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Are there any maps available of Britain's 'Informal Empire'?
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[
"You might need to define what you mean by \"informal empire\"."
] |
[
"Are there any books on Berlin during 1920s?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Literature:"
}
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Saturday Reading and Research | January 02, 2016
|
[
"Looking for any books covering the work of the CIA, MI6 and other foreign intelligence agencies in south america and the middle east. Specifically where the CIA started with these projects or how the US has had its hand in the drug trade. Doesn't need to be the most comprehensive book. 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 Massachusetts Press, 1988. > > Howe, Daniel Walker. “Church, State, and Education in the Young American Republic.” Journal of the Early Republic 22, no. 1 (April 1, 2002): 1–24. > > Kaestle, Carl. Pillars of the Republic: Common Schools and American Society, 1780-1860. 1st ed. Hill and Wang, 1983. > > Spring, Joel. The American School: From the Puritans to No Child Left Behind. 7th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. > > Katz, Michael B. “Horace Mann: What Went Wrong?” Reviews in American History 1, no. 2 (June 1, 1973): 218–223. > > Messerli, Jonathan. Horace Mann: A Biography. New York: Knopf, 1972."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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It seems that during the Cold War, America's attitude towards elections in foreign countries was that without US intervention, Communists would win. What do historians think?
|
[
"On second reading, your question actually asks for a counterfactual (what would have happened if the US had not intervened?), which is forbidden by our rules. You could try /r/historicalwhatif for such a question though."
] |
[
"Because it wasn't always 100% apparent that Communism would lose the Cold War. We live after 1990 when USSR fell apart and the USA pretty much won the Cold War. However before that time there was no clear victor. If you visited either country it was pretty obvious which nation had the better lifestyle. The reason everyone in America was fearful of Communism is because they were afraid that the poor within would overthrow the government and build a similar disaster here. When you are poor the idea of your rich counter parts taking care of you doesn't sound too bad. And if you get enough of them together you can overthrow the status quo. In order to avoid that Communism was attacked thoroughly by propaganda."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
}
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Medieval Manorialism: The Details Are Killing Me.
|
[
"For 1.) I can answer from *The Ties that Bound: Peasant Families in Medieval England* by Barbara A. Hanawalt. Some peasants held land in the open fields, and some did not. The former, at least in England, were divided into virgaters (holding at least a virgate, 30 acres) and half-virgaters. The later would be cottagers, renting a house and lot with little or no additional land, and would have had to support themselves with some manner of wage labor. Although peasants didn't \"own\" the land, there was a fairly active market in land, or at least the right to farm it. The map you link to shows demense lands scattered all about the open fields; I don't know if this was always the case."
] |
[
"Being Black Does Actually Have (Relatively Minor) Health Consequences, It's Just That They're Obviated By Modern Life. There's An Energy Cost To Have Extra Melanin, Even A Small One, So If You Don't Need It It Won't Be Selected For. Melanin Reduces Vitamin-D Uptake From The Sun If Sunlight Is Lower Than You're Adapted For. Vitamin-D Deficiency Was Very Common In Black Children In The Northern US And Europe Before Modern Technology Made Nutrients More Easily Accessible. Being Black Or Brown Outside Of The Tropics Would Have Been Maladaptive For Most Of Human History Because There Would Not Have Been Enough Sunlight For Proper Nutrient Uptake. Capital Letters."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
}
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Saturday Reading and Research | August 12, 2017
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[
"I finished reading \"The Teotihuacan Trinity: The Sociopolitical Structure of an Ancient Mesoamerican City\" (2007) by Annabeth Headrick. Headrick approaches topics of Teotihuacan, such as their political system, concept of the afterlife, and how they view their cosmology, by analyzing their artwork and making comparisons with other Mesoamerican cultures. Despite the lack of much writing at Teotihuacan and the few murals that have preserved through time, Headrick makes a convincing argument on the numerous topics she discusses for the ancient Mesoamerican city. While new research is always coming out concerning Teotihuacan and Mesoamerica as a whole, her book has still held up ten years later. I highly recommend reading this book."
] |
[
"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 question about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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I was once told that we have lost nearly all of our history of music. Is that true?
|
[
"Are you asking about the history of Chinese music perhaps? We have a lot of documentation for the history of Western music."
] |
[
"The people who made the laws had a different opinion on what was acceptable at the time than you do now."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
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When did we start using the BC/AD dating system?
|
[
"The answer is 525. From [1] _URL_0_ > The Anno Domini dating system was devised in 525 by Dionysius Exiguus to enumerate the years in his Easter table. His system was to replace the Diocletian era that had been used in an old Easter table because he did not wish to continue the memory of a tyrant who persecuted Christians.[9] The last year of the old table, Diocletian 247, was immediately followed by the first year of his table, AD 532. When he devised his table, Julian calendar years were identified by naming the consuls who held office that year—he himself stated that the \"present year\" was \"the consulship of Probus Junior\", which was 525 years \"since the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ\".[10] Thus Dionysius implied that Jesus' Incarnation occurred 525 years earlier, without stating the specific year during which his birth or conception occurred. The same wiki page points to the Anglo-Saxon history written by the Venerable Bede and the Carolingian Renaissance as key to popularizing the system."
] |
[
"Nowadays you often see “BCE” which stands for “Before the Common Era.” “BC/AC” was just a handy reference since many Western historians were/ are Christian."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
}
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What are the books you would recommend for an American looking to learn about US diplomacy history and the Dept. of State.
|
[
"The Department of State maintains a reading list for Foreign Service Applicants: _URL_0_ I'm sure he'd be delighted by anything from the list, but they're grouped thematically if you'd like to be more specific."
] |
[
"I'm looking for recommendations for books to read if I want an overview of the history of the LGBT+ movement in the United States but don't have any previous background knowledge in the subject."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Literature:"
}
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Saturday Reading and Research | February 11, 2017
|
[
"Currently reading *Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present* by Roselee Goldberg which follows the development of performance art through the different art movements of the 20th century. I've never really read much about the medium until recently and it's truly inspiring to read about the work people were doing in early on. I'd recommend the book if you're a fan of performance art to read about its development over the years or if you're into art history."
] |
[
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1988. > > Howe, Daniel Walker. “Church, State, and Education in the Young American Republic.” Journal of the Early Republic 22, no. 1 (April 1, 2002): 1–24. > > Kaestle, Carl. Pillars of the Republic: Common Schools and American Society, 1780-1860. 1st ed. Hill and Wang, 1983. > > Spring, Joel. The American School: From the Puritans to No Child Left Behind. 7th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. > > Katz, Michael B. “Horace Mann: What Went Wrong?” Reviews in American History 1, no. 2 (June 1, 1973): 218–223. > > Messerli, Jonathan. Horace Mann: A Biography. New York: Knopf, 1972."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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How viable is it to write an essay on using Ethnic Restaurants to track immigration?
|
[
"I wouldn't use ethnic restaurants as a mechanism to track immigration. In a multi-cultural society like the United States, ethnic food fads can \"trend\" without necessarily being indicative of the population. For example, a wild growth of fondue restaruants in the 70s did not indicate a massive swiss migration, nor did the proliferation of Sushi restaurants mean that Japanese were moving to towns all across the United States. Likewise, a sudden explosion of Pho restaraunts in a city does not mean that the Viet population doubled or tripled. It means that pho is more popular and the existing population can open more restraunts to meet the demand. I would rely on census information first and foremorest. You can use ethnic restaurants in conjunction with other cultural activities (film festivals, parades, newspapers, churches) to make a statement about the result of an ethnic migration, but I would not use it alone."
] |
[
"The French Revolution in regards to the mindset of modern culture. The Industrial Revolution when it comes to technological advancements."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Was the only reason that (North) Korea put up a fight during the Korean conflict because of Chinese backing?
|
[
"China didn't really back them till they were being pushed to the Yalu River, then the Chinese had multiple reasons to support NK, political, militarily, Communist, and the fact NK sent soldiers during the Chinese civil war. Also Soviets were unwilling to send any support besides Migs to their border. Since NK seems to have 80's tech or weaker, no, they would get crushed because they are on the down side of a 30 year tech gap. A tech gap that has laser guided precision, heavily armor tanks with anti explosive armor, and pretty much everything else that is important...like Carriers....or large bombers."
] |
[
"This is answered in this thread to some degree: _URL_0_ Basically it's one of the biggest reasons why the US didn't mount a full scale ground invasion of North Vietnam and settle the NVA's hash once and for all. We bombed the hell out of the country, but our military high command was worried that a ground invasion would illicit a massive Chinese intervention just like what had happened when we attempted to take North Korea after pushing them out of the South. We wanted a a situation in Vietnam like what occurred after the Korean War ended; the two sides divided and secured. That of course did not happen."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
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12 History Books to better understand US History
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[
"Well, if you want general history books about the US from the right and from the left, then read *A People's History of the United States* by Howard Zinn (left) And from the right, *A Patriot's History of the United States*."
