query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Has any country ever been invaded by its own colony? | [
"Not sure about home soil, but the US did invade Canada (then part of the British Empire) during the American Revolutionary War. _URL_0_ It failed. Also, what do you mean by a colony invading its mother country? Did the colony declare independence and then invade the mother country? At that point, it's more of a t... | [
"Sovereignty is enforced by brute force. Do you have what it take to defend your country? Tibet was a country. Taiwan was a country. Hong Kong was part of China. Vietnam was part of China. Maryland/Virginia was part of British Empire. A sovereign nation is established by brute force most of time. If you can take an... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Iran nationalizes their oil in 1951, Norway in 1972. Compare and contrast the reactions of the major Western powers. | [
"The strategic interest in oil is not necessarily the possession of oil sources, it is the access to it. Norway's nationalisation never threatened other Western powers' access to the oil. One of the key points that got Mossadeq's government in power in Iran on a wave of popular support was his promise to end foreig... | [
"> How would the US nationalize oil/natural gas? They'd pass a law requiring the owners of oil and gas firms in the US to sell or turn over their assets to the government. > What would happen to the companies who are producing oil on US soil/waters. They'd be owned by the government rather than their private owner... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Hollywood depicts American authorities as "never negotiating with terrorists", but have they ever actually in the past 100 years? | [
"During the 1980s, several [Americans](_URL_0_) were captured in Lebanon amidst the civil war there. Some of the Americans, including the CIA station chief at the time, were captured by Hezbollah, an Iranian backed militia. To bring these hostages home, members of the Reagan administration secretly negotiated with ... | [
"They did notice. They just assumed that all countries were like that, and kinda ignored it when they could. Which seems weird and unrelatable. Until you remember that the United States of America sometimes tortures people who haven't been charged with a crime."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What's the deal with Point Roberts, WA? Why not give it to Canada? | [
"Essentially, the Treaty of Oregon was signed before there had been any surveying done to see if setting the border at the 49th parallel would cause any problems like this. Once it was signed, they surveyed the land and realized Point Roberts would be an anomaly. The British Foreign Ministry tried to offer trading ... | [
"It *is* against the law in most places. By the way, where do you live?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How accurate is the popular perception of Spartan society? | [
"The popular perception is quite wrong, and is referred to by the world's leading Sparta expert (Professor Stephen Hodkinson) as 'the theme park version' of Sparta. I've written many answers that you might find interesting: * [Is the military worship of the Spartans really justified?](_URL_0_) * [Were the cultures ... | [
"Welcome to the one of the strongest arguments against the prohibition of firearms."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about movie accuracy:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about movie accuracy:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why do Britain not fight to retain their Empire? Did they not want to remain a superpower? | [
"In 1956, Britain did try to fight for her empire. After Egyptian President Nasser took over the Suez Canal (one of Britain's largest overseas assets), the British, the French, and the Israelis attacked them in an effort to get it out of Egyptian hands. This action was universally vilified, and their actions were c... | [
"We are not in the middle ages, having a larger population does not make you more powerful. What reason would they have to think that it would?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Has "Spanish lisp" legend been conclusively proven or debunked? | [
"Wiki says it's been discredited for lack of evidence. _URL_0_"
] | [
"It's not dangerous. It's a myth that has been disproven. Actually Mythbusters did an episode on it and they laughed it was so wrong."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is the most realistic answer to the question of how earlier humans consistently (or inconsistently) made fire without proper fire making tools? | [
"Hi there -- while this question may garner some answers here, you may also want to crosspost it to r/askanthropology."
] | [
"A simple answer is that they were hunter/gatherers. There won't be a whole lot of evidence that survived that long. Early humans used a lot of natural resources in their more pure form. Early Australians probably used boats or rafts held together by plant fibers. It's not true rope but it does work. So basically t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What happened to Tankman when he was rushed off the road by other civilians? Why did they rush him off? | [
"The answer is that nobody knows what happened to him and it's very doubtful if anyone will ever know, nobody was even able to identify who he is that we know of. He could have being arrested/killed by the government, or he could have decided to simply lay low for the rest of his life."
] | [
"Because he shot at the people trying to capture him, and was killed in the firefight. There's no reason to believe he wouldn't have been given a trial had this not happened."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
[META] A quick thank you to the mods and contributors of this subreddit. | [
"Absolutely agree. I'm a casual browser with a few interests, but it's great to see a really informative, focused sub that's free of cheap gags, supposition and repeated myths. Shame it takes so much work, but the results are valuable."
] | [
"12 PM PST is 8 PM GMT, for us europeans. That's great news, I'm really looking forward to this. /r/AskHistorians is one of (if not *the*) best subreddits and definitely deserves some attention from outside of Reddit itself."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Appreciation:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Appreciation:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Is "nation-building" and "winning hearts and minds" a modern phenomenon, or did ancient empires also have to carry out counter-insurgency campaigns in the scale of Afghanistan and Iraq? | [
"Just because there weren't insurgencies in the modern sense doesn't mean there weren't rebellions and uprisings. Rome had a notoriously difficult time keeping down the people of Germania, Gaul and Britannia, for example but the rebellions usually played out through more traditional military conflicts. One disadva... | [
"Apparently Osama bin Laden said that the purpose of his campaign was to destabilise the USA by bankrupting it. He claimed similar tactics brought about the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1980s and early 1990s when they got bogged down in an expensive war in Afghanistan. In other arenas, the IRA would claim that t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Recommended Civil War nonfiction for a layperson? | [
"I'll echo James McPherson, but I'll also add Bruce Catton, specifically his Army of the Potomac trilogy. You can often find copies of his stuff used, and he reads well and in a narrative vein. Good stuff."
