly (and many more). It was literally the Brits adopting (and clearly expanding / moving forward) American musical ideas. perhaps this was a little more music centered than culture centered , but the youth culture and the music scenes kind of went hand in hand"
] | [
"Two reasons. 1. The Beatles. They were HUGE, and seemingly came from nowhere. They became the most popular band in history, and inspired many small time bands and musicians in England to try and go big as well. 2. Empire. GB used to basically rule the world, and a lot of the world took up parts of British culture because of it. This probably allowed a band like the Beatles to have success a lot faster, as most of the world was already attuned to the British taste in music and art."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What's the origin of brunch (the meal)? | [
"The origin of the meal itself is murky. But the word \"brunch\" was coined by Guy Beringer in 1895 in an article entitled \"Brunch: A Plea\" in a periodical called Hunter's Weekly. He claimed it as a meal for \"Saturday night carousers.\" _URL_0_"
] | [
"Why do you say that it's logical that breakfast be the heaviest meal of the day?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How much would a hooker/prostitute cost in the 1950s? I need to know. | [
"Your best bet would be to dredge up a copy of [USA Confidential](_URL_0_). But be warned, the book is a racist, sexist and homophobic look at 1950s America. It was a bestseller of the decade, probably because of equal parts decent Americans getting a glimpse of the immoral activities of parts of this country. That and it was clearly the best guidebook ever written if you were looking for the above \"immoral\" activities."
] | [
"It'll cost you upwards of $1000 a month. You might as well purchase a second hand one for ~5000$ and sell it or bring it back home when your six month period is completed."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What was the relationship between the Cold War and the 1990-91 (Second) Gulf War? | [
"From a United States perspective, the Gulf War signalled the end of a bipolar world in many respects, instead giving rise to the era of the US being the world's \"sole superpower\". Bush talked about this a lot, how the Gulf War and the international coalition-building that surrounded it signalled the beginning of a \"new world order\" where the United States would work as a leader, along with other countries, in maintaining global peace by limited but decisive applications of force; the Gulf War was, naturally, a proving ground for this policy. The fact that the USSR was convinced to give at least a cursory approval to the Gulf War, without trying to block it through UN channels or whatever, represented a major step forward for the \"new world order\" idea. It proved that the USSR no longer had the ability or willpower to challenge US foreign policy."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
The new Total War game focuses around the idea that Attila the Hun was a sign of the coming apocalypse for the Romans. How true is this? | [
"My answer [here](_URL_0_) should help. Let me know if you have any questions!"
] | [
"It depends on what you mean by fear of the \"end of civilization.\" Various large conflicts have caused certain people to think the world was ending, usually through religious interpretation of the conflict, but these beliefs weren't necessarily popular or common. An example: Some people, particularly in the more conservative eastern empires of Europe (Prussia, Austria, and Russia,) legitimately thought Napoleon was the anti-christ and that he would bring about the end of the world. Did everyone believe this? No. Not even a large percentage of the population believed this, but it did represent a group of people fearing the end of civilization during a conflict. Not sure this is what you wanted but thought it would help."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
When did the "spare the woman and children" doctrine first develop? | [
"The wikipedia page on this is pretty thorough: _URL_0_. In a nutshell, it first shows up in 1852 with the sinking of the *HMS Birkenhead* in 1852, being referred to thereafter as the Birkenhead Drill, and was later made famous in the sinking of the *Titanic*. Apparently it wasn't as widespread as we usually think of today: [Uppsala researchers](_URL_1_;) have determined that women and children usually have a much lower survival rate in shipwrecks, and there are reports of captains actually [locking](_URL_2_) women below decks on a sinking ship to contain their hysteria. The paradigm itself seems to have reached its prominence through promulgation by anti-sufferage activists around the turn of the century, who used it as evidence that women didn't need to vote since men were already looking out for their best interests. At the end of the day, the unsurprising if unromantic fact is that most people look out for themselves first in an emergency."
] | [
"Side question, but definitely related: Were whipping boys used outside of the English court? Also, when did the idea of using a whipping boy fall out of favor?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why were quills dipped in ink used for composing letters? | [
"Quills were used because they were hollow and would suck up ink, much like a dropper. A small diagonal cut was made at the tip of the quill so that it provided a little tip at the end and ink would not spill. The art teacher in my school told us that and showed an example using an eagle's feather."
] | [
"You know how we place tombstones on graves with inscriptions on them? They did that back in ancient times as well. Only the inscriptions were on and inside the tombs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How did "letters with lines through them" become so ubiquitous in currency symbolism? | [
"For what it's worth, overlapping letters, creating ligatures, and inserting dashes into/over letters is quite common as a feature of shorthand for many commonly used words or letter clusters in pre-print writing systems. In the Latin-based system, for example, common words might be shortened to just the beginning and ending letters with a line over them; the word \"and\" (Latin *et*) was shortened into the ampersand, which doesn't necessitate starting a new letter; and common grammatical endings are often contracted with a dash or other mark to save the scribe some work. With typesetting, this style remains both because it is familiar but also because commonly used symbols can get a symbol (or key on the modern keyboard) which again saves a bit of time for the typesetter or typist. The overlapping of letters or using dashes or other marks was a familiar technique, rather than one invented for the purpose of designating currencies."
] | [
"It doesn't sound dumb -- that is a very interesting question. The exclamation mark originated as shorthand for *io* which is a joyous outcry in Latin. The letters of *io*, stacked, give us the exclamation mark. If whispers occurred as frequently in early Latin texts as joyous exclamations (and questions) we might very well have a \"whisper mark\" today! But please don't let that stop you from inventing one to use in your next book."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why is this map published in 1757, depicting the German principalities, titled "Carte De L'Empire D'Allemagne"? | [
"\"Germany\" was often used as a geographical shorthand for the Empire - from 1512 nominally the \"Holy Roman Empire of the German nation\" (though the long title was little used) despite its inclusion of territories occupied mostly by non-Geman peoples. \"German Empire\" seems a less frequent usage, just \"the Empire\" being a more common short form."
] | [
"Rabelais give a very interessant story of the life of a student / teacher in the late Medieval Time, early Rennaissance (in Gargantua I think)."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What was the first culture to figure out STDs, and how did they deal with it? | [
"Humans (along with many animals) have an instinctive wariness around people with contagious diseases, and the appearance of good health is an important part of sexual selection. Man With Boils On Penis probably had a hard time socializing or mating even before cultures existed."
] | [
"At least in my country, it's a law to help prevent the spread of STD's. Can't see a simpler way to put it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Thursday Reading & Research | May 03, 2018 | [
"I read a most interesting [article](_URL_0_), *Made in Occupied Japan: The Birth of the Consumer Goods and Industrial Design Industries in Japan (1945-1955)*. It is written in French, sorry for non-francophones, but at least the photographs are valuable. I've been interested in material culture lately, and it was fascinating to read about the effects of the Occupation on Japanese culture and industry. I even asked a question here to expand the context, but unfortunately it was removed for being too broad. I'd appreciate recommendations for more socio-economic analysis of the Occupation and post-war reconstruction in Japan."
] | [
"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:"
} |
did being physically tall help a medieval king get more respect? | [
"The only king i am relatively familair with in terms of height is Henry VIII and his height certainly didn't hurt. He was, IIRC, about 6'2 or 6'3, so pretty tall. In his early years, it certainly helped him estabilsh himself as an athlete (in tournaments and tennis and whatnot) and I certainly doubt it harmed him. An example that looks at the other side of the coin, however, is Richard III. if the corpse that was recently recovered is in fact his, then he had scoliosis. ergo, he was a hunchback. that was certainly used to make him out to be more sinister than he already was. (Shakespeare's Richard III as an example of propaganda of course)"
] | [
"1. not the first woman to win a nobel prize 2. only won 1 nobel prize rather than 2 3. died in 1906 from traffic accident so any later accomplishments in life wouldnt be possible marie's life was a lot harder than pierre's. people who are actually knowledgeable about science history know pierre."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What was the alliances' part in the ignition of WWI? | [
"I think you are referring to the fact that there was a web of alliances in Europe at the time and that combat of one would have resulted in combat of everyone. If you require some specific evidence of the alliances take a look at the [German-Austrian Treaty (1879) and the Franco-Russian alliance (1894)](_URL_0_) Also take a look at the [entente cordial agreement](_URL_1_) for further reference. That should start off well for background research and unless you provide a thesis I cannot provide more information."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Hi AskHistorians, we've built a tool for oral historians to document stories with only a smartphone, where would be good places to promote this within the history community online? | [
"Try /r/anthropology - I've worked as an oral historian and know a number of other anthropologists who have as well. Plus, sometimes our interests overlap."
