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Question pertaining to the passing of ancient Greek works from Ancient Times to Modern Times.
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[
"There is a persistant myth that until the Muslims came along in the 6 to 10th Century, Europe just up and forgot Greek and Latin learning. This is false. While the Muslims did have some of the only copies of some works, so as such they were unknown in the West, the Europeans did have much of the ancient Greek knowledge, but were unable to fully utilize it. It's not so much the matter of having the books, but of having people who can read them, and that was the catch. After the fall of the Western Empire, there was not enough stability to truly set up institutions of learning nor was much value placed upon the fine arts. Frankish leaders valued martial ability above book learning, so many of these fine works of history sat hidden away in monasteries and specialized collectors. It wasn't until about the 10th or 11th century that interest in the \"lost\" Greek works was renewed and proven to be of value."
] |
[
"About two thousand years. Roughly the same as the difference between Latin and Italian."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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Why did seemingly everyone think World War I was going to be over so quickly?
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[
"It should be mentioned that a few more far-sighted people predicted a longer war. Von Moltke, the eternal pessimist, glumly believed that the war would last years, and the Kaiser (though a very mercurial fellow) said much the same thing when the British got involved. He had earlier told assembled troops that they \"... would be home before the leaves fell from the trees.\" On the side of the Entente, Lord Kitchener was essentially alone in believing that the war would last a long time. He urged the Cabinet not to squander the entire BEF in the opening stage of the war, and wanted it to stay home as the nucleus of a larger army that he wished to build. Kitchener wanted an army of at least 3 million, which he predicted would take three years. However, he was very much an outsider in this belief. Source: Barbara Tuchmann's *The Guns of August*"
] |
[
"Would it be the best thing for everyone involved? These things have a way of creating more chaos than they aim to prevent. We (the USA) thought that nation building in Iraq would be easy after Saddam was deposed. It didn't work out that way."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Law and Justice:"
}
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Given its efficacy and ease of assembly, why didn't the phalanx develop and see use in other parts of the world?
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[
"The usefulness a a phalanx be it Macedonian or Greek is heavily dependent on terrain. In rugged, hilly and/or wooded terrain the formation losses coherence and becomes highly vulnerable. The Battle of Pydna is an excellent example of this. Most other parts of the world that were developed enough to support a formation like a phalanx had terrain that would limit it's viability."
] |
[
"Many of them had been--Epaminondas worked towards diversifying the Greek army, Isocrates laid out a formation type of hoplites with lighter armor and longer spears, Xenophon in his *Anabasis* stressed the importance of light skirmishers--but ultimately no state in Greece could implement a full reform. Philip's changes were really only possible with a full time, professional army, which no other place in Greece had the economic capability to create. Specifically, Philip exploited the enormous mineral wealth of the northern Balkans to give himself the financial ability to create his new army. As for its success, the simplest answer is that no other army of the time so brilliantly applied the principles of combined arms. For the other Greeks, the real \"army\" was the phalanx, and everything else was there to support it. In Philip's system, every part is supporting each other. This principle has lay at the heart of virtually all highly successful militaries, from the Assyrians to the Romans to Cromwell."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question about History:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about History:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
}
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It's WW2. I'm a black U.S. soldier stationed in England and a white U.S. soldier barred me from going to a British pub. How likely was this scenario?
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[
"I'm not a mod, but as mods often do I can point to a similar question from a few months ago. _URL_0_"
] |
[
"Also, would her military experience be any useful in finding a job? Did women serve in the British military during World War 1 and if so, did they go back into the workforce afterwards?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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150 lbs of flour, 20 lbs of corn - what kind of food did people eat on the Oregon Trail?
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[
"Flour is a major component in the making of bread. It would also be used in things like crusts for pies (along with sugar and fruit). Cornmeal does not spoil, which would make it particularly important to emigrants on the Trail, and can be used to make corn mush, or \"hasty pudding.\" Flour and water baked in a slow oven for roughly 2000 years makes hardtack, a mostly inedible substance that can also be used to build bridges, erect houses, makes a passable body armor, and removes bad teeth. I may be exaggerating slightly, but not much."
] |
[
"It helps to have easy access to wheat, rice or corn - the basic building blocks of...or never mind :)"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
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How much did a telegram cost in the 1920s or '30s?
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[
"An important thing to note was that there were multiple telegram networks, a city wide 10 word telegram might cost 20 cents by the 1920s (and a large amount of that may be hand to hand delivery) while a city to city might cost 60 cents. Hope that gives you some information."
] |
[
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
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Is it true that Frank Underwood considered Walter White as a running mate during one of his presidential elections?
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[
"This rumor was based upon a series of emails sent between the two during the first Underwood presidential campaign. The details of the emails were never released as the hard drives containing the records were destroyed before the communications came to light. It is confirmed, however, that an anonymous donor from New Mexico contributed to AMPAC during the election and that person is almost certainly Walter White or one of his associates. It is not widely believed that White was ever seriously considered for the position, but rather that White sought to get his brother-in-law appointed to be the head of the DEA. This effort ultimately failed, but following Underwood's reelection DEA funding was decreased by 20% and the DEA presence in New Mexico was cut by over 50%."
] |
[
"For a little while, the Vice President was the runner-up from the Presidential race. That turned out not to work so well."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
}
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Why did the number of baby names beginning with vowels drastically dip during the mid-20th Century? (Graphs inside) (And a bonus (slightly macabre) naming trend...)
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[
"It looks like your graphs are capturing absolute numbers, not frequency. Are you sure you're not just noticing the birthrate drop during WWII?"
] |
[
"Popular names usually picked (or not picked) based on popular people at the time. I wish I knew of some good specific good examples. [Here](_URL_1_) is a time line of male names in the US over time, pretty cool! [Here](_URL_0_) is the same thing for female names."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
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Saturday Reading and Research | May 27, 2017
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[
"Hey r/askhistorians long time lurker here, just want to thank you for all the good reads i had in this sub and ask you if you could help me with a book on Indochina's war of independence. 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
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{
"query": "Represent the question about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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follow up: is this a real document?
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[
"[It certainly looks like it is.](_URL_1_) There is a difference in this form in that it has a \"To\" field, which the one above does not. There's also more typing on the left-hand margin. It also [matches the phrasing of Turing's pardon](_URL_0_)."
] |
[
"Why did you think this was the right sub?"
] |
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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Did sailors/pirates use a sort of sunscreen? If so, what did they use?
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[
"I've never read of a chemical sunscreen like we'd see today, but I have read of various oils and greases used to treat sunburn. In the period I study (during the Napoleonic Wars, roughly) most countries didn't have an official \"uniform\" for sailors, but in the British navy they were expected to make standardized-ish clothing out of cloth that was issued to them. They would wear loose trousers, a \"round\" jacket (that is, one without tails) over a shirt and a round hat while working, with extra clothes for colder climates. That would provide decent sun protection on its own, but uncovered areas (hands and feet in particular) would simply burn and then tan over time."
] |
[
"I have heard about mandragora and belladona extracts being used to dilate pupils for matters of beauty, but that might have been for Roman ladies. I wonder what kind of products and materials would they use, if some of it was dangerous and what kind of tools they used to apply it (for example I do know that some fine brushes are made from goat hair today, would something similar be avalaible?). The range is deliberately vague, but I was basically wondering about 12th - 14th century Europe."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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My mother insists that the U.S. Constitution was based (or heavily influenced) by an Iroquois principle called "The Great Law of Peace". Is there any truth to this, and if so, what was the extent of the influence?
|
[
"Hi there, a similar question has been asked here a few times, and a couple of previous discussions may be of interest to you. This is not in any way to discourage further responses, but to get you started! [How did the Iroquois Confederacy's System of Government Influence the Constitution?](_URL_1_) [How sophisticated was the Iroquois Confederation's government at its peak?](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"Follow-up question: If it is purely a modern idea, where did this idea come from, and how much validity is there to it?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
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Book Recommendations
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[
"for religious books on ancient times, two come to mind: For early Jewish life, I recommend reading: The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant by John Dominic Crossan. The book is probably 60% on the political and social structures of life leading up to the 1st century c.e. Jesus the Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium is the most engaging historical book on the life of Jesus and Early Christian Followers. Warning: both books are historically driven by two accomplished historical scholars. Much of their writing conflicts or contradicts the bible and traditional beliefs. But if you are looking to understand how Judaism or Christianity operated around the year 0 and heading forward, then these books are highly recommended."
