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Does this argument prove the democracy is communism? (Argument presented to me by proffesor)
|
[
"This isn't really a good question for r/askhistorians, since it is a political science question more than anything else. But the definition of democracy your professor gave is really weird and I don't think is accepted by modern day scholarship. The standard democratic model we have today for instance, are Liberal capitalist democracies under which individual property right and private ownership of capital is guaranteed by law, and elected governments are allowed to some degree to regulate the use of properties of its citizens. So unless your professor thinks that modern day Canada or Sweden or Germany does not constitute democracies, I don't think his premise is a very good one. E: forgot a \"not\" in the second paragrah"
] |
[
"Let me link you to a [comment] (_URL_0_) I made in another thread. Its in Rusian national intrests for Syria to stay the way it is."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
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What are some good books on America's occupation and rebuilding of Japan?
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[
"Well, it looks like you already found it based on your edit there, but just to reiterate, \"Embracing Defeat\" was the *immediate* book that came to mind when I saw this question. There really isn't a better work out there than Dower for an overall coverage of this period in Japanese history, so it is absolutely what you should be seeking out. Aside from that endorsement, I would also encourage you to check out \"Wages of Guilt\" by Ian Buruma, which isn't about the immediate reconstruction period, exactly, which Dower does more than justice for, but rather a slightly broader view of 'war memory', and how the conflict is remembered in Japan (and Germany, as the book covers both), in the decades after the conflict, so provides a nice complement to Dowers book."
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
}
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I'm a wealthy young Roman at the height of the empire with money to burn and a brain to fry. What sort of drugs- illicit or otherwise- are available to me?
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[
"Do any sources say anything about psychedelic mushrooms?"
] |
[
"Initially probably because virtually all Chinese medicine was/is based on herbal/animal remedies. This wasn't always without reason, eg the traditional treatment for thyroid problems is turtle's blood, which is high in iodine. Like every other ailment, aphrodisiacs were derived from plants or animals, although the only two that immediately spring to mind are tiger penis and rhino horn. Why are they still popular and in use now? Status. They're rare and expensive, which makes them perfect for showing off how much money you've got. Anyone can buy Viagra. Where's the fun in that?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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Pre-industrial ear hygiene
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[
"Well, in the Roman period at least (and probably prior as well, though I'm not familiar with such artifacts personally) you would use an [ear scoop](_URL_0_). These were basically [tiny spoons](_URL_1_) that you'd stick in your ear to [clean the wax](_URL_2_). These could also double as cosmetic spoons for dispensing early forms of makeup. The Romans had a number of [nifty little tools](_URL_3_) for hygiene. That last picture I linked contains a Roman soldier's kit consisting of an ear scoop, tweezers, and a nail cleaner. Before the Roman period, people may have used similar tools, perhaps not metal ones, but ones of wood, perhaps bone. Ear scoops continued to be used up through the 19th century, and you can still find similar tools today (though cotton swabs are much more comfortable and less likely to accidentally hurt you)."
] |
[
"A reation to dust, histamines, and other irritants."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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I find Eckstein's structural realist explanation of the rise of Rome as due to manpower rather than exceptional aggression very compelling: looking for critiques and book recommendations for alternative models
|
[
"Hello! There are a few threads around here that deal with these arguments, to keep you occupied while you wait for a new answer. /u/xenophontheathenian and I discussed the scholarly reception of Eckstein [here](_URL_1_). I mentioned Harris' \"hyper-aggressive Rome model\" [here](_URL_2_). There are a few such threads if you search for \"Harris\" or \"Eckstein.\" That should keep you busy until you get a new answer. Oh, you may also be interested in Rosenstein's [aristocratic competition](_URL_0_) model. The argument here is that elite pressures drove individual Roman politicians to pursue foreign conquests, rather than, as Harris, the whole society placed special value in constant warfare."
] |
[
"Extended counterfactual history accounts are generally more entertaining than helpful, but James Axtell 'Colonial America without the Indians' Journal of American History 73:4 (1987) is a brilliant exercise in demonstrating the vital importance that Native Americans played in facilitating white settlers in colonizing North America, stressing that without Native Americans Europeans would not have been able to access the land as readily. In other ways counterfactual history helps a historian to consider the alternatives. Sometimes explaining the choice a historical figure has made in the context of the choices they haven't made can be illustrative of motivation, external pressures, or personal quirk. Similarly, in terms of economic history it can elucidate dependent factors by theorizing on the negative, i.e. would such and such develop without ready access to the specified condition."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Describe the Soviet's legacy of power in current Central Asian states
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[
"Tired of posts on here phrased exactly as school essay questions. It really smacks of homework. I apologise if that's just your way of speaking, but some of the questions on here really appear to come straight from A Level history textbooks.."
] |
[
"The Russians and Americans attitude to economics due to their different histories are fundamental to their approaches to the world in general and their attitude to each other at the start of the cold war in particular. For more information on this - _URL_0_"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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"query": "Represent the post:",
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Tuesday Trivia | Marvelous Moms
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[
"Ooh, how about Assyrian king Nabonidus' mom, Adad-guppi? Two identical funeral inscriptions for her were found in the temple at Harran, upon which were recorded the dates of her birth, death, and numerous pilgrimages. The interesting thing? She lived to 95 years of age (98 by some counts), surviving the reign of 7 kings, including her son: Ashurbanipal (born in the 20th year of his rule), Ashur-etil-ili, Nabopolossar, Nebuchadnezzar, Neriglissar, and Nabonidus (died in his 9th year as king)."
] |
[
"Sleep - Shake Unconscious - Splash Coma - Wait and Hope Vegetative State - Wait and Bury"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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How did Hamiltonianism come to be?
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[
"You might want to clarify what you mean by \"Hamiltonianism.\" Do you mean the economic plan supported by Hamilton in opposition to Jefferson?"
] |
[
"Because it was coined to work like the word gene."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
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What was Hamiltonianism and what did it become between 1790-1850?
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[
"Hamiltonanism was a political/economic belief in a Strong central government, encouragment of national industries and commercial economy and a distrust of the common man. The ideas of it still have no left us according to Michael Lind. It has been a persistent battle between Jeffersonian agriculturalists vs Hamiltonian commercialists. Its platform was carried by prominent politicans like Henry Clay in the 1830s and was somewhat carried out by the Presidency of John Quincy Adams. _URL_0_ Michael Lind: *Land of Promise: An economic history of the United States*"
] |
[
"*American Slavery, American Freedom* by Edmund S. Morgan is a great read and is one of the main reasons he is considered one of the best historians of the 20th century. The book has some excellent analysis about the role of economics, constructions of race, and how the two related to each other. Also, although I haven't read it, you could check out Bernard Bailyn's new book *The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America, 1600-1675*. Bailyn is right up there with Morgan as one of the most reputable colonial era historians."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Education:"
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I have an idea for this sub. Could we start doing some peer-reviewed knowledge of historical events?
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[
"In my opinion, this sort of setup would lead all too quickly to abuse of the system, even if some people had the best of intentions. The flairs and not-yet-flaired users here are happy, eager, overjoyed to share what we know about a topic people are interested in. We are not here to proofread anyone's research paper."
] |
[
"How do we tag this thread and responses for the best-of-the-year roundup? This is a great unique question and the answers are very interesting."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
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Why did North Korea and Cuba stay communist when almost every other communist regime collapsed around 1990?
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[
"You're forgetting several pretty big ones: China, Vietnam, Laos. Did you mean to exclude China intentionally, or what was the main purpose of the question?"
] |
[
"The Soviet Union was going through a massive economic downturn, which also coincided with Gorbachev's policy of restructuring and openness (Perestroika, Glasnost). Several of their client states in the eastern Europe were facing massive demonstrations and open revolts against the communist puppet governments. They basically had the choice between a bloody military suppression (like in Hungary 1956 and Czechoslavia 1968, but on a far wider scale) and letting it all go to hell."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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Were there Saami at the same time as the Vikings and if so how did they interact?
|
[
"The Sami and Vikings were contemporay in Scandinavia. According to Stephen Mitchell (Witchcraft and Magic in the Nordic Middleages) Viking belief in witches and spirits were influenced by Sami shamanism. According to [Snorri Sturluson](_URL_0_), [Tore Hund](_URL_1_) had received a coat from the Sami which through Sami witchcraft could not be pierced by iron."