] | [
"What period are you interested in? It's important for you to give some more detail about areas and periods you're specifically interested in so the community here can recommend some better books."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
What are some good books to read regarding the period of US history known as the "Filibuster" period (i.e, William Walker)? | [
"Check out Robert E. May's *Manifest Destiny's Underworld*."
] | [
"Maybe it's just because of where I grew up, but we learned a lot about Reconstruction, industrialization, the Spanish-American War and the various political movements that happened between 1870 and 1910. That being said, relative to the Civil War and WWI, there are more important periods in US history."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What happened to the famed Lost Colony, aka the Roanoke Colony? | [
"Here is an article about a plausible theory by anthropologist Lee Miller, who wrote a book about it: _URL_0_ As the article states: Some were probably killed, Miller believes, and some indeed may have gone to the nearby friendly Indian settlement of Croatoan, as their cryptic messages suggested. But many, perhaps most, were taken as slaves and dispersed throughout Carolina by way of an Indian trading network. This would account for why no evidence of a Chesapeake settlement has ever been found, Miller says, and for the many reports of sightings throughout the interior, reports that historians such as Quinn have long dismissed as rumor."
] | [
"Christopher Columbus thought he was sailing to India but accidentally found a new continent. As such he called them Indians."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Is there a review process for documentaries before they are aired? | [
"Your question puzzles me, do you think there's some central committee that's in charge of documentaries? There is not. The people making them decide whether or not to bother with accuracy. Certain broadcasters have an agenda such as getting high ratings through sensationalism or pushing a political angle. Some documentaries are overseen by academic historians and are of a higher standard. If you want to know whether one is reliable you have to examine it like you would any other source. Who made it? Who funded it? What evidence do they provide for their claims? Who do they cite? Do their findings justify their conclusions? There is no official review process, they are not a branch of academia, it's up to the producers to decide whether or not to put a review process in place, some bother and some actively avoid it so that they can make outlandish attention grabbing claims."
] | [
"On older shows music clearances and other legal rights may prevent certain episodes from being released for streaming."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
There was a 23 year period between the Peace of Paris (1783) and Abdication of Francis II (1806) in which the United States of America and Holy Roman Empire co-existed. Did these two entities have any notable political relations or interactions during this period? | [
"I'm going to ask this as a question: Are there not still legacy treaties in place between USA and Holy Roman Empire? Stemming from Revolutionary War mercenaries that performed well?"
] | [
"It was a peace treaty that ended the Thirty Years' War. It was the beginning of a era of international law, states were bound to respect the sovereignty of each other and not interfere in the internal affairs of other states. This concept is still with us today."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Where does the stereotype of the sissy Frenchman originate? | [
"Best guess is that it started after WWII; it basically ignores France's illustrious military history prior to 1940, including Napoleon and the Victory in WWI, and portrays the collapse of France in 1940 as symbolic of the French 'national character'. It's also worth noting that this subsequently ignores the French Resistance and the Free French Forces, and the actual REASONS why France was ultimately unable to defeat the German armies in 1940 (and not for a lack of trying I might add!)"
] | [
"If you're talking about America, that's simply not true. Go to any big Reddit thread and you'll see hundreds of comments talking about what a glorious socialist utopia Europe is. Many Americans also have varying degrees of obsession with British culture. Half the women in my family got up at 3 in the morning to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding live. See also: the British Invasion of the 1960's Historically, France was seen as the epitome of class and elegance as well."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Questions about Mad King Ludwig II of Bavaria | [
"There was a documentary on BBC 4 that dealt with this, tracking his life and the castles he built. _URL_0_ It's been a few months since I've watched it but the castles are thought to be a part of his escapism from the realities of the loss of power Bavaria saw as Prussia moved towards unifying Germany. As well as this is his love of opera (specifically Wagner) and German mythology. The documentary is very interesting and covers much of his life and the castles he built. The castles put him in a lot of debt and if I remember right adjusting for inflation it is roughly €3 billion. This documentary is all I really have learned about him but it covers the questions about his homosexuality and death to some degree. Sorry if this isn't enough but I do highly recommend it if you can get all the parts"
] | [
"Looks like Charles I of Great Britain to me."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When did the term 'Sparta/Spartan' displace 'Lakedaimon/Lakedaimonian' in popular use? | [
"Related: what happened to the similar but different term Lakonia?"
] | [
"I highly recommend you check these posts by /u/Iphikrates, who's basically the patron god of Spartan history. [Is the military worship of the Spartans justified?](_URL_0_) [How does Sparta compare to Athens and Persia in the Fifth Century BCE?](_URL_2_) [Were the Spartans really all that great as warriors?](_URL_3_) [Why didn't Sparta enslave/destroy Athens after the Peloponnesean War?](_URL_5_) [Why did Persia side with the Spartans in the Peloponnesean War?](_URL_1_) [In 387BC, Sparta successfully concluded the Corinthian War. 15 years later on the eve of Leuctra it was loosing the fight against the Second Delian League and for peace. Why?](_URL_4_)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
in the 12th century, would the king of England have done any thing particularly out of the ordinary on Christmas day? | [
"Christmas day was usually one of the three great days of the year for the crown-wearing ceremony. William I usually held his Christmas court at Gloucester or Worcester, and this habit was maintained, at least in part, by his immediate successors: [Victoria County History, Gloucestershire](_URL_1_) For more on the crown wearing ceremonies, in England and elsewhere, see Kantorowicz, *Laudes Regiae*. About 1103 specifically, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle tells us that Henry spent Christmas at Westminster: [Chronicle](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"The people who made the laws had a different opinion on what was acceptable at the time than you do now."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
I have read many articles praising Germany and Switzerland for their apprenticeship system which makes their Industry globally competitive. How did they develop in the context of Modern Industry? Why didn't it develop in other countries like the US? | [
"Maybe an idea to include a link to such an article? That'd clear up the context a bit, whether we're talking about historic appprenticeships, or a modern apprenticeship system, or a connection between the two, et cetera."
] | [
"I believe Tony Blair (former PM of the UK) asked This very question to the current PM of Germany. The answer was '...because, Mr. Prime Minister, we still make things in Germany.' This anecdote goes a long way towards explaining why Germany is such a powerhouse in Europe. German exports are highly prized for their quality, even though their products might not be price competitive with say, China. The German economy is based on a solid manufacturing base with well compensated workers, while the economies of other European nations tend to be focused on other things like Banking/Finance, agribusiness or Insurance which can be more prone to market fluctuations."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What are some of the earliest examples of political humor? | [
"_URL_0_ The above link should take you to Aristophanes' *The Clouds* from 423 BC. It ridicules Socrates, and could easily be categorized as political humor. It has been nearly two dcades since I read it, but if you look up references as you read (or have a commentary open next to the text) it still keeps a good deal of its humor. There are other examples from this author and other Greek playwrights from the period as well."
] | [
"Welcome to the one of the strongest arguments against the prohibition of firearms."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What sort of role was planned for smaller members of NATO in the event of a Soviet attack? | [
"I can't answer, but Albania, Slovakia (as part of Czechoslovakia) and Romania were all members of the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War."
] | [
"The British commissioned a study, [Operation Unthinkable](_URL_0_), which worked out two possible scenarios: 1) The Western Allies launch a surprise attack on the Soviets 2) The Soviets launch a surprise attack on the Western Allies The results of both were the same: Soviet numerical advantage would completely overrun the lines. Particularly so in light of American forces being redirected for the planned invasion of Japan."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When was it first discovered that the brain is responsible for cognition? What did people think was responsible beforehand? | [
"I've written answers to two similar, related questions recently: [How did the idea that the heart is the source of emotion develop?](_URL_1_) and [When and how did it become common knowledge that the head/brain is the seat of thought?](_URL_0_), which between them should help answer your question!"
] | [
"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 query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When did the socialdemocrats start moving away from the revolutionary left in the 20th century? | [
"The major steps of separation were linked to the Russian revolution; either because of the October revolution (split between Mensheviks and Bolsheviks), or because of the founding of the Third International (Comintern). For example in France, the founding moment of social-democracy is the congress of Tours (1920) that saw the separation between the Communist Party, which joined the Comintern, and the SFIO, which remained a member of the 2nd International. In particular, Léon Blum was hugely influential in defining the social-democrat doctrine in France (and maintaining a cadre for the rump, minority SFIO)."