] |
[
"Side 1 - For Vaccines: -Science Side 2 - Against Vaccines: -Paranoid idiocy"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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Book recommendations
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[
"For Byzantine History there simply isn't a comprehensive history of the Empire that's really thorough. There are books that certainly try, such as the first book I read: The History of the Byzantine State, but even that 500 page book felt awfully rushed at times. If you're interested in reading about Byzantine history, I recommend you do it segmentally, reading the books on particular periods before moving on. In my opinion, the best books to do this with are recent and good translations of the primary sources, as these will hit the major events of each emperor's life while a good translator will have thorough citations noting where things are wrong, where you can find more information on a particular topic, and where the sources disagree and we don't know what exactly happened. John Wortley, for example, did an excellent translation of the chronicle of John Skylitzes which covers the middle Empire from the death and drinking cup-ification of Nikephoros I and ends with the ascent of Isaac I Komnenos."
] |
[
"Stuff You Missed In History Class Also, /r/AskHistorians has their own podcast. Check it out."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Literature:",
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Book recommendations
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[
"If you want something that’s more in-depth on the Empire, I would recommend looking for books that focus on specific periods of the Empire, such as the principate and the dominate. I study the later Roman Empire so I can recommend some good books on that period. Peter Heather has written several, quite good, books on the later Roman Empire, 2 that I would absolutely recommend are: Empires and Barbarians: The Fall of Rome The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians Heather also has several books that are more specific than these, and deal specifically with the Goths."
] |
[
"Stuff You Missed In History Class Also, /r/AskHistorians has their own podcast. Check it out."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Literature:",
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How is it decided when a war is won or lost and what happens to the army of the losing side?
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[
"This is a question *far* too general for anyone to give a satisfactory answer. The real answer: it depends *a lot* on the time, place, and particular circumstance of the war. I don't think you can really get a better answer regarding war *in general.*"
] |
[
"The laws of war, such as how prisoners are treated, are to protect your soldiers as well as the enemy's. We talk about people trying to take over the world, but really, that's not a thing unless you are Genghis Khan. In every war, the leaders see that there will be a time when the war is over and they will have to deal with at least some of their enemies as peers once again."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
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What did Kim Il-Sung and his successors do right in order to survive, that Nicolae Ceaușescu didn't?
|
[
"One important reason is that Romania was a satellite in the Soviet sphere of influence, which was collapsing under Perestroika and Glasnost. North Korea was and has been propped up by the Chinese government, which under Deng was successfully able to offer economic advances in lieu of political freedoms to maintain Party control, and ultimately, regional stability. The Chinese watched the Soviets with alarm and disgust, and were very careful not to follow in their footsteps. This book is also relevant: _URL_0_"
] |
[
"Would it be the best thing for everyone involved? These things have a way of creating more chaos than they aim to prevent. We (the USA) thought that nation building in Iraq would be easy after Saddam was deposed. It didn't work out that way."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Law and Justice:"
}
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What was American history like before European intervention?
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[
"Are you asking what the Americas were like pre-1492? I've having some difficulty parsing this question."
] |
[
"To be a little less specific, what did people think the future in general would be like before the Industrial Revolution?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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How did crusaders keep cool?
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[
"There are some good answers on [this](_URL_0_) thread from 2 years ago by /u/captaincrunch and /u/hey_dale."
] |
[
"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 answer:",
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What are the worst kept secrets? Who were the best spies?
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[
"Probably not what you were looking for, but the best spies are likely to be people who have never been identified. As for the best that have been, in recent times Richard Sorge and Eli Cohen would have to be contenders. [edit] And Kim Philby, probably."
] |
[
"Nobody talks about the ones that become janitors."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
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Looking for a book recommendation on ~15th century Italian politics and history.
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[
"He's not per se a historican, but: I very much enjoyed \"The Prince\" and \"Discorsi\" (both by Macchiavelli). He describes a stratagem per chapter and makes two examples, one found in ancient times, one in his. So you learn a bit of Renaissance Italian history in passing, and which is better still, read the thoughts of a Renaissance politician. Another one is \"The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy\" by Jacob Burckhardt, which is quite old, but somewhat of a classic. Has the advantage of being in [public domain](_URL_0_)."
] |
[
"Just asked this in the other sticky, but maybe this is the better place for it: Does anyone have any good book recommendations about the Nigerian Civil War or about Biafra as a country?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
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I am reading through a translation of Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgement, and there is a mentioning of Homer and Wieland. But Homer and Wieland lived after Kant's death, is that right? Did the translator put in those names or am I missing something?
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[
"Winslow Homer was a painter and surely not who Kant was referring to, which was the Homer of antiquity, author of the Iliad and Odyssey _URL_1_ The Wieland in question was probably Christoph Martin Wieland, German poet _URL_0_ The quoted passage seems to indicate that mere writers such as Homer and Wieland can not fully express their thoughts as they do not have the logical, rational background of a scientist like Newton or (in Kant's estimation) a philosopher."
] |
[
"In the text where you see God, he is not referring to the Judeo-Christian 'God', he is referring to 'the god' Apollo, whose oracle decreed that 'no man is wiser than Socrates' which sent him into the whole philosophical investigation because he didn't consider himself wise at all. I can't find a source for that quote. To the second part of the question \"is this a legitimate quote of Socrates\", the answer is \"highly unlikely\", because Socrates didn't leave any writings of his own, and even if you sourced it to Plato, that wouldn't be a guarantee that Socrates actually said that."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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Have sanctions ever caused a country to change its behavior in the last 50 years?
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[
"hi OP. Just a note that this subreddit does not permit discussion of events/conditions [within the last 20 years](_URL_0_). So, if you're not ok with a **revised timeframe of 1965-1995**, do consider x-posting to r/AskSocialScience, r/history or a current affairs sub like r/politics."
] |
[
"Because that's how representative democracy has worked and it's how every major international trade agreement has been negotiated in the last 200 years."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
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Name of the USS Enterprise
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[
"It hasn't changed much. Still retaining the conceptualization of an undertaking, especially a large or bold one. And we see that in the origin of the early Enterprises. Of the two under the Continental Navy one was captured from the British in a raid, the other a sponsored Privateer. Both involving more risk and daring than a normal warship. The third, and most famous of the early Big E's also had a slightly unique origin. The 1799 schooner was built in a private yard in Baltimore and purchased rather than built by a naval constructor at a Navy Yard. Several notable early warships emerged from private yards, or were funded by local communities over being built by the navy itself in particular for ships smaller than frigates. She would serve with notice in the first Barbary War, living up to her name and capturing an enemy ship."
] |
[
"This video by grey goes over the creation as well as other things concerning the us Canada border _URL_0_"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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Why did Clinton's Health Security Act fail?
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[
"For those wondering, this was a topic from 1993 until late 1994, putting it right at the edge of the 20 year rule."
] |
[
"Only if the federal government let it. See: American Civil War"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
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Question about Cold War nuclear weapons?
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[
"2 resources that might help answer your question: * [_URL_0_](http://_URL_0_) is a great collection of publicly available info. It gets quite technical at times but it is very thorough. * [A collection of declassified videos](_URL_2_) I cobbled together for [r/documentaries](_URL_1_)."
] |
[
"Followup Question, were the allies doing the same thing?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
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In the US during WWII, how did rationing work on the homefront if people went to a restaurant? Did people have to give the ration coupons/cards to the restaurant in addition to payment?
|
[
"The restaurants had to collect points in order to buy more stock for their kitchens. They took the points to the local ration board and exchanged them for vouchers that allowed them to buy quantities of food at a time. Lots more here: _URL_0_"
] |
[
"Food stamps are a form of government assistance. If your income is below a certain threshold (varies state to state and sometimes county to county) then you can apply for food stamps. Based on need, you are given a monthly stipend to spend on food. The rules of what items are permitted are somewhat strict, for example you can't purchase prepared food from the grocery store deli. Some ways people take advantage of food stamps by not claiming all of their income or by saying that they are the the guardian of children not living in their household, to increase the amount of money given to them."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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How did people from the the middle ages and previous times view the future, like we view it as robots and flying cars?
|
[
"You may be interested in these previous questions about “[What was science fiction like in the past? How did ancient people imagine the future?](_URL_0_)” on our **Popular Questions** page (which is linked at the top of every page in this subreddit, and in the sidebar)."