] |
[
"> Why didn't the Huns just stay there in China The Huns didn't come from China. We actually do not know exactly where they came from, just that they were living east of the Volga River prior to their migration westwards."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
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" Two Native Americans landed in Holland in 60 B.C." Is this true?
|
[
"That same question was asked here a while ago, [this](_URL_0_) or [this](_URL_1_) thread should help you. The consensus is that no, they really didn't, though subcontinental Indians may have."
] |
[
"Colonization... Remember? These maps were drawn by people who had never even been to the African continent. This is yours , that's mine etc etc"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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When did people know that the "thinking" comes from the head?
|
[
"Pretty much forever. While there were debates about the seat of intellect (most famously between the Aristotelians and the Platonists), those were almost purely philosophical rather than scientific in nature. The earliest preserved discussion of the function of the brain is in the Edwin Smith papyrus, from ca 1600 BC, but it's believed to be a copy of a much earlier text from ca 3000 BC. It's quite accurate in its discussion of gray matter. But basically, understanding trauma is one of the earliest arenas of medicine. Trauma in war was common, obviously. It is easy to see that people with trauma to their limbs or parts of their torso can talk about their wounds. But the guy that survives head trauma all of a sudden can't speak, seems oblivious to his surroundings, or has lost some of his senses or motor skills. So yeah, head trauma teaches a lot about the function of various parts of the brain. Tough way to learn though."
] |
[
"What do you mean by downfall? This is still a dominant part of current culture."
] |
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"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
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Was Saddam Hessian and his generals aware of the unfavorable force disparity between their military and the coalition military during the run up to and the actual 1992 Gulf War?
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[
"Saddam Hussein was never a military strategist, as one of his generals explained in an interview for PBS Frontline's documentary about the 2003 war: [LINK](_URL_0_). Saddam was ordering the military in all the wrong directions and didn't pull them back to fight a war of attrition that the general favored against superior forces. In the 1990-91 war, Saddam assumed the coalition invasion would come from the sea into Kuwait, rather than from the south and west, and the coalition did it's best to give him the impression of a sea invasion."
] |
[
"The Persian Gulf War all started with the invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi troops under dictator Saddam Hussein in August 1990 over territorial disputes over the oil drilling in Kuwait. This is what caused the U.S. military intervention in the Persian Gulf Region. The U.S. invasion of Kuwait was named \"Operation: Desert Storm\""
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
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Why was there such animosity between the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and the Dukes of Burgundy? (1456-1477)
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[
"FYI, you can't summon someone in a post, you need to do it in a comment (and only three per comment)."
] |
[
"By sources do you mean primary or secondary material? There is a wealth of Anglophone scholarship on fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Burgundian socio-political history and elite culture (in these spheres Malcolm Vale is the authority), I'm sure there is also a wealth of economic analysis, although that is beyond my purview and interests. There have been some English translations of primary materials but these are, generally, 'to spec', as an example the Manchester Medieval Sources series are generally written for specialist undergraduate courses (with generous introductions and explanitive notes). Let me know what you're interested in, and I'll point you towards whatever I can. Sourcebooks: (eds) Brown, A. and Small, G., *Court and Civic Society in the Burgundian Low Countries, c.1420-1530*, Manchester, 2008. (ed.) Cohn, Jr., S., *Popular protest in late-medieval Europe: Italy, France and Flanders*, Manchester, 2004. (ed.) Taylor, C., *Joan of Arc: La Pucelle*, Manchester, 2006."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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What would it have been like to live in the time of the Vikings, as a non-viking in France or England?
|
[
"Vikings certainly traveled by coast but attacked towns farther inland as well. A town might be aware of Vikings near by based on news from neighboring towns or by sighting viking visitors on the coasts. The frequency of attacks were more based on accessibility of the town and its resources. If you had rich farmland, were located at a key trading point, or were just pretty well off, you would be at a greater risk of having viking guests. The time of the Vikings went on for several hundred years, so their movement was more a gradual spread than a continent wide attack. A greater awareness of Vikings were known, many towns were even controlled and inhabited by them, through trade routes and migration."
] |
[
"You also might consider The Long Ships by Frans Bengtsson. It's fiction and a perennial best seller in Sweden. It's set in the late 10th century and Red Orm, the main character, travels all over Europe meeting the local rulers and eventually converting to Christianity. Plus, it is a hell of a fun read."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Can you point me toward some sources that discuss the "normalization" of white experiences?
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[
"bell hooks, *Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center* would be an excellent place to start. It's definitely readable from an advanced high school perspective and a great intoduction to feminist thought in general, with strong attention to race and class. Your student will in general probably do best by looking for womanist and black feminist perspectives, either theorists criticizing white/mainstream feminism (especially Friedan's *Feminine Mystique*) or outright historians. \"Normative\" will probably get her farther as a search term than \"normalize.\" What a neat student with a neat topic. :)"
] |
[
"_URL_0_ That addresses the structural answers of your question. _URL_1_ That one gets into a bit more of the difference to you if you're considering using one or the other in your personal life."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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European, Military and Economic Historians - What do you think was the most important advancement of the 17th Century
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[
"The Westphalian system maybe? It set the foundation for international relations for centuries. _URL_0_"
] |
[
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] |
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{
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Why is corn (a post-Colombian Exchange crop) mentioned in this Greek Oath of Citizenship from 300-280BC?
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[
"Corn in the classical meaning is simply a word for grains in general. In British use it's a synonym for grain, not for maize. It's related to German korn and dutch koren, which also both mean grain. In older uses of the word it would sometimes be attached to other grain words to refer to the individual seeds. One might have a field of barley, but one would have a bushel of barleycorn. In American English it pretty quickly attached itself to maize, and lost its general meaning as grain. That meaning has slowly been migrating out and it's increasingly replacing the general meaning in other English speaking countries. You can find other examples if you look at other (especially older) British books. For example Genesis 42:3 in the King James translation of the Bible reads: > And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt."
] |
[
"Did you truly mean 2500 BCE and not 250 BCE? 2500 BC predates Mycenaean Greece, even, by many centuries."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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How did Hermes (Greek god of travel, commerce, thieves, etc.) become associated with magic (namely hermeticism)?
|
[
"Hermes was always associated with magic. He's featured in our very earliest Attic curse tablets and even in Homer he's connected to witchcraft--he gives Odysseus the magical drug moly. The connection, especially in curse tablets and other binding spells, is not at all unexpected. Hermes is a chthonic deity by virtue of his aspect as Hermes Psychopompus, and like other chthonic deities his invocation in magical formulas is not unusual. In later times Hermes, due to his association with Thoth and the increased syncretism of the Hellenistic world, became even more associated with magic, and in particular with the transmission of magical texts, but he was always a mystical force--as early as Homer Hermes is the guy who has all this secretive knowledge, which he might or might not tell you about"
] |
[
"Which \"magicians\" are you referring to? The court-magicians of the Pharaoh in Exodus (Exod 7.22)? The witch of Endor (1 Sam 28)? The \"magi\" in Luke's nativity? Or are you wondering more generally about historical practitioners of magic (inc. wonder-workers, exorcists, healers, etc.) during the Biblical period?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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did the vikings worship Thor yet in 100BC?
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[
"There were no vikings until the mid 6th century, when Danes began raiding the Frankish empire. As far as Scandinavians in 100BCE worshipping Thor is concerned, we're not entirely certain, but there's a pretty good chance, based on some of the images we have preserved on cliffs and other rock formations. Jens Peter Schjødt does a lot of good work in that; you should check out Stefan Brink's \"The Viking World,\" which has an article by Schjødt in it which you might find relevant."
] |
[
"A hundred years ago? Do you mean 5,000 years ago?"
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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Why is colonialism responsible for terrible circumstances in some countries and not others?
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[
"If you look at Canada (and Australia), british colonists effectively wiped-out any meaningful existing aboriginal society (and in the case of Canada, severely curtailed the french society). But again, in Canada and Australia, if you look at it from the aboriginal viewpoint, you are experiencing thost \"terrible consequences\" daily. In Africa and India, however, colonists never really wiped the existing societies there, so they linger on with all the damage colonial rule."
] |
[
"Because our country is so wealthy even the poor are pretty well off compared to the middle class in most other countries."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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Question regarding Lawrence A. Cremin
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[
"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."