] |
[
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
}
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I always here that Native Americans before and during colonization didn't have or understand ownership, particularly for land. Is there any truth to this?
|
[
"There's always room for discussion, but perhaps these previous topics which may answer your inquiry. * [How accurate is the popular US perception that Native Americans lost their land \"because they didn't understand the concept of ownership?\"](_URL_1_) * [Why do many Native-American cultures not have any concept of land ownership?](_URL_4_) * [How did Native Americans view land ownership?](_URL_3_) * [What legal ways (if any) were Europeans using to claim rights to new found lands? Did Native Americans or other groups have ideas about land ownership already?](_URL_2_) * [How did Native Americans (or other tribes for that matter) avoid 'Tragedy of the Commons' problems?](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"It didn't really, and I'm not sure who is arguing that, but if you clarify your question I would be happy to go into more detail. Property defined as the idea that an individual has an exclusive right to the use and enjoyment, up to and including the destruction of a given item, person or piece of land has been a commonplace legal term in broad use since at least the Roman times, and I could argue extremely persuasively and with broad-based academic support that as far back as under Jewish, Sumerian, Babylonian and Akkadian law, not to mention Egyptian law, private property existed in largely the same format it does today. Property is such a fundamental legal term, I'd be very interested in hearing exactly what revolutionary new thought was infused into it by 18th century Enlightenment revolutionaries."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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Why does US I-40 go around Fort Smith(Second largest city in AR), AR by a mere 5 miles, but goes through downtown Russelville, Conway, and Little Rock?
|
[
"The interstate highways were primarily designed for cross-country travel. I-40 doesn't go through downtown Russellville, Conway, or Little Rock either. To avoid taking expensive downtown property, the highway was routed at the edge of the developed areas in the early 1960s; highway businesses later drew the cities closer to I-40. In the case of Ft. Smith, a routing *through* the historic downtown would have required two expensive new bridges across the Arkansas River."
] |
[
"Belt and suspenders. If you got the zip code wrong, and had no other information, your package would never arrive. If city and state are also there, it can be rerouted to the correct post office. Also, town boundaries and zip code boundaries can change independently. You might live outside of city limits between Springfield and Shelbyville, and have the address 123 Oak Lane, Springfield 55512. Later, when Shelbyville expands and annexes you, your address would be 123 Oak Lane, Shelbyville, but you would sill be in the 55512 zip code."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
}
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Watching American black-and-white movies, there is a certain somewhat unexplainable "way" people talk and act, and people's personalities are different than today, but seem a little weird to be every day life. Did people really talk and act like that outside of movies?
|
[
"In regards specifically to the manner of speaking, this is known as [Mid-Atlantic (or Transatlantic) English](_URL_13_). For a clear example of this you can watch [newsreel footage](_URL_14_), paying attention to the narrator's enunciation, clarity, and diction. Another fantastic source to understand the mannerisms of the accent is the film [*His Girl Friday*](_URL_16_), which stars Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. They not only speak with Mid-Atlantic English, but famously do so extremely rapidly. The accent was popular during a period overlapping the years of the Hollywood studio system (which was roughly 1929-1959), so it's widely associated with \"classic\" or \"black-and-white\" movies. I don't have access to any sources available at the moment but I can look some up. [This thread](_URL_15_) has more analysis."
] |
[
"First, there are \"trends\" in acting, because successful acting is ultimately about an interaction with audience expectations. Back when the stage was still the centerpiece of acting, actors were trained to be far more theatrical and audiences expected that. More natural performances weren't always the standard everyone looked for. And, sometimes they still aren't---just look at a movie like, say, The Rundown. The acting there is great, but very few people in that film are going for emotional realism in all their scenes, if any. And, second, there is something of a recency bias because people change. What might seem like a reasonable emotional response to someone from 1940 might read false to us today, because they way we interact with others and express emotion has changed. And, all that said, Terminator is hardly known for its spectacular acting. There are plenty of films, much older than Terminator, where most people would argue the acting holds up pretty well."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
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}
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Why and when did it become "a thing" to blow the smoke from your gun barrel after shooting someone/something?
|
[
"The answer to your second question is that guns that emit enough smoke to pull off this cheeky maneuver aren’t prevalent. There were developments in firearm technology after that that eliminated that smoke and you don’t see that volume of smoke with the guns commonly used today."
] |
[
"Let me answer your question with another question: if you tape a grenade to the back of someone's head and pull the pin, what happens to the front of their head? Same thing, more or less."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
}
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Technocrats and ancient Greek philosophers both believed that only people like themselves should be allowed to run a nation. Are there other instances of this behavior?
|
[
"Greek philosophers didn't believe that at all. Plato wrote about the concept of the philosopher king in the *Republic*. Plato is hardly indicative of Greek philosophy as a whole--the Cynics would laugh at the idea of a philosopher ruling anything, for example"
] |
[
"At the very least 380 BC since that this is one of the major topics discussed in the first parts of Plato's Republic. It is hard think of a Western period where it was not accepted. What else would be the point of rulership? Even when people believed in divine rights, they believed God told kings to rule the people well..."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
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Why was Admiral Kimmel reviled and Gen. MacArthur celebrated?
|
[
"Not to mention the award of his Medal of Honor to MacArthur."
] |
[
"The two commanders at Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack, Lieutenant General Walter Short and Admiral Husband Kimmel, were both blamed (perhaps unfairly, but that's for another day) for the results of the bombing. Short was removed from command of the Hawaiian Department and ordered back to Washington. He was also reduced back to his permanent grade of Major General. He retired from the Army a few months later. Admiral Kimmel was found to be derelict in his duties, relieved of command 10 days after the attack and reduced to Rear Admiral. He, too, retired in early 1942."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
}
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Has a historical consensus been reached as to whether R. Budd Dwyer was innocent or guilty of the charges that led him to commit suicide on live TV?
|
[
"I know you said what happens, but I thought I’d mention this is an especially brain-searing NSFW visual. If you think you might not want to see this, do not look."
] |
[
"If they were proved, in a court of law, beyond a reasonable doubt, to have knowingly and falsely accused someone, they do get sent to prison."
] |
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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Sonderweg is a theory that states that germany followed a special path from aristocracy to democracy. this (from my understanding)is considered a controversial idea. what other controversial ideas/theories exist in other aspects of history?
|
[
"What about Bernard Porter's argument that the British hardly paid attention to the British Empire being built in \"The absent-minded imperialists\".... in other words, there was no real 'culture of imperialism' in Britain during the late ninteenth century. The title is, I believe, based on a John Robert Seeley quote: \"we seem, as it were, to have conquered half the world in a fit of absence of mind\". On that note, one could also point to Cain and Hopkins' alternate argument that the empire was built largely to suit a group of London financiers - the \"service sector\", as he called them. This is related to Lenin's argument that the new imperialism was basically states dividing up the world in the service of monopolistic corporations."
] |
[
"I would certainly not put communism on the same level of extremesim as naziism as many people do in this thread. Many people still dream of a communist utopia for rather understandable reasons (equality for everyone regardless of social position, no need to specialise yourself in one profession...) For more information, read Das Kapital. I find it to be a bit vague but i guess ot gives you a basic idea of that economic ideology. All the countries that have tried communism have, indeed, been stuck in a police state with a cult of personnality of the leader. Somebody more knowledgeable in that matter can give you the reasons behind that. On a side note, some european countries have adopted the \"third way\", aiming to gain the advantages of both economic systems, and they are arguably some of the best functionning countries on the planet"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
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Can anyone provide a comprehensive piece of writing on the extent to which support for IRA militancy existed in the United States?
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[
"Are you looking for editorials? Journalism? Academic essays? Published books? Dissertations? If you just need information then any comprehensive study of the IRA will provide you such details: *THE IRA: Tim Pat Coogan* and *The Green Flag: Robert Kee* are two books that most bookstores will carry and every academic library will have. For just articles/editorials you can find a large number through just a simple [google search](_URL_0_)."
] |
[
"Follow up question: Was this strike used as an example of communist influence in the US?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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How detailed was the Scandinavian/Germanic peoples understanding of the calender before christianization?
|
[
"I know a little about this topic but I don't feel confident enough to give you a sufficient answer, so I'm going to summon the almighty /u/EyeStache from the heavens who hopefully can give more insight than I."
] |
[
"The months are important if you're an agricultural society. You have to know when to plant and how to describe planting and harvesting in a chronological process. Romans. Days of the week only matter for religious purposes. So knowing which day of the week belongs to Wodan, Thor, Freya, Saturn, etc. matters when you want to properly propitiate the gods for favor in battle. Norse. Gaul, Germania and Britain are where Norse and Roman worlds collided, and mingled. The effects are shown in things like our calendar. (But not our clock - we got that from the ancient Mesopotamians and their fascination with base 12 systems)"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
}
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I have read Hornblower saga by C. S. Forester, and I have lots of questions.
|
[
"Edit: Reddit seems to be extremely aggressively renumbering lists... *FOUR*: Kind of. They became an admiral, but only those promoted to \"Rear Admiral of the Blue Squadron\" would have further employment. The others were essentially compulsorily retired. I think there is an allusion to this in one of the earlier books, with Captain Hornblower musing that if he reached flag rank the admiralty could yellow him if they wanted to, he would be satisfied with admiral's half-pay. *EIGHT*: He is made a Baron I think, Baron of Smallbridge, which would make him a peer and entitled to be addressed as Lord. I also second the recommendation above to try Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin series if you enjoyed C S Forrester."