] | [
"Do you mean: \"Did the fear of communism enable the working class to obtain improved social conditions in 1950s until the 1980s in Western Europe?\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why did myscegenation happen so much more in central and south American colonies than it did in north America? | [
"hi! you may be interested in this section of the FAQ * [Racial differences between North America and Latin America](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"The main thing is that Poland immigrants going to North America went to the United States. Greek immigrants going to North America went to the United States. Irish immigrants going to North America went to the United States. Spanish immigrants going to North America went to Mexico, because it was a Spanish colony and they spoke the language there. Very few Spanish immigrants, if given a choice between one country that does speak their language and another that doesn't, would choose the United States."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
When did "going to the beach" become a popular way to spend time? | [
"If that is okay, I'd like to give some insight on how \"summer holidays\" were established in Germany. Obviously, people living near the shore went to the beach in the summer in their free time, just like others went to lakes or rivers. The idea of *holidays* for everyone in Germany was really an invention of the Nazis through the *Kraft durch Freude* program. Regarding the beach, they built \"*Prora*\" on the island Rügen in the Baltic Sea, which you can see here: _URL_0_ Nowadays, it mainly looks like this: _URL_1_ It was designed to give as much as 20,000 people room for vacations. Many people used those *Kraft durch Freude* programs to go to Prora, take cruises and so on. This was basically the first time normal, middle- to lower class people were able to take trips to places they didn't have family or friends at. This idea was powerful enough to stay in the heads until the 1950s, when they made enough money to take such trips on their own, without help from the state."
] | [
"Well, if Hawaiians are anything like like Californians, it might be a \"locals only\" type situation and you may want to make some friends before taking a wave."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Did Charles Manson indirectly help stop the Vietnam War? | [
"Manson was more concerned with starting a race war which he would emerge as a leader. In reality he had no effect on public opinion of anything except how horrific the murders commited by his \"Family\" were, and how crazy he and his followers were."
] | [
"What do you want to hear more about? The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? The Israel vs. Palestine situation? The Arab Spring? The recent attacks on US embassies?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Did early tool-user humans utilise dinosaur bones? | [
"I've worked on both early hominids and the history of fossil discovery, and I can't think of anything here. History tends to deal with humanity after the advent of writing, and indeed it sounds as though you've found some of the [scholarship](_URL_1_) dealing with early fossil hunters. We have good evidence not only from East Asia, but also from the western classical world that prehistoric fossils were found with some regularity--though of course they weren't concieved of as such. The idea of the \"prehistoric\" wouldn't be invented until almost two millennia later. You could always try asking [r/askanthropology](_URL_0_). I do want to correct one misapprehension, though: dinosaur fossils, like many fossils, are often found quite close to the surface in places where superseding strata have been eroded. I do like the visual of *H.* erectus smashing up a skeleton, 2001-style, with a massive dinosaur femur, though!"
] | [
"What sounds worst? Plant-eating bacteria or flesh-eating bacteria?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Normally when you decide to go to Grad School, it's recommended you go to a different university to get different views. Does the same apply for college? | [
"It's nicknamed \"academic incest,\" and you should, especially if you're going from a BA history to a master's, because you'd have the same round of professors which isn't good. The thinking is that you need to study under different people and get different views. Things are a little looser if you're going from one subject to another one, or so I've been lead to believe. I have two degrees from the same university, but they're completely different subjects, and from different colleges within the university to boot."
] | [
"There are multiple reasons why, but some of most common is a lot of jobs want years of experience, or skills that some students are not taught during their college years. Another reason is they got a degree in the wrong field. It's best try to get internships if possible during your college years."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Recommended reading for WWI or about the roman empire | [
"A work not in NMW's reading list, and one of my personal favorites, is Andy Simpson's *Hot Blood and Cold Steel: Life in the British Trenches in the First World War*. It sounds just like the personal experience you want. Martin Middlebrooks' works, *The First Day on the Somme* and *The Kaisers Battle*, both focus heavily on personal accounts and following certain groups of men throughout the leadup and duration of the battle. That also sounds right up your alley. I'd also say that, since you're listening to Dan Carlin, you should read the counterpoint to the tone of his podcast, Dan Todman's *The First World War: Myth and Memory.*"
] | [
"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 post about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Has any nation ever publicly acknowledged the enemy forces heroic act against their own forces? | [
"The US Navy has named four ships, including a ballistic missile submarine, for the Indian leader Tecumseh of the Shawnee. He was most notable for uniting tribes against the US during the War of 1812. (Edit: War of 1812. --Tecumseh died in battle against the US in 1813.)"
] | [
"They would either be arrested, or in the process of overthrowing the government. Military command's pretty rigid."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Starter on Military History | [
"What period are you interested in? It's important for you to give some more detail about areas and periods you're specifically interested in so the community here can recommend some better books."
] | [
"Relevant entertaining and informative youtube video Electrocution in Water: _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Before knowledge of electricity, what did people think of static shocks(and the visible electric discharge in the dark)? | [
"If you're interested in the subject, I highly recommend the documentary Shock and Awe: _URL_0_ It covers exactly what you're asking about. How we went from treating static electricity as a novelty to actually using it as a tool. One thing I found really interesting was how Electricians were originally party magicians. They'd take various tools for creating static electricity and effects and show them off at parties."
] | [
"Electricity switches back and forth in the lines hundreds of times a second, this is called alternating current. The movement of electricity in the lines causes the air around the wires to become slightly charged with electricity, we'll call this ionized. This ionized air creates tiny, usually invisible, electrical sparks in the air, and that is what you hear. This is known as coronal discharge. Tried to be as accurate and simple as possible for proper ELI5 style."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How well could Native Americans predict weather? | [
"Many traditional Native people today are good at observing animal behaviors to predict the weather. There's other things I won't get into online, but I would say Native people traditionally have an excellent understanding of weather. These previous related conversations might be of interest: * [How did native Americans cope with hurricanes? How about the first European settlers?](_URL_0_) * [How did people react to hurricanes and other natural disasters before we had the technology to predict them?](_URL_2_) * [How did the Native Americans of the plains deal with storms?](_URL_1_)"
] | [
"Why aren’t Americans trying to speak the Native American language?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Just how strong were the strongmen of ancient times? And how did they train? | [
"I might can answer this question but I'm not sure what era you are talking about. Do you mean ancient strong men like Milo of Croton from Greek history? If so it is hard to say because their lives are intermixed with mythology, and that is outside my area of knowledge. If you mean strong men from the Strongman era of the 19th century it is easier to say since many of their feats and training methods were recorded and I happen to know a lot about them. Your comparison to Spartans makes me think you mean the more ancient variety."
] | [
"In a culture where hand to hand combat is important, like in the olden days, being left handed was an advantage because it was unexpected. This didn't answer the question at all."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
My family has a ton of German WWI artifacts and a few from WWII. What should we do with them? | [
"If you feel a particular stigma from ownership of the Nazi paraphernalia, destroying or discarding it would be an absolute travesty. Should you sell them? Many surplus/recreational stores salivate for period equipment in 'wearable' condition. You'd have no trouble finding stores that deal with the large re-enacting scene in the United States in that regard. What museum would take them? Almost every State has some form of museum, especially given how many National Guard units were federalized in WWII. Your options are endless; do some research! Make some calls; museums dedicated to American units would still be interested in taking and preserving everything you've found - despite it being German. If I may ask, what State do you live in? By the sounds of it, you have alot of heavy stuff, hope you find a good home for it - but the garbage is certainly not an option."
] | [
"Do you have any more info that could be helpful? Where did you find it? Is it a family heirloom, and if so, where-ish do you think your ancestors were 100ish years ago? Anything that could help steer people in the right direction would be great."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is the symbology of the dead canine pendent that I see in so many portraits of Habsburg related royals? | [
"it is not a dog, but the Golden Fleece from Greek mythology which was a symbol of the titular order. This [photo](_URL_1_) of the Spanish order shows clearly the sheepskin (and why it sort of looks like a doggo at a distance!). The headship of the Order of the Golden Fleece was the Habsburgs' patrimony from the Burgundians. Both the Spanish and Austrian Habsburg rulers were the head of the respective orders and various elite and other grandees became Knights of the Golden Fleece such as Wellington- [Goya's portrait](_URL_0_) of the Iron Duke shows the Order's pendant. Much like the Order of the Garter or the Order of the Black Eagle these baubles and chivalric titles were the preserve of the monarchy to reward, even after the loss of political power such as the Austrian Habsburgs, who remain the head of their order even though they lack a state."