] |
[
"I think it's for the same reason we have a curiosity for science and etc. We enjoy the unknown, and well, what's more unknown to us than life and death itself"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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[META] Question Filtering (aka "So much Hitler in here")
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[
"I don't think there's any simple solution to the overabundance of WWII submissions. Perhaps a *very* temporary ban on the subject with a stickied modpost containing links to the most commonly asked questions or the most extensively answered threads, but I don't think that would really be fair. I, too, am tired of all the Hitler/WW2 questions, but I can't think of a solution that would remain true to the spirit of this subreddit."
] |
[
"I'm sure someone will post here, but there are a couple of good answers in this older thread: _URL_0_"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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How much did war horses and coconuts (if you could even get one) each cost in 10th Century England? Also, did 10th Century English knights use the same horse for battle and travel?
|
[
"This is rather a thorny question, given that warhorses did not exist in any appreciable numbers in England until the Norman Conquest of 1066. The English kept horses, but they were strictly riding horses and beasts of burden. Similarly, I am not aware of any 10th century sources for the price or even availability of coconuts in Europe. What I can say is that the value of a medieval warhorse could vary tremendously. Defining a warhorse as an animal capable of carrying an armored man into battle, we have low-end rounceys that might cost a few months wages for a laborer to highly specialized destriers equivalent to the yearly rent of a village! This enormous variation tells us something about the so-called knightly class: it was far from homogenous in wealth and status. A poor squire or bachelor could be readily distinguished from a rich lord by the quality of his horse, his arms, and his dress."
] |
[
"Some would go to the soldiers raiding as a way of payment and the rest to the king. The soldiers would use it to pay for food and what ever amd the king would either sit on it or use it to pay for improvements of the castle. There wasnt really inflation in those days i dont think"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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Can you explain this photo? (link in the description)
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[
"As an observation, the way the side panels have 'seams' folded over, i would suggest it's made of canvas rather than wood panels. Perhaps it's a mock up for training purposes? Edit: I cannot find any evidence of tanks being used by the Bulgarian army during WWI. The uniforms do indeed match closely to WWI uniforms of Bulgaria, but the picture is difficult to make out insignia or details as to which unit. The 'tank' has what look like real artillery inside a mock-up shell of a design that is unlike any other tank I could find from the period. Granted though, tanks were new tech at the time and experimental variation was common. This is speculation, but it's likely that if they are indeed Bulgarian, this was intended to train either artillery or engineering units on how to disable enemy tanks, or, how to operate a captured tank. Is anyone aware of strategies used by other WWI armies to familiarise their troops with these 'new' machines?"
] |
[
"There is a similar question and answer to this. It's the 3rd highest submitted post of all time. Here is the link: _URL_0_"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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what sort of trade goods would you expect to see in the holds of ships crossing the English channel in 1115? would it vary much depending on whether the ship was going to or from the mainland?
|
[
"Trade goods were different in both directions. England exported wool, tin, meat, cattle and fish, and sometimes corn (corn only if a Royal licence was granted). England imported wine, salt, cloth (at least finer cloth, from the low Countries, England was also importing woad, which indicates that England was weaving cloth as well even this early), silver, and exotic spices. Passengers were also carried in both directions across the channel, mostly the Anglo-Normans who had lands and affairs on both sides. _URL_0_"
] |
[
"There's a bit of a misunderstanding of what the silk road actually was, it was a web of different trade routes taking all kinds of things across Eurasia. You wouldn't be a trader going from China all the way to Europe, you would most likely be a camel driving trader in central asia selling your wares on to the next central asian trader who will take it a bit further west and so on and so forth adding a mark up at each stage. Your life would be very similar to camel driving traders from every point in history up until recent times."
] |
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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How long did it take for trade to resume between America and Britain after the American Revolution?
|
[
"It never stopped, despite political pressure to boycott trade with Britain and her colonies areas where it was a major source of income continued to rely on it throughout the War. Smuggling being concentrated around areas with strong connections to Canada and the West Indies. The same was true of the 1812 war. The efforts on a national level to stem the smuggling trade were largely ineffectual as it was tolerated and even encouraged at local level. Trade relations between the US and the UK were normalised by the middle of the 19th c. partially because of improved relations and partially because enforcing boycotts just did not work. [Source](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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Before being used in divination, what did the 22 trump cards in the tarot deck signify?
|
[
"There is no documented use of their significance prior to when they started being used in the 18th century as a divination tool. There have been writings that supposedly traced their symbolism to ancient Egypt but this has never been verified. Edit- A lot of people assume they represent something as the European suits do, but the Europeans simply added them for either vanity or gaming purposes."
] |
[
"According to Sir Michael Dummett's \"The Game of Tarot\", the first mention of Tarot came from the upper classes of Italy in the 15th century for a card game still played in parts of Italy today. The Roma traditionally practiced palmistry. The first reference to the Roma and Tarot came in the highly fanciful \"Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic\", published between 1854 and 1856. So yes, it is just an assumption."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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Which are the most important artificial canals after Suez and Panama?
|
[
"The Grand Canal of China probably wins his contest due to its great age, length and the number of people it served. This canal linked Beijing with the Yellow river, the Yangtze river, and contines further south to Hangzhou, near Shanghai. It linked north and south China together with a reliable form of transport that was the back bone of the largest economy in the world, prior to the industrialial revolution. Subsequent Dynasties have expanded the canal system in China. After the water lock was invented during the Song Dynasty, the Chinese could expand their canals into the uplands."
] |
[
"There is much greater adoption of public transportation in Europe than in the US."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
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}
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What was diplomacy like between the Roman Empire and China?
|
[
"There were several diplomatic missions conducted between the two over the centuries. Not to discourage any further answers, but there are excellent posts about it here: [General Knowledge](_URL_1_) provided by u/shlin28 [Contact Between the Two](_URL_2_) provided by u/shlin28 [More Reading] (_URL_0_) provided by u/Tiako Hope that helps."
] |
[
"A follow-up and related question: how about young people in other parts of the world in this time period? I.e. South Asia, China, West Africa, South America?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
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Help Identifying this Bust
|
[
"This is almost certainly the [Duke of Wellington](_URL_0_). Scroll down on the link to see his painting. There are other images - if you Google Wellington - that will show him with the same dramatic nose, but this image shows matching uniform. Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo."
] |
[
"Sleep - Shake Unconscious - Splash Coma - Wait and Hope Vegetative State - Wait and Bury"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
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How influenced was HP Lovecraft by the politics of his time?
|
[
"In his letters between 1929 and 1931 (so context: dealing with one of the biggest crises capitalism had faced up until then and with the appearance of an alternative to this system in the shape of the Soviet Union, all meanwhile fascism was popping up in Europe) he mentioned several times his conviction that advanced capitalist countries could not survive unless they evolved into absolutist dictatorships or reached some kind of wealth and income distribution. I don't recall him using the term \"welfare state\" but I think what he was proposing we would understand nowadays as that in the sense that he did not propose overcoming the capitalist mode of production and evolve towards another system, but more like \"rich people sharing what they get or else workers are gonna blow everything up\". Source: Selected Letters of H. P. Lovecraft III (1929–1931). Arkham House."
] |
[
"How well regarded are the writings of Joseph Campbell by historians?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
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Saturday Reading and Research | June 14, 2014
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[
"Salutations, Could you please point me in the direction of some cogent books/articles that address the historiographical debate surrounding histories status as an art or a science."
] |
[
"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
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about News:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about News:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
}
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A Few Historical Sailing Questions
|
[
"You should include a time period in your question since we do not allow \"throughout history\" questions. Just a heads up."
] |
[
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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How fast could the chasquis (Incan messengers) deliver goods or messages across the empire? Do we have any reliable sources about this?
|
[
"hi! there's room for more input on this; meanwhile, you can get started on a couple of previous posts * [I often hear of the Inca system of runners and royal roads. How effective were these runners at passing messages?](_URL_1_) * [How did the Inca administer their empire without a written language?](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"Llamas didn't make it north of South America, in part due to the narrow pinch at the Isthmus of Panama. In Central and North America, walking (or boating/canoeing) was the only way to get where you were going, even over long distances. Bernal Diaz writes in 'A History of the Conquest of New Spain' that Mexican rulers often provided Cortes and his conquistadors with professional carriers, known as *tlameme*, to bear large loads for the Spanish as they marched inland."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
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The bearded ones in 1960's france.
|
[
"There was a pretty popular vocal group around this time called [Les Quatres Barbus](_URL_0_) . That does translate as The Four Bearded Ones. Definitely can not imagine them having anything to do with targeting OAS members for de Gaule!"