] | [
"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 document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
In Assassin's Creed: Origins, a ship captain and one of his crewmembers are shown playing a board game that uses two pawns on a round board. What game is this? | [
"Related question: if they are playing Mehen, are there other “forgotten” games with unknown rules but copious game boards? Are there references to play for these kinds of lost games?"
] | [
"The stars lead the assault. If you were to grab a flag and run with it on a staff it would look exactly as it does on the uniform."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Prosecution for Duelling in England | [
"I wish I had the time to give this question the proper answer it deserves, but I don't at the moment, so instead will just recommend you a good source. \"A Matter of Honour\" by Martyn Beardsley is a nice quick read covering the state of dueling in England during the early 19th century, concentrating primarily on ... | [
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
AMA Announcement -- Dr. James McPherson, author of 'Battle Cry of Freedom' (1988) and over a dozen other books on the American Civil War, will be here to answer questions this Friday, Feb. 28th, starting at 1:30PM | [
"Hot dang! This is awesome. I know a lot of the mod team worked very hard on this, but a special shout out to /u/Anastik for doing so much work to get this done. Anastik pitched the idea to us and then contacted Dr. McPherson. Apparently, Anastik has a way with words. If you need someone to help you break the news ... | [
"The JFK Daily Diary at the Miller Center at the University of Virginia shows that he and Jackie were at their Glen Ora property in Middleburg, Virginia that weekend. They were having a house built there. I guess he decided to do that instead of lay a wreath at Arlington. The daily diary shows they arrived at Glen ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are there so many names that start with "Mac" (Macbeth, Macduff) in shakespearean literature? | [
"Well, *Macbeth* takes place in Scotland. The prefix \"Mac\" in Scottish names means \"son of\"; for example, MacDonald means \"son of Donald.\" It's the same how \"Johnson\" means \"son of John.\""
] | [
"It's not unheard of at all, it happens all the time. Ever see *The Lord of the Rings*? Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving (Australian) all playing vaguely British-sounding characters. How about Natalie Portman in *V For Vendetta*? RDJ in *Sherlock Holmes*? *Bridget Jones’ Diary*? The... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What are the most and least saturated topics in historical academia? | [
"Rome and Europe have been written about ad nauseum. There are still worthwhile subjects to be tackled in that region, oh yes, but the popular stuff gets regurgitated. Want an area of study? Map out the Mississippian Civilizations. Flesh out the trading sphere for the Anasazi. Find an example of how the Inca used ... | [
"How well regarded are the writings of Joseph Campbell by historians?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
According to Wikipedia, Joan of Arc's father owned 50 acres. That seems like a lot of land, was it? | [
"It's not a lot, but he would not have been struggling. Solidly middle class. The average sized family would have needed about ten acres to earn a basic living from the land, not sure what the French ratios are but in England about 1/3rd of land owners would have had one virgate (30 acres) or more. Of course the q... | [
"Hard to say. Some lords owned a lot of land, some owned a little. Some had a peaceful realm, and some were always at war (wars are expensive, even back then). There's a difference if you were a vassal to another lord or if you were directly under the king/emperor. You'd have to add up all of the castles, towns, f... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Name for Poitou that isn't Aquitaine? | [
"I'm a medieval historian of this geographic area, as part of the larger Occitan world. *Aquitaine* is the modern form of the region's name which dates back to Roman records, from the same time as Roman name *Vasconia* (now Gascony/Basque). The earlier medieval form of Aquitaine was *Guiana* (in local old Occitan, ... | [
"d', de, du are \"of\" in French. Jeanne \"of\" Arc.i.e. she was from a town called Arc. If you didn't have one of those names like Smith or Taylor that represented what your family profession was, you would take the place name as your last name. I am Steve... of... uh... Steve of Philidelphia. _en francais s'il vo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What do world's mythologies tell us about the origin and history of technology? | [
"Kind of a follow-up/tangential question: [Ovid's Metamorphoses](_URL_0_) talks of different ages (Gold, Silver, Brazen, Iron): Are these referring more to the decadence of mankind, or does his talk of \"hard steel\" refer to advances in metallurgy?"
] | [
"It would be tantamount to what Thomas Kuhn termed a ‘paradigm shift.’ Basically, it would revolutionize the most basic conclusions scientists have had about the origins of life for hundreds of years."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
What domesticated animals would you expect to find if you visited the British isles on 2093BC? | [
"That's an oddly specific date. Is there some context you're withholding?"
] | [
"Because they weren't present during the period where an ice-land bridge connected NA and Asia, so they never had the opportunity to cross over. The ancestor to the tigers in East Asia are from less than 10,000 years ago. The last ice age was about 11,700 years ago."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Did the survivors of the 1972 Andes plane crash cook the human flesh they ate? Did they have any means of making fire? | [
"I read the book a few years back. If you haven't you should really go out and get it now. It's phenomenal. Anyways, what they did was cut strips of flesh off the buttox and layer them on the white roof of the plane for a period of time (don't remember how long) to freeze dry them. They basically made human jerky."... | [
"Question: does the smell of curry permeate the clothing, or does it permeate the body and scent the sweat? I had always assumed the latter. I don't find the smell offensive either way, but I had always planned, in case of a plane crash in the Andes where I am stranded for weeks with no food except corpses of fello... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What happened to the American flag (or any other flag) on the moon? Do we know? | [
"Every Apollo mission that landed on the moon planted a flag and left it there. They are all still standing except for the one from apollo 11 which was planted too close to the lander and blew over when they took off."