] |
[
"I've just bought *The Command of the Ocean* and *The Safeguard of the Sea: A Naval History of Britain* by N.A.M Rodger on a recommendation from this sub. Not sure if they will contain exactly what you're looking for as they appear to be quite politics/land heavy but they may change as I get through them. It's been a while since I read it but Autobiography of a Seaman by Thomas Cochrane is written by a naval officer in the time you're interested in. As a fictional aside have you read the Aubrey Maturin series by Patrick O'Brien? I've always believed that they were accurate to an extent (especially for an author who didn't like the sea and got seasick)."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Before the modern era, were there any forms of contraception, protection, or birth control? What were they and how commonly used?
|
[
"[You might be interested in this section of our popular questions page](_URL_0_)."
] |
[
"I'd like to hijack this and ask a follow up question: What sort of laws did the Romans have regarding treatment of slaves as opposed to the USA?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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What was birth control/contraception like in Ancient Rome?
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[
"The Romans had a few different contraceptions. Soranus believed that \"to smear the entrance to the uterus with olive oil or honey or sap from a cedar or balsam tree, alone or mixed with white lead\" would work. Pliny the Elder in his Natural History states, \"There is a third type of spider, called a hairy spider, which has a very large head.If this is cut open, one finds inside, it is said, two small worms. If these are tied on to women with a strip of Deerhide, they will no conceive. Source: Jo-Ann Shelton, As the Romans Did: A Sourcebook in Roman Social History. New York, Oxford university Press, 1998. I am specifically reference the primary sources in chapter 2, which are Pliny the Elder's Natural History and Gynecology by Soranus. Hope this helps!"
] |
[
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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Mathematical Analysis of history?
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[
"You should probably just delete this and repost it when you are ready to take time to explain what you are doing. Sounds interesting though I look forward to hearing more."
] |
[
"The Art of War in the Western World - Archer Jones"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Education:"
}
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There is an IAmA going on right now with an author and historian seemingly claiming that Jefferson Davis was connected to John Wilkes Booth's assassination of Lincoln. Is there any real evidence this might be true?
|
[
"It's impossible to prove a negative. For example, Aaron Burr had dinner with Jefferson shortly before he launched his filibustering expedition. Does that mean Jefferson engineered the whole Burr treason plot? Probably not, but no one can ever prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt."
] |
[
"The main reason was so that there wasn't a place where his followers could congregate or attack or do anything else. The lack of a known last resting place limits those kind of opportunities. As far as your followup question, well, if someone *wants* to believe that something else went down, then that's enough of a reason for most conspiracy theorists. But really, there's little reason to believe that it didn't go down that way."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question about History:",
"pos": "Represent the document about History:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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How were Scottish treated in the British Empire?
|
[
"Yes very different. Scotland was an independent monarchy until James VI of Scotland became James 1 of England as well in 1603, after Elizabeth 1 died with no children. So you could say Scotland took over England. Scotland already had its own economy and laws, and was respected. The people living there had the same rights as the English. They were also a Protestant country, so the religious views were aligned with England. Great Britain includes Scotland, so the Scots were equals and rulers of the Empire as much as the English were. Ireland was more of a colony in terms of its treatment. The people didn't have many rights and were exploited terribly by both the English and Scots. They were predominantly Catholic too, which made them seen as lower ranking people. They weren't classed as part of the UK until 1801, but by then, the English and Scottish held most of the land and the Irish were stuck being tenant farmers or labourers."
] |
[
"They were made in chronological order from when the state became part of the US."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
}
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Could you lovely historians please recommend me a book about the history or the English monarchy?
|
[
"Haha, this is a fun and difficult question. There are thousands to choose from. Let me ask a few follow up questions: What time period (medieval, modern, etc.)? What type of history? Do you simply want a political history that discusses how the structure of the kingdom changed form monarch to monarch, or do you want something about how the monarchy was perceived by the people, etc.? Do you want one that's fun to read, provides exacting citations and research, or both? Do you want one with comprised of primary source material or an academic monograph? Do you want a recently published book or does the publication date not matter?"
] |
[
"This as incredibly helpful. I'm doing my master's thesis on the historical memory of free black societies in the north. Could you suggest anything worth reading on that subject?"
] |
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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Why does Norway have such a narrow land strip?
|
[
"Minor correction there, Finland has not fought any wars with either Norway or Sweden. There have been some raids back and forth during Viking era, but not actual wars."
] |
[
"Because Canada does not benefit from that. Why do you think Canada *should* have the same size military as the US?"
] |
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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Shakespeare's father had to petition to be granted a coat of arms. When people did this in the Elizabethan era, what sort of arguments did they make to "win" their case? Once won, how did people decide what to put on their coat of arms? Were their rules they had to follow?
|
[
"Followup question(s): How often did this happen/how often did it succeed? Was it a common occurrence, or quite rare? How much support was one expected to have when they presented their petition (e.g. Did they have to have support from a number of noble families? A certain amount of wealth/reputation?) My apologies if that second question is too similar to OP's last one. If so, please disregard it."
] |
[
"Could you post the original image of the coat of arms, please (not your recreated photoshop rendering)? I'm not sure what kind of bird that is or what the charge in the middle is. In general, there are no set meanings in heraldry. Some have tried and made lists of charges and tinctures with accompanying symbolism throughout the past. They're not the same when compared and definitely not universal. So, each armiger (owner of their respective coat of arms) applies their own symbolism/meaning to the charges and tinctures. It's hard to say, unless the original owner wrote that down. All this being said, do you have any documents (e.g. grant of arms) or did you find this coat of arms on an online service? May I also ask you where you're from?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Is it true that Portugal regained its independence in 1640 thanks to revolting at the same time as Catalonia, and forcing Spain to choose which one to deal with and which one to let go?
|
[
"While we wait for other answers, I highly recommend reading an older similar question [Why did the Catalan Revolt during the 1640s and 1650s fail, but the simultaneously occurring Portuguese revolt succeed in reestablishing an independent state?](_URL_0_) answered by /u/kieslowskifan"
] |
[
"Catalonia was a country with it's own language and culture, next door to Spain. In the 1790s it was conquered during the Napoleonic Wars. It was later incorporated into Spain. The Catalons are not cool with that. Like the Scots, they are trying to get a vote to leave Spain. However, Catalonia is much richer than the average Spanish province. They are unhappy to see their taxes spent in other parts of Spain, but Spain would be in deep trouble without those taxes. As to why you've never heard of it, perhaps you've not taken world history yet?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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During the Battle of Britian, did the British attempt to recycle strategic metals from shotdown Luftwaffe aircraft?
|
[
"In my hometown, Sheffield, there was a shot -down Messerschmidt parked in the town centre as a propaganda tool and fund raising initiative. People paid a few pence to sit in it and buy a stamp that was stuck to the fuselage, the money collected going to a fund called 'Wings For Victory ', which raised cash for the war e effort. My Great -Uncle told me the stamps often had personal messages to Hitler written on them by the purchasers! EDIT: More info [here](_URL_0_)."
] |
[
"In the days before weapons contractor conglomerates, if your country was involved in a war, certain companies would change what they manufacturers in order to help the war effort. In the U.S. during WWII ford made tanks, DuPont made parachutes and other fabric related military items. In Nazi Germany BMW made airplane engines. Volkswagen and Mercedes made military vehicles."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
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How did people folding their hands together when praying originate?
|
[
"According to \"The Knight, The Lady And The Priest\" by Georges Duby folding hands together when praying has its origins in the warrior culture of the early middle ages. Lesser nobles used the gesture to signify subordination when they took oaths of fealty to lords of higher rank. They, or rather their siblings who entered the church, then transposed the gesture to the act of prayer, which was, according to their world view anyway, an expression of subordination to the highest lord of all, namely God."
] |
[
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Why wasn't communist countries like USSR and China LGBT friendly ?
|
[
"There's always more to write, but in the meantime this answer by u/goyims might be of interest: _URL_0_"
] |
[
"No, that's not a \"No true Scotsman\", because USSR and PRC weren't in fact, communism. Also, more importantly the parts of the USSR and PRC that were \"Evil\" aren't part of the communistic ideal"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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What did a typical Bronze Age economy look like?
|
[
"Bronze age economy consists mainly of trade with goods and ressources societies depended upon. One of the most important reasources were copper and tin for making bronze, so most of the trade occured between the regions where those minerals were mined. Copper and tin are not evenly distributed so for example one society which gathered bronze definetly needed tin from somewhere else. Therefore trade was a very lively business which spanned from Great Britain through all of Europe to Anatolia and beyond. For other ressources like organic stuff it's not easy to really grasp that though at the moment everything indicates that when it comes to stuff like food most of the villages and cities were autonomous."
] |
[
"What does the Pope handle on a day to day basis?"