] |
[
"Uh, guys. \"The Student Prince\", and a whole lot of other fraternal organizations associated w Universities in London, Paris, etc."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Education:"
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How would the typical British settler to the New World handle the shock of the US Southeastern climate-heat, humidity, constant thunderstorms and hurricanes, while positioned in a thick pine forest?
|
[
"not discouraging anyone from contributing more on this topic - especially re your specific scenario - but there's a section in the FAQ that can provide some previous responses [How did earlier civilisations deal with hurricanes and tornadoes?](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"The American Midwest is a flat steppe that runs from the Artic of Northern Canada, to the deserts of Northern Mexico. The lack of natural barriers(mountains) for such a long stretch allows cold Artic air to mix with hot tropic air which creates the conditions necessary for tornadoes to form."
] |
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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Who supplied oil and fuel to the British war effort during WW2?
|
[
"The British maintained bases throughout the Mediterranean. British power at Gibraltar was never meaningfully challenged, Malta never fell despite heavy German and Italian bombing, and Rommel's campaigns never posed an immediate threat to the Suez Canal. Britain ramped up production of oil at home, and received shipments of oil from the United States, but its possessions in the Middle East produced much of the world's oil at the time. This is why the British were swift to stifle a pro-Axis coup in Iraq in 1941, and why the British and Soviets occupied Iran shortly thereafter."
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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How much information would a pre-modern army commander have about an opposing force (strength, composition, leadership, location, etc.)?
|
[
"As I've mentioned in [other threads](_URL_0_), Wessex during the period in which *The Last Kingdom* is set was actually studded by a fairly extensive and sophisticated network of look-out posts and signalling beacons connected with garisson forces at local *burh* fortifications. This network was also then extended into Mercia and into recaptured areas of the Danelaw. This system was designed specifically to curtail the Viking strategy of mobile warfare and afforded the English both the early warning and the use of the rivers and road network to respond rapidly to Danish threats. Indeed, significant victories such as the 911 Battle of Tettenhall come about because the English are aware of where the Danes are and where they are heading, and are able to outmanoeuvre and surprise them."
] |
[
"I've always thought of it this way: *Strategy* is which battles an army fights, where they fight, why they fight, when they fight, how they prepare for the fight, etc. *Tactics* is how they win the fight, i.e., the movement of squads, flanking/surrounding, charging vs. falling back, the direction of suppressing fire, etc etc etc."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about history:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about history:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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How did U.S. federal public health policy change in the aftermath of the 1918 flu?
|
[
"Not necessarily what you may be looking for, but the flu pandemic of 1918 made the US take strict measures toward preventing a mass 1976 swine flu outbreak. President Ford created the National Influenza Immunization Program that aimed at vaccinating every citizen against the '76 swine flu. It wasn't wildly successful due to a few bad side effects but likely wouldn't have been put into action without the 1918 pandemic. [Source](_URL_1_)"
] |
[
"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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The poorer quality of life in the Eastern Bloc compared to the West is often cited as evidence of the inferiority of centrally planned economies. However, Western Europe got a huge head start with the Marshall Plan. How important is this variable when contrasting West/East during Cold War?
|
[
"Related: how did the annual GDP growth rate compare for Eastern bloc and Western European countries throughout the Cold War? Did Eastern Bloc countries end up being poorer because they had slower growth, or because they started out poorer?"
] |
[
"In terms of economics, Japan had spent roughly 30 years industrializing since the Meiji Restoration. An industrial economy has a huge edge over a rural economy during war time, as seen during the Civil War. Corruption had little to do with it."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about economics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about economics:",
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When did the nail and screw become the primary way to connect two pieces of wood?
|
[
"When it became easy and cheap to manufacture nails (by cutting from a roll of wire and mechanically flattening one side). If you need to hammer them out into shape by hand, this will take time and cost money, so it was mostly used for high-tension connections that didn't have much wood to work with (wooden nail and other connections like the slots you mentioned would be used there), e.g. a ship's plank (nails, or, for example for the Vikings, [rivets](_URL_1_) ). Nevertheless there is [archaelogical evidence](_URL_0_) (warning, .pdf, in German) for relatively early mass-production of nails, in the linked .pdf they tell of an excavation of \"seven or eight\" similarly built blacksmith's shops/living quarters that mainly produced nails from the 13th century (pp. 99 - 104). I have little knowledge of nail usage in Roman/Greece/Egyotian/Minoan/Whatever times, so maybe wait for someone to come round for that?"
] |
[
"They are the simplest method, other than lashing, to secure pieces of wood to one another. Inexpensive, somewhat reusable, fast to use and abundant."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
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What is the earliest example of a Navy?
|
[
"If I can jump onto this and ask how did navy's in history find each other, were there prearranged meeting points? Or did they float around hoping to find one another?"
] |
[
"What do you mean by downfall? This is still a dominant part of current culture."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
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Has a mock religion ever become a "real" one?
|
[
"[Drawing Down the Moon](_URL_0_) (which is, among other things, a survey of 20th century Wicca and Pagan movements) talks about a few groups that started as satirical organizations. In particular, you might be interested in the Reformed Druids of North America, which was formed to protest mandatory chapel attendance at Carleton College. Most of the original founders weren't serious neo-Pagans, but a lot of the members kept practicing even after the college dropped the chapel requirement, and eventually formed their own breakaway sects."
] |
[
"Time = respectability with religion. The longer the cult has been around, the more it becomes a religion. The Romans considered the first Christians to be a weird Jewish cult. Americans originally considered Mormons to be a weird Christian cult. If it endures, it has religious status."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
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What was the actual culture and daily life like for the Untouchables of India? Do they even have an identity?
|
[
"This is a very hard question to ask, not least because it touches on the deep philosophical issue of whether the \"subaltern\" can speak through western scholarship, an issue devised with this particular class in mind, and this apparatus makes it difficult to approach. I don't usually just recommend a text as an answer, but in this case it might be appropriate for me to direct you to Jean-Luc Racine et al, *Viramma: Life of an Untouchable*, in which the co-authors try to let Viramma tell her story in her own way, presenting exactly those issues of daily life and personal identity that are difficult to approach through other scholarship."
] |
[
"Not a historian, but I'm an Indian. This was definitely a \"thing\". There still exists a small and shrinking population of \"Anglo-Indians\" in India. The history and culture of Anglo-Indians in India is a fascinating one. Members of this community would usually be located in towns with British-run Cantonments, hill stations and resorts where the British officers liked to holiday, away from the heat and dust of Northern India. In India's complex caste and social system, the Anglo-Indian occupies a curious place, but the gap of nearly 70 years since independence means some of those defining features and characteristics are diluted. You should google for the history of Anglo-Indians. There are at least a few books that were published in the 1970s and 1980s on this topic."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
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Where does the cruelty of the Imperial Japanese Army rooted from?
|
[
"You may also be interested in [this](_URL_3_) previous thread."
] |
[
"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?"
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
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When/why did teen pregnancy become so negative?
|
[
"I think there's an important distinction to be made between the negative social outlook of teen pregnancy versus pregnancy out of wedlock. When you hear of teen pregnancy in the United States, you assume that it was unplanned and out of wedlock, which has always been frowned upon."
] |
[
"This sounds like a great sociology topic and would probably reward some academic research. My guess is it stems from women historically being discriminated against. In the same vein, why is n***** far worse of a word than cracker?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about Linguistics:"
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What caused such high teen pregnancy rates after the 1950 (ish)
|
[
"Actually teen pregnancy rates haven't grown in the United States after the 1950s. They've actually been falling since the late 1950s. The first page on following article from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a nice graph which shows it: _URL_0_ You do see a noticeable rise in birth rates somewhere around the mid 1940s, I dont think it is a coincidence that this was the end of the second world war. Its worth noting that at the same time overall birth rates grew as well, as you can see in this article here: _URL_1_ So it looks as though when it has grown it has grown unsurprisingly similarly to the overall pregnancy rate."