] | [
"There are other things you can look for, like the mirrors that were placed there. But we don't need to see the American flag to prove that we went there. Every sane person on this planet knows we did, because there's a mountain of evidence to support it and no evidence to refute it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I recently heard a claim that innovations in firearm projectiles led to a development of square bullets for use against non christian enemies. Did this technology catch on? | [
"It's true that Puckle wrote that, but it's also true that his design doesn't actually allow for changing to square bullets, since it's not possible to swap out the barrel of the gun. The design has detachable chambers for different ammunition types, but not an interchangeable barrel. Historians universally agree t... | [
"I mainly deal with European history and was going to chime in on the firearms, but there is just no way to generalize without being more specific. For example, the term \"musket\" covers weapons used from the 13th century up until the 19th century, and rifles are still used today. A Ming Dynasty musket and a Napo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Did the USA intend to ‘nuke’ Europe during WW2? | [
"In general, the concrete discussions about what to do with the bomb did not start until late 1944, with most of them happening in the spring of 1945. The only real discussion of this took place in December 1944, when FDR asked General Groves, head of the atomic bomb project, whether it might be possible to use the... | [
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I just noticed that Kurt Cobain's suicide is now "history", according to the 20 year rule. How common was suicide among contemporary musicians, and what effect did it have on media coverage of musicians? | [
"The Rock n' Roll suicides that Cobain was probably be most familiar with were Ian Curtis of Joy Division and Darby Crash of the Germs. He was no doubt familiar with Darby Crash's suicide because Pat Smear who played in Nirvana had formally been a member of the Germs. Cobain was quoted in the music press talking ab... | [
"Nirvana gets a lot of the credit for starting the \"grunge\" movement. What makes smells like teen spirit so different is it's grunge sound and lyrical content. This was the first mainstream song to sort of glorify angsty, awkward teenagers and give them a coherent voice. It probably rings less with you because so... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Were disputes in Celtic society actually settled by champion on champion combat? | [
"Your question is tricky because \"Celtic Society\" can cover not only very different geographic locations but also eras spanning hundreds (if not, thousands...) of years. You use the term \"knight\", so does this mean the question you're posing is one focused in the medieval era? Warfare differed greatly from era ... | [
"Corollary: did Romans have a 'golden age' of gladiatorial games, when the competitors were seen as the best and most entertaining, compared to other iterations in other periods?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
What is the best documentary about pre-Columbian Americas and also pre-revolutionary war America? | [
"As far as early native interactions are concerned, there is one particular documentary that comes to mind that I always found compelling. The name of the documentary is The Tainos and you can find it on youtube. It covers the history of the Taino people in Hispaniola and their interactions with Christopher Columbu... | [
"Rome and Europe have been written about ad nauseum. There are still worthwhile subjects to be tackled in that region, oh yes, but the popular stuff gets regurgitated. Want an area of study? Map out the Mississippian Civilizations. Flesh out the trading sphere for the Anasazi. Find an example of how the Inca used ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What role did the SA play in the final stages of World War Two? | [
"To my understanding, most members were transferred to the Wehrmacht, and what was left of it was primarily a subset of the SS and served as administrative and training support of sorts. They did have a small military presence, mostly as naval auxiliary, and the Panzer Corps Feldherrnhalle (not really a part of the... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Are there any examples from WWII of carelessly shared information leading to ships being sunk? | [
"Andrew J May, a US Congressman from Kentucky, once gave a press conference where he made it public that Japanese anti-submarine tactics were deficient and resulted in low US submarine losses. Essentially, Japanese depth charges were set to detonate at a depth that was significantly higher (closer to the surface) t... | [
"I would suggest \"The Tet Offensive: Intelligence Failure in War\" by Wirtz. The Tet Offensive, launched in early 1968, took US forces largely, I say largely because there is always someone in the intelligence chain who predicted it but was ignored, by surprise. From a military intelligence standpoint, a drop in c... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What are some examples of a colony or island being cut off and isolated from its main society? How did it affect their progress? | [
"[The story of Norse colonization of Greenland](_URL_1_) seems to fit the bill nicely. They grew increasingly isolated from European civilization, and once they were finally cut off, all starved or were killed by the Inuit. In his book [Collapse](_URL_0_), Jared Diamond has an extensive discussion of the Greenland ... | [
"Just about every white race can be traced back to Europe. The east/west geography of Europe allows for easier travel and sharing of ideas. When different groups of people travel more and share ideas, they develop their technology better, and in turn can take over other groups of people more easily. In the Americas... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
What have been the best methods of poverty alleviation throughout history? | [
"Milton Friedman gives a very good analysis of the economic growth that occurred during the Japanese period called the Meiji restoration from 1868. Millions of Japanese were lifted out of poverty when free markets were allowed to function properly, and the national GDP quadrupled over the span of 20 years. I would ... | [
"Welcome to the one of the strongest arguments against the prohibition of firearms."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Saturday Reading and Research | October 10, 2015 | [
"What are the must read books about the American revolution published within the last five years? What are the current arguments being discussed by historians who study the era?"
] | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How is possible for Helen to escape with Paris when the they did not spoke same language, nor knew some common one? | [
"The simplest answer is that the Iliad is not historical. It is an epic work of fiction that probably at least some basis in historical events. The ruins of Troy have been discovered, and there was a flourishing Mycenaean culture, but Paris, Helen, Hector, Achilles, and the rest are characters in a story. So they c... | [
"It's not really known. But, the romans said a similar phrase, also of an origin that is not known. The best theory i've seen as that you're just calling out - in weakness - for an adult."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How was the transition of using electricity in homes handled? Could someone have electricity while their neighbor still hadn’t switched over? | [
"Additionally, do we have documents on the public perception of electricity?"