] | [
"Follow up: Is there any connection to figureheads on ships, sometimes also depicting semi nude females?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Before the launch of the first satellites, how did scientists know that there was no gravity/oxygen in space? | [
"The gravity aspect has sort of been handled in other comments, but the [Michelson-Morley Experiment](_URL_4_) hasn't been mentioned. This was the experiment that proved there was a vacuum in space. There was an idea before this that there was some sort of \"[luminiferous aether](_URL_3_)\" in space that was the medium for propagating light. The Michelson-Morley experiment looked for changes in the speed of light produced by the earth moving relative to this aether, and didn't find any. Thus, the Earth was moving through a vacuum."
] | [
"Because there's a lot more nothing than there is stuff, and the stuff tends to group together. That said, space isn't a pure vacuum, and there are still random atoms floating out there. That's actually part of the reason it's hard to determine a \"boundary\" between our atmosphere and \"space\" or the boundary between our solar system and interstellar space."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:"
} |
What happened to the indigenous people of Newfoundland? | [
"Someone else may have to provide a more comprehensive answer, but it is my understanding that there has been some debate whether the extinction of the Beothuk people (the native inhabitants of Newfoundland) could be called a genocide or not but, either way, they were declared extinct in 1829 (though there is some evidence that there were a few survivors beyond then). For the most part, the story is similar to others regarding European contact with indigenous peoples: conflict and disease made short work of the native peoples. From what I understand, revenge was an important part of the Beothuk culture, so conflict with European settlers was self-sustaining once it began. An interesting note about survivors: while they are technically extinct, some recent research shows that it is possible a rare mitochondrial DNA sequence found in Iceland could originate in North American indigenous people - possibly the Beothuk."
] | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Historians, what are some of the best history books that have come out in 2016? | [
"My favorite book of 2016 is definitely [Bad Girls at Samarcand: Sexuality and Sterilization in a Southern Juvenile Reformatory](_URL_0_) by Karin Zipf, which analyzes the use of forced sterilization to deal with women showing socially undesirable qualities in early 20th century North Carolina. This book won LSU's award for best work of Southern history in 2016. Also, I'm credited in the book, as I worked as the author's research assistant for a portion of the book's construction."
] | [
"I'm looking for recommendations for books to read if I want an overview of the history of the LGBT+ movement in the United States but don't have any previous background knowledge in the subject."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the text about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Literature:"
} |
Have the Amish always been significantly different than other rural Midwestern farmers? At what point did technological and societal changes really set the Amish apart? | [
"From the time they first settled in the US, the Amish have been different. They spoke German and eschewed the clothing that was popular. They had specific rules about dress and behavior, like no buttons, which set them apart even before modern technology. They also have their own religion that is a branch of Protestantism. As a result, they'd be going to their own church and hanging out in their own social circles."
] | [
"Most black people in America can trace their heritage back to slavery times, and most slaves were in the southern states working on large plantations. Even after slavery was abolished, racism was rampant and black communities rarely intermingled with their white counterparts, causing a retention of that southern accent, even when these groups started moving into the rest of the country."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When or in what did Andrew Jackson write this quote? | [
"It's an anecdote from Jackson's secretary [Nicholas Trist](_URL_1_), first recorded in James Parton's 1861 biography, *Life of Andrew Jackson*, [page 607](_URL_0_). Note that some contemporary sources (e.g. Daniel Patrick Moynihan) consider the quote apocryphal."
] | [
"And to hijack this in a related way, what were the alternatives to \"America.\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When did "they" stop being an acceptable gender neutral pronoun? | [
"You should ask at /r/linguistics if you don't find an answer here. That's the best place you're going to find for actual experts working in the field providing answers. Also, \"they\" is still very much acceptable and in wide use. The notion that it is not is more of a pet peeve that you're encountering. It's not one that's codified or datable because it's been a long running pet peeve. Remember that there is no one standard for English. Much of what you would have learned in school is not actually \"right\" or \"wrong\", it's just the way your teacher felt you should be writing/speaking/etc. Never has there been a single standard of \"correct\"; such ideas are only arbitrarily chosen and enforced and are themselves constantly changing."
] | [
"Can you clarify what third-person singular pronouns he is using and what the alternative, gender-neutral pronouns would be?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What was life like for men who stayed home during WWI? | [
"In the British Empire organisations of women would hand out white feathers to men of military age who had not enlisted. In the British Empire a white feather is a symbol of cowardice. The idea was to shame the men into enlisting."
] | [
"Also, would her military experience be any useful in finding a job? Did women serve in the British military during World War 1 and if so, did they go back into the workforce afterwards?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Is the common belief that scientific grow was hindered by religion in the medieval times correct? | [
"No, in fact for much of the time religion and scientific advancement went hand in hand. You need only look to the middle eastern civilizations of the past, where great Muslim philosophers recorded their scientific endeavors and advancements. Scientific study in Europe stemmed from the old Greek traditions of natural philosophy, Isaac Newton himself was very religious and emphasized that natural philosophy wasn't about replacing Gods universe but rather about exploring it. Yes there have been instances where theories conflicted with doctrine, Galileo, for example. However that was less \"religion vs science\" but more a challenge to the existing framework of how religion incorporated science. Religion was never really about hating science for being science. It is really only in modern times that science and religion are being seen as two completely different disciplines."
] | [
"Folks want to point back to cultural achievements and be identified with them. A lot of what we call advance civilization didnt happen until the species left the continent."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Were there any ways of telling what time it was in 19th century America? | [
"There were many clocks, in private houses, on public buildings, and many people carried watches. There were mantel clocks, and grandfather clocks in big cases. Some clocks not only told the time but had decorative moving dials that showed the phase of the moon and the month of the year - or perhaps the sign of the zodiac. there were decorative items called watch pockets or watch hooks to hang on the wall (crocheted, knit, beaded) so a watch could be kept visible, though some were made to hide the watch and muffle the ticking. Bed pockets, hung on the side of the bed, usually had a small compartment for the watch. Timepieces weren't cheap, but people would take care of them and hand them down, so their numbers accrued over time. The town hall always had a big clock, as a civic function, both for those with no timepieces and for those who needed to set theirs. Europeans began displaying city clocks on cathedrals back in the Rennaissance. They brought the habit to the colonies."
] | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I've discovered that the Canadian ND party was founded by an Orangeman. How did a party founded by a staunchly protestant, Anglo-Saxon, club turn into a progressive one? | [
"Can you source your claim? And can you cite who in particular you are referring to? The New Democrat Party was the culmination of about 40 years of movements to create a viable third party. I don't know of one person who can claim responsibility for creating it?"
] | [
"I'm guessing most of them would have been staunch Conservatives, with the exception of Lady Sibyll and her husband Mr. Branson who describes himself as \"a socialist, but not a revolutionary\", so probably the left wing of Labor or possibly some obscure smaller party (there were several of those). Sir Richard Carlisle may have been a Liberal, since they were were the party of laissez-faire economics."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Lots of things come and go, so why is disco used as the poster boy for things that have died out? | [
"I don't think this is a particularly historical question. Any instances of disco being used as a \"poster boy\" for things that have died out would have occurred after disco died, and therefore very recently. Furthermore, it's a matter of pop culture, and a contentious one at that. I've never really thought of disco as being frequently used in reference to something going out of fashion."
] | [
"You could ask this for almost anything; Cars, fashion, furniture, even food. It evolves over time. Sometimes a designer tries something new and it's a big hit and others follow. I know you're looking for a black and white answer but the truth is that it's a gray area and subjective."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Day of Reflection | June 16, 2014 - June 22, 2014 | [
"Here's some gems I caught this week: - /u/Bernardito on [Did Himmler actually search for Atlantis?](_URL_1_) - /u/AC_7 on [What was the experience of Japanese POWs upon their return to Japan after WWII?](_URL_0_) - /u/firedrops on [Apart from voodoo in Louisiana, did other elements of African culture, language, and religion survive with African descendants in the Americas?](_URL_3_) and finally... - /u/Georgy_K_Zhukov writes a damn dissertation on the [point of armored trains](_URL_2_)."
] | [
"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 post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What evidence is there that proves or disproves the legend that a 'lost legion' of Crassus' ended up in China? | [
"Is there any evidence that the legion was lost? and not just destroyed at Carrhae? There is no evidence that I know of, of any kind of incursion of Romans in Han China at the time."