] |
[
"Relevant entertaining and informative youtube video Electrocution in Water: _URL_0_"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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Approximately how long would it take a middle-class woman to get ready (from waking to stepping out in public) in 1750? How long would it take a middle-class man?
|
[
"Note that 1750's hairstyles were not nearly as complicated or elaborate as 1770's hairstyles (that we often associate with 1700's), particularly in England and the American colonies where even powder was seldom used. [Here's a compliation](_URL_16_) (some of them are upper class women, but there weren't too much of a distinction. Most of them are English). Hair was usually pulled back with little to no height. In back, the hair was generally arranged in small curls, a twist or braid, or pulled up smoothly. The most elaborate hair of the 1750's was tête de mouton (sheep head) from France. It featured small curls arranged in rows across the front and top of the head and powdered. [Here's an example](_URL_15_)."
] |
[
"In the 19th and 20th centuries, many single young men who moved to the cities to work lived in boarding houses, where they rented a bed or a room, and shared washing and dining facilities with the other tenants. The landlady might have provided some sort of simple meal (bread, stew, etc) or at least access to cooking facilities. The 1962 movie *The L-Shaped Room*, while being salacious and dramatic, provides a decent look at what it was like to live in a boarding house in England in the early 1960s."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
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Has the UN actually been helpful in preventing war or stopping dictatorships/rulers from killing their own people in the past?
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[
"You should potentially post this in /r/ask_politics as well. I recently wrote a paper on UN interventionism in Somalia, and I'd be pleased to talk with you about it over there."
] |
[
"America has: toppled democratic states supported dictators Bombed entire countries to the ground Killed hundreds of thousands of people, many civilian, in their recent wars Experimented and tortured innocent people all over the world Interferes and intervenes everywhere, and generally for their own interests Has a military presence everywhere Some foreign countries see the US as a murderous selfish military state that abuses their power. And based on what has happened in history, rightfully so."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
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When did we start going to the beach?
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[
"In Campania, Roman villas overlooking the sea tended to be large and lavish, implying that the very richest owned seaside villas. This doesn't show beach vacations, but it does show that at the very least the aesthetics of the seaside have long been appreciated."
] |
[
"Why would you think there are any? Have you been to them?"
] |
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Have people become more cynical and rude compared to say early 20th century or even before?If so are there any historical reasons for this?
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[
"This may be a question for /r/AskSocialScience; check with the mods there"
] |
[
"My opinion on this is that it is as common nowadays as it was two or three decades ago. But now its more accepted to speak about it. There is no stigma with going to the psychiatrist. Just my opinion."
] |
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"query": "Represent the title:",
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Weapon control (restrictions on weapon ownership) throughout history?
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[
"In the polish lithuanian commonwealth, the lords used to walk around carrying warhammers as canes. This was finally banned because fighting with warhammers was more fatal than fighting with swords. If I remember correctly, their reasoning was that the sight of blood would cool hot tempers. With a warhammers you can kill a man with hardly any bloodshed, whereas with a sword, any injury causes a mess thus making it obvious that you hurt the other person and you should stop hitting him."
] |
[
"It isn't illegal everywhere, including many US states. The laws also vary based on the animal involved."
] |
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"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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Why didn't China discover America?
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[
"You may find it difficult to get answer as to why something didn't happen, but [here's a thread from a year ago](_URL_0_) that that talks about China's worldview around the time of the Age of Exploration and the Ming dynasty and how they were more interested in westward expansion (similar to America in the 19th century). /u/cthulhushrugged may be able to provide more info."
] |
[
"Are you sure they were defeated at all?"
] |
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Is there any reliable evidence that points to the fact that the Chinese discovered America?
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[
"Not to discourage further discussion, but there’s some good information on historical consensus around the main works that advance this theory here: * [Is Gavin Menzies' assertions in his books, 1421 and 1434, taken seriously by the history community?](_URL_0_) with u/khosikulu and u/pustak."
] |
[
"The main reason is because of the religious background of the United States."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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On what points did Adlai Steveson criticize such a respected and popular public figure as Eisenhower in the 1952 presidential election?
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[
"In 1952, Stevenson campaigned on the record of the Democratic Party since 1932. The argument was basically that it would be better to trust the legacy of the New Deal to the party that created it than to the GOP, which they called the \"Party of Hoover.\" The problem with that strategy is that it was the same one from 1948. While it was a very good argument then, Eisenhower had soundly defeated the most conservative element of the Republican Party during the primary and convention process, i.e. that led by Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio. [Here's a handy poster from the election summarizing most of Stevenson's arguments](_URL_0_)."
] |
[
"When Adams and Jefferson were President and Vice President respectively they were in the midst of their feud and were extremely bitter towards one another. Adams and Washington also had their issues but far less so. Also Johnson and Lincoln were not so hot either. And later when Vice Presidents were selected at times to gain more political leverage or to win a key state you would have Presidents and Vice Presidents who were Luke warm towards one another. Eisenhower and Nixon being a Prime example of that. But keep in mind that originally whoever came in second in the electoral college would become Vice President; this changed however with the 12th Amendment. Just thought I'd give a quick answer until someone with more expertise can get more into depth about Presidential Relations. Sources: US Constitution Eisenhower and Nixon: Two terms but not much endearment. Tom Feran, February 19th 2013. _URL_0_"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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What is the blanked out word in Paul Revere's Boston Massacre print?
|
[
"Revere's referring to [Captain Thomas Preston](_URL_1_), the British officer who allegedly ordered the troops to fire on the crowd without provocation. Preston was tried for murder along with his men, but acquitted thanks to his attorney John Adams (yes, *that* John Adams) convincing the jury that they had been provoked. (Sources: Contrast [this anonymous colonist's account of the Massacre](_URL_0_) with [this account by Preston himself](_URL_2_).)"
] |
[
"By that handy meter in the corner of the screen."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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What happened to all of the photos Malcolm X took?
|
[
"After much discussion with some colleagues we have come to the conclusion it’s very possible many or most of the photos taken by Malcolm X could have been destroyed when his house was firebombed."
] |
[
"He has an engineer named Sean Paine who has several hard drives filled with Gucci verses. Everything you are hearing was recorded before he went to jail."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
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What is the difference between an "age" and a "period"?
|
[
"Age, period, era, and the more colloquial \"times\" are basically interchangeable--it's a matter of convention more than anything else. A good example is, we say Middle Ages, but \"medieval age(s)\" sounds wrong whereas \"medieval period\" or \"medieval era\" sounds fine. Well, medieval is just *medium (a)evum*: literally, middle age. (It's more apparent in older English when it's spelled mediaeval). So medieval period is middle ages period. Absolutely equivalent, just preference."
] |
[
"Would it be against the rules for me to ask for clarification on the term \"realignment elections?\""
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
}
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Looking for book recommendations - medieval illuminated art/writing, especially the Book of Kells or Lindisfarne Gospels
|
[
"I know you mentioned her book in the initial question but I urge you to check out other works by [Michelle Brown](_URL_0_). I linked her guide to illuminated manuscripts. Here are some others to get you started. I have used Brown and Capelli recently. * Bischoff, Bernhard. 1990. Latin palaeography : antiquity and the Middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Cappelli, Adriano, David Heimann, and Richard Kay. 1982. The elements of abbreviation in medieval Latin paleography, University of Kansas publications. Lawrence: Universiy of Kansas Libraries. Already mentioned by /u/butter_milk, but here is the full citation * Clemens, Raymond, and Timothy Graham. 2007. Introduction to Manuscript Studies. Ithaca, N.Y.; London: Cornell University Press."
] |
[
"\"ancient times\" is very broad. Are there any specific cultures you're interested in (e.g., Republican Rome, Old Kingdom Egypt, etc.)?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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How far back into English history would I have to go before my current use of the English language would become unusable?
|
[
"Asking questions that were previously asked is fine. Mentioning previous discussions is not intended to discourage more: further questions, info, and debate are welcome. You can see \"Could a modern english speak with a person from the medieval in england?\" at _URL_1_ . /u/cdesmoulins provided a lot of links to other discussions but then a discussion of their own. /u/Searocksandtrees provided other links there. Citation of Due Credit: that link is from Searocksandtrees' reply to the current _URL_0_ . That's mostly about Old English so far, which is before your time of interest."
] |
[
"Because the written form of the language does not change as fast as the spoken form. Go far enough back, most of them were pronounced."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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I've seen a lot of recreations of Aztec costumes for dances or war, but what did people typically wear for every day activities?
|
[
"Obviously it was somewhat based on class, but everyday wear would typically be a white or off-white sleeveless smock or a \"pancho\" type garment. The garment was usually cottom which they traded for. They would then accessorize with various types of jewelry, depending on the class of individual. From your question, you'd be correct in that the elaborate head dresses and the \"show\" garments would only be worn during ceremonies. The exception to this would be the emperor, who almost always be dessed \"fancy\". To their people, the emporers and emprress' were living gods, and thus had to 'play the part'. Hope that helps. Here's a picture of the garment I was referring to: _URL_1_ And here's a good site that has a section on everyday Aztec life: _URL_0_"
] |
[
"When I look at the few pictures there are of my grandparents and their parents, they are barefoot in just about all of them. Any good clothing they had was sunday-wear and would be passed down. When you see drawings or pictures of people in fancy suits and dresses, those were the people wealthy enough to *have* lots of drawings or pictures of them, and they wanted to look good in those pictures."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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Need help identifying members of the Chinese Nationalist Government [ca. 1930]
|
[
"Your link is marked as a private album at the moment unfortunately."
