query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1 value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
What exactly was Winston Churchill referring to when he made the "we are entering a period of consequences" speech? | [
"Start of WWII. He was trying to get support for increasing the build up of war materiel, training, weapons, manpower, etc. Chamberlain's government was playing the part of the appeaser at this time and Churchill did not like it."
] | [
"This is a classic question for many exams because it requires that the answerer historicize the situation completely without any presentist memory. It's obviously quite easy to say that signing treaties with Hitler was a stupid thing to do; heck, just look at how it turned out, right? What's quite difficult is to put yourself in Chamberlain's shoes at the time. The UK was in bad shape. Financial ruin was not impossible. Many hundreds of thousands had been killed. Many more wounded. To say that the Brits (and many others) were leery of another war is to understate the issue by orders of magnitude. Chamberlain made a calculated decision to stave off war. Some argue that he really believed Hitler would honor the various treaties; others argue that C. was just intentionally delaying the inevitable. I don't think that anyone will ever be able to concretely say one way or another, so it remains a question for debate."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How restricted was hunting by ordinary citizens in the Soviet Union? | [
"People living in the countryside could legally own hunting rifles, particularly after the Civil War. It wasn't necessarily easy to get a permit and you basically had to prove that it was a necessary part of your work/livelihood. It was highly regulated, and there were times (right after the Revolution and later under Stalin) when there were crackdowns on gun ownership include laws requiring people to relinquish weapons (or have them confiscated). In 1923 the there was a resolution \"On Hunting\" that allowed people to officially register for a hunting license that was issued by the People's Commissariat of Agriculture. The NKVD was responsible for the permits for the firearms and ammunition. I have not seen a ton of research on this. I know that there is a little bit on it in Orlando Figes' *A People's Tragedy*, and even though I am not a huge fan of Figes, I don't doubt this particular research. The specifics also depend on the period of the Soviet Union we're talking about."
] | [
"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 document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Books about "The Last Kingdom" and The Great Heathen Army? | [
"Well first off I can honestly say that Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction series (which the tv series is named after) is not only *vastly* superior to the show, but also includes some significant research on Cornwell's part to find useful and interesting material. Actually those books (especially the first 3) were a huge reason I originally got interested in History. The best primary source on any of this period (specifically pertaining to England and Alfred) is the *Anglo-Saxon Chronicle*, which can be found free online in translated (not old English) versions. Be warned it was written with a decidedly pro-Saxon bias by a Saxon priest for an audience actively fighting for survival against Vikings. Not an objective recollection in any sense, but still a great source. A good general read to describe the era (with more scope than just the military history) is Richard Abel's *Alfred the Great: War, Kingship and Culture in Anglo Saxon England*. Might be worth a perusal."
] | [
"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 Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
When choosing a site for the atomic bombings, did the US factor in Japanese Cultural Resources e.i. art and sculptors? | [
"The closest you have to the Americans caring about cultural resources is the non-targeting of Kyoto, which was justified as it being a cultural center. [I have written about Kyoto here](_URL_0_). I am not sure it really counts quite the same as the European example — it was literally the insistence of one person (Secretary of War Stimson) that led to Kyoto not being targeted, not any large bureaucracy or process or anything systematic. In general, the US was not particularly concerned with the destruction of cultural artifacts in Japan from either the atomic bombing or firebombing campaigns, both of which were flagrantly indiscriminate in their nature, targeting entire cities without attention to damage limitation."
] | [
"Because of the strategic and tactical advantages of killing Japanese civilians and combatants over risking American lives. Also to demonstrate to the world, specifically the USSR, the power of the new Atomic bombs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How clear were the goals of the Boston Tea Party compared to modern movements and protests? | [
"Hi there -- your submission is fine here, but I wanted to drop in a note to let people know that, as always, we do not allow discussion of [modern politics](_URL_0_) on this subreddit. So folks who are thinking about responding, you can compare and contrast up to 1997, but no further. Thanks!"