] | [
"Water is more than a basic human right, it's essential for your survival. However, clean water piped directly in to your home is not a human right, and when you pay for water, that's what you're paying for: the convenience. You can dig a well and get fresh water that way. What if you live somewhere you can't do th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
What historical leader has the worst rap(worst reputation considering all the good they've done)? | [
"Herbert Hoover. Tried to get businesses to take the lead in fixing the economy, and when that didn't work he started getting the government involved. He was defeated by a small government candidate who then ballooned the size of the US government. Not a great President, but he gets a really horrible rap that he do... | [
"Because society as a whole tends to overlook the mistakes, even violent ones of artists, sports players and great thinkers. Go look up some of the stuff Gandhi did and you will be surprised and horrified, but of course the man's accomplishments should be recognized! Its a common problem, all great men and women ha... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What were some unscrupulous business actions taken by early American entrepreneurs like Rockefeller? | [
"Rockefeller and Standard Oil demanded rebates for shipping oil on railroads. They also demanded rebates from railroads on oil shipped to smaller, competing oil refiners. Rebates were outlawed by the Elkins Act of 1907, that placed strict regulations on the freight rates the ICC allowed railroads to charge most ind... | [
"As a follow up question, at the turn of the century Melville's \"Bartleby the Scrivner: A Tale of Wall Street\" involves the goings-on of a law office. Was Wall Street associated with lawyers as much as bankers before the 20th century?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Saturday Reading and Research | November 15, 2014 | [
"Reading reports and assessments of Soviet naval strategy and prospects that were published in the late 80s and early 90s by Western sources. Always fascinating looking back at those sources discussing what the Soviet Navy will look like entering the 21st Century, and also how effective the Soviets were at frustrat... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about News:",
"pos": "Represent the document about News:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Did photography create the artistic use of out-of-focus objects? | [
"Look at Italian smufato styles - this might be what you are looking for, or at least the closest to it."
] | [
"It's complex and also involves a lot of what has survived over the years as well as ideas about the purpose and function of artwork. Take a look at the Fayum Mummy Portraits if you want good examples of realism way before the Renaissance."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In the New Testament, Jesus walks into a temple and sees it taken over by people looking to make a profit, how common were places like this during this time? | [
"You are unintentionally conflating modern day Temples (as found in reform Judaism and a number of other religions) with \"The Temple\" of pre Rabbinic Judaism, I think. Do you remember the Destruction of the Second Temple? *This* was \"The Temple\" being referred to. Not an abstract series of places of worship lik... | [
"1. It is a long-held view that Jews killed Jesus. 2. They traditionally worked in industries such as banking and finance, people hated rich bankers back then as much as they do now. 3. People do not like other people who are different."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Soviet Propaganda 1974 | [
"The one with working woman:\"Organisation of compatition, - Lenin wrote, - shall be important aim of Soviet power in economic area\". Main purpose f socialistic competition - to accelerate growth of workforce productivity, give more products, with higher quality and lower expences. Especialy effective is such form... | [
"Ballot - Please choose one (1): 1. Beloved Leader: May He Reign for 100 years! 2. Horrible torture."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do Medieval maps help us to understand Medieval geographical imagination? | [
"What kinda of medieval maps? There are so many types of medieval maps."
] | [
"The German historian Joachim Radkau has produced some environmental histories on the German forest. His book, *Wood: A History* largely focuses on Central European forests and forest management and examines the fluctuating relationship between man and the forest over the *longue duree*. Radkau's articles \"Wood an... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
As we know them today, when and why did "salads" become a thing? | [
"hi! fyi, you can get started on this post * [What is the history of salad?](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did the medical procedure come to be called "caesarian"? | [
"In the Dictionary of Modern Medicine, there lies a short history of the term Cesarean. Numa Pompilius introduced something called the Lex Regia (Royal Law), and one of the laws was that pregnant women cannot be buried pregnant; this led to babies being cut out of their dead mother's wombs. The Latin verb 'caedere'... | [
"Generally speaking, you don't. It's from a Canadian Heritage Minute commercial about the first brain surgery for epilepsy."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
How well established is the timing of the birth and death of Jesus? | [
"I don't know very much about the historiography of the dating of Christ's birth, but I'd be very skeptical of any such article. Partly because, from what little I know, Christ's life is not known exactly enough to say such things, but mostly because if any article thinks that there's a year 0 AD it shouldn't be co... | [
"I'm no authority on the matter, but I assume it has something to do with the movement of air."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Entomology:"
} |
When did we stop bartering for better prices? When did we start accepting prices as is? | [
"Can you clarify? Who's \"we\"? In many places in the world we still very much negotiate for better prices, and I'd imagine the answer is going to be heavily dependent on the culture you've got in mind."
] | [
"It’s a marketing ploy. It makes people believe that they are getting a great deal, when they are actually getting the same deal everyone gets."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What was the difference between mandates, protectorates, dominions and colonies in the context of the 20th Century? | [
"Follow up. What's a territory as well in this context? How was say, Puerto Rico viewed as a territory and not a protectorate?"
] | [
"> What sides were taken? The short version is that most of the area was colonized by France, England, Italy, and Spain. They did not really take side as much as go along with the colonizing powers. > How were they affected? After WWII, the colonial power had neither the strength nor the will to hold to their colo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How much buying power would a penny actually have around the Colorado/Kansas area in 1870? | [
"There's actually a good amount of [answers](_URL_2_) on this over on the Straight Dope in regards to Little House on the Prairie. Although, that question was asked ten years ago. Based on [measuring worth's calculator](_URL_0_) a penny would be about the same as a quarter today. So, you'd probably be able to get ... | [
"When I was 18ish, over 30 years ago, an ounce went for about 60 bucks. Today, that same ounce would be 200-400, depending on the quality of the weed. This is in Canada, if that matters. How much are you buying for 20 bucks?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Were the slurs used in "The Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks" legitimate insults? | [
"The geographical references in the Cossacks reply were the titles the Sultan claimed in his initial demand that they submit to his authority. The Sultan titled himself as the authority over all those locations; the professions mentioned by the Cossacks are insulting because they are base labor jobs. A modern equiv... | [
"Simon Sebag Montefiore and Sheila Fitzpatrick at least both mention Stalin's webbed feet. Montefiore says that he was so embarassed by them that when doctors would examine them at the Kremlin, he would cover the rest of his body and head with a blanket. As far as it being \"a sign of the devil in Russian folklore\... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Can anyone identify the church on this monks scroll? | [
"Possibly the Church of Our Lady, more commonly known as St. Matthias Church, in Budapest. This church became a mosque after 1541, when the Turks captured Buda. When Budapest was liberated from the Turks in 1686, the church came under the control of the Jesuits, who made attempts to restore it (it had been badly da... | [
"What is the black meteorite stone imbedded in the Kaaba?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why didn’t the byzantines discard the kite shield? | [
"Hello, I could dig in the question, but could you elaborete a little bit about your informations as its use in the XVth, and alos, about what you understand as a kite shield (Norman like ? or rounder/larger). Are you familiat with Osprey publications ? If so, they sometimes get on far fetched interpretations that ... | [
"not arguing about the dutch but why do you think the portuguese didn't left an impact comparable to the spanish?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
In any of the wars of the 20th century, did war photographers from opposing sides ever run into each other? If so, what happened? | [
"I wish to add on to this question. Did the photographers have weapons or were just people with cameras? Like were they just soldiers with cameras?"