] |
[
"Would you like a list starting in 1867 or including pre-1867 British Canada?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
}
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When did "going to the beach" become a popular, recreational activity?
|
[
"You'll find some previous responses to similar questions in these posts [Did ancient peoples \"go to the beach\" as we do today?](_URL_2_) [When did we start going to the beach?](_URL_1_) [Question about beach culture in England.](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"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
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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When was cosmetic makeup first widely used? And by who mainly? Also, do we know how it was made and with what ingredients?
|
[
"Not my area of interest, but I am aware of make-up going back to Ancient Egypt with charcoal being used to highlight eyes. Our labs have also done some analysis of lead and other materials that have been used as cosmetics previously. I am aware of arsenic and lead compounds previously being used as skin lighteners. I hope this helps as a starting point."
] |
[
"In the old days, dyes and paints were made from all different kinds of natural sources. These could've come from a lot of naturally occurring objects, including flowers or other plants, minerals, or even animal sources. And indeed, there are certain colors that were very difficult or rare to make, such as *Tyrian purple* which was so expensive it became a status symbol and only the imperial family was allowed to wear it, thus its nickname *royal purple*. Nowadays, though, most dyes and paints are made synthetically."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
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When did the term "modern" come into use? Has it ever been used before our current era?
|
[
"Generally, people have historically thought of their societies as \"modern\" (not in this word). Petrarch in the fourteenth century developed a bipartite classification, classifying the pre-Christian times as *antiqua* and Christian times as *nova*. I have before addressed the question of when the tripartite conceptualization of history that we're familiar with today, so I'll quote from that: > Reference to the Middle Ages first enters Latin in 1469, and the tripartite periodization with which we're familiar today became the standard way of thinking in the seventeenth century thanks to Christoph Cellarius, although Leonardo Bruni was the first scholar to do so in his History of the Florentine People (1442). I'm sure periodization would have differed by country in medieval times, but I am aware that Petrarch referred to pre-Christian times as antiqua and the present period as nova, suggesting that some medieval thinkers had the same conceits as we do today vis-à-vis considering ourselves or our society modern."
] |
[
"There was no \"break\" from the middle ages like you're thinking of. Is there some reason you expected there to be?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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If the Chinese invented gunpowder why didn't they use this edge to carve out an empire similar to Rome?
|
[
"Several reasons for this come to mind. First, gunpowder isn't the wonder weapon that it's sometimes assumed to be. See [this thread](_URL_0_) for a bit more info about that. Second, China's more troublesome borders were generally good areas for mobile, cavalry-based warfare, and the enemies the Chinese faced used these tactics. Firearms didn't offer many advantages over bows in that situation. (Nor did cannons, in the absence of a well-fortified enemy.) I know I've got that point from another thread on this board, but I can't seem to find it. Thirdly, I think it's wrong to assume that the Chinese *wanted* to create an empire similar to Rome. Roman imperialism came out of particular forces and they don't necessarily apply to China."
] |
[
"China had a huge navy and explored greatly in the 1400s into the Indian Ocean and possibly across the Pacific Ocean: _URL_0_ However due to the isolationism policies of the next emperor, China stopped their exploration and generally kept to themselves for the next few hundred years which allowed the Europeans to surpass them in development of navigation and exploration."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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What was Harry Truman's opinion of the Vietnam War?
|
[
"Most likely, he did not approve. David McCullough's biography infers that those who blame Truman for setting the conditions for the Vietnam War are incorrect, that 'he never intended for the CIA to become what it did' during that conflict, and that he held to his intended, more limited approach, during Korea. You pointed it out first, but make of the the non-commenting what you will; from the McCullough book (which I highly, highly recommend): > Lyndon Johnson came to Independence several times again, hoping to enlist Truman's endorsement of the war in Vietnam. But Truman, who as President had first pledged American support for the French against Ho Chi Minh, made no statement about the war. Privately, he had become more and more disillusioned with Johnson's leadership."
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
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Can you recommend some good "layperson" books on the 1920s?
|
[
"Frederick Lewis Allen's book *Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s* is a short, pretty simple, rather fun overview of the decade you might enjoy. Allen was a reporter who published the book in 1931, trying to wrap the decade up while touching on most of what he thought were interesting and important cultural, political, and of course economic moments. Now, his book isnt the most academic book on the decade. And Allen covers neither the long term effects of the events he discusses, nor each event in thematic detail. Rather, his book offers more of a coffee table, newspaper sort of narrative. You get the feeling that these were the things Allen thought Americans talked about during the decade, and that he is relating these events to us as they appeared to play out at the time. So, while it might not cover the entire breadth and depth of the decade, it definitely gives you some of the flavor, and is pretty easy to just pick up and read."
] |
[
"Just asked this in the other sticky, but maybe this is the better place for it: Does anyone have any good book recommendations about the Nigerian Civil War or about Biafra as a country?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Literature:"
}
|
Why were Zheng He's voyages considered wasteful?
|
[
"The Ming Dynasty, which started and ended these voyages, took over after the violent end of the Mongol Dynasty, which was widely, and correctly, regarded as a foreign imposition. This led the government, over time, to be quite suspicious of foreign influences. There were also dynastic politics at play in this; emperors could have policies quite different from their predecessors. Also, these expeditions were state-sponsored, and if no political benefit was seen, then they were viewed as having no legitimate purpose."
] |
[
"China had a huge navy and explored greatly in the 1400s into the Indian Ocean and possibly across the Pacific Ocean: _URL_0_ However due to the isolationism policies of the next emperor, China stopped their exploration and generally kept to themselves for the next few hundred years which allowed the Europeans to surpass them in development of navigation and exploration."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
}
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Were the Voyages of Zheng He really just a big propaganda campaign?
|
[
"I'm not sure I really understand what you are asking here. The argument that the voyages was one of the many means Yongle employed to legitimize his rule is accepted by many, if not the majority, of scholars. It's just that outside of academia, relating the whole thing to the concept of legitimacy might be too complicated and in the process of simplification, a lot of things are left out until it becomes a matter of Ming China turning isolationist."
] |
[
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
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Did Francisco Franco ever consider an invasion of Portugal?
|
[
"Follow up question, would UK and Portugals old treaty of protecting portugal from spanish invasion have held up in this case?"
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
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In Total War: Rome II, troops are able to burn down city gates by throwing flaming torches at the gate. Was this ever a viable tactic? Are there any examples of this method being used historically?
|
[
"Throwing torches at an object either made of incredibly hard wood or even metal will not make it burn. I realise that there are apologists on the TW subreddit who will defend anything coming out of CA but this is simply impossible. I realise that the absence of evidence doesn't constitute evidence of absence but its inherently difficult to prove that something *didn't* happen rather than something *did* happen. There are easy experiments for this, in fact. Try to throw matches unto a piece of wood and see if you can make it burn. Most people can probably guess the outcome. Would it be possible to burn a gate that was first covered in something flammable? Maybe. I dont know."
] |
[
"Well, I haven't seen anything that does but for lack of a better word, for good reason. Forts of the 17th century, such as the Vauban fortresses, served two purposes; they served as garrisons and storehouses or they acted as a barrier which an invader had to take before marching in. These fortresses were expected to last eighty days by Vauban's expectations. As a result, a 17th century siege would have been a long and boring affair for both the attacker and the possible viewer of a film about it. Battles are more dashing because they have movement, sieges rarely have movement."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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Digital Archivists, how do you digitally archive?
|
[
"An archive is more than a room full of dusty things. As an archivist in a still active institute, items are created every day that need to be added to the archive. This ranges from minutes to artifacts while part of it is digital. The main tas is to organize these documents and record where they came from, when, why and how. Keeping provenance (context of creation etc) is essential and cataloguing the digital item with tags just like a physical item keeps it accessible and findable in the future: the key tasks of an archive."
