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When and why did England and America become 'friends' again after America's independence?
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[
"You may be interested in the '[Anglo-American Relations](_URL_0_)' section of our Popular Questions pages, as found in our sidebar."
] |
[
"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:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
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"Unlike many Latin American countries, Mexico has never suffered a coup." What has made Mexico so different?
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[
"Wasn't the overthrow of Madero by Huerta in the early part of the 20th century a coup?"
] |
[
"Saudi, Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai all have this thing called \"a functional political system\". By comparison Sudan is basically a war-zone. It turns out that economic success is HEAVILY tied to a functional political system."
] |
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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Did they have ads as we know them centuries ago?
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[
"Follow up question/example: When I was at Herculaneum, which in the famous eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD was destroyed and preserved, I remember seeing adverts as you describe. I remember it was an advert in big red script outside of a street cafe or bakery of some sort. This might be a good example to use if someone could provide further context of what and how it was advertising the sponsor."
] |
[
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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Found a M1 Helmet near Obersalzberg area...
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[
"A fairly good short account of the capture and early occupation of Berchtesgaden [was written up here](_URL_0_) by John McManus, a well regarded military historian. The relevant quote is: > Thus, as the war ended and the 101st Airborne Division occupied Berchtesgaden and its environs, the mistaken notion that they had bagged this great prize took hold. Thousands of tourists from the Allied armies visited Berchtesgaden that summer. Since the paratroopers were there, most of the visitors assumed that they had taken the place. The Screaming Eagles had the time and opportunity to pick the town clean of prime souvenirs... Which means to me, that the helmet could basically belong to anyone, since the area was visited by numerous units during the occupation and could well belong to any unit using a U.S. pattern helmet which included many French units known to be in the area."
] |
[
"Something About an apple or fruit.. Source: book i found in the drawer at a hotel."
] |
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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r/askhistorians, what would be, in your opinion, the most important thing we could learn/recover/rediscover about the past?
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[
"Speaking personally, a peasant diary- or even better, a series of peasant diaries for a family that rose from serfdom circa 1050 to almost yeomanry by the time of the black death. That would be absolute gold- everything we know about how these people thought is guessed at with the aid of bits and pieces of monastic chronicle and estate records. To know what they actually thought and how they farmed would be amazing."
] |
[
"But if Civilization gets slaughtered or decimated by illness who are they going to tell their history? Our knowledge of history is based mainly on documents. If we don't have them or can't decipher them (as was long the case with hieroglyphics) we won't know much. Also do WE document our history for future civilizations? Probably not that well."
] |
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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I'm confused as to how Eratosthenes was able to calculate the circumference of the Earth
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[
"Regarding your first point, Eratosthenes never used or heard of miles. The [mathematics](_URL_0_) of his experiment carry the unit through to the end result so he could have used any measurement he wanted. Potential candidates include Wagon-Wheel Diameter, Bunny-foot length, or his least favorite cousin's armlength. He probably used a unit called the Stadion, but modern modern authors simply converted his end result to Miles for the modern retelling. Regarding the second point, his mathematics would work perfectly if the sun's light was collimated and the Earth was a sphere. Neither of these things are true in reality, but they just happen to be *approximately* accurate, which is why his result was so close."
] |
[
"The claim that he discovered North America is a bit of a lie considering people have lived in North America for thousands of years. There's also the often repeated claim that he proved the world was round in a time when everyone believed it was flat which is wrong because the Ancient Greeks measured the circumference using nothing but sticks in 2 different locations and measuring the difference in shadow length at high noon."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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Were there any colonial sympathizers in Britain during the 18th century?
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[
"Yes! For example, [Charles James Fox](_URL_0_), who eventually became the Foreign Affairs secretary, publicly held some pretty radical sympathetic opinions during the Revolution."
] |
[
"A related question were there public figures at the time who were apologists that tried to justify for the actions of the Japanese military at Pearl Harbor?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
}
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Is it true that Genghis Khan lowered the global temperature? And if so, how much was it estimated to have dropped?
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[
"No. He was an impressive figure, but I think Milankovitch Cycles are beyond even him. This is a pretty classic case of correlation not equaling causation. His rise was towards the tail end of the Medieval War Period, and some have posited that the aggression of central Asian nomadic groups during that period was as a result of this. So basically, blaming Genghis Khan on the end of the Medieval Warm Period is a bit like blaming house fires on firemen."
] |
[
"Absolutely false. The scientific consensus is that the sea level will rise a bit, and the planet could warm as much as 3.5 degrees or perhaps much less."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
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When did people realize that inbreeding was a terrible idea.
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[
"It was never an acceptable thing to do. Our brains have evolved to instinctively find incest repulsive because it has such a terrible effect on fitness. One or two historical societies seem to have overcome that natural aversion because of strong cultural forces encouraging incest (like in Ptolemaic Egypt). But the vast majority of known cultures elaborated on it by adding cultural taboos, codifying it into laws, and coming up with justifications for its existence. One of which is the Western, biomedical argument that inbreeding is terrible for the health of future generations (which not-coincidentally aligns with why it evolved in the first place). I wrote a longer answer a while ago in a [previous thread you might find interesting](_URL_0_)."
] |
[
"It's just as much of a problem for animals as it is for humans. Meaning: it's not a problem at all. This is a myth."
] |
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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Saturday Reading and Research | July 12, 2014
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[
"Any advices for someone looking for English books on the history of Sweden around the XVI - early XVIII century? Books on the subject seem to be harder than I expected to come by and I appreciate all the help I can get. What I could find so far: - Michael Robert's bibliography; - Oskar Garstein's *Rome and The Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia* series; - Peter Englund's *Poltava: The Battle that shook Europe* (why are his other books on the subject not translated in English goddammit); - Paul Barron Watson's *The Swedish Revolution under Gustavus Vasa* (yes, I know this is *a bit* old, but hey, I'll take whatever I can find)."
] |
[
"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 query about News:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about News:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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In the Shogun miniseries, Lady Mariko says that a maid visiting a man in the night is of no importance. What would the consequences of a pregnancy caused by such an encounter be if any, and was this a common occurrence?
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[
"Illegitimate children weren't uncommon until about the westernizing Meiji period (late 1800's). Extra-marital pregnancies by high-status individuals could either result in what were known as \"branch families\" (excluded from any kind of inheritance but could serve some other purpose) or those around him would cover it up one way or another to save face. It depended on the situation. Like other cultures, you could also find instances of men marrying for political reasons, and keeping a concubine (or a few) for love/sexual/whathaveyou reasons. What Mariko seems to be referring to is that in Japan, what people do in their own time is of no importance to anyone else. So long as there are minimal effects on those around you, the general attitude towards \"hobbies\" (as they call everything private) is more tolerant than in western culture. \"San\" is an honorific suffix, sort of like \"Mr/Ms/Mrs,\" except it never fell out of fashion like it did in English. So it's a perfectly fine use of the word."
] |
[
"It's a hold over from the past when marriages were prearranged with a contract and sometimes previous betrothals could be a legal impediment. That line means if you know of any legal impediment like a previous contract or secret marriage/consummation this is your last chance to bring it to light. This isn't an issue now. If you spoke up now you'd probably just piss everyone off."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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The Saga of Irish versus African American Slavery on reddit and conquest and colonialism .
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[
"I'm going to remove this question under the category of your soapboxing. This is not \"DebateHistorians\" or \"LectureHistoriansOnMyView.\" When a poster requested more information, you dodged the question, trying to push your view twice in a row. Once, I was willing to deal with it due to the answer that was given to you being extremely high quality. Your posts and headline are all extremely inflammatory, in an attempt to garner more attention. That's including the fact that you x-posted this with the title \"This is me trying to get the skinny.\" Unfortunately, that's not what /r/AskHistorians is about. [Please check out our rules in the sidebar for more information.](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"British Empire -- > Post-WW2 / Cold War America -- > British and American pop culture -- > Silicon Valley."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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Germany fired two million shells in just the first week during the Battle of Verdun. What was the price of an individual shell?
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[
"As a follow-up, I've seen it claimed that a hundred artillery shells were fired for every combat fatality in WWI. This seems to be roughly accurate (if not an *under*estimate) by order of magnitude given readily-available numbers (e.g. Britain was producing roughly 50 million shells a year by 1917 and lost about 700,000 men throughout the four-year war) but I was wondering if there was a generally good source or sources on the shell production numbers of the various combatants (which might also include the cost information that would answer OP's question)."
] |
[
"The Germans were at the height of their power in the beginning months of 1918 - however threw it all away on wasteful offensives which bled them dry by the summer of that year. By the end of summer it was all over when fresh reinforcements from America and Canada were pouring in. I did a paper on the food crisis in Germany at the time, and there was no shortage of food. The trouble was shipping it to places it needed to be - which left hundreds of thousands of people starving. Both sides were equally guilty of silly charges and tactics which got many people killed - in the end Germany could afford the losses the least. edit. So, did they ever have a chance? I suppose - had they not threw everything away in those failed advances in 1918 then they could have bled the others out and they would have had a better chance."