] | [
"Also, would her military experience be any useful in finding a job? Did women serve in the British military during World War 1 and if so, did they go back into the workforce afterwards?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
I'm a woman who just gave birth to my lord's bastard son. How will I be seen by him, by his family, and by my peers? | [
"Could you please specify when and where? The \"middle ages\" are a long time and Europe is big."
] | [
"Nothing, the wife's family owes you a dowry for supporting their daughter for the rest of her life."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Wouldn't the Maginot Line have worked if it had just extended through Belgium to the coast? | [
"Actually, the Maginot Line worked as intended. It wasn't supposed to block the German advance, it was supposed to funnel it through Belgium where it'd be met with mobile French and British forces. The problem was that the Germans went through the Ardennes - which wasn't really expected - and that they were able to... | [
"For a bunch of reasons: * It would have been difficult to drag their tanks in there because Switzerland is, mostly, surrounded by mountains. Mountain fighting alone is pretty deadly but one of the major advantages that Germany had early in the war was the speed of their tank attacks. * Swiss had a conscription pr... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
If I wanted to go to a place in the present day where the environment most resembled Northern Africa's when it was the breadbasket of Rome, where would I go? | [
"The monsoon rains that made the Sahara fertile moved south to their current position around 42000BC. Long, long before the Roman conquest of Egypt. The climate of Roman Egypt wasn't that much different to what it is today, they relied on the Nile Delta, coastal water and ground water. It is the explosion in the hu... | [
"Not a professor, but I'll share what I was told. When I studied in Egypt, my professor said that the Sahara used to be underwater - the bottom of an ocean. When we visited the Sahara, thousands of miles from the ocean, we found seashells, so I tend to believe her statement."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Question about medieval tactics? | [
"Get this book! *Warfare in the Medieval World* by Brian Todd Carey *Warfare in the Medieval World explores how civilizations and cultures made war on the battlefields of the Near East and Europe in the period between the fall of Rome and the introduction of reliable gunpowder weapons during the Thirty Years War. T... | [
"What period and country are you asking about? There’s no context in your question."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Books on the Mughal period in South Asia | [
"If you mean *up to and including* the arrival of the British, you may be interested in William Dalrymple's [White Mughals](_URL_0_). It really reads itself."
] | [
"Hi there, I would particularly recommend Jon Wilson's *India Conquered: Britain's Raj and the Chaos of Empire*, which takes a consistently critical view of the British Empire in India. You might also be interested in the [South East Asia section](_URL_0_) of our booklist which contains many works on the British Em... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Given that guns are not legal (and assault weapons are very uncommon) in the UK, where did the IRA get their weapons from during the troubles? | [
"Whilst you are waiting for an answer to your question please have a look at [this](_URL_0_) answer from u/Eirebmac to a very similar question"
] | [
"A country cannot just 'adopt' gun laws without a lengthy legislature process. Lengthy legislature processes cannot be carried out unless a majority of representatives vote in favor of it. A majority of representatives will only be in favor, if the majority of their voters in their counties are in favor of putting ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Given the evolution of language over time, if I were to step into a time machine and come out 10,000 years in the future, what are the odds that I could understand what anyone is saying? | [
"Extremely unlikely. As far as I know, there are no languages being spoken today which were spoken 10,000 years ago. However, things are different now. We now have recordings of how people speak. This is a very recent development, comparatively speaking - we've been able to record speech for less than 150 years, co... | [
"Because isolated groups of people develop their own way of communicating, and back when we first started to communicate we might as well have been isolated people. For example, let's say we take you and nine other people, and from the moment you were born you lived in total isolation from everyone else. you never ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What was "BC" designated as before it was "BC". | [
"The usual abbreviation was AC for *Ante Christum natum*, before Christ was born."