] | [
"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 | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Literature:"
} |
Did Native American populations know that the world is round before the arrival of Europeans? | [
"You may be interested in some of the past answers to questions in our FAQ section on [Pre-Columbian Trade and Contact](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"There has been trade between Europe and Africa, directly or indirectly, for thousands of years. Africa, Europe, and Asia are all connected by land or very short ocean distances. Diseases had already been shared between Europe and Africa long before Europeans began colonizing Africa. Africa was not 'discovered' in the same way that America is said to have been discovered. Heads of state and scholars in Africa knew about Europe a long, long time ago."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post about History:"
} |
How Accurate was the concept of drowing suspected witches, if they died they where innocent if they floated they where guilty. It seems incredibly flawed logic even for older times | [
"Here is a [link](_URL_0_) to a thread with some info I wrote on the history and practice of \"trials by water\" during the Medieval period, namely that the purpose was not to kill the accused, and that during the period of its accepted use as a legal practice it was not specifically related to witchcraft accusations."
] | [
"Medieval Britain. The pox come down your street? Perhaps your cattle were slaughtered by wolves. Or a child disfigured by an unfortunate accident. This happened a couple of times in a short space of time or geographic spacing? No such thing as a coincidence, and God wouldn't do this. Must be a witch in town. Going looking for something to blame for all the wrongs even if their link is coincidental, tenuous or totally unrelated. A witch hunt!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How true was the story of Gavrilo Princip killing Franz Ferdinand by chance after having a sandwich | [
"It's likely that Princip was *outside* Schiller's Deli, but he probably did not have a sandwich. Sandwich-eating is not a local custom (I mean, there are sandwiches to be had in Sarajevo, but most Serbs do not have sandwiches for lunch). It seems that the origin of the sandwich story might lie in a burlesque novel titled *Twelve Fingers,* published in 2001. Mike Dash, who writes for Smithsonian Magazine, often writes articles about debunking historical myths and tales. He covered this one pretty extensively in September 2011, located here: _URL_0_ I hope this helps. Now I really want a sandwich..."
] | [
"> how much of an impact do you think the man himself, and his co conspirators actually had in the grand scheme of things? Aside from giving the Austro-Hungarians an excuse to start a war with Serbia, their impact in the grand scheme of things was not great. Berchtold and Hotzendorff, the Foreign Minister and Chief of Staff of the dual monarchy had already decided in 1913 that Serbia must be crushed if the Empire was to continue to have a future as a Great Power and as a player in the Balkans. Even if the Archduke had not been shot, Princip's conspirators had already lobbed grenades at him, and a few had been captured. That alone would have probably been enough for Austro-Hungarian leadership to demand a reckoning, though the Archduke might have been a counter-balance here. EDIT: Thomas G. Otte's *July Crisis* is an excellent read for the crisis as a whole. Tim Butcher's *The Trigger* is a good read for info on Princip himself, even if it's more pop history."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How might the southern states have won the war? | [
"It seems that one of the largest reasons the Confederate states found themselves losing the war may be attributable to the fact that they lacked the industrialization that the North had. The South's economy was historically a crop culture (indigo, rice, cotton, etc…), and when the war hit, not much changed. Thus, while the North was able to ramp up their war-time and railroad manufacturing, the South had a much less complete transportation network. Had the South been able to shift towards manufacturing (and maybe this would have caused their economy to collapse??), maybe they would have been able to hold out longer or win."
] | [
"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:"
} |
Was King Ælle blood eagled in real life, like in the show vikings? | [
"The evidence for the reality of this form of execution is actually extremely scanty, [as I discussed in this earlier thread](_URL_0_), referencing an earlier essay on the subject that I wrote a few years back for the Smithsonian. That for the carving of the blood eagle on King Ælla boils down to how you interpret a couple of lines of rather gnomic skaldic verse dating to the reign of Cnut, about 150 years after the fact. & #x200B; & #x200B;"
] | [
"Well first off I can honestly say that Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction series (which the tv series is named after) is not only *vastly* superior to the show, but also includes some significant research on Cornwell's part to find useful and interesting material. Actually those books (especially the first 3) were a huge reason I originally got interested in History. The best primary source on any of this period (specifically pertaining to England and Alfred) is the *Anglo-Saxon Chronicle*, which can be found free online in translated (not old English) versions. Be warned it was written with a decidedly pro-Saxon bias by a Saxon priest for an audience actively fighting for survival against Vikings. Not an objective recollection in any sense, but still a great source. A good general read to describe the era (with more scope than just the military history) is Richard Abel's *Alfred the Great: War, Kingship and Culture in Anglo Saxon England*. Might be worth a perusal."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How accurate are these "period specific" Disney princess costumes from the front page? | [
"[Here's the original source](_URL_1_) with brief explanation for each one. [Here's /r/fashion 's critique of the historical accuracy](_URL_0_). The biggest criticism is there's no way Pocahontas would have worn something that skimpy. In addition a lot of the styles are still so generalized that it's no more accurate than the Disneys version. I'm not familiar with Native American clothing, but personally I find Ariel's dress bothersome. Specifically the weird pointy hem which seem out of place with something from that period. In addition Belle's bright color scheme seem strange with 1700's fashion, which was dominated with soft pastel color. Belle reminds me of Madame Du Barry from the 2006 movie Marie Antoinette. The director specifically made her brunette and wore loud and bright clothes to make her stand out from the rest of the cast and show that she is a rude bitchy outcast even though her ensemble is not very historically accurate and seem out of place."