] |
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Did the Roman Empire ever use propaganda? If so, how was it displayed/what would typically be featured?
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[
"No, not in the sense that we think of it. Propaganda is fundamentally only possible with the sort of industrial production techniques available to modern states--a pre-industrial society quite simply lacks the social penetration that a modern state is capable of. This is not to say that the Roman Empire did not have *imagery*. Certainty, portraiture of, say, Augustus was carefully crafted and filled with political and social significance. The vast majority of these were not contracted by the state, however. Coins were also a way of communicating particular ideas, such as victory in battle or notable justice. But none of these amounted to the sort of flyers and propaganda posters you might see with a WWII era state, Rome simply lacked the reach and productive capability. The classic text on this is Paul Zanker's *The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus*."
] |
[
"I've always been fascinated by the wide variety of \"Fall of Rome\" arguments and how they're affected by historical perspective. I was wondering: **Does your historical specialty advocate a certain theory for the fall of the Roman Empire? or what's a unique argument for the fall of the Roman Empire that you've come across in your research?**"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about History:",
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Leon Trotsky. *Why* did he do what he did?
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[
"Leon Trotsky was Jewish and born in Russia's [Jewish Pale](_URL_2_). Late Imperial Russia was emphatically not a good place to be Jewish. Violence, pogroms, and state sponsored violence drove millions of Jews to emigrate from Russia. The state discriminated against Jews pervasively, setting quotas limiting their numbers in high schools and universities and even restricting their numbers in professions like law and medicine. Leon Trotsky was not a Marxist because he was Jewish. I want to make clear my antipathy for the anti-semitic slander that has alleged a special connection between Jews and Marxism since Trotsky's own lifetime. There is an explanation of his personal intellectual development that /u/MyShitsFuckedDown has ably explained. But I want to strongly push back against your assumption that Trotsky was not especially disenfranchised; *all Jews in Imperial Russia were especially disenfranchised.*"
] |
[
"Who says they did, and who says they didn't?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
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What changes have there been to British soldiers and seamen's rations over time?
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[
"It might be useful if you could specify the time period you're looking for. From Elizabethan times to now, for example, or from Nelson's time to the Victorian Navy, then the question will be easier to answer."
] |
[
"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 title:",
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How often was "The Plank" a mode of punishment during the heyday of Piracy?
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[
"\"Walking the Plank\" is a largely Hollywood invention, as a matter of fact. There is only one mention of the practice from the period, and that is in Francis Grose's [Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue](_URL_1_), which itself was not published until 1785, long after the Golden Age of Piracy. More common was [keelhauling.](_URL_0_) Originally devised by Dutch sailors, the offender was tied with a weighted line to the ship while it was in motion, and then tossed under the hull where they would be dragged across the keel of the ship, which was covered in sharp barnacles. This could result in serious injuries, including losing limbs and decapitation."
] |
[
"A related question were there public figures at the time who were apologists that tried to justify for the actions of the Japanese military at Pearl Harbor?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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Courage in battle, ancient to modern
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[
"John Keegan examined these questions in some of his works. One of the arguments for this is that in more ancient battles you had to come face to face with the person who is possibly going to kill you. You get to see the spear in their hand, or the sword, etc. It becomes very personal. The idea that the weapon in their hand could kill you is very concrete. The other guy is probably having the same thoughts. More time is devoted to protecting yourself rather than actively trying to kill the other guy. With more modern warfare most fighting isn't up close and personal. You don't have a machine gun shoved in your face as 20th century warfare usually took place over a few hundred metres and so the idea of a weapon killing you is more abstract. Chances are you won't even see the weapon that kills you. Death doesn't seem as immediately possible. With this false sense of safety those armed with firearms are more willing to engage in actively trying to kill each other."
] |
[
"Catherine Merridales Ivans War. It describes the experiences of ordinary soldiers of the red army in the second world war."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
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A question about the Ulfberht swords.
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[
"The Discovery program's summary is a little simplified, but it's correct: the high-quality crucible steel swords said +Ulfberh+t, while +Ulfberht+ was one of several inscriptions found on the lower quality swords (presumably, knock-off imitations). Our knowledge of the different kinds of Ulfberht blades comes from an important metallurgical study of surviving artifacts by Alan Williams, which you can read [here](_URL_0_)."
] |
[
"Related: what happened to the similar but different term Lakonia?"
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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Considering Hawaii's vote for Statehood in 1959 happened before Civil Rights of the 1960's, how free and fair was that election? Was the Asian-majority disenfranchised from voting?
|
[
"I'd like to add on to this. Were the Hawaiian people disenfranchised in this vote too?"
] |
[
"Short answer: Hawaii wanted to be a state. Puerto Rico hasn't so far. Longer answer: in order for a territory to become a state, it must petition the Congress for statehood. According to the Constitution, Congress gets to decide the requirements, but historically they have included a minimum population, the agreement of a two thirds majority of the citizens of the territory, establishment of a state government, and ratification of a state Constitution. Hawaii's population overwhelmingly voted for statehood in 1959--93% of all voters voted yes; Puerto Rico's population has been divided on the issue."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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How much of the WW1 footage that we see real, and how much is staged cinematography?
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[
"I can not really give you a number, but there is a viewing guide for *The Battle at the Somme* from the Imperial War Museum [(pdf)](_URL_1_), which may give some indication. (The movie on [youtube](_URL_0_)) Interestingly, the most memorable scene was staged as were several of the larger explosions, while most of the footage behind the trenches is genuine."
] |
[
"Militaries have members who's duty it is to record and photograph combat and other activities. They are collectively referred to as \"Combat Camera.\" A lot of the footage you see in documentaries is also staged footage of exercises and demonstrations for propaganda and training films."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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How well did freed gladiators actually fare in ancient Rome? Was there a stigma attached to the status, or was it more of a "cool, edgy" type social status? What did they do for work?
|
[
"Actually answering the question is problematic! Most of our extant literary sources focus on the moral/philosophical issues surrounding gladiatorial combat in general, rather than specifics of the arena. And even fewer go into the lives of the gladiators. What I can tell you is that popular opinion of certain successful gladiators echoes the modern idea of a celebrity: people would cheer for their favourite and large amounts of money would be spent to get them into the area. Take, for example, the Emperor Tibierius who payed 1000 gold pieces to freed gladiators to return to the arena (Seut., Tib. 7). That it took 1000 gold pieces to convince rudiarii to return is telling, both of the risk involved and the status held by gladiators. But it tells us nothing of how that respect translated to the world outside the arena. [This](_URL_0_) is a great bibliography which might furnish you with more information!"
] |
[
"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
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{
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Why, despite rough population parity, was the USSR considered a nation with bountiful manpower, and not the USA?
|
[
"In 1913, the German population was 65 million, That of the United States approximately 91 million, and Russia was roughly estimated at 170 million. I include Germany as a comparison because in wartime strength is relative. The USA was only about 50% greater in manpower than Germany, but Russia had a two and a half to one manpower advantage. Moreover, the actual deploy-able manpower against Germany for the United States was constrained by available shipping, whereas Russia was often fighting on it's own territory or near its borders and had fewer logistical contraints. So leaving aside questions of bias, wartime propaganda, and effectiveness of various political systems at mobilization which I'm not qualified to address in detail, Russia was in fact very populated. The situation on the eve of WWII was slightly more even in terms of population, but the same basic points apply."
] |
[
"Not much. If you look at America's share of global GDP, America's share of global population, America's share of global production of strategic resources, America's fleet, army, and air force, and the spheres of influence granted to the US at Potsdam - it was pretty clear that the US was vastly more powerful than any other country on the globe. Even if some other country had had exclusive access to 1946-era rocket and jet fuel technologies, the fundamentals were tilted in favor of US hegemony."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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What can you tell me about WW2 Military rations?
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[
"The staple of the British Empire was Bully Beef, which was corned beef in a tin, and the Hard Tack biscuit, apparently so named because you could break your teeth on them if you weren't careful. Australian soldiers got a ration of beer. I can't remember how much, obviously not too much. The norm for soldiers living in the field and eating the same thing day in and day out was that the enemy had the better rations and enemy rations could be quite prized. This was especially true in North Africa where the Italian rations consisted of foods like pastas and wine. I don't know how true it is but you hear of soldiers claiming that some of their rations were made during WW1."
] |
[
"What do you want to know about them exactly?"
] |
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{
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World War Two Rations
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[
"Soldiers need a higher calorie intake than an average male. The 2,000 calorie intake is not even very accurate for many people, but if you are an average person that needs 2,000 calories, you will need a lot more if deployed in combat. The United States Army uses MREs as a major source of food for deployed soldiers, each of which contain between 1,100 and 1,300 calories. Three of those a day, plus other snack and drinks, will brink an American soldier’s intake up to 3,500-4,500. Please note that these rations are meant for soldiers in combat or in other high activity areas, like disaster relief, marching, or fortifying an area. A officer in headquarters hundreds of miles away from combat should be eating a vastly different diet to keep healthy."