] | [
"Shouldn't this be ELI25? A 5-year-old would know."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
At what point did the term "dictator" begin to develop a negative connotation? | [
"The dictator wasn't a consul, although he was usually consular. The Republican dictator was an extraordinary magistracy, it had nothing to do with the consulship. Already by the late Republic the office had taken on a negative aspect. In part because of opposition by the senatorial class against an extraordinary m... | [
"Nothing, really. It was just the term they picked to describe themselves. There's an idea that, at the time, \"commonwealth\" was more a more republican term, but it makes no difference in the long run."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How accurate is the popular portrayal of Musket Era warfare | [
"One particular example of two lines that stood blazing away at each other for ages that stands out to me is the attack of the French Middle Guard at Waterloo: opposing the advance of the 1er/3e Chasseurs and the 4e Grenadiers was General Maitland's Guards Brigade, which faced them in line but did not launch a bayo... | [
"Welcome to the one of the strongest arguments against the prohibition of firearms."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about movie accuracy:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about movie accuracy:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Meta - Ask John D Sarna anything. | [
"Just to clarify what namer98 told us mods when asking if it was okay to post this: All questions need to be submitted to Professor Sarna **by email** before the AMA. It is not \"live\" like the AMAs we host here in AskHistorians. So, please go to that r/Judaism thread to post your questions **before** the time of ... | [
"You can read about it [Right Here](_URL_0_) from a previous ELI5. Cheers."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Old books and documents that are still classified | [
"For students of the Cuban Missile Crisis, one of the documents most desired is SIOP-63, the Single Integrated Operations Plan for fiscal year 1963, describing how the United States would conduct a nuclear war. This plan was ordered by President Kennedy, who was disgusted when he came into office and found that Ame... | [
"It was considered an art, the monks would primarily write what you've seen, and that was their only job, they were well aware that they would become historic texts so wanted to Present their culture in a certain way, so they made their writing art"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Is the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest regarded as an important event? | [
"This sounds like a homework question. I'm skeptical that you could have heard of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest but *not* have also heard that it is widely regarded - almost to the point of being common knowledge - as one of the most significant and decisive battles in European history, right up there with Mar... | [
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If I were to go back in time to medieval Europe with a pound of salt, what could I exchange it for? | [
"Salt has been one of the most valued substances at various stages throughout history! [Salt: A History of the World by Mark Kurlansky](_URL_0_) has some really fascinating stuff about how salt and its use has really driven significant portions of our history. I was assigned the book, and couldn't put it down - my... | [
"These shells were collected in the Indian Ocean, and traded as far west as Ghana. The further you went from the coast, the more value they tended to have, as someone in the heart of the Congo can't exactly just walk to the beach off the Maldives to get them. You're just as free to find, smelt, and press your own m... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about food and cooking:",
"pos": "Represent the document about food and cooking:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How much did the average person really believe in the New England vampire scare? | [
"...Tell us more about the New England vampire scare. Where and when?"
] | [
"To be a little less specific, what did people think the future in general would be like before the Industrial Revolution?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Where's a good place to start leaning the history of Native Americans prior to European influence? | [
"A perfectly appropriate starting point would be with Charles Mann's *1491*. It is written for the informed lay person but it is about as good as it gets in that genera. See [here](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"Just asked this in the other sticky, but maybe this is the better place for it: Does anyone have any good book recommendations about the Nigerian Civil War or about Biafra as a country?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Literature:"
} |
Saturday Reading and Research | August 01, 2015 | [
"Venetian palazzi. Apparently their facades are mostly an addition of the Renaissance period. Some parts of the facades with windows and column capitals survive from the twelfth century, and were part of buildings that are more similar to Byzantine castles than Italian city palaces. I've been reading Jurgen Schulz'... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about News:",
"pos": "Represent the text about News:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How historically accurate is Extra History | [
"Hello! We've approved this submission, but you'll find it easier to attract an answer if there's a specific episode of Extra History that you're interested in."
] | [
"Chronological: - Ray Harris Jr.- The History of World War 2 - Mike Dunkan - The History of Rome - Robin Pierson - The History of Byzantium (follow up podcast) - Khodadad Rezakhani - Iranologie (History of Iran) - The British History Podcast Other: - The AskHistorians Podcast (Intervies with AskHistorians contribut... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Can you identify these (probably) medieval European doors for my grandfather? | [
"Well sorry to disapoint you but i doubt theses doors are medievals. The helmet depicted on the before to last picture is from 1650 at the very earliest. That's for what i can tell for sure. Now, for anecdotal evidence, the woodworks look like a lot what we got at my grandparent's house, built circa 1850. Photogra... | [
"What color is the skin of most of the people who make and utilize those drawings? Theres your answer"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
A lot of people know about characters such as Captain America, which were used to promote american values in WW2; was there a german equivalent? | [
"Jay Baird's book *To Die for Germany: Heroes in the Nazi Pantheon* covers a lot of the Nazi's death-cult figures (such as Schlageter and Horst Wessel). These mythologized, highly-propagandistic \"lives\" of Nazi \"martyrs\" served the function of providing idea Nazi role-models. Similarly, Nazi films such as Hitl... | [
"The U.S., though secular by construction, is still a very religious nation on the level of its people. There has always been a strong religious pushback against sexual activity and pornography, which remains in religious communities to this day. On the other hand, Americans tend to be pretty pro-military compared ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Saturday Reading and Research | November 22, 2014 | [
"I'm reading about labor organization in the past along with architectural energetics for a paper for class (that I've been putting off all semester, like you do). I'm just doing an overview of how different approaches in archaeology viewed labor organization in the past. Some think it was through coercion, others ... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about News:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about News:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How common was the reutilisation of Ennemies arms during WWII ? | [
"As I understand in the Battle of the Bulge the US Army captured a King Tiger tank and proceeded to paint US stars on it. Here is the photograph here. _URL_0_ According to the page it was 'From the 2.Kompanie/schwere Panzer Abteilung 506 captured by American troops. 15 December 1944.' The extent of its use in comba... | [
"Thanks! Where these armies where most of the Soviet casualties occurred?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Was the Reagan sweep expected? Or was the electoral map going into the election mostly split? | [
"In 1984, Reagan won everything but Minnesota, his opponent Mondale's home state. It was expected that he would win big. In the weeks before the election, Democratic party literature was urging voters to turn out because polls had been wrong before, citing the 1936 Reader's Digest poll. In 1936, Reader's Digest su... | [
"Because swing states have a comparable number of strong Democrats and strong Republicans (otherwise they wouldn't be swing states) you can assume that their results will closely mirror that of the nation as a whole. Not to mention that this election in particular is breaking all the rules. States that were once so... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Where can I find pictures of European GIs during world war II, with a basis on showing off their uniform? | [
"Osprey Publishing, which tends to be more 'accessible' and image-focused tends to have volumes upon volumes dedicated to Uniformology. They have multiple volumes for the various Armed Forces of World War II. A few of their titles that may interest you: \"The Romanian Army in World War II\" by Mark Axworthy \"The R... | [
"Not an answer, but a question to add onto this, did the Roman Legion have a series of camp followers? What was life like for these people?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Short Answers to Simple Questions | January 02, 2019 | [
"Reading old works, they speak of Jupiter and Ulysses. In school, we learned about Zeus and Odysseus. When did academia switch from Roman names to Greek ones? And any idea why? Thanks."
] | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How exactly did Hernan Cortés scuttle his ships? | [
"Cortes, or rather his men, apparently either scuttled them (that is, broke holes in their bottoms) and then ran them aground to be broken up by the sea, or possibly just ran them aground, it's not clear which. The idea that they were burned doesn't really appear in literature until the latter part of the 18th cent... | [
"Columbus didn't communicate with the Aztecs. He never met them. Hernan Cortes was the man responsible for destroying the Aztec empire. When Cortes first landed in the Yucatan he met Geronimo de Aguilar, a Spanish Franciscan priest who had survived a shipwreck followed by a period in captivity with the Maya. This... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
I know so little about history. Where do I start? | [
"Don't start with anything overly complex or specialised - essentially, find an up-to-date, readable book about a relatively broad period. My personal recommendation in my area, for example, would be the third edition of Jonathan Spence's *The Search for Modern China*, a well-written entry-level book going from the... | [
"Someone told them what the answer is supposed to be."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:"
} |
In Citizen Soldiers, Ambrose claims that the Soviets' T-34 were American Designed. Is there any truth to that? | [
"Calling u/TankArchives. That seems like a bit of a stretch, either by Ambrose himself ([be very cautious](_URL_5_)), or by his proofreaders and editors. The T-34 and its prototypes and the preceding BT series of tanks did basically use the Christie suspension, but that was the only obvious influence America had. W... | [
"I took a USSR class in college and have some books I can recommend you. * Magnetic Mountain * The Myth of the Eastern Front * Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More * A History of Modern Russia I would highly recommend \"The Myth of the Eastern Front\" if you want to learn about USSR and WW2. It is an amazi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Education:"
} |
Thursday Reading & Recommendations | April 25, 2019 | [
"Picked up a copy of Marc Reisner's _Cadillac Desert_ (1986) in the \"free book pile\" at work, and my god, I can't put it down. Just a masterfully written history of the American west and the role of water/irrigation/crimes in the making of it. Heavily recommended."
] | [
"1. The First Salute by Barbara Tuchman 2. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown 3. The Civil War by Shelby Foote 4. Reconstruction by Eric Foner 5. The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman 6. Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch 7. Brute Force: Allied Strategy and Tactics in the Second World War by John Ellis 8. The... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How did the Soviet Navy match up with the kriegsmarine? | [
"According to *Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946* the Soviet Navy had 3 aged battleships, 7 cruisers 59 destroyer-leaders and squadron-destroyers 218 submarines, 269 torpedo boats, 22 patrol vessels, 88 minesweepers, 77 submarine-hunters, And a few other miscellaneous boats. I'm not sure about the ... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What was the public reaction when Arthur Conan Doyle, tried to kill the Sherlock Holmes character in 1893 ? | [
"I'm by no means a historical expert but I am somewhat of a Holmes fan. Sherlock Holmes is considered to be the first modern work to have what we refer to these days as a 'fandom'; There was public demonstrations of mourning after he was killed off in 1893 (1891 in the context of the story). For eight years Doyle w... | [
"It doesn't work. Sherlock Holmes isn't real; he's just a character people like to write stories about. Nobody could do what he does."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
The British and Americans detested the P39 Airacobra while apparently the Soviets loved it. Why the discrepancy? | [
"I touch on this in [this](_URL_0_) thread a little as part of a larger post, so might be of interest. In short, it was terrible at high altitude, the preferred engagement level in the West, but much better going low and slow, which was more common in the east."
] | [
"Giving foreign equipment reporting names that are easier to remember and pronounce didn't start with the Soviets. E.g. the U.S. military had given every japanese warplane its own nickname in WW2. \"Zero\" for the Mitsubishi A6M fighter, \"Kate\" for a type of bomber etc. It also happened with german equipment. To ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How effective were missile units in ancient wars? | [
"Mounted archers from horse cultures were probably the most effective units in all of warfare till gunpowder. See the Battle of Carrhae for a very cool example. And the whole Mongols thing."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Was the New Deal really that successful? | [
"[Here](_URL_1_) is an excerpt of Madaras and SoRelle's book [Taking Sides: Clashing Views in United States History, Vol. 2: Reconstruction to the Present](_URL_0_). In this section (Issue 11: Did the New Deal Prolong the Great Depression?), Historian Jim Powell argues the Pro side, claiming that the New Deal prog... | [
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Moving West during the Civil War | [
"You might want to consider reading Mark Twain's Roughing It (1872). When Lincoln appointed his older brother, Orion Clemens, to become the secretary/treasurer of the new Nevada Territory in 1861, Samuel Clemens decided it was a great opportunity to leave Missouri and the Civil War. Finding little appetite for figh... | [
"Only if the federal government let it. See: American Civil War"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
(Historical) U.S. history textbooks available online? | [
"Well, I located a list of textbooks [here](_URL_1_), but I tried a few on google books and got totally shut down. Not surprisingly, the publishers must control the distribution of these books pretty tightly. Two thoughts about this: first, I think some of these books have websites associated with them, and if you... | [
"Textbooks seem to have been available for that purpose. _URL_1_ (blog post from independent scholar indicating three to six 1930's era--post Scopes--textbooks available that taught fundamental evolutionary concepts well, though may have used synonyms for most contentious terms). Google scholar is productive if you... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is it true that Mongol warriors wore a layer of silk clothing underneath their armour because arrows cannot easily cut through silk, and thus they can easily pull out any arrows just by pulling out the silk? | [
"Can anyone speak to the kinds of textiles that were around then/there, and what typical uses each would have? I'm mainly wondering whether Mongol warriors wearing silk garments is more a function of the availability / ubiquity of silk fabric, especially given their proximity to silk-producing regions and the preva... | [
"> In acnient times, how did swords get theough metal armor? In ancient times full metal armor was extremely rare and only worn by kings and extremely wealthy and important people. If you encountered someone wearing such armor you wouldn't try to cut through the solid plates but rather attack the joints which would... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Saturday Reading and Research | April 18, 2015 | [
"I bought a book at the SAAs on Baja California archaeology for the sole reason that I know nothing about the work from that area. It should be an interesting read. I also preordered an English translation of the Relación de Michoacán which should be fun. And I bought Rethinking Anthropological Perspectives on Migr... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Dear Historians of Reddit, who woke up the men who rang the alarms to wake up the other men? | [
"Probably whoever was on watch before that. 99% of forces through time have had watch standing all night. If there are 8 hours dedicated to sleep everyone might only actually get 6 and 1/4 of the force will be on watch at any time in 2 hour shifts."