] | [
"Following the collapse of the Khwarezmian empire to Genghis Khan, numerous Khwarezmian soldiers moved to northern Mesopotamia where they served as mercenaries. They would later move further south and seize Jerusalem in 1244 and eventually be absorbed into Mamluk Egypt. Following the battle of Hastings, it seems a substantial amount of Anglo-Saxons migrated to serve in the Varangian Guard. There was also some 12,500 Christian Indonesian soldiers, including their families, who were settled in Netherlands after it proved troublesome to demobilize them in Indonesia. This was in 1951."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Can anyone help me identify the uniforms and time frame this tintype photo was taken. | [
"We might be able to narrow this down quite specifically. The man at the back on the left appears to be wearing the [M1872 Officers' fatigue blouse](_URL_0_), as might the man next to him. This was replaced in 1874 by the M1874 fatigue blouse, as apparently it proved unpopular. Tintypes were at the peak of their popularity in the 1860s and 70s, although as photography advanced, by the 1870s they were being relegated more to tourist portrait shots and the like. That might be why this shot looks to be at Niagara Falls. Of course, if this a tourist shot, it opens up the possibility that this is a veterans' reunion and could be taken a while after the 1874 switch, which would also explain the civilian suits."
] | [
"Far left is a sticker for participating in a 10k run, mid-right is a turtle, far right appears to be an identification tag of some sort, and I don't know what mid-left is."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Responding to claims that Canadian history is boring. | [
"While I'm afriad I can't help you with biographical stories, Canada featured prominently in both WWI and WWII, by the end of D-Day the Canadians had gone further into France than the Americans and the British. _URL_0_ Canada also has two out of five of the longest recorded sniper kills in history, with no American beating either one. _URL_1_ Hope these help!"
] | [
"Liberals support change while conservatives believe in tradition."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why was Wake Island never recaptured by the US during WWII? | [
"The US never recaptured Wake Island because of its strategy of 'island hopping', which involved bypassing certain Japanese-held territories and invading ones that were of significant importance. This policy of 'island hopping' was started due to the lack of resources that were being deployed to the Pacific theater of operations. Because America agreed to the Allies' grand strategy of dealing with Germany first, with a majority of equipment and troops being sent to Europe, commanders adopted tactics and policies that suited their available forces. So in the case of Japanese bases on Rabul and in this case, Wake, the islands were heavily bombarded in order to reduce their capabilities as staging areas, and were ultimately bypassed. Other islands, such as Guadalcanal and Saipan, were invaded for their ability to hold an airbase and their strategic location (The former being close to Austrailia and the latter having an airbase for B-29 use)."
] | [
"They were hoping to catch the U.S. carrier fleet in Pearl Harbor and sink it. This would have significantly delayed the U.S.'s ability to project its power across the Pacific, and (the Japanese hoped) would either get the U.S. to stay officially neutral or delay their ability to wage war effectively in the Pacific long enough for the Japanese to have consolidated power in Asia and make the war to extract them so unbelievably costly, that the U.S. wouldn't try. Instead, they only sunk, but did not destroy most of the battleships in Pearl Harbor (we only lost 2 battleships, the rest were repaired/refloated) and the carriers were away and thus undamaged. **TL;DR** They tried to delay and scare us away from waging war in the Pacific. It failed spectacularly."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Was Moonshine illegal before Prohibition was passed in 1920? | [
"The short answer is yes. In 1791 a tax that came to be known as the \"whiskey tax\" was passed by the US Federal government that had just been established under the new Constitution 2 years previously. This new law met with significant resistance, especially in the western Pennsylvania where what is known as the \"Whiskey Rebellion\" took place. At this time the production of moonshine would have been illegal as a form of tax evasion. This law was repealed in 1801, but similar laws would follow and in regions where moonshine was one of the best ways for farmers to make money from their excess corn, moonshine was produced in secret to avoid taxes. In this way the production of illicit moonshine continued into the era of prohibition."
] | [
"They can. Specifically, by amendment. Example: The 18th amendment outlawed alcohol. The 21st amendment reversed the 18th."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In medieval Europe, money bags were often made of cat skins. Making items out of cat skins would be almost unthinkable today. When and how did our attitudes towards cats change? | [
"Only Tangentially related, but is there any property specific to cat skin that makes it more suitable for holding coin?"
] | [
"It's actually pretty common to eat horse meat in most places. In most of Europe and Asia, for one, you can find horse meat in supermarkets along with beef or pork. It seems to be a mostly American taboo stemming from the fact that horses were seen as companions rather than livestock, kind of like cats or dogs, a couple hundred years ago."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How accurate is McNamara's description of events in The Fog of War? | [
"Which events? He describes many events in the film."
] | [
"The footage appears to be an extract from the documentary, \"Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam\" identified as images from the battle of Khe Sanh"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I'm a citizen of the Roman Empire in 150CE and I want to buy a home. How does the home buying process in Rome work? Mortgages? Paperwork? Realtors? | [
"Interesting question and I have no answer. Just questions of my own. * What were property rights like during this period? * Was it more common for average people to just build their own home? * How would land disputes be resolved?"
] | [
"When you have a mortgage (in the US) - the interest you pay is tax deductible - the property taxes you pay are tax deductible (off your federal income tax) - the principal you pay goes towards YOUR equity in the house these things do not apply if you are renting-to-own The \"requirements\" for buying a house are having enough money to buy the house you want, or having good enough credit to convince the bank to loan you the money. That's about it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Proto communist Ireland? | [
"According to T. M. Charles-Edwards, (*Early Christian Ireland* , 2000), this was not the case. Ireland was a hierarchy obsessed with status. Legal scholars developed complicated systems to rank and compare different social roles. In each community there was a king, bishop and senior legal/artistic figures. The main distinctions were between aristocrats, base clients and slaves. War was a key part of these social roles with free men being the warriors. Aristocrats controlled livestock, the key means of production, and granted them to the clients. Public status or \"face\" was also essential. Satire had real social effects. As far as I can tell the idea that Gaelic Ireland was created in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century. James Connolly, Pearse and others seem to have confused the non-feudal Gaelic system with proto-communism, although Connolly admitted that feudalism would have developed without the Normans."
] | [
"British Empire -- > Post-WW2 / Cold War America -- > British and American pop culture -- > Silicon Valley."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How easily would Scipio Africanus and Flavius Aetius have been able to communicate if the former were resurrected in the time of the latter? | [
"Hiya! So, this is technically a breach of our [No \"What-If\" rule](_URL_0_), but since you're effectively asking about how Latin changed in the time period between the two mens' lives, we're prepared to let the question stand. To any contributors, please keep your answers on-focus. Thanks! :)"
] | [
"What book are you reading? I've never heard of a \"Calvino\", and I am assuming \"Crasso\" and \"Varo\" refer to Crassus and Varus. Crassus was an important figure of the Late Republic, while Varus was the Roman commander responsible (in part) for the defeat at Teutoburg Forest in 9 A.D. Neither feature in any scholarly works I've ever read on the collapse/end of the Western Empire in 476."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about History:"
} |
Day of Reflection | January 27, 2014 - February 02, 2014 | [
"This has been a good week for quality answers from unflaired (for now) users, so let me highlight some of those: * /u/Manethon decided to stop lurking recently to tell us about [the relations between various religious groups and the state in pre-Constantine Rome](_URL_6_) and returned today to talk about how the [ruling class in Seleucid or Egyptian territory reacted to the conquest of the Greek peninsula](_URL_3_). * /u/Jazz-Cigarettes arrived to tell us why reactions to the deaths of [Charles I and Louis XVI were so different](_URL_5_) * /u/MrBigHouse stepped into the India gap to explain the causes of the [1857 Sepoy rebellion](_URL_4_) * /u/Ruire explained, in detail, the [effects of the American and French revolutions on Ireland](_URL_2_) and * /u/DieMensch-Maschine answers how [Poland remained Catholic](_URL_0_) As usual, this is just a smattering of the quality posts I've seen this week and which were featured on the [AskHistorians Twitter account](_URL_1_)."
] | [
"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:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Does Japan have a rightful claim to Okinawa? | [
"Japan officially annexed Okinawa in 1872. What do you mean with \"rightful claim\"? Did the USA have a rightful claim over what is USA today? Japan forced Okinawa to join Japan. That's it. It did not need to ask for any \"rightful claim\". I think in discussions about territorial dispute the importance of the status quo is often forgotten. It does not matter who historically owned which place. It matters who is owning it now, and who is trying to distort the status quo. Of course, if local people are being oppressed, they might rightfully demand independence. Edit: 1872, not 1972."
] | [
"If you are located just to the west of it, and you don't love Japan, you call it the East Sea. If you don't think China should have any claims over it, you call it the Sea of Japan."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
I am interested about accuracy and authenticity of a map - Europe at the death of Charles the Great | [
"I don't know exactly what you mean by \"authentic\". There is no such map dating from the 9th century. The map itself is not very good - it overemphasizes the reach and coherence of a lot of polities. England, for example, doesn't exist, and what did exist certainly didn't look like that. EDIT: After some discussion with colleagues, we all agree that the map is terrible for many, many reasons."