] |
[
"Sleep - Shake Unconscious - Splash Coma - Wait and Hope Vegetative State - Wait and Bury"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Saturday Reading and Research | June 06, 2015
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[
"Could anyone recommend books on the American Revolution? My son (12) is a heavy reader and we've decided to read about it as much as we can over the summer. He's not afraid to delve into something above his reading level, and is a bit tired of the watered down kid-level books. My lack of knowledge is keeping me from just ordering all I can, as my biggest fear is ending up with a pile of books that are unfactual. Thanks in advance!"
] |
[
"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:",
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Stripping Enemy Armour in Battle, e.g. The Iliad
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[
"From van Wees, he postulates that the battle scenes from the Iliad were modeled on Dark/Iron Age warfare into the Archaic Age (before the development of hoplite warfare. That warfare was essentially skirmishing between bands of men who clustered around warrior elites. Each person was expected to take a turn at the front skirmishing before returning to the rear. Occasionally they'd group up and rush, dispersing the other side back and that would allow them to quickly strip a dead enemy before pulling back. Skirmishing resumes."
] |
[
"The Art of War in the Western World - Archer Jones"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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Was there a 'gentlemen's agreement' during either World Wars in regards to firing on medics?
|
[
"The first Geneva Convention, adopted by Prussia amongst others in 1864, makes specific provision for the protection of sick and wounded personnel including those treating them. Updated in 1906 (to cover maritime matters) and 1929 it would have been well known to soldiers on both sides that it was illegal to target medical facilities, medical personnel or soldiers considered *hors de combat*. Although this is rather more than a Gentlemen's agreement, the principle that enforces adherence is similar - if you go around shooting the enemy's medics then you are inviting the enemy to shoot your medics. In it's present form, the convention protects all medics, medical facilities and patients as well as making it an act of perfidy to use medics or medical facilities for combat operations. Any medic or medical facility used for combat operations becomes a legitimate target and any injured soldier engaging in combat loses their right to protection."
] |
[
"Depends on the circumstances of the war, but really anything goes. For this reason embassy activity is often a clue that war is coming. One example of this is when Japan started burning documents from their embassy before the Pearl Harbour attack."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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Announcing the "Best of July" Winners!
|
[
"Whatever small quantity of erudition has come to be at my disposal fails. To supply my own deficit, I rely upon [Mrs. Lincoln](_URL_0_). You've really made my day. Congratulations to /u/the_alaskan. I hope not to tarnish their well-deserved laurels overmuch by my modest company. Now if you'll be so kind as to excuse me, I'm off to squee and frolic in an entirely dignified and decorous manner."
] |
[
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Announcements:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Announcements:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
Was told a "Fact", that Dublin is the oldest European capital that never been sack/leveled in war, is it true?
|
[
"Dublin may not have been sacked in recent times but it changed hands by force many times in its early history. For example the suburbs were sacked by Robert the Bruce in 1315 and it fell to the Fitzgeralds during the Wars of the Roses. There were two unsuccessful sieges during the confederate wars in the 1640s."
] |
[
"Why can't you say that? Kazakhstan and Ukraine are former territories of Russia. There I just said it. It has truth in it, and I said it Want to get more interesting? Ukraine was part of a Mongolian Khanate. Thats true as well, and I just said it."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
Did the Hindenburg Disaster discourage any further research into airship/balloon powered travel, or were we already moving towards planes for air travel?
|
[
"Airships had reached the limits of their possibilities in the 1930's, while planes were making rapid advances in speed, range, ceiling and rough-weather capacities. The Nazi's weren't very interested in airships, and a number of other disasters before 1940 (USS Akron, USS Macon and British R 101) has shown the weaknesses of airships."
] |
[
"After people knew that flight was possible, they were quick to study and perfect the designs and techniques required to do so. Early aircraft like biplanes were also relatively simple to construct."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
}
|
Did one nation ever have to give their ships to another as part of a peacy treaty?
|
[
"Following the end of the Second World War, the Imperial Japanese Navy gave up a number of ships as a part of reparations. The destroyer Hibiki, for instance, went to the USSR, and the destroyer Yukikaze was handed over to the Republic of China. The British took over a number of IJN ships moored in Singapore, most notably the heavy cruisers Takao and Myoko, though I'm uncertain as to whether or not this was as part of any signed agreement or simply a matter of convenience. The US took the battleship Nagato and the light cruiser Sakawa, along with the Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and used them, along with a large number of USN ships, as target ships for Operation Crossroads, a nuclear test."
] |
[
"...because they won the war. The winners make the rules not the losers. You could go to war for any reason, or no reason, what does it matter? One side wins, the other side loses, you come to terms on the settlement and outcome of the war and thats that. Per the agreed upon rules of the Treaty of Paris (which ended the war) spelled out what was going to happen, and gave the US several formerly Spanish possessions."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
}
|
A question about how modern(ish) authors treat history
|
[
"Speaking from personal experience, I would say he's the same. My parents' gave me his bio of Madison because my mother loved it so much and I had to stop because he never really critiques his sources, randomly drops quotes without context, and is overly concerned with telling his story than actually getting at history."
] |
[
"The most ELI5 answer I can think of is that they were the first ever to do lots of things that you now take for granted in a pop song."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
}
|
What was happening in the mid-1800's that might have been the reason for emigration from Schleswig-Holstein?
|
[
"To provide an alternative to the previous answers which focus on political factors, the 1870s were a period in which there was widespread mechanisation in agriculture in this region. This led to 1. a larger scale of agricultural units, which meant fewer farmers on larger farms and 2. less need for labour, such as harvesting or sowing, as machines took over the jobs from farmhands. Particularly for second sons and daughters this meant less jobs in agriculture for them. Particularly in Schleswig-Holstein, an area of mainly dairy farming and cereal cultivation, this change in agricultural practices led to increased emigration to other parts of the world."
] |
[
"Germans moved over in several waves. Most other countries came in one or two waves. Look at the Pennsylvania Dutch. They are German. Germans came made another mass exodus prior to the American Civil war to escape political hardships, this time choosing Texas to settle. Another wave came before each of the Great Wars."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
}
|
Did the release of Sherlock Holmes books ever create a spur of vigilante justice/investigation/skepticism in the pop culture?
|
[
"If the answer is no I won't cry ;_;"
] |
[
"If the research I have done is accurate, mostly on wacky hijinks followed by learning heartwarming life lessons."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
|
WWII historians--Did the Fallschirmjager parachute into Africa or did they deploy there via other means?
|
[
"The Ramcke Brigade never 'dropped' in Africa; it was created under Hermann Ramcke's command from elements of the 1st Fallschirm Division, which was to have taken part in the invasion of Malta. That, however, was scrapped following Rommel's victory at Gazala and his pursuit of the 8th Army to El Alamein. Ramcke and his paratroopers were sent to reinforce Rommel's forces, hence their involvement in the Battles of El Alamein."
] |
[
"> but why are those soldiers being thrown from planes? For mobility. If you need to get troops somewhere RIGHT NOW and you don't have time to send them by sea or land, sending them by air provides another option. Also, maybe you want to attack a location behind enemy lines. One famous example was D-Day, when the Allies dropped paratroopers behind the German beach defenses before the main invasion arrived by sea. > Also, what do they do with the parachute when they land If possible, they fold the parachute up and take it with them. They fold down to a small size and they're not too heavy."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
|
Impact (if any) of the European revolutions of 1848 on the lead up to the American Civil War?
|
[
"Over 200,000 German-born Americans served in the Union Army, while less than 5,000 fought for the Confederacy. The massive emigration sparked by the Revolutions of 1848 certainly gave the Union a massive boost in manpower."
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Besides the Waco Siiege, when have tanks been used on American soil?
|
[
"Bonus Army was put down with the US Army supported by 6 battle tanks _URL_0_"
] |
[
"It's not really their responsibility. This is a military, and State militia(National Guard)issue. They are not armed in any way shape or form to deal with a military."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
|
Before the Gregorian mission, Christanity in Great Britain died out once?
|
[
"No, Christianity hadn't died out before the Gregorian mission. Christianity was brought to the British Isles by the Roman Empire, however in the early 5th century the Romans withdrew. That had the affect of isolating Christianity in Britain from the Christian world centred on Rome and Constantinople (Istanbul). This isolation caused a divergence and a uniquely British Christianity began to develop, we call this Celtic Christianity and/or insular Christianity. At the same time, Germanic pagans were mass migrating and settling in the south and northeast of Britain. The reasons for the Gregorian missions were mainly to correct the perceived heterodoxy of the Celtic Christians, to reconnect them with the rest of the Christian world and to Christianise the pagan Jutes, Angles and Saxons who had settled in large numbers in Great Britain."