] |
[
"We've addressed the issue of crime in the seventies in a couple of earlier threads ... while you're waiting for fresh answers to your question, you might like to review [A Serial Killer expert on the podcast 'Accused' claimed that the late 70s saw such a high number of serial killers because they were raised by men who were traumatised by World War II. How accurate is this?](_URL_2_), a lengthy discussion led by u/chickendance638 [What caused the crime rate in the United States to be so high from the late 1970's to the early 90's and decline so rapidly thereafter?](_URL_1_) (especially some of the more sceptical responses), and [It seems the 1970s and 1980s had a dramatic increase in serial killers. Any reasons why this might be the case?](_URL_0_), with u/Yodatsracist"
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
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How did the "magicians" mentioned in the bible earn their keep?
|
[
"Which \"magicians\" are you referring to? The court-magicians of the Pharaoh in Exodus (Exod 7.22)? The witch of Endor (1 Sam 28)? The \"magi\" in Luke's nativity? Or are you wondering more generally about historical practitioners of magic (inc. wonder-workers, exorcists, healers, etc.) during the Biblical period?"
] |
[
"As a follow up I heard it said several times that the Romans would use urine as mouthwash. Is there any truth to that?"
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
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Why is there such a fasciation with WWII and Hilter? Has anyone studied this from an academic perspective?
|
[
"People obsess over Hitler because he has ceased to be a historical figure, he's a symbol of evil. He was also driving force behind the single most massive war in human history. Said war was the first major war that occured in a society that resembles as our own."
] |
[
"You mean as in, why isn't it discussed more as a part of US History education?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
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Would a caveman, on an average day, have a nutritionally perfect diet? If not, why wouldn't cavemen's digestive systems evolve until they were perfect?
|
[
"There is! Check out /r/askanthropology, as you'll find more people knowledgable about this there."
] |
[
"Because stuff like bacon and gravy have extremely high caloric value in comparison to fruits and veggies. Back in our hunter/forager days, getting enough calories to not starve to death was far more important than having a balanced diet to promote optimum health, so we evolved to go nuts for those things whenever we got the chance."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
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Did the creator of Scientology ever admit he made it up completely or did he insist that his beliefs are authentic?
|
[
"To my knowledge he never admitted it was made up. He was however a sci-fi/fantasy novelist before he started the church of scientology, which makes many believe that he did it to manipulate people and get money. However, most reports of him, especially in his mid to late life describe him as a 100% believer, but also erratic, paranoid, and eccentric. I would suspect he believed what he taught, but had some mental issues going on."
] |
[
"Wait... Do you want us to explain the beliefs of Scientology, meaning the things that Scientologists believe to be true? OR Do you want us to explain belief in Scientology, as in: why do people believe the ideas that Scientology is offering? Because for that second one, I don't think humanity has a good answer."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
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How close was the United States to having a widespread rebellion in the 1960s time period?
|
[
"I don't really buy this premise that the counterculture and rioting during the 1960s actually threatened 'the establishment.' I can't think of any governments that collapsed as a result; even the legendary and humiliating Chicago riots didn't bring down Daley - in part because many Chicagoans wouldn't have sympathized with the protesters to begin with. Anti-establishment sentiment looms large in our minds when we think of this period, but I think very few Americans were all that radicalized. Opposition to the Vietnam War destroyed Johnson' s presidency, and the 1968 election was probably the single most important of the 20th century for various reasons. But the democratically-elected Nixon represented the exact opposite of liberal civil rights and pacifism. Chew on that."
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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Did Robert Burns intend Auld Lang Syne to be a song?
|
[
"The [wiki](_URL_0_) article on this is surprisingly good. Burns was working on what he called the \"Scots Musical Museum,\" sometimes collecting lyrics and tunes together, sometimes finding tunes that went with other lyrics he collected, sometimes cobbling together scraps of traditional lyrics with his own insertions, and at other times writing new lyrics completely for tunes he heard. In the case of Auld Lang Syne, it appears that Burns found scraps of lyrics and built around them. It was intended from the start - before Burns found it - as a song. Of course Burns wrote many poems that were never meant to be sung, but his Scots Musical Museum was a special project for the great poet. And it is dear to my heart having played the pipes for 32 years before having to set them down, and having given four or more Immortal Memories at Burns Suppers (my immortal memory can't remember the exact number). Please lift a glass to Burns on my behalf."
] |
[
"The Beatles song *8 Days a Week* just wouldn't be as effective anymore."
] |
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Thursday Reading & Recommendations | July 04, 2019
|
[
"I just read *Sniping in France* and it shows just how slow WWI really was. I thought WWI was relatively fast paced until I read that memoir. Also, it shows just how influential one man in a whole army can be. If you want a book about WWI, I would recommend taking a look at *Sniping in France*."
] |
[
"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 Reddit question about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
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What was the most recent personal union in European monarchies?
|
[
"The Swedish-Norwegian union was instituted after the Danish-English war in 1814. The treaty of Kiel gave Norway which had been under personal union with the Danish king before to the Swedish king. The Norwegians weren't too happy and proclaimed Christian Frederik, a relative of the Danish king, as King of Norway. This resulted in a war with Sweden which Norway lost. Norway stayed in the personal union until 1905 when the independence movement gained so much momentum that they could force the dissolution of the union."
] |
[
"Are you asking about the Empire (16th century to later 20th) or just about the relations of wars and the Empire. I am a bit confused to exactly what you are asking."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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Different names for WW2?
|
[
"Well, different regions define the war differently, giving not only different names but also different dates for the war. This makes it hard to say what's a name for WWII itself, and what's just a name for a subset or superset of it. World War II is generally defined (at least in the U.S.) as running from 1939, when Germany invaded Poland, to 1945, when Japan surrendered. The Great Patriotic War you mentioned covers only the Eastern Front in Europe, a subset of World War II from 1941 to 1945. The Chinese refer to a \"War of Resistance Against Japan\", which Japan refers to as the Japan-China War, which ran from 1937 to 1945. Official North Korean history, of course, defines the entire conflict in terms of Korea's resistance to Japan. An Ethiopian perspective might say indicate that the war started with Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1935. So it's not just the names for the conflict that vary; the understanding of the war in general can be quite different in different regions."
] |
[
"You mean in the D & D sense?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Democrats say that FDR got the US out of the Great Depression. Republicans say it was WWII. Who is correct?
|
[
"I've heard this but I don't really understand the premise. What was WWII but an enormous amount of government borrowing and spending, like the New Deal on steroids? The CCC hired men to build parks while the Army hired men to kill Germans. When the government orders millions of tanks and warplanes, which in economic terms might as well have been dumped in the ocean right off the assembly line, how is that *not* a stimulus package? I just don't get it."
] |
[
"Herbert Hoover. Tried to get businesses to take the lead in fixing the economy, and when that didn't work he started getting the government involved. He was defeated by a small government candidate who then ballooned the size of the US government. Not a great President, but he gets a really horrible rap that he doesn't really deserve."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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How did John Milton survive the Restoration in 1660, and was allowed to have his works published?
|
[
"I'm on mobile so I apologize for no sources and the brevity. The short of it is, despite his radically anti-monarchical views, he had friends in Parliament--including Andrew Marvell--that vouched for him and convinced Charles II not to execute him. While Milton's works were burned and suppressed under Charles II, they were not expunged from history of course. After the Restoration, Milton still wrote, but his works were far less radical. TL;DR He had friends in high places."
] |
[
"Quick example answer: In the mid seventeenth century it was a relatively common assertion, at least among his political enemies, that Charles I of England had arranged the fatal poisoning of his father, James VI/I, when all official records indicated otherwise."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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Why are towns built in valleys and not the hills surrounding them
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[
"Building on top of hills presents far more challenges so most people will only do it if there is a specific reason to (defence and flood protection being two). Having fresh water nearby is also a great advantage for settlements. Pre mains water you'd want to be in close proximity for all your cooking, drinking, cleaning, irrigation, transport and sewage needs."