] | [
"About two thousand years. Roughly the same as the difference between Latin and Italian."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Are there digitized English language texts of unknown importance that haven't been read yet by anyone in hundreds of years? I would love to spend my free time reading them and do a possibly important yet tedious job to make an impact in the field. | [
"There is an exceptional database of digitized texts connected to the University of Michigan library - Early English Books Online. It goes from about 1400 to 1700. There is also a modern text transcription for most of the texts, which can be very helpful if you haven’t trained in reading Renaissance writing. You may need access to a university library that subscribes to it, because most city libraries won’t. You can also subscribe to it as an individual, but I don’t know the cost off the top of my head."
] | [
"What's going on here, lads? I look forward to this thread every week. Do we not have anything to talk about? How 'bout that thread yesterday about Western v. non-Western historians? Fun times! Hooray mod team, I hope you were all stocked up on malt liquor! Or how about writing methods? Does anyone else feel like their first version of everything is basically just a description of the sources? I mean, sure, there's some analysis and simply selecting the sources is a project in itself. Still, I think when you boil this down, it feels a lot like I'm saying \"Here's what all these peopled said.\" Also, I finally got around to starting a blog. I'm planning on taking some of my longer posts here, especially ones that received a lot of positive feedback, and making them into blog posts. I figure I've done the writing, and it's a clear demonstration of my ability to write for a broad audience in a fairly contained format, I might as well put my name on it and put it somewhere I can find it easily."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What did China trade for? | [
"In addition to silver there was also opium. In the nineteenth century, the Ching dynasty outlawed the trade but small companies smuggled it to China from British-administered Bengal where it was grown. When an incorruptible Chinese civil servant confiscated and burned a bunch of it, there followed the [First Opium War](_URL_1_)."
] | [
"Only if the federal government let it. See: American Civil War"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Does a rebuke of the ‘great man history ‘ sometimes lead to predeterminism | [
"\"Sometimes\" is a weasle word, but yes, the \"great forces\" view of history can lead to a disparaging of agency (e.g. choice) and various flavors of determinism (some of these approaches, like Marxism, are explicitly deterministic). There are of course ways around this; one need not embrace a totally anti-individual view of history to not think the \"Great Man\" view of history is bunk. Most historians tend to try and identify the relative contributions from \"forces\" and from \"individuals\" — they are not actually incompatible ideas (forces make the context that can give individuals the power of agency, which in turn modifies the context)."
] | [
"Entrenched corporate interests politicizing it for their personal gain plus apocalyptically-minded churches who see it as a competing eschatological scenario."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Tuesday Trivia: Awesome Archaeology! This thread has relaxed standards—we invite everyone to participate! | [
"Mount Olympus is the name of the home of the twelve Olympian Gods in ancient Greece. The name itself predates the Greeks themselves, and there is no one Mount Olympus, as the highest local mountain tended to be named this way wherever Greek tribes lived. The highest of these is located 80km south of Thessaloniki, and is considered the main Olympus. So much I can gather from Wikipedia. My questions are * Was either this main Olympus or any of the minor ones a point of pilgrimage in the way that Mecca is? * Were they off-limits to common folk? * If yes, how close could one get? Was the peak especially sacred, or was the whole mountain seen as equally sacred? * What other religions, ancient or modern, have similarly situated holy sites, e.g. the highest local mountain?"
] | [
"Keep your answers simple! We're shooting for elementary-school age answers. But -- please, no arguments about what an \"actual five year old\" would know or ask! We're all about simple answers to complicated questions. Use your best judgment and stay within the spirit of the subreddit. - as per the Subreddit's guidelines."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why was the US willing to invade North Korea in the Korean War, but wasn't willing to invade North Vietnam in the Vietnam War? | [
"Because they're connected in that the UN invasion of North Korea and the intervention of the Chinese that came as a consequence became one of the reasons for why the US chose not to invade North Vietnam. The US didn't want to risk triggering an even larger conflict than they were already involved in. A US invasion of North Vietnam could have brought in the Chinese into the battlefield or even the Soviet Union, effectively turning it into a possible world war."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
How did the term "bully" go from a positive exclamation to a term for someone who beats people up? | [
"FYI, if you don't get answers here, do try x-posting to /r/etymology"
] | [
"It has a lot to do with common usage. The words \"imbecile\" \"moron\" \"idiot\" and \"retarded\" used to refer to very specific mental afflictions or IQ levels, however people began to use them as insults and over time they became offensive to the people who actually had these afflictions because these words were more commonly seen as something insulting than their original use as medical words. When a word breaks out of its original context and starts being used as an insult, is generally when it starts to be offensive. A modern example: I heard a group of girls refer to a guy at a bar who wouldn't leave them alone as \"Aspergy\" if this word catches on then later, people will consider the word an offensive slang and Asperger's syndrome will probably be renamed to become more politically correct. Language is always evolving."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Quality of the post-Civil War U.S. Army | [
"Followup question: How did the US army at this point compare to European ones. One of the things that I was taught in US history is that a main reason for Napoleon the 3rd getting out of Mexico is that the US army was already mobilized and strong. Was this true?"
] | [
"Only if the federal government let it. See: American Civil War"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Did medieval archers/cannonners use the Aristotelian theories of ballistics trajectories? | [
"> It is a well-known quirk of pre-modern theories of motion that objects can only have one kind of motion applied at any time. An arrow would therefore first move forward in a straight line, and then stop its forward movement and drop straight down. Pardon, but do you have a reference for this? Anyone firing an arrow in an arc at 45°, perhaps to hit a distant troop formation or perhaps simply to see how far he can shoot it, could clearly see that his arrow never stops moving away from him, even as it shifts from moving up to moving down."
] | [
"Bronze, brass, and soft iron will all work quite well for cannon barrels as long as they're thick enough and the powder burns relatively slowly. It's the quality of the gunpowder that would make the big difference here; for example the English naval fleets once had a serious problem with cannons exploding because the supplied gunpowder was too finely-grained and thus burned too quickly, causing the barrels to rupture. Edit: In any case, Roman metallurgy wasn't that far behind metallurgy in the 13th/14th centuries when cannon arrived on the battlefield. Also, as a bit of trivia, cannon were instrumental in the Turks' conquest of Constantinople, the last continuous remnant of the Roman empire."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Were adventurers (The Elder Scrolls, D & D, ...) a real thing? If yes, where they found outside of Europe? | [
"This question has been asked before. Take a look at [this thread](_URL_1_). /u/Searocksandtrees compiled a [list of threads](_URL_0_) about mercenaries and knight-errants that might be of interest too."
] | [
"High fantasy was largely codified by J.R.R. Tolkien's books set in Middle Earth. Much of the feel of it was set in a kind of medieval England or medieval Europe, and it borrows liberally from English and European folklore in that regard. So: why are medieval themed pieces using British accents? Well, simply put, the medieval times ended in the 15th Century, but the USA wasn't colonised until the 16th/17th centuries. From a historical perspective, \"medieval America\" didn't exist, and so fantasy or medieval themed shows using English accents makes sense: it helps place the show in England."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How long have people understood that the sun rises and sets at different times in differnet places, or that there are "time zones"? | [
"Some good answers in earlier posts on r/AskHistorians: * [How long have people known about time zones and how were they first discovered? ](_URL_1_) * [When was it realised that time differences (zones) exist?](_URL_2_) * [Did the early Europeans (flat-world era) have any inkling of times zones?](_URL_0_) If someone can provide a better answer or add something, please do so."
] | [
"Because the Earth spins. We revolve around the sun and we rotate on our own separate axis. Because of this, the whole world is daytime or nighttime at the same time. Also, the people in the East see the sun first because of the direction that the Earth spins, thus their time should be ahead of those in the West where the Earth hasn't rotated enough so that the sun is shining there. Look at this [link](_URL_0_) and if you look closely you can see that the Earth is also spinning so that some parts of the day are light and some aren't."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
In HBO's "Rome" (set during Caesar's civil war), there is a scene in which one character has never heard of the Gracchi or Gaius Marius. Would this have been at all possible? | [
"I know the scene- Pullo asked \"who?\" then Vorenus mentioned Gracchi. And yes, it believable: Pullo is commoner, son of slave so his education is hardly anything to speak of, so he might be unaware of the politicians who lived century ago. However it is near impossible, that he would not knew about Marius (or Sulla for that matter). Memory of Sulla's civil wars was still very alive especially because memory of Sulla-Marius wars was still very alive. It was a very traumatic experience for Romans And hardly anyone could escape references to the that period- Ceasar start his political career by restoring statues of Marius (Marius himself started his career by marrying Julia Caesaris). Sulla's son was still alive (he was killed soon after Thapsus) and so on. Plebeian, especially not native Roman (Pullo is from Umbria), could fail to recognize name of Gracchi- he lived century ago and there was big events to overshadow him, but he could not avoid at least basic knowledge about Marius."