] |
[
"Because they were a part of the Roman Empire before it fell, and Charlemagne was name Emperor by the Pope."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
What was the process of getting the Jeep into the civilian market in the US?
|
[
"Soldiers returning from the war provided the demand -- the Jeep was marketed as a work vehicle, like a tractor, that could serve around the farm. Chrysler has a history page that states \"Willys advertisements marketed the Jeep as a work vehicle for farmers and construction workers.\" CJs were rugged, four wheel drive vehicles with the capability to run PTO tools, just like a tractor. There were catalogs that targeted farm users of CJs selling PTOs and PTO-driven attachments. In the late 40s, there were few requirements for vehicles along the lines you mention. The early CJs are nearly the same as the MB jeep. The engine and drive train were identical, as was most of the body. Things that were added were generally convenience items, like a tailgate."
] |
[
"They were made in chronological order from when the state became part of the US."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
}
|
Thursday Reading & Recommendations | July 18, 2019
|
[
"Hello! Really new to this sub, so feel free to recommend some previous threads as well if you remember this being discussed here. I’m looking for books on the Reconstruction era. What I’m most interested in is progressive (but pre 20th century civil rights) policies/initiatives that were rolled back or repealed under Jim Crow. Thanks!"
] |
[
"1. The First Salute by Barbara Tuchman 2. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown 3. The Civil War by Shelby Foote 4. Reconstruction by Eric Foner 5. The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman 6. Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch 7. Brute Force: Allied Strategy and Tactics in the Second World War by John Ellis 8. The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A Caro 9. A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan 10. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn 11. 1491/1493 Charles C Mann Sorry, couldn't keep it to 6."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
For Americans in WWII, did your geographic location determine which front you were sent to? For example, were Californians sent to the Pacific while New Yorkers sent to Europe?
|
[
"Nisei (American of Japanese heritage) were regularly deployed to the European theater out of a fear that the troops would turn against the U.S. if deployed in the Pacific. While National Guard units were often kept together, everything else would routinely be pulled from all over the country."
] |
[
"Also, would her military experience be any useful in finding a job? Did women serve in the British military during World War 1 and if so, did they go back into the workforce afterwards?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
|
Suggestions for books about the American occupation of Japan after WWII.
|
[
"[Embracing Defeat](_URL_0_) by John Dower is a very good look at Japan post-WWII. It is *not*, however, an easy read, in that Dower's writing style is somewhat... scholarly in tone. If you don't mind that, it's worth the time."
] |
[
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Was there a sense of impending or occurring apocalypse during World War 1?
|
[
"It even started earlier around 1900, especially among artist and educated people. Some of them felt the necesity of a \"cleansing war\" to brush away the ercieved decadence of modern live and give place to the \"new man\", a concept later used in fascism and bolchevism. Emilio Gentile, an italian historian, wrote an excellent book about it: *L' apocalisse della modernità. La Grande guerra per l'uomo nuovo* (The apocalypse of modernity. The great war for the new men). edit: One concrete event was the earthquake of Messina, Italy, which caused the death of around 100.000 people."
] |
[
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
}
|
Did any prominent figures in the American Revolution later have regrets about gaining independence?
|
[
"Apparently early on Benjamin Franklin was hesitant about independence to say the least and somewhat pro-royalist views just before and during his time in London. He supported a number of unpopular policies including the Stamp Act of 1765 which didn't sit with colonists well. In fact his home was almost burnt down due to his political moves. It was not until he returned to the colonies did he realise the full impact of the policies and have a change of view. So yes there was some mixed sentiments amongst prominent figures in the revolution, though not after independence. That said though if there was any remaining pro-royalist views, and there likely would have been amongst the general population, nationalism, public polices, and the culture at the time would have made it difficult for a person to express these views publically untill long after the war, if at all. A politician stating a pro-royalist agenda could of potentially ended his carreer."
] |
[
"A related question were there public figures at the time who were apologists that tried to justify for the actions of the Japanese military at Pearl Harbor?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Help analyzing a photo of my great-grandfather (Germany, World War 2)?
|
[
"He was part of the Luftwaffe. The second picture indicates that he was a \"Flieger\" (the basic rank, OR-1), signified by the one eagle on his collar. If we assume that the colour behind the eagle is yellow (it's too bright to be anything else), he was part of the ground personnel or he was still in training for flying. The first photo seems to depict a normal wool or cloth coat of the Luftwaffe."
] |
[
"Are there any books on Berlin during 1920s?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query about history:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about history:",
"neg": "Represent the argument about Literature:"
}
|
Why was Karl Marx so harsh on his writings about Simón Bolívar?
|
[
"Hi there, You may be interested in my[ earlier answer on the topic](_URL_0_), focusing esp. on Marx' criticism of Bolívar's supposed corruption. Hope it helps!"
] |
[
"How well regarded are the writings of Joseph Campbell by historians?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
}
|
Did Benedict Arnold regret his decision to join the British after the United States won the Revolutionary War?
|
[
"Follow up: What *were* his reasons for siding with the British?"
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
Could anyone recommend some books on the Personal Rule of Charles I and the English Civil War?
|
[
"There is one book which is precisely appropriate: *The Personal Rule of Charles I*, by Kevin Sharpe. It is, I believe, one of the standard books on this topic, relatively up-to-date (1992), and forbiddingly huge - over 1,000 pages including the intro. But thorough, as you would expect, and written by someone who had delved deep into the sources."
] |
[
"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
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
}
|
[Socialism] How did Cuban Government react to the market oriented reforms in China under Deng Xiaoping and USSR under Gorbachev? How much support and opposition was there towards these policies in the Government and amongst ordinary people?
|
[
"Did ordinary people in Cuba even know that things were changing in China and the USSR?"
] |
[
"Its a branch of Marxist Communism based on the ideology of Leon Trotsky. Trotsky lost the power struggle between himself and Joseph Stalin that was triggered by Lenin becoming ill shortly before his death. The key difference between Trotskyism and Stalinism was that Trotskyism pushed more for instigating further communist revolutions around the world while Stalinism was focused on consolidating control within the Soviet Union."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Did we invent socks because shoes were uncomfortable or did we invent shoes because socks werent thick enough?
|
[
"Certainly, ancient finds suggest that socks were invented for warmth. Tablet 346 of the Vindolanda Tablets contains a letter advising a soldier of the dispatch of \"two pairs of socks, two pairs of sandals and two pairs of underpants\". Despite the fact that these auxiliaries hailed largely from the area of the Netherlands and Northern Germany, the harsh winters of Northern Britain would have required warm footwear. It has been suggested that \"socks\" were some kind of binding, rather than the shaped garment of today, although the name derives from the Greek, and then the Latin word of a comic actor's soft shoe. As far as I can ascertain, the earliest shaped socks found in the archaeological record are from early Christian Egypt, where socks in the modern, foot-warming sense would not have been required."
] |
[
"Headphones are often covered in rubber, which is a sticky material, whereas shoe laces are often made of fabric, which is a soft and somewhat slippery material. If we had shoelaces made of rubber, they would stay longer together and vise versa with headphones."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
}
|
How old is the stereotype of university students frequently partying and getting drunk? Where/when did this start?
|
[
"[As long as there have been universities essentially](_URL_0_). Drunk students vs townsfolk (Town vs Gown) is a trope as old as universities themselves whether they be English, French, Italian or German."
] |
[
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
|
What is the Chinese WWII medal for?
|
[
"At first glance I believe it is the [Order of the Cloud and Banner](_URL_0_), 4th Grade."
] |
[
"Only if the federal government let it. See: American Civil War"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
|
Would an average Muslim in e.g. 1000AD know what a pig looked like? If so, how would they have known since they didn't raise pigs for food?
|
[
"Wild pigs were (are) widespread in Eurasia. I recall a herd of boars frightened by ISIS's shots and making a stampede in vicinity of Mosul like a year ago, killing 4 ISIS members. The very fact that pork was prohibited for the Jews (Lev. XI, 17; Deut. XIV, 8) implies that pork had been used for food, at least in a world known to the Jews. Same goes for Qur'anic prohibition. While its meat was forbidden, the use of pig's bristles for footwear was not prohibited for Muslims; the pigs were raised by local Christians, who obtained the bristles by scalding the pig in boiling water after the slaughter, causing the saying *akrah min kirahat al-khinzir li 'l-ma' al-mughar* (*showing more aversion than the pig for boiling water*)."