] | [
"A related question were there public figures at the time who were apologists that tried to justify for the actions of the Japanese military at Pearl Harbor?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Were military exercises and war games a thing before 21st century? Were there other means for military leaders to educate themselves than reading books about previous battles? | [
"Yes, there were frequent exercises and war games throughout the 20th Century and before. For more information on some of the Royal Navy's wargames and exercises in the interwar period and during WWII, you can see my answers [here](_URL_1_) and [here](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"It's not war itself, but rather its far reaching consequences. Though wars are an exercise in futility, as losses on both sides do not justify the \"victory\", they have led to innovations in all areas, technology, medical, weaponry obviously and communication to name a few. Turing, for instance, made major breakt... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Did America have a fleet in the American Revolution? | [
"On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the creation of the Continental Navy. By April of the following year 8 or so commerce raiders had been outfitted. These ships ranged from the largest like the USS Alfred with a crew of 220, and armed with 20 9-pound guns and 10 6-pound guns, to the more com... | [
"They were hoping to cripple the US Navy and scare the US into not entering the war."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I've heard that Che Guevara took pleasure in personally executing prisoners with a pistol. Is this true? | [
"I'd be interested in seeing where you heard this. As far as I understand, Che had indeed executed a lot of people, but that he took pleasure from it is propaganda stemming from the very vocal Cuban ex-pat community in the US. This claim seems to go against his character as evidenced by his own writings and from th... | [
"Leon Trotsky was a Marxist revolutionary who was instrumental in transferring power to the Soviets and founded the Red Army. He was murdered with a cut down ice axe which was commonly misreported to be an \"ice pick\". Presumably the socialist subreddit doesn't enjoy jokes about the murder weapon of a prominent le... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How was the year "1" established? | [
"[Dionysius Exiguus](_URL_4_) is your man. He was a monk working in the 6th century (though no one knew it was the 6th century at the time) calculating Easter tables. In his notes he mentioned it was 525 years since Christ had been born, and hence the year he wrote that become 525AD, 525 Anno Domini. We don't know ... | [
"Yes, people knew what year they were in. They just called it something else. For example, the Hebrew calendar is currently on 5774."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Battle of Teutoberg Forest | [
"I realise you probably don't want to spend too much money, but Michael McNally's *Teutoburg Forest, AD 9: The destruction of Varus and his legions* is a damn good read. It's one of Osprey Publishing's books, so there's plenty of maps and very good context and narrative. Be warned though, my copy cost £15 (U.S. $21... | [
"The Art of War in the Western World - Archer Jones"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about Education:"
} |
When would someone in 1649 count a V on a coin as a U? | [
"Someone in 1649 would count a V on a coin as a U if it were used as a vowel in Latin writing. In ancient Roman times both Us and Vs were written as a \"V\", and this style continued in written Latin well through the Age of Rationalism. Unfortunately for you, this means that ALL the \"V\"s on the coin, in car... | [
"I would assume this is all talking about the 19th century; is this a typo?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What was the most important port in Medieval Spain? | [
"According to Olivia Remie Constable's *Trade and Traders in Muslim Spain: The Commercial Realignment of the Iberian Peninsula, 900-1500*, the VIP Iberian ports were Seville, Valencia, Almeria, and Cartagena. The key factor was control of Mallorca and the other Balearic islands, since basically all sea trade had to... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Has a less-advanced culture ever initiated its first contact with significantly more advanced one? | [
"It all depends on how you want to define 'advanced', or if you even want to frame it in those terms (personally I think it obscures more than it helps), but I would point to European contact with the Chinese empire as an example of the 'discoverers' feeling somewhat inferior."
] | [
"Attacked by an external force? We wouldn't be capable of anything. It'd probably be over before we even knew we were under attack. They'd have to be more advanced than us because they made it here. They would most likely be a lot more advanced than us. It'd be unlikely that another \"nearby\" civilisation was only... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about History:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument about History:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
What documentary/book could give me the best overall history of World War I? | [
"David Stevenson's book *1914-1918* is the best overall book I know of. As for documentaries, *The First World War* is available on youtube and is easily the best modern one. Start with episode one, To Arms!, and I'd also check out the BBC's 1964 series *The Great War*."
] | [
"Just asked this in the other sticky, but maybe this is the better place for it: Does anyone have any good book recommendations about the Nigerian Civil War or about Biafra as a country?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Literature:"
} |
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