] | [
"According to Suetonius they crossed a small bridge over the Rubicon. Specifically, he claims Caesar said \"Once across that little bridge, we shall have to fight it out.\" However, it should be kept in mind that Suetonius was writing in around 121 CE. This was a long time after the events had transpired and his description of the crossing also includes a divine apparition that urges the hesitant Caesar to cross. In any case, from what I have read the Rubicon was small even in the days of Caesar. So it is entirely plausible that he may have been able to wade his legion through it. Source: Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
I'm a woman with a family in the American Frontier. My husband dies. How do I continue to provide for my kids? | [
"You should read 'Women of the Frontier' by Brandon Marie Miller (978-1883052973). Each chapter follows one woman's story. Some parts I wished were more nuanced, but it gives an inside look at life on the Frontier for women. Many of the women were separated or lost their husbands. Overall, a quick, but informative and entertaining read. (On mobile, sorry for formatting.)"
] | [
"Because if you keep reproducing, maybe you will get lucky and some of your kids will grow up to adulthood, get a wife, and farm the scrap of land you own and provide for you when you are old and can't work anymore. You know, like how people did for pretty much all of recorded history."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph about Sociology:"
} |
Roman historians!! -- settle this toilet dispute. | [
"Your professor is absolutely correct. Roman latrines were quite sophisticated and are extremely common, we find public latrines all over every single major city. [Here's](_URL_1_) one in Ephesus. [Here's](_URL_0_) one at Ostia--an old TA I once had has a very nice picture of that particular one (it's quite large) but she's in the picture so I don't think I should post it. They're literally everywhere, and the legionary forts of the Principate usually show traces of field toilet not unlike the public latrines of the cities. Mind you, this is what public latrines looked like, private toilets within houses obviously did not have rows and rows of seats, although they were basically smaller versions of the same setup"
] | [
"Paging /u/davidaop, our pirate expert, to help with this one."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Was there a definitive turning point in U.S. History where Americans stopped seeing Great Britain as the enemy? If so, what was the event that caused this change of mind? | [
"Henry Adams, who served as an American diplomat in London during the Civil War, and whose father, grandfather, and great grandfather (Charles Francis Adams, John Quincy Adams, and John Adams) had all served as the US Minister to the Court of Saint James (i.e. the American Ambassador in the United Kingdom) dated the definitive change as occurring during the Spanish American War in 1898. At that point, and for the first time, Britain found that it had no objections to American foreign policy in the western hemisphere, while America found that it's interests were aligned with Britain's on the continent, giving final form to an Atlantic system that survives to this day. Here's the relevant chapter from Adam's autobiography \"The Education of Henry Adams\" in which he explains his view _URL_0_ NB: He refers to himself in the third person throughout."
] | [
"The Era of Good Feelings was a period of American history (early 1800s) that fell between major conflicts, expectations were high, the major political parties cooperated and people got along. The Era of Bad Feelings is just a cloy way of saying now is a time of conflict, lowered expectations and partisan bickering."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about history:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about history:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What are the most important history books published in 2014? | [
"Hi! I'm allowing this thread, as it falls under the rubric of historiography. I would ask anyone replying to post a real bibliographic reference to the book they want to talk about, and to explain their choices, since just posting \"I enjoyed so-and-so's book on precolumbian underwater basket weaving\" is not helpful."
] | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Saturday Reading and Research | February 20, 2016 | [
"Two weeks ago, while working through a collection of 250 medieval spearheads dredged out of the River Thames near London (trying to identify when and where they came from), I encountered a really unusual style that I wasn't able to identify initially. I photographed it, and told myself I would research it later. Today, I found one that is almost identical, in the Musee d'Armee, Paris. The label said it was discovered in southern Italy. Is it just chance that they resemble each other so strongly (but, they're very distinctive and unusual)? Or did someone drag one from Italy to London (or vice versa)? The plot thickens!"
] | [
"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 query about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
In the video games Crusader Kings 2 and Europa Universalis 4, monarchs often "fabricate claims" to justify the seizure of small territories. Did this ever actually happen? | [
"During the 17th century, Louis XIV introduced the \"policy of Reunions\", where he could constantly expand French borders by annexations of small parts of the HRE on the basis of flimsy claims, some of them going back well into the Middle Ages. Teutonic Order fabricated a donation of HRE emperor in order to fight the Polish claims to their territories. During the partitions of Poland, Austrians justified their annexations by reviving the ancient title of Galich-Vladimir (in Latinized form Galicia & Londomeria), which they claimed was their rightful inheritance."
] | [
"A country is being imperialistic when it's asserting power over other countries through militaristic or political (usually militaristic) means. \"Imperialism\" comes from the world \"Imperial,\" which is a word used to describe any collection of states/territories ran by an emperor or other sovereign figure, also known as an empire (think Star Wars). What really makes a government imperialistic is when it is trying to control/take over other territories. Hope that helps!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What great books/documentaries/websites should I check out to learn more about the Cold War era? | [
"Westad, \"The Global Cold War\" focuses on the non-superpowers in the Cold war. However he does so primarily through superpower interventions so the basic narrative is still very much on them. Even though Gaddis in \"The Cold War\" writes mainly about superpowers directly, he includes many examples of activities by other countries in both blocks. It's far from a comprehensive treatment of them, but rather uses examples to illustrate some principles. It's an interesting read and very good for understanding a lot about international relations within and across alliances during the Cold War. Calvocoressi \"World politics after 1945\" is a phone-book, in scale and in many ways in structure to. It has a short overview of pretty much every country in the period, so as you can imagine it adds up. It is about as interesting to read as a phone-book, but informative nevertheless."
] | [
"I'm looking for recommendations for books to read if I want an overview of the history of the LGBT+ movement in the United States but don't have any previous background knowledge in the subject."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument about Literature:"
} |
What are some "lost histories" that you wish we had today? | [
"The [House of Wisdom](_URL_0_) was the world's most important library, and the repository for the knowledge of of the Middle Ages Islamic world. It was destoryed when the Mongols sacked Baghdad in 1258. The Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as a source-text on numerous occasions. A politically (instead of religiously) written history of the time would be invaluable."
] | [
"So please correct me if I'm wrong here, but I've read on other threads here that getting the opinions of the general public was difficult because very few of the read and even fewer wrote things that survived to today. So I guess my follow up question is this: how can we even begin to understand how the commonfolk of this period felt or thought with few primary sources?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Do you feel weird thinking about all the lost history? | [
"Personal anecdotes and concerns will be permitted in this thread; alas, however, please keep the speculative musings grounded in good history."
] | [
"Because when you were a kid, you were largely unaware of the problems of the time."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
America's Stonehenge - contemporary interpretations and dating? | [
"The general consensus is that the site is archaeologically useless. If William Goodwin didn't construct the thing out of wholecloth (or, rather, the remains of an early 19th Century farm - some of the stones definitely are colonial in origins), he altered the site so extensively in his attempt to \"reconstruct\" it that it lost its archaeological context. One way or another, the site is what Goodwin wanted it to be."
] | [
"J. Lesley Fitton's *Minoans (Peoples of the Past)* (2002) is highly readable, well set-out and reasonably up-to-date. As well as including the more recently found Minoan sites in her study, she gives an authoritative chronology in the first section, while making clear that this timeline will likely be improved upon when scientific dating techniques catch up. She then sequentially goes through the Minoan period from Neolithic Period to Iron Age. Fitton finishes up with approaching the legends associated with Minoan Crete, as well as looking at its legacy through the ages and examines recent archaeological discoveries that point to some more sinister facets of Minoan civilization. Sorry its not an ebook though!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Japanese historians: Can you please help me with some sources and sites in Japan? | [
"You said dissertation so I'm guessing you're in school. See if your school has a subscription JSTOR, which is an academic journal database. Lotta good articles there. I also did a subject search on the period in _URL_2_, so see if [any of these books](_URL_1_) are of use to you (put in your zip code for a library) locator. I would also talk to the head of your department about finding resources. If it's a dead end, contact someone at the SOAS (School of Oriental and Asian Studies) as they seem to know fucking everything about Asian anything. You can also try futzing around with [Google Books](_URL_4_) and [Google Scholar](_URL_3_). Lastly, try the books listed at the bottom of [this](_URL_0_) Wikipedia article. Good luck."