] |
[
"You can try /r/Archivists, or me, for I am here as well. 1. How old are the documents? 2. How many are there? (Roughly) 3. How much money are you willing to spend?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post about Archiving:",
"pos": "Represent the text about Archiving:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Archiving:"
}
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Was all imperial expansion in the 19th century aimed at serving the domestic market of the imperial nations?
|
[
"Hobsbawm wrote Age of Empires that really does a great job of answering this question as well. What I gathered from it when I read it was also the idea of denying resources to other Empires and other reasons that are escaping me at the moment. I'm being very general here as it's been a few years since I've read it."
] |
[
"Britain has large amounts of coal near the coast which allowed it to take full advantage of the Industrial Revolution by having cheap fuel for the factories. The British government was also extremely pro-business. This manufacturing power along with strong naval tradition allowed the Empire to spread across the world. Once you own a fifth of the world it's easy to bring wealth back to the home country. London is still one of the most important financial centres in the world."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
}
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Are there any documents hosted online from 1938 or before that describe the Coelacanth as extinct?
|
[
"That was a very good idea with the 1911 EB! [Does this fit the bill?](_URL_0_) From 1861, free Google ebook."
] |
[
"I'd like to flip this and ask a question, can anyone shed some light on wintertime survival in Early Medieval Britain and Ireland?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
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Neville Chamberlain: Was he really a mild-mannered appeaser or was he buying time to mobilize the British military?
|
[
"I have a question: given the absolute horrors and sheer destruction involved in WWI, is it not understandable that Chamberlain would have done absolutely everything to avoid a war with Hitler by giving him his demands? It's entirely too easy for people to look in hindsight and eviscerate Chamberlain's legacy by saying \"well there was always going to be war, you just gave him more resources!\" But given what the UK went through its hard for me to see blame in Chamberlain's actions."
] |
[
"The simple reason was that there were a lot of economic problems in the developed world, and people were still living under the horrible spectre of WWI. Nobody in Britain or France wanted a war, and the USA not only wasn't anywhere close to being the global power it is today, but it was aggressively isolationist (\"Let Europe solve its own problems\"). Early on, Hitler was aggressive and reckless enough to bluff his way into concessions. Later on, he had built up the military might that it wasn't a bluff any more."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about history:"
}
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The history of household utilities (power, water, gas, etc.)
|
[
"Even as late as the mid 1930's huge swaths of the U.S. were without electricity. Then as part of the New Deal, they created the Rural Utilities Service which [brought power to hundreds of thousands of homes](_URL_7_). This included the creation of the [Tennessee Valley Authority.](_URL_5_) _URL_6_"
] |
[
"Companies are always quick to pass on rising costs to their customers, but slow to pass on savings. This is especially true when there are multiple companies the product has to go through (farms, transportation companies, processing companies, supermarkets) before it gets to you."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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In general, how were utilities (plumbing, electricity, gas) handled in the United States during the late 19th and 20th centuries?
|
[
"The modern induction type electromechanical watt-hour meter was invented for the Westinghouse corporation in 1894. Prior to that there were several different designs for metering electricity running back to Samuel Gardiner who invented a meter that measured how long electricity was applied to the load (it didn't measure how much power was used just when power was used) and to Thomas Edison who in 1881 developed a meter for his DC power system. Read all about it [here](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"Because American schools are designed to suit the work schedules of kids who worked in steel mills back in the late 1800s and early 1900s."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about Education:"
}
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Did William Hogarth's 'Gin Lane' print accurately reflect the state of London slums in the mid 1750's?
|
[
"This topic is so so close to a dissertation i did last year and i did a whole module on this topic. I will look into my notes and hopefully come back with some proper sources."
] |
[
"No. Opium smoking started sometime in the 16th century in China, and wasn't popular enough for there to be 'opium dens' until the 18th century or so. Most accounts of opium dens in Europe are 19th or early 20th century."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
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}
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What was the first stadium to surpass the Roman Colosseum in capacity?
|
[
"The Flavian Amphitheatre was (and still is) the largest amphitheatre, to my knowledge, but even when it was opened in the time of the Flavian dynasty (hence the name), it didn't have the largest capacity. That distinction belonged to the *circus maximus*, which could seat between 150.000 to 250.000 people: > Not to mention among our great works, the Circus Maximus, that was constructed by the Dictator Cæsar, one stadium in width and three in length, and occupying, with the adjacent buildings, no less than four jugera, with room for two hundred and sixty thousand spectators seated. [Plinius, n.h. XXXVI, 24 (102)]. It might be that the original text says CL, not CCL, and Dionysios of Halikarnassos gives 150.000 as well [in III, 68], but in any case much, much large than the Colosseum. I don't know if that fits your definition of a stadium for the sake of this question, but if you're looking at seating capacity, it can hardly be topped."
] |
[
"Europe’s stadiums are generally a lot bigger as well. For example, the Orlando Pride’s stadium seats 25,500. In Anfield, Liverpool the stadium seats 54,000. Wembley, London the stadium hold 86,000 to 87,000 for futbol matches."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Sports:"
}
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How did "Ann Landers" (Ruth Cowley, Eppie Lederer) and "Abigail van Buren" (Pauline Phillips, Jeanne Phillips) come to so dominate the American advice-column genre?
|
[
"New Yorker contributer Ian Frazier writes a really incredible piece called \"NOBODY BETTER, BETTER THAN NOBODY\" from the early 1980s that profiles Ponce Cruse Evans, whose mother was the one who started \"Hints from Heloise.\" Evans took over the column when her mother retired. While this isn't about an advice column (it's more about household hints and how to be an economical housewife) Frazier's article details how the column came to be, how it was syndicated across the nation, and how her daughter took it over. I think that Ann Landers and Dear Abbey came to popularity around the same time, and the article will give you a sense of what the job environment was like. Here's an excerpt, the whole article is worth reading: _URL_0_"
] |
[
"Sometimes there's someone who's name is the same as yours and you change it to avoid confusion. Example, Katy Perry's real name is Kate Hudson, just like the actor. Maybe for legal contracts or so people don't think the singer is also acting, they take on a unique name. Other times, somebody thinks they would have more success with a *flashy* name, instead of Richard Stafmeyer, they become \"*Rik Diesel*\", rock god! **Edit:** To hopefully avoid discrimination, Ramón (Gerardo Antonio) Estévez became Martin Sheen. The author of the book \"The Outsiders\" used the name S.E. Hinton because she felt that nobody would take a book by an 18 yr old named Susan, seriously. Harper Lee dropped her first name, \"Nelle\" (sounds like Nell) because she didn't want to have to hear it constantly mispronounced as \"Nellie\"."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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When and why did Leopard Print of all things become the universal standard for tacky or sleazy decor?
|
[
"Hi, there's always room for more contributions, but fyi /u/Gorrest_Fump had an answer for this recently * [How and when did leopard-skin print become associated with sex?](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"Because they are made to show off their curves. Not a bunch of bulges. That was the same reason they got purses."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
}
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German reparations: Greece edition.
|
[
"Based on an [interview in Deutschlandfunk](_URL_0_), all claims against the re-united Germany were extinguished in the 2+4 talks. Meaning, as far as the legal interpretation goes, it seems Greece has no claims against Germany for this. The Foreign Office has the [contract available](_URL_0_), including some explanations around it. So much from a \"legal standpoint\" I guess, of course there is still an ethical question, though I cannot see Germany giving in on this, if they'd make an exception with Greece they'd have every other country in Europe banging at their door as well."
] |
[
"The Westphalian system maybe? It set the foundation for international relations for centuries. _URL_0_"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Our brains function superstitiously by default. If you don't know what lightning is, you'll assume supernatural before natural. So did humans generally get over that superstition as soon as we figured out electricity and taught it in schools?
|
[
"Hi there! I have removed your question because in its current form it isn't a question about history but rather about how faith and superstition work. You might want to rephrase and try a sub more directed towards anthropology or social sciences. Thank you!"
] |
[
"Someone would have to discover the answer to this question through serious rigorous scientific inquiry and learn a lot about the brain that we don't know yet before someone else could come along and explain it to us like we're five."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Psychology:"
}
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Good Introductions to the Etruscans
|
[
"[Here's](_URL_0_) the BBC podcast from \"In Our Time,\" you might look up the names of the contributors on JSTOR or other databases for their publications. They are Phil Perkins of the Open University, David Ridgway of the University of London and Corinna Riva of University College London."