] |
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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Was Quetzalcoatl a real person, a deity, or a conflation of the two?
|
[
"There's always room for discussion, but perhaps these previous topics found through the search function will answer your inquiry * [Quetzalcoatl](_URL_1_) * [How accurate is this top comment from r/pics about Quetzalcoatl?](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"Mythology is part of religion. Zeus himself is not considered a myth, but a God. He still referred as a Greek God. However, the rituals (like animal sacrifice and festivals) are not considered part of the mythology, but part of the ancient Greek religion. Mythology is pretty much just the story parts. For example: Christianity is a religion, but the story of Mary giving birth to him and putting him in a manger is mythology, but this is considered sacrilegious to say by a majority of where I live."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
}
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What were the Soviet "Shock Armies" and how were they used?
|
[
"Thanks! Where these armies where most of the Soviet casualties occurred?"
] |
[
"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 amazingly interesting book about the topic and it shows how USSR was seen during and after the war in America."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about Education:"
}
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African history student here...looking for some help with a topic for a research paper
|
[
"Given that it's the history of a distant place, your biggest issue here will probably be sources. Sometimes you can start a research project with a historical question, and then pursue it wherever it takes you; in this case, you might be forced to consider the opposite direction, where you look for a source base and then try to build a project around it. So, with that in mind, what kinds of research materials are at your disposal? Are you in Ottawa with the Canadian national archives at your disposal? What kinds of special collections does your university's library hold?"
] |
[
"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."
] |
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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Where did the practice of referring to nations by their capitals begin? Why did this practice start?
|
[
"That's not a thing. You're thinking of metonymy which is when *governments* are referred to by their capitals, but nations aren't ever referred like that. Whenever you hear people talking about Moscow in that way they mean the Russian government, not Russia. Also, Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia, not Dubai. You're probably thinking of Abu Dhabi, which is the capital of the UAE."
] |
[
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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Why did the Wilhelm Scream, the definitive (and hilarious) scream of a guy falling to his death, become so popular? I know it's an in-joke, but what's the story of how it got that way?
|
[
"[Sheb Woley](_URL_3_) is the actor credited with the origin of the \"Wilhelm Scream\". It was either part of the 1951 movie [Distant Drums](_URL_6_) or the 1953 movie [The Charge at Feather River](_URL_5_) (the origin movie is still being debated, but the voice is generally agreed upon). It became part of a Warner Bros collection of stock sound effects and then forgotten about. It was then later discovered by [Ben Burrt](_URL_2_) (Sound Designer) on studio reel labelled \"Man being eaten by alligator\". Ben went on and included it in 1977 movie [Star Wars](_URL_1_), and the 1981 movie [Raiders of the Lost Ark](_URL_7_), at which point it became a bit of a sound designer \"in joke\" and started showing up in many many movies. [IMDB tracks the list of movies the Wilhelm Scream shows up in](_URL_4_) (currently at 361) There's also [another youtube video with the History of the Wilhelm Scream](_URL_0_) from Hollywood Lost and Found."
] |
[
"Probably not in the context you intended, but as of recently, because a variant of it was made kind of famous by a video game: *Far Cry 3.* The quote in full: *Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity is? Insanity is doing the exact… same fucking thing… over and over again, expecting… shit to change.* I know Einstein is apparently credited (emphasis on apparently) with saying this but if you've been seeing this phrase used more recently I'd wager a few sandwiches it's because it's one of the most memorable moments of Far Cry 3 and even enjoyed some time as a widely spread meme."
] |
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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Why did the US evolve into a country with huge corporate subsidies and little individual welfare, compared to Europe, where it's arguably the other way around?
|
[
"This isn't a place for soapboxing, and ~~your 'question' has a very polarized and concluded view of current trends - - are you really looking for history of policy?~~ disregard that last, I'm defensive."
] |
[
"Its a bigger catastrophe in Europe. Greece and Spain, in particular, are suffering severe social crisis because it it. European countries, however, have stronger social safety net programs than the US does. This means being unemployed in Europe isn't as financially devastating to the unemployed person as in the US."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
}
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What do we know about pubs / drinking establishments in the Roman Empire?
|
[
"Generally, wealthier Romans drank their wine at banquets, called conviviums. At these banquets, each drinker would get their own wines, depending on their social class. These were largely social occasions, where politics would be hashed out. Unfortunately, I can't find any more information, and I'm not sure if there were bars for peasants. Source: A history of the world in six glasses by Tom Standage"
] |
[
"Follow up question (please don't delete) how influential were nobility titles on economic upward mobility in the Europe of that same time?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
}
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What would happen to slaves if their owners didn't have a will?
|
[
"When Frederick Douglass' master died he was auctioned off."
] |
[
"The people who made the laws had a different opinion on what was acceptable at the time than you do now."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
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Could a child king have been grounded? In general, how would a child who is a king have been disciplined as part of their education?
|
[
"Side question, but definitely related: Were whipping boys used outside of the English court? Also, when did the idea of using a whipping boy fall out of favor?"
] |
[
"Either an uncle or a cousin would take the throne, or a family member would act as the sitting king's regent, or acting king. Generally, in the age of monarchies people with profound disabilities did not live long, so either the regent would claim the throne or the next in line of succession would do so, usually a cousin or uncle."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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In Snorri Sturalson's book "Heimskringla", our best records of the viking era in Norway, what was his sources? Did he have any? Given that he wrote it 2-300 years after the events written of in the book.
|
[
"He worked partly from oral tradition, but he also himself names \"Morkinskinna\" and \"Fagrskinna\" (earlier works) as sources, and the lost \"Hryggjarstykki\"."
] |
[
"Are you talking about the Vinland sagas? These are stories about a guy \"Erik the Red\" who was thrown out of Norway for being a murderer. He settled in Iceland for a while and got into more trouble, which encourages him to seek new land to settle. The two books you want are: \"Saga of the Greenlanders\" and \"saga of Erik the Red\" There has been research into the contents of these stories, and there is archeological evidence of a Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland which is dated to the correct time period. But I think it would be incorrect that it was \"greenlanders\" who did the exploration..."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about history:"
}
|
What was life like if you were a medieval soldier and besieging an enemy's city
|
[
"Beseiging? That would've meant you were most likely working the saps. That mean digging holes, trenches and tunnels to undermine the walls. Sometimes the enemy would break through your mine and pump it full of sulphur. It smelled bad and it ruined your lungs. Sometimes you'll hit a pocket of dead air and you'll just die. Also, you would most likely have suffered from gastro and dysentery as well as appalling living conditions. On the other hand, if you were being besieged you would have had a roof over your head for the most part and food lasted until it didn't. Thieves would break in and steal, curfew and rationing was hard. If rationing goes on for too long, people get sick and die. If the soldier come over the top or break down the gates, you had better hope you either die first or don't get caught ever. Seeing your town sacked wouldn't be fun."
] |
[
"It's purely ceremonial. You have to realize that this wasn't always the case. About a thousand years ago, most cities were protected by walls. There was usually only one or two ways of gaining entrance to any city. This was either a locked door or gate. This is because back then anyone arriving could have been a barbarian coming to ransack your town and cut off everyone's head- highlander style. But if you held a key to the city, you were trusted by that city. You could come and go without all the rigmarole of, \"What do you want? Are you going to come in to our peaceful town and go berserk on our innocent women and children?\" So it's a modern way a community honors someone trusted or respected."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
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What happened to private health insurance companies in countries that adopted single payer healthcare systems?
|
[
"This depends on the country obviously, but in the case of Canada the companies simply changed coverage. Companies such as Alberta Blue Cross or Pacific Blue Cross provide supplemental insurance to cover things not covered by public care. This includes coverage such as dental and optometrical care as well as things like private hospital rooms. _URL_0_"
] |
[
"It's really really different. Obamacare is really a term to refer to the law which increases government involvement in healthcare and adds additional regulations on health insurance companies. If we were to implement a healthcare system like in Canada or the UK we'd have started providing healthcare directly through taxpayers (in effect the government would be the \"single payer\") and the government would run the healthcare system as a whole. As it stands The changes in obamacare are far closer to what we had before it, then to systems like in Canada and the UK."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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Relaying Emergency Signals in 1896 New York
|
[
"\"Prior to the ability of NYC foot patrolmen to receive information from either headquarters or their precinct, a citizen requiring immediate help needed to find the beat officer, or appear in person at a local precinct to report a crime or call for assistance. Likewise, officers on a beat relied on the rapping of their hardwood nightsticks against a curb, or blowing their cylindrical-style police whistles to summon aid from officers on adjoining posts. Police commanders needed to have their messages and orders communicated by hand delivery to all local precincts. The delays in communication resulted in loss of life and property, decreased efficiency in administration and inability to contact patrolmen. The benefits derived by the fire services use of the telegraph served as one of the justifications for the PD to adopt the system.\" Source: _URL_0_"
] |
[
"1. The First Salute by Barbara Tuchman 2. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown 3. The Civil War by Shelby Foote 4. Reconstruction by Eric Foner 5. The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman 6. Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch 7. Brute Force: Allied Strategy and Tactics in the Second World War by John Ellis 8. The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A Caro 9. A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan 10. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn 11. 1491/1493 Charles C Mann Sorry, couldn't keep it to 6."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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How many witches were convicted by the duck test?
|
[
"I'm surprised that you, even as a flaired user, would make such a prejudiced inquiry. You imply that witches *deserve* to be or *should* be convicted by the duck test. As I have outlined [here](_URL_0_), what we call \"witches\" can be either Wicked or **Good**. There is hardly any need to convict a Good witch. And of course, the test itself is scientifically flawed. We all know that when witches make contact with water, they instantly begin to dissolve. Thus any test about whether witches can float must be done in oil or pure ethanol, which are heavier and lighter than water respectively. A witch that floats in such a substance will not weigh as a much as a duck which floats in water."