] |
[
"Sea level rise will cause more damage on coastlines with very flat land that slopes gradually to the sea: there, rising water will cover more area. In the US, the East Coast has lots of flat land, while the west coast is mostly steep shorelines except in places like San Francisco Bay. South America is also steep on the west coast, flat on the east. In other parts of the world, it doesn't work that way. In Africa, the flattest shorelines are near the Nile and Congo river mouths on the north and west sides respectively. In Europe, the North Sea coast is at greater risk then the southern Mediterranean shore.... there's no general pattern."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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}
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Were Spartan hoplites really the elite killing machines history has led us to believe?
|
[
"Peter Connolly does a good job of explaining this in his book, *Greece and Rome at War.* The Spartan males were taken from home at the age of seven and from then on all they did was train for the military. Sparta's army was so fearsome that the city itself was not fortified with walls as, Lycurgus the Lawgiver of Sparta said, [\"A city is well-fortified which has a wall of men instead of brick.\"](_URL_5_) Indeed, because Spartan men were full time soldiers, they did not perform manual labor; the slaves, Helots, did that for them to support the Spartan economy and its soldiers. (Cartledge, Paul (2002), Sparta and Lakonia: A Regional History 1300 to 362 BC)"
] |
[
"A soldier might have been, but probably not your average citizen. Ancient art tended to portray the ideals of their society, the same way we Photoshop a celebrity today. For example (and I'm not kidding about this), there's a difference in dick size between Greek and Roman statues due to their respective views on masculinity."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
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"Got in a little hometown jam, so they put a rifle in my hand." Who fought in Vietnam due to trouble with the law?
|
[
"I previously answered a question very similar to this one [here](_URL_0_), but I’ll paste it below."
] |
[
"If you need to explain to your husband that you've been off sleeping with NBA All Star Team I can help you out, or that you've sold off a kid on the chinese black market...I'm your man. Need to break the news that you've mortgaged the house to support your heroin addiction? I'm there for you. But this? No way. Can't get in the middle of this one. I'm on team husband here."
] |
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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What is the history of salad?
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[
"The name salad stems from the Latin word for salted. Romans used to flavour their green vegetables with something that from a modern point of view resembles a salty oil and vinegar dressing (or simply brine). A citation from Cato's *De agricultura*: \"If you want your cabbage chopped, washed, dried, sprinkled with salt or vinegar, there is nothing healthier. To enjoy it more, sprinkle with honey vinegar. Washed and dried, with chopped rue and coriander and sprinkled with salt. \""
] |
[
"What do you mean by downfall? This is still a dominant part of current culture."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
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Why is the Arab slave trade left out of textbooks and not thought in American schools?
|
[
"I don't think much Arab history is taught in American schools period. Not even the rise of Mohamed. Not even the Islamic reign in Spain, even though the Middle Ages is usually roughly covered. Although important, the Arab slave trade is relatively obscure compared to the vast arena of topics that could be but aren't covered in US history courses."
] |
[
"Britain is famous to Americans because America was founded by former British subjects. American schools tend to only really teach history that is relevant to America, even world history. Our founding fathers based a lot of their principles on Greek and Roman principles, so we learn about ancient Greece and Rome more so than, say, ancient China or India. Same applies to Britain- most people in the United States were British when it was founded, so we focus on learning more about Britain than other European countries. This is how it was when I was in primary and secondary school. My wife is a social studies teacher and says it's changing to include a more balanced curriculum, which is awesome. Go watch Crash Course World History on YouTube if you really want a brief history of everything. Shout out to John and Hank Green!"
] |
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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In the arms build up to World War 1, how did the German Empire know how many ships the British Royal Navy had?
|
[
"There are 2 famous almanac about warships: Jane's Fighting Ships was published annually since 1898. It was the headstone of nowadays Jane's: _URL_1_ Combat Fleets of the World was published since 1897: _URL_0_ So it was pretty easy to get all the required data. I am no expert on strategies of the Navy, but bragging about the size of your ships and their fighting power as some kind of show of force can also be used to pacify potential enemies, so the technical data was usually not considered to be top secret."
] |
[
"Mainly because the Soviets took control of Poland and there was very little the US could do without starting another war."
] |
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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When the Mormons got to Salt Lake, were they disappointed that the water was undrinkable?
|
[
"Fremont explored the areas around the Great Salt Lake four years before the Mormons arrived. Mormon leadership at least knew what was there and that fresh water was available from streams entering the lake."
] |
[
"They put out a program on the mound builders about 15 years ago which hinted that they might have been built by immigrants from the Old World. The program was sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Just about lobbed my remote at the screen."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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In Full Metal Jacket (1987) the Marine cadets seem to alternate using "Sir, yes, sir." and "Sir, aye aye, sir." in their responses to the drill sergeant. What's the rules for using one vs. the other. Is/was there a convention during the Vietnam era or otherwise?
|
[
"The convention continues, at least among the Marines I've known, but I am Army myself. \"Yes sir\" is used when answering a direct question. \"Aye/aye aye\" is used to acknowledge you have heard a command. For example: Lieutenant Butter Bar: Private, did you submit your leave form? Private Snuffy: Yes, sir. Vs. Lieutenant Butter Bar: Private, go to the motor pool and check the trucks. Private Snuffy: Aye, sir. \"Yes sir\" can also be used to acknowledge you've heard orders just like aye, but aye doesn't fit in the reverse. Also, once marine recruits are out of boot camp, they cease calling non-commissioned officers \"sir\", and instead refer to them by their full rank, ie \"Aye, Staff Sergeant\" as in the military only officers and warrant officers are called sir. Marine recruits call their NCO instructors \"sir\" because they are not yet considered Marines and have not yet earned the right to refer to Marine NCOs as such. Once they finish boot camp, they are recognized as Marines."
] |
[
"The rank of Major General is a shortened title. Historically it was Sergeant-Major General. Somewhere along the way in the 18th century, the sergeant part of the name was dropped. It could easily have been the major part that was dropped and that would have made more sense. Sergeant-Major means \"sergeant-leader\" or \"greater sergeant\" and is an enlisted rank, greater than a sergeant but junior to a Lieutenant. As the Major-General rank is named after the enlisted rank of Sergeant-Major and not the commissioned rank of Major, it is the most junior of General ranks. So next time, think \"Sergeant General\" instead and it will make more sense. Edit: a word as I can't grammar today"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
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Announcing Best of February Winners
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[
"Many thanks, fellow flairs! And congratulations to /u/mythoplokos and /u/weinerdog73 :)."
] |
[
"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 query about Announcements:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Announcements:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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Why are sailors so superstitious?
|
[
"Great answer - of course- by the ever-brilliant u/Elphinstone1842 . There are a few basics about folklore that can be mentioned to frame this issue/question: 1. Everyone has folklore. This includes occupational groups. 2. It is always easier to recognize someone else's folklore than it is one's own. 3. Because of #2, it can seem that \"other people\" are silly and superstitious while what I believe and the things I do are simply \"normal.\" Sailors are no more superstitious than other people and occupational groups (consider miners, people who work in theaters, or hospital workers!). Because sailors are members of a distinct group that arrived in all sorts of ports, their \"strange ways and beliefs\" were easily on display for \"normal people\" to see. This created a bit of folklore about how sailors have a lot of folklore."
] |
[
"You don't, unless you're superstitious. They're full of hot air."
] |
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 were those braces called that women in the Victoria era wore that made their butts protrude?
|
[
"You are speaking about bustles. _URL_0_ And yes, bustles were about fashion, and evolved from the 18th century panniers, into large hoop skirts and then into the frames that were worn behind. _URL_1_ Primarily, this type of enhancement was to make the waist look smaller. A large dress below the hip can make a waist look very small indeed."
] |
[
"For reasons of fashion and materials, bras were pointier. Breasts were not. The tips of the bras tended to be empty and crushed. You can often see crush marks if you look at old nonprofessional pictures. It was embarrassing. We stuffed kleenex in the tips to compensate. Source: developed breasts in late 1950s."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
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Was there any connection between the various groups labeled "Hun", Atilla's Huns, The White & Red Huns, the Hūṇa of India, Xionites, and various other groups with similar names?
|
[
"To add to the question: What about the xiongnu? Where they related to the Huns?"