] |
[
"They do. A good example is in the Bible where the laws forbid eating insects, except notably grasshoppers and locusts. I'm on mobile so its a little difficult to include links, but IIRC there are cultures in Africa and Asia that frequently eat these insects. But remember that even with eating the locusts, that's not going to compensate fully for a devastating famine. If entire farms of grains are destroyed some bugs aren't going to completely replace that."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
How did European late medieval/early renaissance pike squares compare to classical phalanxes? Going head to head, would a phalanx of Athenian hoplites stand a chance against a square of Swiss pikemen?
|
[
"It's a bit unclear whether you are talking about the traditional Greek Hoplite phalanx or the Macedonian-style pike phalanx later used by Alexander the Great. For the former I would highly recommend you take a look at [this post](_URL_0_) where u/iphikrates discusses what really defines a hoplite \"phalanx\". For the latter I would recommend [this post](_URL_1_) where u/Itsalrightwithme and u/XenophonTheAthenian discuss Swiss pikemen and Macedonian pikemen respectively."
] |
[
"Mostly because that's generally not how premodern armies approached infantry combat; you kept your shield between you and the enemy, relied on the men next to you to cover you from attacks from the side, and thrust with your sword or spear. For hoplites, there's no point in having a spear if you're going to be fighting within inches of each other. Greek hoplite warfare generally involved quite low casualties; if entire phalanxes were bowled over as a result of this alleged shoving match, the slaughter would be absolutely appalling."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
|
What were the first multi-national military training exercises?
|
[
"The Greeks didn't really have coordinated training--remember that only the Spartans had anything close to a professional army, and they were generally too bust fighting each other. The Pan-Hellenic games were certainly martial in character, but they were also very much aristocratic, and I would hesitate to call them training exercises. There are examples of individual leaders being sent by one polity to another to assist in a war effort. The most famous is Gylippus of Sparta, who was sent with a moderate force to Syracuse when the Athenians invaded Sicily. I do not believe Thucydides specifically says he helped train the Syracusans, who were generally outclassed by the Athenian soldiers, but I think it is easy to imagine it as Gylippus more or less took over the Syracusan war effort. A more explicit example is Xanthippus, a Greek mercenary hired by the Carthaginians during the First Punic War to train and lead their army due to the poor showing the Carthaginians had against the Romans."
] |
[
"Trade agreements, negotiation of travel between boarders, military cooperation, cultural study, national security advisory...."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
}
|
Did the invention of flight change the known shapes and positions of landmasses, or was the entire Earth correctly charted by then?
|
[
"Some interior regions were only correctly charted after flight, though that is different from whether all landmasses were correctly charted. Locations of rivers and mountains in interior regions of the Amazon rainforest, for example, were still being updated through the 1960s."
] |
[
"Early Egyptian maps show the south as up. This might be because the Nile would flow down on the map, in the same direction as gravity (it flows up on our maps). What I've heard, and this might just be anecdotal, is that the Europeans wanted to be on top in maps so that's how they drew them. Then when their influence expanded because of their colonies and stuff, their maps just ended up becoming the standard."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
}
|
Found this helmet in a friend's attic. Does anyone know which army/war it belongs to? I live in Quebec, Canada
|
[
"That is an WW2 era Dutch helmet from the Korps Grenadiers."
] |
[
"It looks a lot like a lock I used to have... hard to tell from the pics. I think they were sold to tourists in the Middle East. Mine was inherited from my grandmother."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
}
|
Was He Jin from Romance of the Three Kingdoms really that stupid?
|
[
"by the way He Jin has his own official biography in the official history work of the Later Han *History of the Later Han*. It has been translated into English at Gongjin's Campaign Memorials: _URL_0_"
] |
[
"Lü Bu was a real person, yes. Chen Shou's *Sangouzhi* (三國志, Records of the Three Kingdoms, written in the 3rd century) mentions him, and that's pretty much the most cited historical document for the time period/location. While the site itself is mostly dedicated to Luo Guanzhong's *Sanguo yanyi* (三國演義, Romance of the Three Kingdoms) and the games by Koei Corp. (Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dynasty Warriors, etc), it does provide English translations of the Sanguozhi, and here is Lü Bu's: _URL_0_ From my reading of it, it seems that yes, Lü Bu was very much a skilled and powerful warrior. Luo Guanzhong may have been a bit biased towards painting Liu Bei in a sympathetic light (Liu's pity towards Lu Bu, wanting Liu to appear gentle), and in the novel Lü seems to be a bit more... brutish and stubborn, which the video games definitely capitalize on."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
|
Why did so many ‘Old Hollywood’ stars live in hotels?
|
[
"Expanding on the question, it's not just Hollywood stars that are noted for living in hotels and I'd be interested in knowing more about the economics of residential hotels in the early to mid-20th century. As a single example that springs to mind, many of *New Yorker* writer James Thurber's stories describe people living in hotels, or maintaining a hotel room as an in-city residence complementing their suburban primary residence. What similarities and differences existed between \"hotels\" and \"apartments\" during that period as opposed to now?"
] |
[
"If you're talking about America, that's simply not true. Go to any big Reddit thread and you'll see hundreds of comments talking about what a glorious socialist utopia Europe is. Many Americans also have varying degrees of obsession with British culture. Half the women in my family got up at 3 in the morning to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding live. See also: the British Invasion of the 1960's Historically, France was seen as the epitome of class and elegance as well."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
[History] Is there any good documentaries to act as a refresher on ancient history?
|
[
"Check out \"Crash Course World History\" on YouTube. It isn't particular long or heavy on detail, but it does appear to cover things as evenly as possible."
] |
[
"I would really like to know a good book on the philosophy of history, or a place where I could learn more to contribute about the philosophy of history."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the comment about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
}
|
Right now there are ~200 independent governments on earth. How much has this number fluctuated through different periods of history?
|
[
"Sorry, we don't allow [throughout history questions](_URL_0_). These tend to produce threads which are collections of trivia, not the in-depth discussions about a particular topic we're looking for. If you have a specific question about a historical event or period or person, please feel free to re-compose your question and submit it again. Alternatively, questions of this type can be directed to more appropriate subreddits, such as /r/history or /r/askhistory."
] |
[
"It simply isnt, we live in the most prosperous, peaceful and free time in basically all of human history."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
|
What joke was Athenian philosopher Chrysippus laughing at that caused him to die?
|
[
"There are two accounts, both given by Diogenes Laërtius. The first is much less interesting, in which he drank some undiluted wine, became very dizzy, and died soon after. The second is the joke, and quite ironically he was laughing at his own joke! Laërtius recounted that while watching a donkey eat some figs, he exclaimed \"Now give the donkey a drink of pure wine to wash down the figs!\" and died in the subsequent fit of laughter. Not a very good joke to die to, I'd say."
] |
[
"I am not sure if this is the oldest case but Herostratus certainly fits the description of an ancient troll. In Ephesus (modern day western Turkey near the coast) there was a notable temple of Artemis, it was described as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world; and roughly 300 years before the birth of Christ, Herostratus burnt down the temple. When the search for the perpetrator began, he took responsibility, claiming to have done it to become eternally famous. The people of Ephesus condemned him to death, and more, they made sure that his goal would fail, that he would be forgotten by history and left to the void. They banned the mentioning or writing of his name and of his crime. The fact that 2300 years later I am able to mention his name as one of the oldest and possibly most daring trolls, is suitable indication that somehow the edict banning the mention of his name was not particularly successful, and Herostratus will most likely be infamous throughout the rest of history."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
What did Native Americans think about periodical cicadas?
|
[
"/u/ahalenia already mentioned that they (and their annual cousins) were eaten. This was particularly common in the southeast. In Massachusetts, they were regarded as an ill omen. > Speaking of a sickness which, in 1633, carried off many of the whites and Indians, in and near to Plimouth [Plymouth], in Massachusetts, he says, \"It is to be observed, that the Spring before the Sickness, there was a numerous company of *Flies*, which were like for bigness unto *Wasps* or *Bumble-Bees*, they came out of little holes in the ground, and did eat up the green things, and made such a constant yelling noise as made all the woods ring of them, and ready to deaf the hearers: But the Indians told them that sickness would follow and so it did, very hot in the months of June, July, and August of that Summer. [Source](_URL_0_), p. 112."
] |
[
"Why do some parts of the world call gasoline petrol?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
}
|
I would like to learn about the history of sculptures. Where do I start?
|
[
"Any good art history survey book will cover sculpture, as will any survey of modern art. In reference to 20th century sculpture, _Sculpture 1900-1945_ by Penelope Curtis looks like it should cover what you're interested in. On the topic of Italian sculpture, apparently there is a book on the subject by Roberta J. M. Olsen that may be of interest. Are there any other time periods or places you have a particular interest in?"
] |
[
"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 title about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Was the use of profanity as common in Medieval Europe as Game of Thrones would have us believe?
|
[
"Following up: Would there have been a distinction between the obscene language the OP mentioned (e.g. \"fuck\") and actual profane language like \"God damn it\"? Which would have been considered worse?"
] |
[
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
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Why was Narvik and Norway so important for iron ore shipment during WW2?
|
[
"They did. Swedish iron ore was being imported through shipping in the Baltic Sea, primarily through the port of Lulea. However, the Baltic suffers from freezing and dense ice during winter months. Narvik, conveniently located by rail to Swedish iron ore suppliers, and being on the Atlantic coast, was free to operate year round and in times when the safer Baltic routes were being forced to slow or halt completely."