] |
[
"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
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
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Looking for a good atlas for ancient Greece and Rome
|
[
"The Barrington Atlas is in fact wonderful. Not for everyone to drop $400 on it though. In fact I've only seen one copy in my life. Look at the [Ancient World Mapping Center](_URL_0_). It's a little tricky; it's online instead of in book form, and I think the UI is still being developed. There are some useful links on the righthand side too."
] |
[
"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 post about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
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If European's back in the 1600s and 1700s were immune to small pox and their genetic "sisters" why are non of us immune to them? And when did they stop becoming immune?
|
[
"I don't really understand this question. Europeans were immune to smallpox because it was endemic -- they were largely infected as children, and then either died (which tons of them did), or developed lifelong immunity. There are case reports of \"virgin soil\" epidemics in remote villages with mortality that was similar to when it was introduced in the New World. I should mention that this principle was behind variolation, the first effective prevention of smallpox (purposefully infecting children via prick in the skin to cause a local smallpox reaction that was far less deadly). Europeans today are not immune -- as no one is -- because smallpox was eliminated in the 1970s. Well, perhaps there are still a few older adults in Bangladesh and Southern Africa who have antibodies, but their number would dwindle by the day."
] |
[
"They actually did! Kind of haha... In North America the disease that devastated the natives was small pox. The Europeans had developed a certain level of immunity to it of thousands of years.. But! This is where we see the reverse, when the British were colonizing the south of Africa they were happy because South Africa is about as far below the equator as Europe is above it. But as they moved north they began to get into the tropics. When the Europeans moved into this area they ran into a very big problem.. Malaria .. The local tribes knew how to avoid malaria as well as having a low level immunity to the disease! Hope this answers the question Tl;Dr Europeans had immunity to small pox. When colonizing Africa they found no such luck with malaria"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about History:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about History:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about History:"
}
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In Crusader Kings 2, India operates under the "governmental" system of "Feudalism", like Europe, was this actually the case?
|
[
"To clarify, Crusader Kings 2 spans ~800AD to ~1400"
] |
[
"It was only a vassal state in certain dynasties such as the Chosun dynasty. However kingdoms like the Goguryeo were actually powerful enough to match some Kingdoms in China (key word being some)."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
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In world war 2 Japan what (if anything?) would happen to a normal person if they tried to publicly speak out agienst the government's foreign policy, in someway?
|
[
"The same thing that would happen to you in Nazi Germany, essentially. You would be arrested, possibly tortured/sent to a camp, and, if serious enough of an offense, executed. The Japanese military (which was the controlling force in Japan at the time when you exclude the emperor) had a special unit set up called the Kempeitai to deal with and quash internal rebellion, for lack of a better term. Their German equivalent was the notorious Gestapo."
] |
[
"If I remember right, Mussolinis government was overthrown by the dissent, who then formed their government and gained support of the military, killing their fascist leaders. I cant think of a time an independent nation switched sides in the middle of a war and didnt also change the group of people in charge"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
}
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Being a redditor for 11 months I would like to say this is the best,informative,civil,and best subreddit i have seen . Are we living in a time with the longest life expectancy in human history ? Is cancer something that came from from the industrial revolution or always been with us ?
|
[
"I love reddit history porn and notice no obese people from older pics . Seems like for a certain percentage of the population that could benefit from old world living . What gets me is the electronic age and myself included are content sitting in front of a computer and eating pizza and cold suds . Was not that long ago in human history that i would have to be out in the field killing dinner or growing it . So i guess the processed meats and cheese etc is a trade off . I heard that when Columbus landed in the New World that a squirrel could have went from the east coast to the west without ever touching the ground . Would it not be cool to see old forest like that ?"
] |
[
"A: You didn't do it. B: You hold no responsibility for what someone else did who was in the grave before your parents were even born. C: In broad strokes things *are* getting better. Numerous massively destructive diseases effectively don't exist except for self absorbed anti-vaxers who think small pox is better than a perceived risk of autism citing a causal link that doesn't actually exist. War's have been reasonably small for the better part of a century at this point. It's broadly accepted that humans hold equal rights and no major country considers the concept of slavery."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Education:"
}
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Why did Caesar not fear the pirates when captured?
|
[
"Well he was a member of an old and noble (if a little out of the limelight) family with enough clients and enough of a network that he was worth something. The pirates knew he was worthwhile ransoming, and Caesar knew they knew that, so neither the pirates nor Caesar had any reason to contemplate the young man's death. In the end he was ransomed for a large amount so the pirates were right. The fact that Caesar went back and killed them later doesn't change the reality of the hostage situation at the time."
] |
[
"According to Suetonius they crossed a small bridge over the Rubicon. Specifically, he claims Caesar said \"Once across that little bridge, we shall have to fight it out.\" However, it should be kept in mind that Suetonius was writing in around 121 CE. This was a long time after the events had transpired and his description of the crossing also includes a divine apparition that urges the hesitant Caesar to cross. In any case, from what I have read the Rubicon was small even in the days of Caesar. So it is entirely plausible that he may have been able to wade his legion through it. Source: Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
}
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How reliable is Hannah Arendt's view of history? Does she get anything really wrong?
|
[
"There are two responses by /u/commiespaceinvader I really like on this subject - though I'm not sure exactly how much they overlap with your question you'll probably find them interesting regardless: [On Origins of Totalitarianism](_URL_1_) [On Banality of Evil](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"How influential is Clauswitz on our understanding of the philosophy of history? Everyone studies him and quotes him, but has he fundamentally changed the way we view the history of conflict?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
}
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Who made the bombs for the IRA?
|
[
"Early on the bombs were mostly homemade using Ammonium Nitrate fertiliser. While the process is simple it does take skill to get it right and there were several people who specialised in it. The explosives were often made in ordinary houses or sheds. The provision of Semtex from Libya in the 1980s gave the IRA a lot of flexibility as it is more powerful and useful. Richard English, *Armed Struggle* is probably the best history of the IRA. You could also look at James Bowyer Bell or Tim Pat Coogan. Coogan is a journalist with good sources but his historical analysis is very poor so be warned."
] |
[
"Are you sure they were defeated at all?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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During the Industrial Revolution, were people afraid of losing jobs to automation add they are today?
|
[
"Not my field, but absolutely yes. This was what the Luddite movement was all about. Luddites were workers who went around smashing industrial equipment as, with each new refinement of engineering, fewer people were required to operate it, and the same output accounted for less employment. [A previous thread](_URL_0_) with an answer by u/zagreus9 that should start you off."
] |
[
"Because it increases their profits, and it's expected that people will eventually get training and find other jobs. Perhaps not immediately, but over the next years and decades. And the economy will be entirely different in another few generations. This is like asking \"Why are corporations willingly hurting the economy by replacing a fleet of stagecoaches with a single train?\" Progress."
] |
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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The social mobility of the Chinese
|
[
"> ancient China Define ancient China. What specific periods of Chinese history are you looking at? Social mobility in China varied greatly depending on the time period, with greater social mobility during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States era."
] |
[
"Additionally, do we have documents on the public perception of electricity?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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}
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How best to research old newspaper articles that are not digitized? (And not local?)
|
[
"Do you have a date range for when he worked there? [There's actually quite a bit of that paper online.](_URL_0_) I'm just getting too many hits."
] |
[
"Way too quiet in here! Everyone seems to be watching the World Cup... A technical question: How does everyone search for book reviews? Is jstor's search usually comprehensive enough when it comes to history/humanities journals?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
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Have there been any examples in history of a culture that didn't value family/family structure?
|
[
"Could you please clarify what you mean by family? Does it mean family in the modern sense of the term (father, mother and kids) or does matriarchal families (mother, kids, mothers brothers, and unmarried sisters) count? (i.e are you looking for cultures where kids were looked after by non-blood relatives?) In [Sparta](_URL_1_) for example, boys lived in in communal homes from age 7 onwards. Another example is that of [Nairs](_URL_0_) which had matriarchal families with the structure I mentioned earlier."
] |
[
"I'll argue neither. Ethics are taught to us and imprinted on us through our culture and environment. The largest demonstrable evidence of this is different ethical values of different cultures. The fact that most cultures today appreciate life and well-being only means that the ones that taught otherwise didn't survive as long."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
}
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Why is the Second Amendment the only one in the Bill of Rights to include a justification?
|
[
"[This question](_URL_2_) has been asked before if you're unaware and its has some interesting responses."