] |
[
"High Crime + Dwindling Population + Crumbling Infrastructure + Diminishing Jobs = Perceived Shithole."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Did ancient civilisations actually build traps like we see in Indiana Jones.
|
[
"Not to deter any new responses, but to get started [there have been similar](_URL_0_) questions a [few years ago—](_URL_2_) the basic gist of those threads is that Egyptian tombs could be mazelike and have deep pits and false walls, but the only account of having anything like Indiana Jones' pressure-sensitive plates that would trigger a booby trap is the Mausoleum of the first Qin Emperor, the one with all the terracotta warriors outside. According to a ~2100 year-old account (written about a century after the mausoleum's construction), [it was rigged with automated crossbows to shoot at intruders.](_URL_1_) This is obviously the most similar to the automatic blowdarts from the walls in Raiders. But those other posts note that there was nothing like that in Mesoamerica, and also that whatever mechanisms needed to operate such traps probably wouldn't hold up and remain functional after millennia and multiple uses."
] |
[
"The actual reason for this phenomenon is roughly understood. One of the leading theories for this behavior is that it imitates their spaceships. The ones they used over 2000 years ago to make contact with the ancient Egyptians and enslaved them to create beautiful statues."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query about Egyptian tombs:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Egyptian tombs:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Please recommend me a good single volume military history book on the Napoleonic War.
|
[
"The best thing I could recommend would be *The Campaigns of Napoleon* by David G. Chandler. It isn't a very easy book to find and right now it's about 68 dollars on Amazon for it used, but it is the Bible for the military aspect of the Napoleonic Wars."
] |
[
"I would recommend \"The World at War\" for an excellent documentary on WW2."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph about Education:"
}
|
I am a fifteen year-old boy forced to learn archery. How many years do I train before I'm sent to the battlefield?
|
[
"Any specific era in history? Archers have been around a long time."
] |
[
"Hubris: One man fighting against an army and thinking he will win. Confidence: One man fighting against one other man and thinking he will win. Humility: Being the strongest man in the world and never starting a fight. Low self-esteem: Being a weak man and picking fights to prove yourself."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
|
In the Age of Sail, were the interior of ships marked to indicate port and starboard?
|
[
"Not really no, at least not in any source I have seen. Simply because once a new seaman had a rudimentary amount of knowledge it wasnt often something you would mess up. The reason for this is that Port and Starboard are not relative to your position when speaking, they are fixed relative to the vessel. Starboard is ALWAYS going to the right side when facing the bow of the vessel. So as long as you know where the bow is you know which side is which."
] |
[
"Follow up question: What about weapons on ships in general? Were there laws concerning what kind of weaponry a merchant captain carry on board?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
}
|
During the Falklands War a non-nuclear country invaded a nuclear nation. We know now that Britain did threaten nuclear war for exocet codes but did people at the time worry the war could go hot?
|
[
"Follow on question: aren’t the Exocet “codes” a myth? Edit. I used this be in the navy in an occupation that dealt with anti-ship missile defence and I’ve never heard of Exocet codes. This makes me suspect that codes refers to something else, like how the missile seeker operates **edited to add i have seen the term Exocet codes when reading about the falklands war, but I have never heard that term used in a military professional / technical sense."
] |
[
"_URL_0_ Perhaps the most world altering example I can think of, during the Cuban missle crisis the US began dropping depth charges on a Russian submarine in an attempt to make it surface. The Americans were unaware that this was a nuclear sub with some authority to fire. For all they knew, war had begun. The world dipped very close to war several times during the crisis, they were in international waters so clearly something was out of the ordinary, and they were in a metal can moving slowly at the bottom of the ocean. The general consensus is that the war is on, time to go through with the mission. Fortunately for the world the second in command, Vasili Arkhipov was able to to convince them to wait for orders from Moscow. Had that nuke fired, every other nuke would have fired. Vasili saved the world."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
|
Have the guards of the US Tomb of the Unknown ever had to physically defend the Tomb?
|
[
"> Has anyone ever tried to get past the Tomb guards, or attempted to deface the Tomb? > Yes, that is the reason why we now guard the Tomb. Back in the early 1920's, we didn't have guards and the Tomb looked much different. It was flat at ground level without the 70 ton marble 'cap'. People often came to the cemetery in those days and a few actually used the Tomb as a picnic area, likely because of the view. Soon after in 1925, they posted a civilian guard. In 1926, a US Army soldier was posted during cemetery hours. On July 1, 1937 guard duty was expanded to the 24 hour watch. Since then, the ceremony has evolved throughout the years to you see today. Today, most of the challenges faced by the Sentinels are tourists who are speaking too loudly or attempting to get a better picture (by entering the post). From [The Society of the Honor Guard of the Tomb.](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"If bullets are flying and a soldier/marine is KIA in an unreachable position, the body will be recovered when the shooting stops, or a safe opportunity comes. No one wants to leave the body of a fellow soldier in the street. Take cover, return fire, recover casualty. \"I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade.\" -Warrior Ethos Its a moral obligation. I won't leave you behind, because I know you wouldn't leave me behind."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
}
|
In 1920's Germany, did people really remove money from banks and carry it around in wheelbarrows or suitcases?
|
[
"Many people were day labourer in those times. They got payed daily in cash and not with a cheque. Promissory notes were more common than cheques among companies and merchants. My Great-Grandfather (born in the 1880s) never used a cheque until he died in the 1960s. He worked as a bricklayer in the 1920s and early 1930s, until he got imprisoned by the Gestapo and he did carry around his rucksack full with money. However, during hyperinflation people also used local money, which was more stable. Or they switched back to a subsistence economy and bartered what they needed. He even used Reichsmark notes when renovating his house, he mixed them into the loam. But unfortunately we don't know if this was during the 1920s or after the notes were invalidated."
] |
[
"I'm going to use US currency as an example: If you were a criminal, you can't just take your \"dirty\" money and put it in the bank or pay for things with credit cards. You need a place to hide your cash. Let's say you need to hide 1 million dollars. A stack of 10,000 $100 bills would be about 43 inches tall (a little over 3.5ft) and weighs about 22lbs. That's not too hard to hide. If they got rid of the $100 and $50 and you had to store your million dollars in $20s, it would be about 18 feet tall and would weigh 110lbs. If your illegal business made a lot of money, you'd have to start putting your money in large storage containers and moving it around in trucks instead of briefcases. It makes cash-based crime a lot harder. Legitimate business transactions could still be performed electronically or through banks so it doesn't hurt the economy. It also makes counterfeiting less profitable."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
|
There are letters from explorers during the 1400-1600’s exploration of the americas. Who was delivering these letters back to the old world?
|
[
"Something similar to this was asked once before & u/intangible-tangerine [gave an excellent answer.](_URL_0_) As far as the explorers and international mail, as far as I know there was no real “system” in place. It was more just a matter of hand the letter to someone you trust on their voyage back, and say “here deliver this to Thomas, please”."
] |
[
"Correct me if im wrong, but the Americas were named after amerigo vespucci, who was an italian explorer much like Columbus in the late 1400's. He was the first one to inform the old world that the newly found land in the west was NOT in fact part of Asia. The Americas were named after amerigo. Later when the northern American contenent was explored, They transfered the name to it also. As for Asia, Europe, Africa, Antarctica and Australia, I have no idea. Fun fact: Columbus made his men take a vow that they would never say that the land they found wasn't Asia. I'm assuming for funding reasons. His men broke the vow 2 years later."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
|
Saturday Reading and Research | September 24, 2016
|
[
"Just recently been starting to read/listen to history books and loving it. It takes me forever to listen because everytime there's something of interest or importance I type it down into a doc in my drive that I've made for it, but it's so worth it. I just put *The Peloponnesian War* by Donald Kagan on the back burner for a bit and started listening to *Alexander the great* by Paul Cartledge. Both have been great!"
] |
[
"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 title about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Saturday Reading and Research | December 7, 2013
|
[
"I actually have been reading a bit about the history of rap (specifically, the history of misogyny and violence in gangsta rap) for a research paper. Not a whole lot of interest to report on, but it does seem awful weird to see citations like \"(Snoop Dogg 1996).\""
] |
[
"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 post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
|
To what extent did the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake contribute for the downfall of the Portuguese Empire?
|
[
"Well I do not know alot about the Portuguese or this earthquake, but before the 18th century the Portuguese decline was already set in motion, together with Spanish. Countries like the Low Countries, France and England would dominate the 17th century. In the 18th century the Low Countries were in decline themself, but Austria-Hungary, Prussia and Russia would join France and England."
] |
[
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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To what extend did Han China and The Roman Empire communicate or interact.
|
[
"You should read the wiki article on [Romano-Chinese relations](_URL_0_)."