] |
[
"It was hard for them to work together due to the huge geographic distances between them. There were some long range submarine cargo missions, supplying things like rubber and tungsten. And some designs for aircraft ended up in Japan too. When Japan attacked the US, Germany declared war on the US in the hope that Japan would return the favour and declare war on Russia. But they didn't. Russia and Japan didn't end up fighting till the last month or so of WW2 in 1945."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about history:"
}
|
Were there "celebrities" before there was "media"?
|
[
"I would say yes, but they were celebrated for different reasons. Think of famous war heroes. Alexander the Great, Julius Casesar, and Napoleon are the first to spring to mind. American heroes include Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Paul Revere, Louis and Clark, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, etc etc. Now, think of celebrities after 1920. They're almost exclusively television or music personalities (Elvis, Lucy Ball, the Beatles, and the big Hollywood names of today.) Of course, exceptions always apply, but celebrities from before \"media\" are generally regarded as \"heroes\" today. Edit: I should point out that all the people I listed as celebrities before 1920 were pretty highly regarded when they were alive, and were typically heroes of war."
] |
[
"What makes you think they are \"more common than ever before\"?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about Health:"
}
|
Any Pearl Harbor Experts?
|
[
"One place to look is at muster rolls of US Navy ships that were in the harbor at the time. Ancestry provides these for Pearl 1939-47 in digital form, [but there is of course a paywall](_URL_0_). However, chances are good that these records have also been entered as raw data (in fact it looks that way), so you may be able to search them. If the ship was stationed at Pearl, it should be among those lists."
] |
[
"Because you just happened to be listening to music when your \"The Complete Goosebumps Series by R.L. Stine\" arrived at the door."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Science:"
}
|
When was the last time the United States and the United Kingdom were in a conflict?
|
[
"The most recent serious conflict would probably be the Suez war in 1956. Egypt nationalised the Suez canal, causing France, Britain, and Israel to hatch a plan to invade the country to secure control of the canal (among other objectives). In the event, both the US and the USSR unexpectedly joined together to condemn the invasions. After the Soviets threatened to send troops to directly aid Egypt, President Eisenhower threatened to start selling off US holdings in sterling (devaluing the pound), and also refused to supply the UK with oil. I don't think any other dispute since that time even approaches the break in 1956."
] |
[
"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:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Saturday Reading and Research | November 04, 2017
|
[
"Just finished *What is Microhistory? Theory and Practice* by Magnusson and Szijarto. I was really intrigued about the discussions on the impact of postmodernism and poststructuralism on different histiographical methods. Anyone have other books that go into that on fields other than microhistory?"
] |
[
"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 post about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Was Paul Gauguin Vincent Van Gogh's lover?
|
[
"Historians have explored the love lives of both Gauguin and Van Gogh in depth. \"Paul Gauguin: An Erotic Life,\" by Nancy Mowll Mathews (2001), drops some bombshells about Gauguin's wife-beating, so I doubt she would have a problem discussing a same-sex liaison, but there's not a whisper. I've read two good treatments of Van Gogh's romantic relationships: \"Van Gogh in Love\" (Bos and Heenk, 2014) and \"Van Gogh's Women\" (Derek Fell, 2005). Both of these describe his troubled and obsessive love affairs with women, but they mention nothing about men. Van Gogh and Gauguin's friendship was stormy, but it seems fairly evident there were no sexual overtones. The fringe articles you mention sound like they make the presentist assumption that all intimate male friendships in the 19th century had an overtly sexual component."
] |
[
"Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Did the French ever have their own version of "Manifest Destiny", where they believed they had a mission to "civilize" the masses?
|
[
"Yes, the French term is [*Mission civilisatrice*](_URL_0_). Rather than merely govern colonial peoples, the Europeans would attempt to Westernize them in accordance with a colonial ideology known as \"assimilation\". Equal rights and citizenship were extended to those peoples who adopted French culture, including primary use of the French language in their lives, wearing Western clothes, and conversion to Christianity."
] |
[
"Considering Europeans have been encountering Africans since before the rise of Rome, the Africans were always considered human. Weirdly enough, racism based on skin colour is a very recent thing (mostly cooked up by white people during the Age of Colonization to justify African slavery). Back in Ancient Rome and Greece, people were prejudiced based on what country or tribe you were from (the word \"barbarian\" literally meant \"he who does not speak Greek\"), not what colour your skin is. Also, when the Spanish met the Native Americans, they immediately sent over missionaries, which meant they at least considered them to have souls just like any other human. In 1537, the Pope issued the decree \"Sublimus Dei\", which declared that Native Americans had souls and are rational beings. The document also condemned slavery, but we all know how well that went down. Despite all this, racism was just too useful a tool to justify slavery and allow Europeans to pillage non-white people's lands with a minimum of guilt."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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In public high school, I was always taught that the idea of owning land was completely foreign to Native Americans when European settlers arrived and was a major reason settlers were able to convince natives to sign contracts that ceded land. Is this true?
|
[
"It's absolutely wrong, and /u/Searocksandtrees' links are a good tear-down of the topic. I like the first one in particular, and not just because I chimed in. I recommend *Crow Dog's Case* if you're interested in the many ways the United States has stumbled and fumbled its way toward a legal policy when it comes to American Indians and Alaska Natives. For Alaska, I recommend the new *A Dangerous Idea*, which focuses on the Alaska Native Brotherhood's involvement in the land claims issue before the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Generally speaking, I also recommend you take a look at Chancellor James Kent's *Commentaries on the Common Law*, published in 1828. [In the third volume of that book (Lecture L)](_URL_8_) he gives what is one of the United States' first real discussions of American Indian land ownership law and recognizes the de facto authority of military power."
] |
[
"The British were resettling these places with their own people. When the U.S. became independent, they were taken seriously be the Europeans, they understand European diplomacy, and how to navigate European politics, and how to utilize European technology. Spanish colonies kept the native populations, and just had a small ruling class of Europeans. When these countries became independent the Europeans still felt able/entitled to exploit them, and hence you see things like a French invasion of Mexico 40 years after they gained independence."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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In this video, Neil deGrasse Tyson, says that Imam Al Ghazali is responsible for the decline of scientific progress in the Arab World. Is this accurate?
|
[
"_URL_0_ check out this thread, there are some comprehensive answers there. In short though, no. In general I'd argue that anyone who says a person is *the* root of a change is missing out on a lot of associated factors, before we even consider whether the premise itself is accurately framed."
] |
[
"It's the time we live in. War and poverty in the location where that specific demographic is located. If you look back in time, to the middle/dark age, the roles were reversed. Militant extremist christians doing much of what extremists are doing today, but in Europe. The middle east at that time experienced a time of enlightenment with emphasis on philosophy, religion and math. Mordern algebra for instance has it's roots in the middle east of that time."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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Why did the Soviet Union back/invest in countries like North Korea and then not seem to steer them into keeping their ideology?
|
[
"I don't understand - do you think they didn't? The DPRK is very similar to Stalinist Communism. In fact, other than the incorporation of East Asian thought to the concept, it is almost purely Stalinist. Everything in North Korea from propoganda, to management of resources, to handling of dissidents, to Gulags, to war with America, to cult of personality, to military tactics is based on Stalin's USSR. So I'll need to understand what you mean by your question if you aren't asking for an explanation of why they *are* Stalinist. Do you mean to ask why the USSR did not micromanage it like a puppet state a la Afghanistan or East Germany?"
] |
[
"Actually China and the USSR had a fall called the Sino-Soviet Split and really didn't like each other. China didn't like Khrushchev reaching out to the West, there were many border disputes from the days of Tsarist expansion, they also conflicted trying to gain influence in the Third World and China resented the lack of active USSR support in the Indo-China war, among other things. China is trying to stay neutral to maintain (relatively) good political and trade relations with the West while trying to keep Russia friendly as they agree with them on many things like Syria."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Why is it that we have only recently started depicting things realistically?
|
[
"I think it's actually the other way around. In a way. Yes, there are more realistic paintings of people in places in the last 500 years or so, but that's because the means became more readily available and specialized training (apprenticeship) began to occur when civilizations no longer had to have every one farm for their entire lives, and free time began to appear. However, the trend of realistic paintings fades dramatically in more recent times with the invention of the photograph, since they captured people exactly as they were/are, more room for creativity entered the world of art. Theres a video on youtube that shows the evolution of women in art, and there is a distinct change of style in the later years. _URL_0_"
] |
[
"Better question: why is there censorship at all? Are we really supposed to be ashamed of the fun bits of life?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query about Art and History:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Art and History:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Biology:"
}
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How did belief in a flat Earth affect cartography?
|
[
"It's difficult to answer this, given that no-one who lived in a period where they were doing anything like accurate cartography believed in a flat earth. The idea that people in the Middle Ages believed in a flat earth is a myth invented in the nineteenth century - see Jeffrey Burton Russell's [Inventing the Flat Earth: Columbus and Modern Historians](_URL_0_) (1991) So early cartographers were well aware that the earth was round and never had to deal with the problems involved with trying to make maps on the assumption it was flat."