] |
[
"There is an argument that the comma between \"...security of a free State\" and \"the right of the people\" shows that there is, in fact, no connection between a well regulated militia and the right to bear arms. It essentially breaks up the sentence into two thoughts. In order to have security in this country, we need two things 1) A well regulated militia, and 2) The right to bear arms Looking at it this way, we have two constitutional rights in the security realm. We have the right to organize militias, and the right to have guns. I don't need to be in a militia to have a gun."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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How was Isreal able to be so powerful in the Middle East in such a short span after WW2 ??
|
[
"These threads have very in depth top answers. [How did Israel develop such an effective military so quickly after its independence?](_URL_1_) [When did the Israeli army develop its reputation for professionalism, and what was that process like?](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"It's not that Middle East has such a history of violence. Rather industrialized countries have a remarkable period of peace. Historically Europe for example has been wars, wars and wars. Some have said that the last time Europe had relative peace like EU has was under the Roman Empire almost 2000 years ago. After that there was a lot of violence in Europe, culminating in world wars. EDIT: I'd also add that Iran isn't really at war with anyone, neither is Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and such. So only some countries of the Middle East are experiencing war and high civil unrest."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
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}
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How many acres of land could a family work per day? And how many acres are required to feed one person?
|
[
"Hi OP, please specify a geographic location and time period. Farm yields differ greatly by climate, altitude, soil type, and so on, so this info will greatly help anyone considering answering here. Thanks"
] |
[
"Because the total number of farmers has shrunk drastically. Current technology allows a single farmer to do what 100 farmers did a century ago."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
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Anyone have good sources on Danish, Swedish, and Dutch involvement in the slave trade or what slavery was like in their colonies?
|
[
"Coast of Slaves, Ships of Slaves and Islands of Slaves by Thorkild Hansen are a celebrated Danish trilogy concerning Danish-Norwegian slave trade. The books are from the late 60's to early 70's, but the English translations are from the 2000's. I've only read the original (almost certainly significantly dated) Danish versions, but the translator claims: \"This English translation is edited to provide explantions about inaccessible references as well as established factual misrepresentations.\""
] |
[
"Can you give a more specific time and place? Colonization of the Americas in the 17th century was very different from, say, colonization of Asia in the 19th century. For example, France's colonization of Canada is generally seen as very light-handed compared to the Spanish in Mexico and they had a good relationship with the Native Americans. On the other hand, the French colonization of Indo-China was very brutal and resulted in decades of civil war."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Historians of China: Could you respond to the Washington Post article that suggests the Great Flood was "real"?
|
[
"I'm a little confused by some of these answers: how is this article anything to do with the Genesis Flood story whatsoever? Is anyone claiming it is? All I see is stuff about the Chinese myth of the Great Flood and the Xia dynasty. Am I missing something that some of the writers said somewhere else? I'm not really seeing why these answers are about Biblical myths rather than just Chinese ones."
] |
[
"*Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom* by Stephen R. Platt and *What Remains* by Tobie Meyer-Fong are two of the more prominent current works; the latter contains lots of quotes from primary sources. Also check out the primary sources in *Sources of the Chinese Tradition*, and though it's a little bit older than the first two, *God's Chinese Son* is handy for the early period of the rebellion."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about history:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about history:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
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[META] The 20 year rule on post comments should be atleast partially waived if the main question is answered.
|
[
"Thanks for creating this META thread, it avoids off-topic discussion in a non-meta thread. Here are some details which may help an informed discussion of your proposal. You state you want to open the floor to more questions, so I went through the thread which inspired you to create this thread. Of the (at this time) 117 removed comments only 3 asked a question: * one asked for a definition in comment chain which was removed in its entirety; * one was a rhetorical question in response to an anecdote (downvoted); * one was a question in response to an anecdote."
] |
[
"I'm marking this post as official , It's one of few recent posts about this topic that isn't loaded and it clearly asks about the recent events. As an official thread we'll be pointing all new questions about this specific topic here, and it'll show up on the top of the subreddit. Mods will be heavily moderating this thread, so please everyone **read the side bar**. Feel free to use this thread to answer the OP or ask any follow up questions about the topic."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
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How did cars come to be called "cars"?
|
[
"The word car was already common long prior to the invention of the automobile. It originally was another word for carriage or cart, from the french carr. It seems that it was a sort of generic word for the part of a horse-drawn conveyance that one rode in, as in \"I'll hire a horse and car.\" In the 19th century, the definition of the word car expanded to encompass the parts of other kinds of conveyances that people rode in, such as the basket of a balloon or airship or the passenger compartment of an elevator. It also became a common descriptor of railroad cars, including streetcars. Finally, to the street car and railroad car were joined the motor car, which was shortened to car and became the car we all know. (Main source: Oxford English Dictionary)"
] |
[
"The same reason that they still wear hair styles from 30-40- years ago. Same reason some kid will want to know why you still drive a Toyota 40 years from now."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
}
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How long did early humans mate for?
|
[
"You'll probably get a better answer in r/anthropology."
] |
[
"Why do people in Western countries use forks?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
[Meta] Let's discuss some policy changes.
|
[
"I agree with agentdcf and eternalkerri both generally, in the small matters you say they differ in I agree with agentdcf more. As per my comment on the other meta thread today I believe these changes are essential to this subreddit's future, which without them will look bleak indeed as it devolves into a morass of bad questions and contentless answers. The flair changes seem sound to me as well. I strongly believe that without change this subreddit will not continue to be able to live up to the high standards it has had in the past, the standards that have so impressed the reddit community and fueled /r/askhistorians rapid growth."
] |
[
"You may want to consider posting this in Askscience as well."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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When was it decided that "righty tighty, lefty loosey" was going to be an absolute rule?
|
[
"I realize this is slightly off topic and may be deleted, but it's not an *absolute* rule. For example, the left hand pedal on a bicycle is \"righty loosey, lefty tighty\", so the pedal doesn't fall off when you're riding."
] |
[
"It's merely a social condition. We've been taught to do that simply because our parents told us to, and their parents told them to, and so on. No one can really say when or why it became that way. Social conditions never have any practical reason for existing. If you think wearing a hat indoors is ok, then by all means, invite your friends over for an indoor hat party."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
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Did any countries express significant objections to the USA for their treatment of Native Americans during the 18th and 19th centuries?
|
[
"I know that many Philosophers opposed the slaughter of indians in France (the first that comes in mind are Montaigne in the chapters \"des cannibales\" of his essay, Diderot in \"Supplément au voyage de bougainville\" and Voltaire in many texts including the eldorado chapter in Candide). But all those examples predate the creation of the US, so the indian slaughter was more of an internal european question. (sorry if I'm not clear, english is not my first language. And i'm not an historian, just a french litt teacher in france) EDIT: forgot montesquieu in \"de l'esclavage des negres\" in which he also mentions the indian genocide, and also blames slavery. But really, there are just too much: and the cliche of european not knowing/ not realizing what they were doing doesn't hold when you start reading the text of the intellectual elite of the times."
] |
[
"Yes. Slavery in Rome was not tied to race/skin color like it was in the United States during the 1700-1800s"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
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During the 1960s, the name Jeffery rose from 600th in the US to 50th. Was there a famous Jeffery? What could have caused the rise?
|
[
"The dynamics of [Jeffrey](_URL_1_rey) seem quite similar, peaking at ~15 ‰ between 1961 and 1971 (versus ~4 ‰ for Jeffery and [Jeff](_URL_1_)). So perhaps the question is worth extending to all variants of the name (though [Geoffrey](_URL_0_) seems a lot less popular and peaked later cca 1975 at less than 1‰)."
] |
[
"Smith is a person who makes things. Johnson is son of John, still an exceedingly popular first name. Jack is a variation of John."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
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Podcast recommendations?
|
[
"This is a very easy one to answer. There is a widely acclaimed podcast about be history of Rome: The History of Rome, by Mike Duncan. He goes through Roman history at a reasonable pace, each episode being ~30 min. Possibly the greatest part of the podcast is his ability to keep the narrative engaging all the way through the podcast. He goes from the founding myth up to the fall of the West in the 450sAD. So slightly longer than the part you mention, but it's an incredible story."
] |
[
"Stuff You Missed In History Class Also, /r/AskHistorians has their own podcast. Check it out."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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}
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_URL_0_ can draw my family tree back to e.g. Charlemagne, Constantine the Great and Philip II of Macedon. Is this actually a reliable tool?
|
[
"You are quite right, especially when it comes to Ancient figures, as simply put, there are *no* broadly accepted family trees connecting to them. Many legit ones exist for Charlemagne, at least, but plenty more frauds. I wrote about this a long, long time ago... but [the answer from way back then touches on a lot of this for you](_URL_1_)."
] |
[
"u/BaffledPlato last week provided a great example about a man named [Alexander of Abonoteichus](_URL_0_) in the second century CE, who set up a scam religious cult. Another one is the story of a Mede called Gaumata, who held the Achaemenid Persian throne for a while in the 6th century BCE by pretending to be a member of the ruling dynasty. Maybe somebody with a better knowledge of Persian history can provide details how this story is interpreted today."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
}
|
Does anyone know of a good post graduate history faculty that has experience or knowledge of the history of NASA?
|
[
"MIT has a subdepartment called Science, Technology, and Society. In particular, there is [David Mindell](_URL_1_) who I don't know personally, but has joint appointments in the History of Technology area and the Aeronautics and Astronautics department. From his webpage: > He teaches \"Engineering Apollo: The Moon Project as a Complex > System,\" which integrates technical, political, and operational > perspectives on the history of space exploration. **edit** You can download the [course materials here](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"This as incredibly helpful. I'm doing my master's thesis on the historical memory of free black societies in the north. Could you suggest anything worth reading on that subject?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
}
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In the 19th century, what did "metalled roads" refer to precisely?
|
[
"One meaning of the word \"metal\" is anything obtained by mining or quarrying. We still use the word to mean quarried stone for instance \"blue-metal\" meaning the coarse gravelled granite used as ballast for railway tracks. A metalled road is one which has been improved by having gravel laid over the surface."