] | [
"How detailed and accurate does it have to be? Also are you going to make the costumes or find them piece by piece? Budget? I can give you some suggestions depending on how much resources you have on hand. Edit: also what are the scenes you would appear in? Are you working the entire time?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In 1533, the Incan emperor Atahualpa was sentenced to death by Francisco Pizarro. Given how contentious the matter of executing a monarch was, how was the reaction of contemporary monarchs/clergies/nobilities to Pizarro's actions? | [
"Emperor Charles V sent a letter to Pizarro: > We have been displeased by the death of Atahualpa since he was a monarch and particularly as it was done in the name of justice. Pizarro took one of Atahualpa's wives, Cuxirimay Ocllo (later baptized as Angelina Yupanqui), as his concubine and had 2 children: Juan Francisco and Francisco. Pizarro also took Ines Yupanqui, Huayna Capac's daughter, as mistress and had a daughter: Francisca Pizarro Yupanqui. Emperor Charles V recognized Francisca Pizarro Yupanqui as a legitimate heir of Francisco Pizarro by a royal decree in 1537."
] | [
"The Pizarro brothers read as much about Cortez as they could. They went into the Inka empire on their second voyage to Peru, with a pre-concieved plan of capturing the Inka emperor, and using him the same way Cortez used Montezuma. On their first trip, they landed at Tumbez, in northwest Peru, and found a prosperous empire that was at peace. By the time the Pizarro brothers made their second trip, a small pox plague swept through the Inka empire, killing about a third of the total population. The ruling Inka emperor and his designated heir both died in this first small pox epidemic, and the Inka Empire was soon ripped apart by a civil war. The political conditions were much more favorable for the Pizarro brothers to conquer the Inka empire, the second time they went there."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
I've seen a number of conspiracy theorists and Neo-Nazis quote these alleged confessions by Winston Churchill that Britain was the aggressor in WWII. Where do they actually originate? | [
"The quote regarding forcing Hitler into war appears in They Didn't Listen, They Didn't Know How by Olwen Davies pg 682 published 2013 maybe worth asking the author for a Citation. Be warned he's a total nut. It's harder to figure out the source of a lie than the truth the nuts all quote one another. A nearly identical statement is attributed to another party in the 30s \" The truth of the Führer’s words that the eternal Jew is the real inciter of war is proven by Bernard Lecache, the president of the “International League against Anti-Semitism,” who wrote in his Paris newspaper Le Droit de vivre: “Our task is to declare pitiless war against Germany, world enemy #1. One may be sure of this: We will lead that war!” The Jew wrote this on 9 November 1938, and the chamber pot biographer Emil Ludwig Cohn wrote this in the magazine Les Annales as early as 1934: “Hitler does not want war, but we will force it on him, not this year, but soon.”\" See _URL_0_"
] | [
"There's a quote that stuck strongly with me: \"The people who claim that the holocaust didn't happen are usually the same people that wish that it did.\" If you're unashamedly an anti-semite, you wouldn't want to be reminded that anti-semitism was what caused the death of millions. So, in an ends-justify-means manner, the holocaust needs to not have happened in order to not invalidate their racism."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
The Universality of the Minute and Hour | [
"Funny you should ask. Roni Jacobson wrote an article that covers a lot of what you ask in this Tuesday's *New York Times*: [\"60: Behind Every Second, Millenniums of History\"] (_URL_0_)."