] |
[
"Very true regarding Germany which we in English named after the tribe called the \"Germannen\". They named themselves after the tribe called the \"Teutsch\". The French named them after the tribe called the \"Allemannen\". The Romans named them after the \"Tudesci\". And so on. Im guessing some other groups had less flattering names for them, like \"those war starting bastards across the river\"."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
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Saturday Reading and Research | February 03, 2018
|
[
"Research this week involved digging through musty old pulp fanzines for information on Virginia \"Nanek\" Anderson - who, despite living in a remote Wisconsin town during the Great Depression managed to correspond with some of the great pulp writers of the 40s. She's also one of the first female poets of the Cthulhu Mythos. More in my blog post [\"Shadow Over Innsmouth\" (1942) by Virginia Anderson and \"The Woods of Averoigne\" (1934) by Grace Stillwell](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"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
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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Did Sohei (warrior monks) from Japan really look like how they do in fantasy images and such; wearing white clothes with black leather armor?
|
[
"According to *Japanese Warrior Monks AD 949-1603* by Stephen Turnbull, yes, this picture you show seems to be pretty accurate, although in that book the warrior monks don't cover their mouth with the white veil. For more details I refer you to [this](_URL_0_) article, which details the dress of monks and warrior monks at the time. The result looks like [this](_URL_1_)."
] |
[
"Related question: where did leather studs get associated with medieval times? GOT actually avoids this, but B and C level movies set in medieval times everybody and their hut mate seems to be wearing leather studs as part of their leather armor."
] |
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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Was Germany's WW2 jet aircraft program doomed from start? I heard it somewhere that they never would be able to acquire heat-resistant Metals during the war (to build the engines
|
[
"Not to take away from your question, but these previous questions can provide some more insight into the jet aircraft plans at the end of the second world war: * [Mistakes of the Luftwaffe command during WWII](_URL_1_), where /u/Domini_canes states \"Germany not only was out-produced in pure numbers, but they were also out-produced relative to their industrial potential.\" * [Why did Hitler ban any notion of a fighter jet being placed in mass production until the close of WW2?](_URL_2_), /u/kieslowskifan says \"The 262 program ... was beset by technical issues which were compounded by Germany's shortages of strategic materials.\" * [How good was the ME-262 really?](_URL_0_), /u/buy_a_pork_bun gives a different view: \"Oddly enough, the Germans did actually produce a sizeable amount, approximately 1400 262s.\""
] |
[
"Germany did make some inroads into advanced anti-tank guns, most notably with their squeeze-bore anti tank guns like the [Pak 41](_URL_0_). These gave excellent penetration but they needed tungsten-carbide shot to be effective. Tungsten-Carbide is also needed for machine tools to make weapons. As Germany had limited supplies of Tungsten Carbide she had to decide between throwing this scarce material at enemy tanks or using it to make machine tools. Machine tools were quite rightly decided to be the best use and the squeeze bore guns were withdrawn from service."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
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Homosexual Rights and the Brownshirts/Sturmabteilung (honest question, not an attempt to discredit gay rights movements)
|
[
"The SA was certainly not founded to agitate for gay rights, but many leading figures of the SA were in fact homosexual. This was known by Hitler and didn't seem to bother him much until he made it public after the [\"Röhm Putsch\"](_URL_0_) (*Night of the Long Knives*) to discredit the SA and its leader, Ernst Röhm. I looked into this a bit and found that Röhm seems to have been member of another organisation (*Deutsche Liga für Menschenrechte*) that fought for human rights, which included trying to abolish Paragraph 175 that made sex between males a crime. But even though he was the leader of the SA, he did not use or intend the SA for fighting for \"gay rights\". The SA grew out of the German army in WWI and the *Freikorps* after the war. It served as paramilitary support for Hitler's NSDAP, especially in street fights and the beer hall Putsch."
] |
[
"I have a further question: Why are a lot of people angry about Trump's bombing of Syria? Even my pro-Trump friends says this is crossing the line. What is so bad about this? Didn't we drone the shit out of the middle east under Obama? I am not trying to provoke a pro-trump/anti-trump shitshow, i just want a neutral political science-professor esque explanation of views of both conservatives and liberals on the matter."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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Was the lower class worker in Europe more empowered after the black plague?
|
[
"Yes, and the economic reasoning behind this is as follows: The plague wiped out a large proportion of the population. This made labor more scarce while the amount of capital (read land and animals) remained roughly the same. You need both capital and labor to produce (called complementaries in economics) and the relative abundance of each determines their price, or in the case of a laborer, how much they are paid. TLDR: same amount of land, fewer people to work it, those people ask more money. There will be historians here who can probably provide actual evidence of higher wages. You are also likely to see political shifts as a consequence of this, so peasant's rights and the like for example, but I'll leave that to a specialist."
] |
[
"Look at where it comes from not it's meaning today. Land of the free originates from around the 1810's in the song Star-Spangled banner after overthrown the rule of the British and forming their own country. At that point in time Belgium was under the rule of the first French Empire which was an absolute monarchy ran by Napoleon I. Conscription was forced on Belgium, Catholics were repressed and the economy was in ruin. There was an attempt to rebel against this(Peasants' War of 1798) but it was crushed and the leaders executed. Compare the state of both countries at the time and the USA was pretty damn free compared to Belgium."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Can anyone provide more info about this sword, possibly from the War of 1812?
|
[
"The helmet and sword appear to be the West Point coat of arms seen here: _URL_0_"
] |
[
"That is a WWI era Yugoslavian/Serbian officers cockade cap badge. I believe they are pretty rare. Usually those pins had blue in the center and red on the outside. It is from the Yugoslavian \"Kingdom era\" 1918-1939 Hope that answered some questions. Edit to add example: _URL_0_ Just a little way down the page youll see the same badge and description."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
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In one of the Downton Abbey Christmas episodes the "up stairs" characters make reference to a seasonal tradition where they reverse roles and sever the servants. Is that based on anything that actually existed?
|
[
"Yes, the Roman holiday of Saturnalia was a feasting period during which slaves and masters swapped some social norms. For example some literature indicates that slaves might have eaten before their masters during Saturnalia, and slaves and citizens would both wear a hat that usually designated one as a freeman. Saturnalia is marked by * general relaxation of societal strictures * moderate indulgence * satire made of traditional roles (Priest, Princeps, master, slave) Saturnalia also had parallels, possibly influence, with the late Medieval Feast of Fools as well. During the Feast of Fools roles would again be parodied. I don't watch Downton Abbey so I can't say whether they're referring to Saturnalia, the Feast of Fools, or another similar holiday but they are variants of a similar theme."
] |
[
"While I do not know if receiving guests at 4 AM hour was normal, I do know that before the introduction of electricity and artificial lighting it was common for people, especially in medieval times, to have two distinct sleeping periods and wake up in the middle of the night for a while. It was common during this period to eat, do housework, visit the neighbors, etc. I also imagine that due to the hospitality customs of the time, no matter when a guest arrived he was treated with courtesy."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
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Japanese historians, what are your go-to works or monographs for the Modern Period (i.e. ~1867 through 1945)?
|
[
"Marius B. Jansen, \"The Making of Modern Japan\". Although he takes a larger time frame (since the ascendance of the Tokugawa after the battle of Sekigahara in 1600), it goes through a lot of different aspects of japanese history, culture, religion and social life, ending with the events after the defeat of Japan in the Second World War. I highly recommend it. I must say that I'm not a historian, but have a profound interest in the history of Japan and japanese culture as a whole. Maybe others can corroborate the value of Jansen's work."
] |
[
"For a general overview of modern Chinese history I personally liked The search for modern China by Spence, it covers Chinese history in a fairly well from 1800-1990."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
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[Meta] Do we do AMA requests?
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[
"Typically the Moderators handle AMA's from guests. Although sometimes Flairs also handle AMA guests. I know we were taking suggestions, and I will pass these along. The big obstacle is the guests themselves, and their time schedules and willingness. We love to have these as part of the subreddit, and have had really successful ones in the past!"
] |
[
"The mods have made this the official thread for the topic. Please post related questions here to avoid flooding ELI5 with very similar questions. Thanks!"
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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What was the difference between European involvement in Africa and in China, and why does China seemed to have 'recovered' so much better?
|
[
"Probably because the Chinese had a unified state prior s.European involvement. Also, Europeans did not directly rule mainland China for the most part despite the concessionary areas the Chinese government ceded to various European countries. Also, African countries lack the necessary mechanisms that would allow their institutions to create economic growth - due the extractive nature of most African economies. Though China does have many problems with its new found prosperity, it is certainly doing much better than Africa. Final note, Africa is a continent. China is a country. It's hard *not* to generalize about Africa in the way you've framed it."