] | [
"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 query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What does Japanese textbooks say about the Rape of Nanking? | [
"You might want to ask in /r/japan as well. They might have some direct experience as there are a lot of people who teach in Japan in the sub."
] | [
"Why is the US so upset over the labeling of US treatment of Native Americans as a genocide?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Did people ever die of carbon monoxide before the industrial revolution? If so, how? | [
"Well actually one of the leading causes of carbon monoxide poisoning is lighting an actual fire inside during extreme cold weather and this still happens today. Without a doubt people would die if they were in hostile environments and didn't know proper fire techniques or if they tried to light a fire in a closed room with no ventilation."
] | [
"If you aren't at risking of starving to death, getting killed in a war, or dying from simple injuries like a cut or a broken bone, you'll live a lot longer. Modern medicine, agriculture, sanitation, and infrastructure all go a long way to prolonging the average human life."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What impact did the FLQ attacks and the October Crisis have on the Parti Quebecois' support? | [
"Generally speaking, the October Crisis was a disaster for the FLQ, which had been gaining some level of momentum during the previous decade. Even after the kidnappings, some mainstream Francophone institutions like the CSN, one of the largest unions in Quebec, we're sympathetic to the FLQ cause. The murder of Pierre Lapointe changed most of that. Quebecors as a whole rejected violent revolution as a means towards independence, bolstering the newly formed PQ and leading to the eventual election of Levesque, who advocated sovereignty via referendum."
] | [
"That would depend on the political view of the Quebecois prime minister. This almost happened in 1995 when Jean Chrétien was the PM of Canada (he was PM from 1993 to 2003). There was the big vote in Quebec whether or not to succeed and it was voted against by a very narrow margin. Chrétien is from Liberal Party and he favours staying with Canada. If the vote had been successful or if there is another vote (there have been two referendums already), then there would be a long period of negotiation between the federal government and Quebec. And at this point, it would be impossible to say what the results of such a negotiation would be."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What did Hitler think of Nostradamus? | [
"I would just like to inform you that there are no contemporary primary sources to support the notion that Hitler or German higher ups were interested in the occult. The most extreme believer of what was then fringe theories was Heinrich Himmler but most concerned the ancient roots of the Aryan race. [Please see this post I made on Himmler's 'search' for Atlantis.](_URL_0_) Most of the concept of the 'Nazi interest in the occult' comes from post-war popular culture."
] | [
"One of the lessons of history is that we don't learn the lessons of history. Attributed to Hegel."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
We always hear about the movements against the Koran, the Vietnam and the Iraq wars. What kind of protest happened before that? Did people not protest against WW1 and WW2 or was it forgotten in history? | [
"Australia's WW2 Prime Minister, John Curtin, protested during WW1 against both the war and the possible introduction of conscription (which was not introduced due to opposition from the Australian voters) and was arrested. I believe this makes him the only Australian Prime Minister to have spent time behind bars. Funnily enough, during WW2 PM John Curtin allowed conscripts to be deployed overseas."
] | [
"The Armenian genocide by the Turks was a war crime. The use of poison gas was too, but all sides used it. I've never seen the German reprisals in Belgium described as a war crime, perhaps because Belgians were actively resisting the Germans. Part of the reason for disillusionment and cynicism was the inflammatory propaganda used by all sides, the promised of glory and victory, vs. the brutal reality. Plus, the War to End All Wars did nothing of the kind. Also, why would the entire world erupt in violence because of a shooting in Serbia? People never did get a clear picture of the reasons for the war, because the reasons were pretty unclear. And as a result, they never got a satisfactory answer to the question of why so many young men had to die."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about history:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about history:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What are some areas of history that are understudied/new? | [
"North American indigenous peoples prior to 1400. I am reading 1491 and it's amazing how little we know about them: populations, culture, commerce, etc, etc. There may have been 100 million people in North America, we really don't know much at all about them."
] | [
"Just curious for everyone's thoughts. What is pop history, how do we differentiate it from academic history, and to what degree is it useful? Added query, what pop history do you find compelling or of exceprional quality?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
12th century Spain: Some men are traveling through the countryside and get confronted by a bandit. In the ensuing scuffle, the bandit is killed. What happens to the body? | [
"I have no information to share, but your question is oddly specific to time and place (which makes it easier to answer, I'm sure), but I have to admit to a profound curiosity why you chose this time and location? I could see someone inquiring on such a matter during the time of Cervantes and Don Quixote, or other culturally well-known pre-modern periods in the history of Spain, but how have you come to inquire on this specific time and place, if I may ask? Hope you get some great responses."
] | [
"In the Satyricon of Petronius (paragraph 111-112) a soldier guarding the crosses to forbade proper burials to bandits is distracted by the mourning of a widow crying days after days on the corpse of his husband. He try to consolate her and then began a relationship with the widow. Relatives of one of the bandits then recover his body. When the soldier sees the empty cross he tells immediatly to the widow that this tomb will see the death of two men. In the end the couple uses the corpse of the deceased husband and hang it to the cross to save the life of the soldier. Apparently he expected to be executed, even if he was just guarding corpses."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Photos of the founding fathers without the wigs? | [
"Interestingly enough, George Washington never wore a wig and Jefferson only did some of the time. Both of them pomaded, powdered, and styled their own hair. Haircare of the 18th century includes pomading and powder just like we use conditioner and shampoo today. So, if they were to go without their wigs they likely had their hair cut very short or would have had their hair styled just as the wigs. Since the only surviving images we have of these gentlemen are portraits, no one would sit for their portrait in a state of unfinished dress, so there would be little chance any surviving images of the time that show them without properly styled hair, be it their own or a wig. You can find some images of men in that time [at the barber](_URL_0_) or in satires showing a bare head, but they aren't often of a particular person (some comedic satires here and there making fun of someone famous). There might be modern photoshopped images out there, but I can't really help with that."
] | [
"What do you mean on them? The signs, the walls, floors?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Did hospitals in US cities like Philadelphia have the ability in 1984 to test transfusion blood for AIDS, but didn't due to "special interests" banning the tests? | [
"According to [The Henry J. Kiser Family Foundation's page about the history of HIV](_URL_1_) The virus wasn't even identified until 1984, and the first test was approved in 1985. And [here](_URL_0_) is a paper that summarizes the confusion surrounding the state of the blood supply during the early years of the AIDS crisis."
] | [
"It's not gonorrhea that makes us balk at transfusing blood from someone with an STD. It's the underlying reason you contracted it: high-risk sexual behaviors which are associated with more severe diseases, particularly HIV and Hepatitis. And while HIV testing has gotten much better, there is still the potential for early tests to show negative results. Hence, the prolonged deferment to increase the odds that routine screening will catch HIV-infected blood."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is America's war in Vietnam at all responsible for the recession of communism throughout the world? | [
"Would you mind clarifying the question a little? Are you asking if the American participation in the Vietnam War is responsible for the recession of communism *now*?"
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How did having a huge overseas empire logistically help/hurt the British during WWII? | [
"i asked a similar question a while ago _URL_0_ and one of the core things people replied about was that the empire supplied a massive amount of raw resources to the british war effort, oil from the middle east was the prime example."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
in 1924 if you mentioned to someone (someone from the Anglo sphere) the words either “spaceship” or “space- alien” do you think it's likely (more than 50-50) that you would have had to explain the concept to them before going on? | [
"I think it's likely you'd have to explain it. As /u/Erilaz said, Tsiolkovsky's work doesn't come until 1924, and Google Ngram doesn't show *any* mentions of the term \"spaceship\" before 1900, only the briefest mentions between 1900 and 1910, [and the term doesn't really take off (pardon the pun) until 1940](_URL_2_). The oldest mention I can find in the archives of *The New York Times* is [this 1931 book review](_URL_2_) of *By Rocket to the Moon: The Story of Hans Hardt's Miraculous Flight*, a children's book originally published in Germany."
] | [
"actually, back in high school my physics teacher read to us from a book by some physics guy. This particular bit of book was about sticking your tongue out as a form of non-verbal communication. There was a series of experiments which supported the theory that sticking your tongue out (or probably \"contorting your mouth and tongue\" is actually a sub-verbal, sub-conscious way of saying \"leave me alone.\" Usually you see it when people are concentrating and don't want to be interrupted, but their study showed that it will even work to avoiding meeting strange people you run into on the street. Unfortunatly, that was many years ago, and I don't think there's any way I'm going to remember the name of the book or the physics guy, sorry."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.