] |
[
"It would be tantamount to what Thomas Kuhn termed a ‘paradigm shift.’ Basically, it would revolutionize the most basic conclusions scientists have had about the origins of life for hundreds of years."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
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Has there ever been a successful attempt to create an alternative league to mayor profesional sports?
|
[
"The American Basketball Association was formed as a competitor to the National Basketball Association with the aim of forcing the NBA to merge with them and absorb the ABA franchises into the league. In 1976, nine years after the leagues formation, four franchises (Spurs, Pacers, Nets, and Nuggets) joined the NBA. In rugby, there are two major \"codes\", rugby league and rugby union, that have separate leagues and slightly different rules. The split between the two codes was caused by certain teams wanting to move toward professionalism. The breakaway league that those teams began was the start of rugby league, while rugby union retained its amateur standing until 1995. I don't think either of these perfectly fit your question, as neither involved the creation of a league to compete with an already professional that went on to be successful in the long term. However, looking into these examples should be useful for you."
] |
[
"Can I amend this question by asking: Why are they the only two dominant parties? Why can't other parties form and be a part of the political process?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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How well were Telegraph Operators paid during height of popularity?
|
[
"In the US, you may get a fair bit of information from the biennial reports of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for various states. For 1899, [the telegraph operators in Colorado, where it was still very important, made on average around $825 yearly as against a cost of living averaging around $500.](_URL_1_) Wages would have varied by state, region (rural/urban), and employer, as those figures suggest. [You can make a comparison on the wage end with Michigan in 1885, but you'll have to adjust for inflation; the relationship to cost of living was not too radically different.](_URL_0_) I'm not sure where Express riders' pay would be recorded, especially because it operated for such a limited period. I'll see if I can find any better breakdown of this position, especially for the early establishments. I can find South African data, almost certainly, but that may not be too helpful."
] |
[
"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:"
}
|
What kind of superstitions were common amongst non-Christian sailors?
|
[
"I can't answer the specific question but I've written a post [here](_URL_0_) about how historical sailors don't actually seem to have been nearly as superstitious as they were later caricatured as which might be of interest to you. I'm not saying sailors didn't ever have some superstitions that some sailors genuinely believed, but as u/itsallfolklore points out [here](_URL_1_) one should be very cautious about overstating it."
] |
[
"Look at the immigration history of the USA and you'll get some idea. English Puritans, Scots Calvinists, Irish and Italian Catholics, and more recently the rise of Evangelicalism in the African American communities ... all hung-up on \"morals\" and fond of telling people Thou Shalt Not."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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A question about the behavior of an army while on campaign in the 18th and 19th centuries
|
[
"I'd be fascinated to know which book you read this in, it sounds very interesting."
] |
[
"The Middle Ages is a pretty huge period that spanned centuries, so you might want to refine your question. The daily life of a monarch in the 8th century was incomparably different from that of a 16th century one."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
}
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In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth takes a tour of Pemberley and other country houses. Were most English country houses open for tours or was that rare? Would they only be open to peers or gentry, or could anyone take a tour?
|
[
"Generally, yes. For your next read through of P & P, I'd suggest the Annotated Pride & Prejudice edited by David M. Shapard who goes into the microhistory of the novel such as this. He says: > the growth of [visiting these houses] was one part of the genearl growth of tourism in this period... Many homes were open to visitors, and in most cases the visitors simply needed to show up, without prior appointment. This is why the party (The Gardiner's and Lizzy) can decide to tour Pemberly at the last minute."
] |
[
"Nothing elaborate, and not an answer to your question, but one thing I will point out just for some reference is that prior to the late 19th century, the entire idea of a hotel did not exist. Sure you had inns and taverns, but those were not places the wealthy would stay. Instead if the wealthy traveled, they would be staying at the houses of friends or other people they knew."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
How did the US federal government go about buying all the land for the interstate highway system without people banding together and holding out for higher prices? Was the land ever just taken with eminent domain rather than being sold voluntarily?
|
[
"First, the interstate system was not constructed by the federal government, but by the individual states, using 90 percent federal funding. A great deal of the needed land was in fact taken through eminent domain proceedings. This was less common in western states, because so much land in unpopulated areas is owned by the federal government. Eminent domain \"takings\" for public improvements such as highways is a centuries-old practice, recognized in the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution. Procedures vary somewhat from state to state, but in general, if the landowner is not satisfied with the price being offered for the property, he can ask for a judicial proceeding, at which evidence from appraisers will be offered to determine the property's \"fair market value.\" Incidentally, many states also give eminent domain authority to private companies providing a public service, including electric and gas utilities, railroads, and pipeline companies."
] |
[
"If a public works/infrastructure project (highway, power station, etc) is being set up that will benefit the general public (or even a private cell tower in many cases) and the government needs the land you own, they may obtain your property and compensate you for the value of it *as determined by a third party estimator*. They'll give you a fair price. But you can't say no. You have to leave. Note that this does not apply if some corporation wants to build on your lot (think of the movie Up). It's for public works projects. A recent misconception on reddit is that this law is somehow evil, but 1) it is for the greater good, 2) it is not often abused, and 3) the alternative is simply seizing the property with *no* compensation and saying tough luck. Eminent domain protects the citizens in countries where they pay out (which is most)."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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Age(s) of majority: how and why did the seemingly arbritary ages of 16, 18, and 21 come to be the standard ages for various milestones and legal authority/rights?
|
[
"Follow-on question: this post asks specifically about the US, but 18 seems to be a milestone age in many (most?) other countries as well. How did this come to be?"
] |
[
"In Japan, the national government leaves it up to municipalities, who enforce higher ages such as 17. To some degree this also happens at a state level in Mexico. However, to answer your question more broadly: historically many societies have felt that sexual activity is permissible after puberty. It's only in the last century or so that many countries (such as the USA) have decided otherwise, based on ideas of *emotional maturity* or the need to get an education before parenting; these were not considered important factors historically."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Pre-Colonial Africa: Which books are must reads?
|
[
"Though it has a depressingly paltry pre-colonial section, I do suggest you check out the African section of our [book list](_URL_0_)."
] |
[
"What are the must read books about the American revolution published within the last five years? What are the current arguments being discussed by historians who study the era?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Literature:"
}
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What do historians think of Victor Davis Hanson's work?
|
[
"There is a fairly extensive discussion of his work by /u/Iphikrates from six months ago [here](_URL_0_). Just for entertainment, if you have access to JSTOR I recommend looking up a certain review of his book *Carnage and Culture* and Hanson's response which I linked in [a very old thread](_URL_3_): > There appears to be both stronger praise and stronger criticism of *Carnage and Culture*, my particular favourite being [this extensive, and scathing, review](_URL_1_) by Steven Willett and Hansons [equally entertaining response](_URL_2_)."
] |
[
"If you're interested in Precolumbian history 1491 is a good start. If you are looking for modern revisionist history you can look to Howard Zinn's work, especially \"A People's History...\" Were you looking at the treatment of any subject in American history in particular?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about Education:"
}
|
In the Ming Dynasty, how was studying like in the Imperial College? How was it ran? What did the students do after classes? Did they have any holidays?
|
[
"Check out p. 807 of [*Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1*](_URL_0_) \"The Standard School Curriculum.\" It discusses the rules and the curriculum of Song/Yuan dynasty Confucian academies, which became models for later periods. The curriculum was heavily based on reading (and memorizing) the \"classics\" and other literature. Days were pretty structured and rigid for students. The \"School Code of Masters Cheng and Dong\" in *Sources of Chinese Tradition* says that students should spend their free time \"playing the lute, shooting arrows, [and] playing pitchpot\" and prohibits them from playing games associated with gambling."
] |
[
"So /u/citrusonic has a really great answer with regards to music, but what if you had no talent for music or were not interested in playing it? What other activities would the daughters of English nobility take part in circa 1650? How much and what type of education would they receive? I've also seen in many period movies and TV shows that young women would be sent to the court of a higher ranked noble (the King, Duke, etc) to be a lady in waiting. At what age did this usually take place? How much training was a new lady in waiting expected to have before she could be accepted by whoever she is serving?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
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With Jimmy Carter saying that Trump is an “illegitimate” president that got me wondering if there was anything remotely close said about any president?Wasn’t Millard Fillmore riled about the Civil War or something along those lines?
|
[
"I've removed your post because with the reference to modern politics in the title, [which is against our rules,](_URL_0_) it is likely to draw in discussions that isn't appropriate for this subreddit. Additionally, with the way your question is worded, I take it as running against our rule on [\"example-seeking\" questions.](_URL_1_) If you wish to repost this question, please remove the reference to Carter and Trump in the beginning and reword it to be more exact. For example, try this: > What accusations of legitimacy have previous U.S. Presidents faced over controversial issues?"