] |
[
"At the time, they were rather racist themselves, to other Asians. They treated European prisoners *comparatively* well, as opposed to Chinese, Koreans, etc. Also, to add to /u/idm03's thoughtful answer, Japan's \"Asia For The Asians\" motto was very attractive to Germany, as well as Japan, as colonial Allied powers drew much wealth and resources from the East. There was a very clear understanding, remove Japan's colonial competition in Asia and it would be a win-win for both sides."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
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To what extent were populism and narratives of liberation important in colonialist ideology?
|
[
"interesting question. I study race relations in the U.S., colonialism and the Congo at the turn of the 19th century. could you expand on what you mean by ideas of \"popular liberation\". there are some examples I think would fit but not sure because I am not familiar with \"popular liberation\"."
] |
[
"Colonialism, dictatorship, ethnic conflict, corrupt governments, capitalist exploitation, take your pick."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
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What Are Your Favorite Historical Quantitative Data Sets?
|
[
"You will find an enormous supply of data about historical government finance, taxation etc in [The European State Finance Database](_URL_3_)"
] |
[
"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 post:",
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What was the state of the Soviet and American war machines in 1945.
|
[
"The British commissioned a study, [Operation Unthinkable](_URL_0_), which worked out two possible scenarios: 1) The Western Allies launch a surprise attack on the Soviets 2) The Soviets launch a surprise attack on the Western Allies The results of both were the same: Soviet numerical advantage would completely overrun the lines. Particularly so in light of American forces being redirected for the planned invasion of Japan."
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
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When the USMC adopted leather neck guards was this an unusual practice? What caused them to drop it?
|
[
"In the late 18th and early-mid 19th centuries, leather neck stocks were a fairly common item of uniform, at least in British infantry units. So the Marine's adoption of leather stocks was as much a nod to contemporary military fashions as it was to anything else. Officers also thought the neckpieces made Marines have a more military bearing and that they offered some protection from neck injuries. As military fashions changed in the mid-late 19th century, the stocks were quietly dropped. Neck stocks were discontinued as part of the Marine uniform in the 1870s. There's a rumor circulating that leather neckwear was temporarily reissued during the Philippine Insurrection to provide protection from the Bolo knives and machetes, although I've yet to see concrete evidence to back this claim."
] |
[
"Can't help much, but I'd say this photo was taken in about 1938. The helmets are still surplus First World War issue, and the pouches are leather and the tunics appear to be wool: heavy and dark. These items would soon be replaced by newer and/or cheaper items. The machine gun appears to be an MG34. These were in short supply as the Wehrmacht re-armed which makes it more likely this photo was taken close to World War II. The boots are really interesting: lace-up but calf-height like a characteristic Nazi jackboot. Possibly an expert on Wehrmacht uniforms can enlighten us. Sad to think that every one of those guys was probably to be dead within a short few years."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about history:"
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What was the most recent time a leader has requested or been delivered the severed head of an enemy?
|
[
"I do not know if there might be more recent examples, but Idi Amin was reported to have [kept the severed heads of political opponents in his refrigerator](_URL_1_). This would have been before he was deposed in 1978, so call it 1971-1978. Note that there were plenty of rumors about his behavior, [some of which may well have been cultivated by Amin himself](_URL_0_). I have often seen allegations of cannibalism addressed as \"rumors,\" and usually see accounts of severed heads prefaced with \"there are reports.\" So, although his reign was undeniably brutal, one should take the more sensational claims with a grain of salt. EDIT: Wordsmithing."
] |
[
"Kinda related question: What are the first records of a last meal being offered to those about to be executed?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
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What do we really know about the Хүннү (Xiongnu) Empire?
|
[
"It is really a ridiculous claim by the Mongol nation. Mongol identity was forged in steppe memory through the conquests of Ghenghis Khan and his followers. Certainly the Mongols can claim some ethnic unity that stretches back further than the 12th century, but to the Xiongnu? There is no consensus for who the Xiongnu leadership were, ethnically. Steppe ethnicity and identity is too difficult to pin down with the lack of documentary or archeological evidence. The Chinese writings don't give us enough of a clue to have a strong idea. Were they turkic? Mongol? other? Who knows? The reason we know the specific linguistic-ethnic identity of later steppe groups is that, starting with the Liao (Khitan) - they developed writing systems (based on chinese) - this allows for some clear cut evidence of ethnicity (at least through language study)."
] |
[
"Can't say anything about other languages, but in Russian, most masculine words end on consonant, and feminine and neuter words - on vowel. New words, like brand names and technical terms are assigned gender based on this simple rule as well as consideration of what sounds right. For example, Google, Twitter, Microsoft and most other brand names are masculine (or, sometimes, plural without gender). SMS message (СМСка), photo (фотография/фотка), notification (нотификация/нотификашка) - feminine."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Is there any evidence to suggest that any of the Native-American tribes had intentions to explore or travel beyond America?
|
[
"Hi, John Herrington is Chickasaw and flew into *space* in 2002. Can you please specify a particular era you're interested in? Thanks!"
] |
[
"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
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
}
|
Book recommendations on the development of Cherokee writing?
|
[
"Ellen Cushman's *The Cherokee Syllabary: Writing the People's Perseverance* gives a good overview. On addition do providing historical context ant description of the scripts use into the 20th century, it also provides some analysis from a linguistic perspective. Cushman has done a lot on the script, and you can find [a number of her other writings](_URL_0_) on her site. This is my main recommendation. If you want more of a biography of the creator, there's April Summitt's *Sequoyah and the Invention of the Cherokee Alphabet*, which is also reasonable though I haven't spent as much time looking at it."
] |
[
"Welcome to the one of the strongest arguments against the prohibition of firearms."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
|
Courtroom Sketches - How did they start, where and why?
|
[
"They're still around because most courtrooms still forbid the use of electronic devices, including cameras. This is considered part of courtroom decorum."
] |
[
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
}
|
Can someone help me identify this button?
|
[
"I appreciate the honesty, but [metal detecting is illegal in Ireland, and may get you a fine of €60k or 3 months of jail.](_URL_0_) There is also a similar law for Northern Ireland, so the English PAS does not apply there."
] |
[
"I dont exactly know what your talking about do you have a photo of a reference of this ?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
|
I found this button the other day. Can someone tell me who this man is?
|
[
"It's almost certainly Simon Bolivar, as confirmed by a GIS: _URL_0_"
] |
[
"Could you post where that quote came from? Thanks"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
}
|
Were Spanish sailors really shorter than average?
|
[
"This sounds like a pretty classic urban legend, and I'd be fairly skeptical of it. *Caveat lector*, I am not a historian of the Spanish navy, but as far as I know Spain (like most powers) had terrible manning problems for its fleet throughout most of the 18th and 19th century. They weren't really in a position to pick and choose potential sailors based on height. Do you have a particular source for where you've heard that, or is it more of an \"around town\" sort of thing?"
] |
[
"If I may ask a related question, how were those Conquistadors treated back home? Were they hailed as heroes and adventurers, or were they seen along the lines of soldiers and sailors? I am hoping to get a general sense of how they were seen in Spain."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about History:"
}
|
My great-granduncle as part of the Bavarian Army in France, WW1. Is that Hitler on the photo?
|
[
"There is a resemblance there, I'll grant you that. When looking at the picture the first time, I also picked out the same person as the suspected Adolf. But, I don't actually think it's him. For one thing, Hitler had a much more pronounced brow than the man in the photograph. But that might also be the lighting. Unfortunately, the only way you're ever going to find out with any degree of certainty is to determine what units your great-granduncle served in. Hitler's [wartime record](_URL_0_) is relatively easy to look up, so that's not going to be the hard part. I would suggest going and getting that information - your great-granduncle's war service records - and then come back to us."
] |
[
"Knowing that he is (possibly Bavarian) from Munich, he maybe been in the 1st Bavarian Corps likely the 1st Royal Bavarian Division which was located in Munich. I cannot really figure out which unit this was, but I can get some clue from the first picture, which is an inspection of an infantry division by Kaiser Wilhelm II along with Crown Prince Wilhelm and the staff, but I’m not sure if that soldier is part of the unit of his. Are you able to clarify more details, such as medals, rank or anything else?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about history:"
}
|
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