] |
[
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
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How did people record time in years before BC and AD became the standard.
|
[
"Check the FAQ--this is asked pretty frequently. In Jewish contexts, dates would either use a particular significant event (an exile, a war, Alexander's conquest, a king's reign), or later on would count back to the creation of Adam in the biblical narrative, a system that is still used."
] |
[
"It doesn't. There are, and have been, many different calendars. Many are older than the calendar which starts at year 1 (AD or CE) with the birth of Jesus. Human civilisations that had calendars date back thousands of years before the birth of Jesus. There are calendars in use in today's world that don't use that event."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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Was there any British resistance towards the Canada Act 1982 or Australia Act 1986?
|
[
"Hello! There was no resistance from the Crown for the Canada act in 1982, and official request from the Canadian parliament was passed on quite rapidly and given Royal Assent. Really, the 1982 Act was the logical next step, allowing us to alter our own Constitution without having to consult the British Parliament. This removed a needless and antiquated burden on the British Parliament. The 1982 act was officially ratified by a signing of HRH Elizabeth II, captured in a very famous image in which the smiling monarch is seen signing the document next to then-PM P. Trudeau. [The Photo in question](_URL_0_) As for the statute of Westminster, I doubt very much there was any serious dissent, the statue originating from British Parliament itself. The results could only benefit Britain by reducing antiquated logistical strains on her. Edit: The aforementioned photo, public domain courtesy of the Toronto Star."
] |
[
"The Queen of England has absolute power in the UK. However she acts as a figurehead and defers her powers to Parliament most of the time. She and Prince Charles for that matter have a secret power of VETO which can overrule Parliament. It is thought that this Veto power is not used regularly but it is used a fair bit. For instance The Queen vetoed the Military Actions Against Iraq Bill in 1999, which aimed to transfer the power to authorise military strikes against Iraq from the monarch to parliament. Same with the Civil Partnership Act in 2004. She vetoed the bill until there were significant changes made to it. These powers have been used 12 times in 10 years."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
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The 4 types of "eaters" (wheat, corn, rice, and...?)
|
[
"You may have already discovered this, but your professor is referencing Francisco Bulnes' *El porvenir de las nations Hispano-Americanas* (The Future ofthe Hispanic-American Nations), which divided the world into 3 \"grand races\" (wheat, maize, and rice eaters) and then asked the very simple question, \"which of these are indisputably superior?\" Bulnes' conclusion is that wheat eaters were by far superior due to some long-winded handwaving about nutritional value, and thus European domination was \"explained.\" Bulnes did not classify a fourth race though, unless I'm missing something. Like with many questions about something a professor said in class, this is probably something you should ask him about."
] |
[
"Because your body LOVES sugars (because survival) and fats (like whats in the milk and the butter used to make the pastry)"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Food Science:"
}
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When/how did the word "Dixie" arise and describe the southern US? What are the origins of the word?
|
[
"During the civil war the U.S. was separated by the Mason-Dixon Line. Free states were above the line and the pro slavery states were below. From the wikipedia for Dixie: \"Dixie\" derives from Jeremiah Dixon, a surveyor of the Mason-Dixon line which defined the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania, and, for the most part, free and slave states (Delaware, a Union border state , and slave state up to the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment , lay north and east of the famous survey line.)"
] |
[
"It's the same reason some white people do. It's a regional dialect. When you hear people who speak that way they are usually from the south, or have ancestry to the south. As an interesting side note, it's also not incorrect English. Chaucer used ax in the Canterbury Tales, and according to John Rickford it was commonly used until the last couple hundred years."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
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}
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The decades of the 19th century
|
[
"Indeed, the question is a tad broad. It really does depend. For example, on the question of industrial revolution and change, places like England and Germany underwent it in the early parts of the century, while places like Canada didn't really until decades later. Even within countries would this change be difficult to track. The US south and west did not industrialize until many years after the northeast and the states around the southern great lakes. This was due in part to the prevalence of an economy built around agriculture and slavery, and in the west's case, the density of population took many years to build up (major cities like Phoenix and LA were tiny only a century ago compare to places like Chicago and New York) In a general sense, one could explore the 1870s as a depressionary decade in much of the western world, and could look at the 1840s-1850s as a time of revolution in many european monarchies"
] |
[
"Weak governments that never really enforced the rule of law in the 19th and early 20th centuries would be the biggest reason."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
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What did people in the 1780s think the 1880s would be like?
|
[
"To be a little less specific, what did people think the future in general would be like before the Industrial Revolution?"
] |
[
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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I was reading a post on Facebook recently about a Native American tribe called the Panare, and the deceptive way in which Christian missionaries converted them. Is there any truth to this?
|
[
"This is the biggest load of bollocks I've ever seen. Even the dating sounds goddamn bizarre. There are supposedly 'Panare Indians' in the 'Colorado Valley' that lived in the 'forests' for thousands of years, but had never experienced plague, famine, or war? The Panare natives are from Venezuela. There's no 'Colorado Valley' in Venezuela, and the only 'Colorado Valley' is Grand Valley in Colorado. The idea of there being an entire tribe of native americans living in the Grand Valley in Colorado who were just completely unbothered by the last few hundred years is downright impossible. If there's even a nugget of truth to it, it's been buried under a wave of nonsense and misinformation. This is /r/forwardsfromgrandma territory."
] |
[
"Natives. Literally. If we look at the bible as a semi-historical text, it goes back a few thousand years. People started migrating over the Land Bridge into North America from Asia before that. Meaning that while David fought Goliath, Geronima was chasing the buffalo. While Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, Sacagawea was helping prepare food. While Jesus was sitting at the last supper, Squanto was deciding whether or not to travel to the winter camp. The Natives have little written history, and even that which does exist, in drawings and oral history has been destroyed. We can't tell what exactly was happening, but we have a decent idea that the Native Americans were just living their lives. Like the Picts were living their lives, the Japanese were living their's, and the Australians, and Indians, etc. Edited for political correctness, because apparently English versions of Native Names are racist."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
}
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Was WWI a major factor in reunifying the country after the Civil War.
|
[
"Although this isn't my field, my understanding is that the Spanish-American War in 1898 was more important in this regard. [See Wikipedia.](_URL_0_) Edit: Spelling."
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
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How accurate were medieval trials?
|
[
"Elizabeth Báthory was late 16th - early 17th century Hungary, well outside what a medievalist would study. With respect to law and trials in particular several hundred years makes a vast difference, notwithstanding the geographic differences which were substantial."
] |
[
"How well regarded are the writings of Joseph Campbell by historians?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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How early was it understood that moonlight is a reflection of sunlight?
|
[
"Among the Greeks, Parmenides and Anaxagoras both stated this. Anaxagoras, 5th century BC: \"It is the sun that puts brightness into the moon.\" _URL_0_ For the earliest known Chinese statement of this, Needham (*Science and Civilisation in China*, vol 3, pg 227), quotes the *Chou Pei*: \"The sun gives to the moon her appearance, so the moonlight shines brightly forth\". The date that this text was written is unknown; Needham suggests the 6th to 4th century BC. There are later, well-dated sources from the late 1st century BC stating this. The oldest surviving Indian statement of this that I know of is by Aryabhata, in his [*Āryabhaṭīya*](_URL_1_), from the end of the 5th century AD, where he writes that the moon (and the Earth, and the planets) are spheres illuminated by the sun (pg 64 in the Clark translation). The idea follows readily from the phases of the moon, and provides a simple geometric explanation of lunar eclipses."
] |
[
"Earth light. Sunlight bounces off the earth, hits the moon, then bounces back to us. This is far dimmer than direct sunlight but enough for us to still see."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
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Theory Thursday | Free-for-All [Please Read]
|
[
"I'd like to talk about postmodernism, I think. I'll admit I'm a few beers to the good, but I've always believed that this can only aid understanding of postmodernist historical theory. As a proud member of the institution that gave Derrida his honourary degree, I often hear the argument that postmodernism has given history a great deal, such as the radical idea that sources might need to be interpreted and so forth. My question to the floor is that is this simply postmodernists claiming victory over something that is obvious and has been since Ranke, or is that simply my postmodern education making it seem far more plain than is actually the case? I've long been suspicious of postmodernism since enjoying Carr's What Is History a very great deal, and feel like I'm yet to understand its approach (inasmuch as it can be described as having one) to History."