] |
[
"Ford was appointed by Nixon and not elected since his elected Vice President resigned. Then Nixon resigns under threat of impeachment and then prosecution. Ford pardons Nixon. It appeared that perhaps Nixon appointed Ford with an understanding that he was going to resign under the condition that Ford would pardon him. By the way : none of that is true reason for the Pardon but that was the controversy."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about History:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about History:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
How did ancient or medieval armies deal with things like thirst and heat stroke during what might be hours or days long combat?
|
[
"This may be considered slightly tangential, but both armies in the Battle of Bosworth Field (1485) suffered from horrible cases of dysentery. How did they deal? No pants. War traditionally never stopped for \"petty\" things like hyper or hypothermia."
] |
[
"They key part of a rout is that it is not simply a retreat but an utterly chaotic and disordered withdrawal, or even a shattering of cohesion entirely. It usually devolves into an every man for himself type attitude. This would then be contrasted with the opposing force who likely maintain morale and discipline and are therefor better equipped to inflict such grievous casualties that one can see during a rout. Also take note that a rout does not necessarily have to be over the course of a matter of minutes or hours. A routed army may have to flee for many days to find safety, vs. their enemy who has the leisure to chase them down at will."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Thursday Reading & Recommendations | August 02, 2018
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[
"I recently finished Serhii Plokhy's _Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe_, which came out a little earlier this year, and I really thought it was good. Most Chernobyl history books get tied up in nothing but technical details; Plokhy gives a much more comprehensive discussion of the plant and the context of the response to the accident, which has been generally lacking from other works on the subject. Recommended, though those wanting technical details (which are useful but not Plokhy's thing) would do well to keep a copy of Medvedev's _The Legacy of Chernobyl_ at hand."
] |
[
"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 query about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
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When/where did the (Western-style) business suit originate? Why/when did it become popular and widespread?
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[
"Here's a superb answer on another thread, which itself links to some more in-depth things: _URL_0_ {EDIT} this is from the user u/chocolatepot ! Thanks. Further, I can recommend no livelier or more informative book than \"Sex and Suits,\" by Anne Hollander, written in the 90s. It's a great inquiry into the 200ish-year history of the suit. She goes into detail about stuff like dull cloth vs shiny cloth (and how wool looks serious and *un*fancy enough to suit a modern diplomat or public figure) as well as color (and how a splash of tie color creates just enough). Her discussion of how a suit provides a man with the ability to be simultaneously sexy and serious, and conversely how our culture gives women plenty of sexy/unserious frilly girly stuff and plenty of unsexy/serious businessy stuff, but not that potent combination, is worth the price of admission alone."
] |
[
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
}
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Why did US college campuses need armory buildings?
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[
"So do you have a specific example of a school that prompted the question? Its very possible if it is a Land Grant School it dates to the days of mandatory ROTC. Where all male students attending, even those not seeking a commission, had to participate in at least some perfunctory drill. And the rifles would need to be kept somewhere. While many schools in decades past had far more extensive armaments, especially those that took the military instruction expectations more seriously. It was certainly not unheard of for a school with a sizeable corps of cadets to own a few cannons for artillery drills. Many schools also hosted training units of technical disciplines, or things like flight training or aeronautical engineering during the world wars, and those detachments also would have had to keep their arms somewhere as well. _URL_0_ You may be interested in this thread where I talk more about the history of mandatory ROTC participation at many schools."
] |
[
"It might not be necessary in certain countries, but with the number of firearms and violence in the U.S., it would be pure anarchy if our police forces did not have firearms. Don't bring a knife to a gun fight."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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I've heard it said that before the concept of teenagers arose, you were a child or you were an adult. What then might be the experience of a 14 or 15-year-old living in a city in late 19th century America?
|
[
"Didn't most cultures have gradual adulthood? Im pretty sure the Romans gave gradual statuses to children (infants, infantia majores, minores, majors). Im just pointing ths out to illustrate that the concept that you suddenly become an adult is probably a major stretch. Edit: [Source](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"The Middle Ages is a pretty huge period that spanned centuries, so you might want to refine your question. The daily life of a monarch in the 8th century was incomparably different from that of a 16th century one."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
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In his day was Leopold von Ranke (and his ideas about history being science) as harshly criticised as he is nowerdays by my history department?
|
[
"My knowledge of this is pure historiography, so maybe a historian of the period can elaborate, but the answer is no. Leopold von Ranke is largely credited with creating the discipline of history itself, so for much of his career he was unassailable. Late in his life there were some critics of his methods, but he was, for his day, pretty revolutionary. I'm not sure what kind of criticism you're seeing in your department, but I don't know if I would categorize modern historiography's take on Ranke as 'harsh'. The discipline has grown and evolved, mostly for the better, and Ranke is an important figure even if his ideas are no longer applicable. Source: Any historiography book ever. I referenced *From Historical Methods* by Powell and Prevenier because that's what I have on the shelf next to me."
] |
[
"Atheism was still a crime punishable by death in Scotland, although he never publicly say said he was an atheism, but his philosophy was viewed as a philosophy of an atheist. Also in contexts of philosophy, one the most important work in philosophy Kant's Critque of Pure Reason was an repudiation of Hume."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
How long have we mused about the possibility of alien life?
|
[
"I'm sure there are older occurrences, but i know in 1835 there was a hoax printed in news papers (The Great Moon Hoax) claiming that there were bat-men living on the moon along with other animals. Also take this with a grain of salt, but there are even stories about a pastor convincing his church to donate money to send bibles to the moon men. Also this part is speculation but i'm sure if you search there will be evidence of people musing about alien life during the renaissance and later, given their scientific pursuits and later the invention of the telescope. Also you could possibly consider ancient belief in gods living in the sky as musing about alien life."
] |
[
"The actual reason for this phenomenon is roughly understood. One of the leading theories for this behavior is that it imitates their spaceships. The ones they used over 2000 years ago to make contact with the ancient Egyptians and enslaved them to create beautiful statues."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
In 2014 a team of archeologists from the University of Memphis claimed they found a Viking ship in the Mississippi River. Was it ever confirmed? If so, how has it changed our understanding of Viking history and exploration.
|
[
"[In fact, no Viking ship was ever found](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"It's a bit too early for an understanding of the implications of the Point Rosee site. It hasn't even been confirmed to be Norse yet and nothing has been formally published on the matter. If it is a Norse site, that alone isn't shocking. The Vinland sagas talk about 2-3 Norse encampments in Vinland (someone who is more familiar with the sagas themselves can hopefully give the specific number). So finding additional sites in Newfoundland was always a reasonable possibility. If Point Rosee is Norse, it was probably only inhabited briefly, just like L'Anse aux Meadows and the handful of known Norse encampments on Baffin Island (Nanook / the Tanfield Valley site being the best known). If it turns out to be Norse *and* it was inhabited for a significant amount of time, that would be a departure from our current understanding of Norse interaction in the area. If the site isn't Norse but something else, well, then we'll have to wait and see."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
In many languages around the world, the sounds 'Ma' and 'Pa' form a part of the words for Mother and Father. Why is this so?
|
[
"You might consider reposting this question to [Ask Linguistics](_URL_0_) if you don't get a good answer here."
] |
[
"It's completely cultural. Some languages are tonal, which means that a word's tone is an inherent part of its pronunciation. If you change the tone from a falling one to a rising tone, you've mispronounced it and have likely said a different word entirely. In Mandarin questions are indicated by adding the word \"ma\" to the end. The tone of the other words is identical when you convert a statement \"You have a car\" to \"Do you have a car?\" Edit: \"Cultural\" may not be the best term to use. It's purely a feature of the specific language in question."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Britain and the Vietnam war
|
[
"We werent there. The public didnt want it, and labour couldnt afford to go to a bad war, as wilson had no majority. Remember that britain was broke in the period 55-75, and we were already fighting in the Borneo conflict in asia. Think Australia and NZ was though, for a bit at least.We went to Korea with the Americans and it didnt go so well so I think thats probably why we didnt go to vietnam. We *knew* it would be a disaster. Here is a radio interview that explains it: _URL_0_"
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
History teacher needs help - First Bank of the United States.
|
[
"Greetings! I teach eighth grade history as well and I have a few ideas. When I teach about it I usually pick a student and have them select a denomination of money. Generally they pick something like $100, making life easier on us all. With that, I explain that the United States places $100 in the bank and can only distribute that much for currency. The kids usually understand that simply making money and flooding the market leads to inflation, if for no other reason that people have the option of obtaining more money. Hope this helps!"
] |
[
"British Empire -- > Post-WW2 / Cold War America -- > British and American pop culture -- > Silicon Valley."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
|
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