] |
[
"United States of Central America, Gran Columbia, The British Empire( for that matter all of the imperial empires after the second world war), the Soviet Union to name a few that immediately come to mind. An argument could be made that the Western Roman Empire never really \"fell\" but experienced a transformation. Edit- Austria-Hungary, Russian empire. The Ottoman Empire ( contrary to popular opinion the Ottoman Empire continued past the first world war abit with much less territory). 19th Century Spanish Empire. External conflicts all contributed to the fall of these empires to a certain degree, but the breakups occurred from within"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post about History:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about History:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
}
|
What would the reaction to things like the electrical telegraph have been by some of the lesser educated people in Victorian England c. 1850?
|
[
"Electric batteries were well known by the 1850s, and the telegraph was in wide use then. In my studies of telegraph history, I have found no record of industrialized peoples considering it witchcraft or being unable to comprehend the function."
] |
[
"Related question: Is the mindset that we live in a \"better\" time a modern one? So would someone in the 1500s even view any sort of technological progress as being good? As in the mindset that the non-existent past was some golden age. Perhaps the question could also be answered the other way around, \"why would someone in the 1500s think someone in the 1400s was better off?\"."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about history:"
}
|
To what extent was Voldemort right in saying Wizards were oppressed by Muggles?
|
[
"I don't have the reference tools here with me (or the time to expound thoroughly on my answer right now), but to the best of my knowledge, the Wizarding world was only oppressed in the sense of being forced to hide by social conventions, as an ostensible minority. I may be completely out in left field here, but it seems comparable to the persecution of extra-evolved humans in the MComU. Though the minority wields power, the majority (in this case, Mugglekind) wields far greater numbers. To what extent was He Who Must Not be Named right, well, that's a subjective question, depending on partisan bias and the current Ministry. I'd recommend directing it to a scholar in Ministerial relations between the Wizarding and Non-Wizarding worlds; I'm not purporting to be learned on the topic. My specialties lie in alternate timelines. :)"
] |
[
"He's a tragic hero. He was rejected by Lily, but still cared for her. He tried to protect her by defecting when he discovered that the prophecy pertained to Harry, and by protecting Harry after her death. His whole life is quite sad. He hated his parents (I think he might have been abused by them too) and was constantly looked down upon for being a half-blood. He had to set himself apart with his knowledge, but even so, people avoided and mistrusted him. He became cynical and solitary in a world that had abandoned him. It also explains why he was so disappointed with Gryffindors, the \"epitome\" of bravery. They're always arrogantly talking about courage but despise Slytherins like Snape, who constantly braves insane risks to quietly spy on Voldemort. It takes real courage to dedicate your whole life to fight for a world that hates you. In some ways, he's one of the bravest characters in the whole series, made even more tragic by how he didn't get any recognition until the very end."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
|
American Involvement in the Sino-Indian War
|
[
"Just a point of clarification, India was decidedly not in the \"Soviet\" camp. They led the the \"non-aligned\" movement. _URL_0_"
] |
[
"The Chinese were equipped with Soviet made MiG-15 fighters. They outclassed everything that the UN could put into the air and it stayed that way largely until the introduction of the North American Sabre. While the Sabre closed the performance gap, it was by no means a superior aircraft. Source: Xiaoming Zhang, \"China and the Air War in Korea, 1950-1953,\" The Journal of Military History 62, no. 2 (1998). pp. 349"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
I've seen lists of purported IQs of US Presidents. Is it actually possible to estimate the IQ of a historical figure? What is the process for doing this?
|
[
"Absolutely not. An accurate IQ test requires several sessions of one on one time with a qualified psychologist, or at the bare minimum a well administered standardized IQ test. Most former presidents predate the existence of IQ tests and I don't think that the presidents that could have taken one ever had their results released to the public. These lists are there for fun and shouldn't be taken too seriously."
] |
[
"Yes, they're real, but the ones you see on the internet don't really work; for the tests to mean anything they have to be administered by a professional who can prod you for extra information in order to figure out what your thought process is. The tests measure the \"Intelligence Quotient,\" or IQ. Precisely what IQ measures is up for debate; it was intended to be a way to assess intelligence and other cognitive abilities, but it's not great at it as intelligence is a tricky thing to measure (as is defining what exactly constitutes intelligence). That being said, it still definitely measures *something* that seems to correlate with intelligence, and no one's really found a better way to do it, so we stick with it. Honestly, though, the best use of it is either for diagnosing mental disabilities, or for educational placement (particularly for gifted kids). 2/3rds of the population scores between and 85 and a 115, and if you're in that segment, the test doesn't really mean much of anything."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
|
What were economists' reaction when Reagan outlined his trickle-down economics tax plan?
|
[
"I don't have answer, but you might consider moseying over to r/AskEconomics as well."
] |
[
"The conter-intutitve idea that in a recession the government should spend more money, not less, was largely proposed by the economist John Keynes and were widely taken up by governments all over the world in the 1930s, with varying degrees of success. Since the 1980s, however, Keynes's ideas have been largely out of political and economic fashion, and the world has moved again far closer to classic laissez-faire economic liberalism. A few countries have tried Keynesian spending during the current economic crisis, again with mixed results, but all of the largest economies in the western world have implemented austerity measures of one kind or another. TLDR: a \"New Deal\" style works programme would be almost impossible to get passed given current trends in politics."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
Blinding as Punishment Historically
|
[
"Blinding someone means that you avoid committing murder, which is a good thing for your immortal soul. But it pretty much guarantees that the person who's been blinded can no longer be a serious contender for power. Those two things together make a nice way to deal with cousins and nephews and such who might be contenders for the throne. In medieval Russia, by comparison, a standard thing to do was force someone to become a monk or a nun. Those vows, even if taken under duress, were considered irrevocable, and took people out of the running for the throne."
] |
[
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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|
I just watched a video of ISIS destroying a museum in Iraq- how important was the stuff they destroyed?
|
[
"It's a little hard to see from video which stuff destroyed were originals and which were replicas. The winged bulls were original, while many of the statues were not. I'm sorry I can't help more than that. _URL_0_"
] |
[
"Hist tomb was not robbed when first discovered and thus had TONS of valuables. The people who found it then kept with tradition and robbed the fuck out of it. Also sent some to museums."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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|
In warfare, why is occupying a nation's capital, as intended with the Von Schlieffen plan, considered the ultimate goal and defeat of a nation?
|
[
"Well ,the capital city is the seat of government so government would likely be in disarray for a bit. The most important thing is the impact it would have on morale. For the attacking army, it would be a big factor in raising morale as propaganda would pounce on on the chance to spread around \"we captured their capital, we captured the figurative centre of their country.\" On the other hand, soldiers of the side that lost their capital would know that their enemy had captured the figurative centre of their country. Morale would understandably go down. Also, considering that capital cities usually are extremely well defended in times of war, if the enemy captures your capital, chances are that they have a large advantage in the war and will likely come out on top."
] |
[
"You can't win an offensive war against guerrilla tactics when they have the support of the people, and you are not willing to harm civilian lives to reduce enemy forces. Combined with the terrain, there's no significant military objectives to take at any given moment. It's simply a battle of attrition, the worst kind of war to partake in."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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}
|
Isaiah 53 Translation/Interpretation question
|
[
"My first response to this post is what on earth does \"But he was wounded FROM our transgressions...\" even mean? The preposition \"from\" in English (and in Hebrew, מן) does not mean anything in this context. The preposition מן in Hebrew does not mean \"because.\" There are other very pertinent prepositions that could be used (e.g., על, \"on account of\") that would work to indicate causation. Secondly, this blog assumes a normative and essentialist Judaism. There is no such thing as \"what Jews believe.\" WHICH Jews is the author talking about? As you point out at the end of your post--\"2 jews in a room, there are 3 opinions.\" So--even the very basis of the blog is misinformed (and even arrogant). The fact of the matter is that the Hebrew preposition מן can be used to mark the SOURCE of something--and, in this case, may easily be translated as \"as a result of.\" (See Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon.)"
] |
[
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
|
What is the history of egalitarian thought?
|
[
"Your post reminded me of [an article I found](_URL_0_) recently about equality in hunter-gatherer societies. It addresses why some hunter-gatherer societies were more equal than others in similar circumstances. This doesn't necessarily concern the history of egalitarian thought but does offer a perspective on prehistoric disparities."