] |
[
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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}
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It would seem that using chemical weapons would be a highly irrational move by Syria's Assad since it would invite U.S. retaliation. Are there any instances in history of autocratic dictators behaving irrationally in times of war?
|
[
"During the Gulf War between Iraq and Coalition forces, Saddam Hussein ordered, as a desperate measure (Iraq was losing terribly), the launch of the Scud missiles over Israel and Saudi Arabia. He thought that this will make Israel retaliate and fight back. This would lead to arab nations withdrawing from the coalition, refusing to go on a war against Israel. Neither of that happened. Israel didn't retaliate, therefore Arab nations from the coalition didn't withdraw and Saddam lost. It was one of the most one sided wars so the term \"behaving irrationally\" fits in this situation."
] |
[
"There are a bunch of rebels who don't like the government. The government doesn't like the rebels. The two groups, then, are fighting. The government, with its enormously larger resources, has inflicted heavy casualties on the rebels as well as innocent civilians. Nobody has intervened because nobody wants to get involved in a costly war in Syria. Syria also has some very powerful semi-allies such as Russia and China, which blocked a UN security council resolution to do something about the slaughter."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
}
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I am a Roman merchant of moderate wealth in 7 BC that wants to try his luck in one of the other provinces. How would I prepare and where would I go?
|
[
"Unfortunately we just don't know. From literary evidence we can tell that there were countryside peddlers, and from the *Periplus of the Erythraen Sea* we can reconstruct what the maritime journey to India was like, but we have no details of financing or administrative oversight. Did the captains of the ships going to India (120 per year, according to Pliny, and these were massive ships) engage in fierce bidding wars for the right to sail, or did they merely need to pay their tolls (we do know there were tolls and border controls). We know that the massive storehouses called *horrea* could be both publicly and privately owned, but we don't know whether anybody with a ship could sell to them. Likewise, we know that there was immigration to the provinces (and the opposite direction) but we don't really know the details. We can make a decent guess at reconstructing trade routes, but know very little about the people who traveled along them, or the administration of them."
] |
[
"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!"
] |
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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Was the United States simply lucky during the American Revolutionary War with the men who would lead it?
|
[
"Hi 16, this [very question](_URL_0_?) was asked not too long ago! It was answered pretty extensively in the older thread, but that doesn't rule out someone stopping by to discuss some aspects of it. I hope the older thread tides you over for now."
] |
[
"To add a little to I_Provide_Feedback's very good answer as to the larger effects, there was a smaller but significant one. In the early stages of the Seven Years' War, when it was only the various governors trying ( or not trying) to mount a military response, George Washington learned how to keep an army in the field with very little in the way of supplies and money. This was to become to a great extent much of his challenge in the Revolutionary War: keep an army together and in the field , with meager supplies, to keep a constant threat to the British. The Seven Years War also created a substantial number of men in the Colonies who had some military experience. These would also be crucial to Washington's success in the Revolutionary War. Fred Anderson : Crucible of War"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
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}
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How did China and the Soviet Union go from being Allies with the USA to enemies so quickly?
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[
"Technically, the US was always allied with China. It's just, to the US, the definition of \"China\" up until the 1970s meant the government-in-exile Republic of China (ROC) which had fled to the island of Taiwan. The People's Republic of China (PRC) was not recognized as legitimate until Nixon's administration. As the ROC's ally, the US allowed it to maintain its UN and Security Council seat, sold it weapons, ships and aircraft, and deterred the PRC's takeover of Taiwan (and though today the US does not technically recognize the ROC, it is still obligated to defend it)."
] |
[
"Basically, the view was that the Soviet Union was trying to take over the world and that it had to be contained. The communist world was seen as a monolithic bloc. If a country became communist, it was considered to be merely part of a vast Soviet empire spreading out across the globe. Communists in Latin America and Southeast Asia were not seen by the U.S. as legitimate, but as puppets of Moscow. At the time, World War II was still recentish. Everyone remembered the Munich Pact, when Neville Chamberlain gave away part of Czechoslovakia to satisfy Hitler's expansionist appetite, only for Hitler to turn around and demand more. People were determined to avoid that mistake with an expansionist Soviet Union."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
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How widely used was the French Revolutionary Calendar?
|
[
"It was VERY widely used. All government documents from that period bear the Republican calendar date. Passports issued use that calendar. Birth certificates. People were quick to adopt it, too, because it signified that you were favorable to the new Republican regime. Using words like \"citoyen(nne)\" (\"citizen\") to address a stranger or as an honorific (\"Citizen Boulanger\") was another way to show that you were most definitely not monarchist, nope no way. You can still see some buildings in Paris that have their erection date displayed in Republican calendar terms. When Paris declared itself independent from France in 1871 during the Commune, they briefly switched back to the Republican calendar to show their ideological roots as from the Revolution. As for your bonus question... I don't think it was ever intended to make people less religious. I'd love to see contradictory evidence, but I think it was partially symbolic and partially to develop a new labor schedule that was more fair to more people."
] |
[
"Just a follow-up question to the original question - what about the reverse. What was Napoleon's view of 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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What exactly is the the middle ground in terms of colonial america
|
[
"Are you asking about Richard White's [book](_URL_0_), perhaps? I read it in grad school, and from my hazy recollection of it what White was attempting to do is to understand how the Great Lakes tribes worked between and among the British, French and European-Americans to have agency in their own fate."
] |
[
"I want to say it also has something to do with other labeling, as well."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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Looking for Video Game historians who would be willing to talk about the 1983 video game crash for a documentary
|
[
"I was working as a cartridge programmer at [General Computer](_URL_0_) in 1982 and 1983. I worked on Robotron for the 7800 console, and on Fractalus. What would you like to know?"
] |
[
"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 post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Literature:"
}
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Need some help interpreting this Max Weber passage
|
[
"Fundamentally, Marx analyses the world in the context of an attempt of the *haves* of this world to lord it over the *have-nots*. A big part of this, is the idea that the *have-nots* do not realise the extent to which they're being oppressed by the *haves*. Religion, in this context, is a tool the rich folk use to keep the masses calm and subservient (Marx uses the phrase \"opium of the people\" to describe religion). Religious dogma, in this context, is something that is a reflection of the ideas, morals and interests of a part of society. Weber, on the other hand, is trying to argue that religion shaped the worldview of a group of people that thereby managed to become rich and succesful. In this context, people and their lot in life is a reflection of their religious views. In other words, the question is about the power of ideas: is religion a construct of power and wealth, or a source of power and wealth? Is it the object, or the mirror?"
] |
[
"I need an ELI5 for whatever this question means."
] |
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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What is the name of the ancient Incan play transcribed by a Spanish priest between 1500 and 1600?
|
[
"I believe the play you are looking for is called *Ollantay*. The play itself might have been written later than the dates you give in your question, according to The Cambridge History of Latin American Literature: > Although based on legendary material with roots in pre-Conquest history, the play seems to respond to the circumstances of the [rebellion of 1780]. Ollantay is the name of the Incan warrior in the story and he indeed falls in love with a princess, Cusi Ccoilor. They have a daughter named Yma Sumac."
] |
[
"Yes. Slavery in Rome was not tied to race/skin color like it was in the United States during the 1700-1800s"
] |
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 are some of the longest distances Vikings ever sailed from Scandinavia
|
[
"hi! Based on your Newfoundland example (where they hopped westward over time from Norway to Iceland to Greenland, then presumeably south via arctic islands), I'm going on the assumption that you're asking \"how far from Scandinavia did the Norse explore\" vs \"what was their longest sailing voyage\" or viking raids specifically. In which case, check out these related posts for previous responses: * [Vikings](_URL_0_) * [Vikings and Hungarians](_URL_1_) * [What is the farthest the Vikings reached in their trading and raiding expeditions?](_URL_4_) * [Two questions about the geographical reach and extent of Viking culture](_URL_3_) * [What presence did the Vikings have in the Middle East and Persia? and a blacksmithing question!](_URL_2_)"
] |
[
"Ramming was a big element of pre-gunpowder naval warfare. Ram, board, murder, take, and repeat. Why do you believe it would be *easier* to raid costal communities? In its early history, the republic of Venice seized various cities along the Dalmatian coast (Pola, Zara, Ragusa, Spalato) to better check pirate raiding in the Adriatic sea and give ships safe havens en route to Venice."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
}
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In your area of study, what was the easiest way that a lower class person could attain upward social mobility?
|
[
"I'm not a historian, but several enterprising young ladies did very well for themselves in the 19th century: La Paiva (courtesan): A girl born in the Jewish Ghetto of Moscow, she became fabulously rich in Paris by several strategic marriages and ended her life as Countess Henckel von Donnersmarck in a castle in Silesia. Liane de Pougy (dancer and courtesan): after starting off as a prostitute and actress, she became a successful courtesan and later Princess Ghika. Valtesse de la Bigne (actress, author and courtesan): Born in poverty. She was one of the models for Emile Zola's \"Nana\", and never married. The Art Nouveau house where she retired and her grave are both monuments, showing she did quite well financially. Eliza Lynch (courtesan): daughter of an Irish family that fled the famine, became first lady of Paraguay."
] |
[
"> Colleges claim to prepare us for the real world This is not in fact the objective of advanced colleges and universities. Their job is to teach you how to think and how to learn, and also to to provide you with a large foundation of background knowledge and general skills such as how to express yourself or organize information. Teaching you how to get things done in a practical workplace is not, officially, their main goal."
] |
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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