] |
[
"Can anyone suggest respected works that deal, on a theoretical level, with the concept of elites? Specifically from the standpoint of history."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
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|
How effective were the Eastern European Axis powers in WW2?
|
[
"Romania suffered the largest casualties in the war on the Axis side after Germany on the Eastern Front. The \"auxiliary\" Axis soldiers, to put it in a manner of speaking, were poorer soldiers than the Germans. The only ones that didn't get (too much) grief from the German officer corp were the Finns and the Cossacks/Old Whites. The Finns mostly because their section of the front was almost exclusively Finnish manned and the Cossacks/Old Whites due to their fervour in fighting against the Soviets. EDIT: forgot to specify the location of the Romanian casualties."
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
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Do you think that games set in past like the ones made by Paradox (Crusader Kings, Victoria) have any educational value?
|
[
"Sure. They get you interested about history and make you start asking questions."
] |
[
"Because not all games include role playing. None of Age of Empires, XCOM, Sims etc. have you role playing. Some games have very minor role playing elements, such as Dark Souls, but it's very small."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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|
What do you think about the use of historical video games as a tool for education?
|
[
"Hiya, if you are interested we ran 2 Monday Methods threads about videogames and history: _URL_2_ _URL_2_"
] |
[
"What are some of the primary sources that you have found? This sounds interesting. Would you recommend any books for a fun read?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
}
|
Got this hat from a family friend years ago, anyone know what its from?
|
[
"A google search leads me to believe it is a Belgian Commando Beret form the Congo"
] |
[
"It looks a lot like a lock I used to have... hard to tell from the pics. I think they were sold to tourists in the Middle East. Mine was inherited from my grandmother."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
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|
Dragon banners in pre-Norman Britain?
|
[
"There's some information on dragons and source material in [our FAQ](_URL_0_). You might want to begin there."
] |
[
"This image from the Bayeux Tapestry (depicting the Norman conquest of what we now know as England) clearly depicts a Norman horse soldier using stirrups. _URL_0_"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
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|
Can anyone confirm the authenticity of these documents? (British 1980s)
|
[
"I don't know whether anyone can perfectly confirm the authenticity of something from a pdf file but I can see several good reasons to presume that this is genuine. [Tom Watson](_URL_1_) is a reasonably prominent UK MP who has a history of being a muckraker, relatively recently he got the police investigating [a ring of pedophile politicians](_URL_0_). Using the 30 Year Rule to release these documents is typical behavior for him, it is 30 years after 1984, and he's a public figure certain to be subjected to scrutiny. Bearing these things in mind I think we can presume the document is authentic."
] |
[
"Would you like a list starting in 1867 or including pre-1867 British Canada?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
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|
How common was it for politicians in Rome to owe massive debts to campaign for political office?
|
[
"The lavish displays you speak of are a reference to the position of Curule Aedile. The Curule Aediles were responsible, among other things, for the Roman games. While there was a budget for the Roman games, Aediles were expected to also provide extra money to make the games as lavish as possible, or they would be looked at in a bad light. This was not the image you wanted to have if you wanted to run for higher positions. Also, the more money you spent also tended to put you in a very good light to the voters, so most who could did indeed spend the extra money. The debt you speak of for Julius Caesar needed Crassus to bail him out, however, was not from debts from the games. This was from Julius Caesars debts accrued from bribing the other electors in his bid to become Pontifex Maximus. This was a gamble to gain power by Julius Caesar that ended up paying off when he won the position. I'm on mobile, so I can't provide sources at the moment but I hope this helps!"
] |
[
"Suppose a politician does this. You may have noticed that elections are held periodically. This means, among other things, that a politician may be out of a job in a few years if things don't go their way. How much funding do you think their campaign is going to receive the next go around if they pissed off all their former donors?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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Was getting struck by lightning an issue for knights during medieval times?
|
[
"More generally: did medieval people understand the connection between lightning and metal?"
] |
[
"It's not a modern phenomenon at all, what makes you think it's only been happening for the last 20 years?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Gentrification:"
}
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What history book is your favorite that is related to military?
|
[
"If you're interested in Roman history, then I highly recommend [Adrian Goldsworthy's *The Complete Roman Army*](_URL_0_). It gives a great overview of the Roman military, from the beginning to the end, and it breaks that 200 page limit. A quick note - don't take that short page count too seriously. There's a TON of info in there. Unfortunately, \"Related to military history\" is rather vague and broad. Do you mean a book that involves a war? If so, check out some of Barry Strauss' books, such as *The Spartacus War* - I've read that one as well, and it honestly reads like a novel - easy, quick read that makes you close it, look up at the ceiling and say \"Huh.\" Hope those help :)"
] |
[
"What are some of the primary sources that you have found? This sounds interesting. Would you recommend any books for a fun read?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
As a Southerner, whenever we have winter-weather, I see people stock up on bread and milk. No one I ask really knows why. Is there any historical significance to those two things and hardship in the Southern US?
|
[
"This isn't confined to the South. Up in the wild north of New England, a local blog maintains a [French Toast Alert Warning](_URL_0_) to let you know when you need to go out and get milk and bread and eggs. Up here at least there are still lingering memories of the Blizzard of '78, which is the last time grocery stores here actually shut *en masse* for a snowstorm. There doesn't seem to actually be any rhyme or reason to it on a broader scale - it doesn't even make sense on a limited one."
] |
[
"This is the first I've heard of this; however... Oysters, clams, and lobsters are a readily accessible food item in New England where the first two-hundred odd years of American culture more or less developed, and the food remains a staple (icon?) of the entire diet of the region, sort of in the way cows are associated with Texas and salmon with the Northwest. Is there any chance you or your immediate ancestors are from New England? I'm mostly midwest so I know all about cranberries for Thanksgiving, but nothing about Oysters!"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Did Japanese people actually cry any time Meiji showed them any favor?
|
[
"Donald Keene surveyed many incidents of this in his encyclopedic biography of Emperor Meiji and he is of the opinion that yes, Meiji really was that beloved. Keene found that most private anecdotes about Meiji affirm the public portrayal of him, and it is difficult to take any contradictory accounts seriously."
] |
[
"Maybe they think that if they give up now, that would be the reason why we don't have any time traveler yet."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Why did New York, Boston, and Philadelphia have such a low life expectancy in the 1830s - 24 years?
|
[
"That link is to a racist and xenophobic blog. I would start by finding some better sources, then proceeding with research from there."
] |
[
"Many African countries have and continue to have astonishingly high growth rates, but it's important to remember just how poor a lot of these countries were at independence. the Democratic Republic of Congo had a population of about 15 million at independence. Among those 15 million, 16 were college graduates."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
What kind of deity or king/ruler is this statue?
|
[
"By the craftsmanship, chair, and general style this is definitely Chinese (or Chinese-esque), though nothing stick out at me to identify them. He could be Buddhist god or trickster given the expression, maybe a famous or deified member of Chinese history, although I do not recognise this one in particular, I'm only familiar with the most famous. It could be some sculpted for ancestor reverence, though I doubt it. Source, Lived in China for several years studying TCM which includes the study of Chinese arts and history."
] |
[
"That's a really broad question. Which civilization and when?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
|
How did the Strategists of D-Day know how many troops to send?
|
[
"To a remarkable degree, the requirements for modern amphibious warfare emerged from a [single military genius](_URL_0_). Ellis did not figure out everything, of course, but the work he did in the interwar period was remarkably prescient, down even to calculating roughly correct numbers for the size of forces required."
] |
[
"Id like to piggyback a related question: Would Operation Dragoon in southern France be cancelled if the Normandy landings failed?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
}
|
How did Carolus XII of Sweden manage to defeat both, Denmark-Norway, Poland-Lithuania and Russia(though not completely) all by himself? Did he do anything special to manage this?
|
[
"I wrote an answer to a [similar question](_URL_0_) a while back that sort of answers your question. I'm sure there are other users who would love to have a crack at the military tactics part though. :)"
] |
[
"Prussia wanted France and Austria to stay roughly equal in power, so that Prussia could get in alliance with the weaker of the two, and play them off each other. Early in the Revolutionary period, the Prussians assumed the French were the weaker half. But when Austria got clobbered, Prussia was afraid (correctly) that it was about to get steamrolled by an unstoppable French juggernaut, and tried to stop it, with British and Russian help, before it was too late."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
Could the apostle Matthew have been a tax collector if he was under 20 years old?
|
[
"There is scriptural evidence of that? To which verses are you referring?"
] |
[
"I looked for and could not find any record from the time period that Jesus was alive that mentions Jesus. The first time Jesus shows up in history is, I believe, about 30-70 years after he died."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
|
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