] | [
"Sleep - Shake Unconscious - Splash Coma - Wait and Hope Vegetative State - Wait and Bury"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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} |
Is "Appalachia" a Native American word/name? If so, how was it pronounced by the Native Americans who coined it? | [
"We aren't positive if the word came form Apalachee *abalahci* or Hitchiti *apalwahči*. Either way, I'll tell you how it was probably pronounced. * Apalachee is extinct but we know it was closely related to Alabalama. The word was likely pronounced as /'abala:htʃI/ (ah-ba-LAHH-chih) Make sure the 'h' in abala**h**ci is present and receives your breath, don't skip it like you would in English. * Hitchiti is also extinct but its phonology is known. The Hitchiti would pronounce the word as /'ap^h alua:tʃi/ or /'ap^h alua:t^s i/ (ah-pah-LOO-A-chee or ah-pah-LOO-A-tsee). Give the LOO-A a diphthongized stress; it should glide together and be the syllabic emphasis of the word. In LOO-A, the 'a' vowel should sound like the 'a' in *father*, not the 'a' in *band*."
] | [
"The words that linguists use for this are exonym (a name we give to a foreign place or people group, e.g. \"Japan\" and \"Japanese people\") and endonym (the name they give themselves, e.g. \"Nippon\" and \"Nipponjin\"). Sometimes European cities have an \"English\" name (exonym) because the English have known about those cities for a long time. English people hundreds of years ago might not have been able to pronounce or spell the native names of those cities, so they came up with new ones. Vienna = Wien Munich = München Naples = Napoli Paris is spelled the same in English and French but pronounced differently. The answer to why we call Japan \"Japan\" is very convoluted. Westerners did not have contact with Japan for a long time and first learned about Japan from the Chinese via Marco Polo and other traders. It derives from the Chinese pronunciation of the written name for Japan, which is 日本."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Teacher says that the Earth being flat is one of the fears of sailors during the early Age of Exploration, Internet says otherwise. | [
"I haven't personally read accounts of fear of a flat earth, which doesn't mean they don't exist, but this is much more likely to be a later invention. You can read more about what people (including common people) thought about the sphericity of the earth here: _URL_0_ _URL_2_ _URL_1_ Tl;dr: people knew the earth was round early on."
] | [
"They were. Syphilis was unknown to the rest if the world until it was brought back from the New World. Im sure there were more, but I cant think of any off the top of my head."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post about History:"
} |
Modern Britain - recommendations of general narratives, specialized works, historiography, etc. | [
"I second all of /u/agentdcf's recommendations, but would like to add David Cannadine's *Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy* in addition to *Ornamentalism*. The title is self-explanatory."
] | [
"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?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Literature:"
} |
How did other states react to the collapse of the Ming dynasty and the rise of the Qing? | [
"The first state reacted before the fall of the Ming; Joseon saw the writing on the wall after the Manchu invasion of Korea and started sending tribute to the Qing instead of the Ming. The Japanese were highly isolationist at the time, so they didn't offer tribute to the Qing, but not out of any preference for the Ming, who'd kicked them out of Korea a half century ago. Burma, which became the shelter of a pretender to the Ming throne, was invaded and plundered by Wu Sangui's troops, and the dynasty entered a period of decline. Generally, though, most states that paid tribute to the Ming for trading rights continued to do so for the Qing after they'd made it clear the Shun and Ming weren't coming back."
] | [
"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:"
} |
What did the Great Plains settlers do for water? | [
"First, it's incorrect to think that the Plains are nothing but dirt and grass. There are relatively few major rivers, true, but tons of smaller rivers/streams. (All the rainwater has to find a way to the major rivers, after all.) In the upper plains (Dakotas, for example) there are also tons of small lakes or ponds called potholes, leftover from the glaciers back in the last ice age. Minnesota's slogan of the \"Ten Thousand Lakes\" is an exaggeration, but not by much. So, settlers would just find themselves a handy pond or stream and build their house there. Source: grew up on the plains"
] | [
"Who's gonna do it? And who's gonna feed those who do it? Some organizations do plant trees to better the ecosystem, but they need to get money one way or the other."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Thursday Reading & Recommendations | June 13, 2019 | [
"Few days ago I asked a question [*\"Looking for a book that looks at how Soviet Russia and later Soviet Union implemented a new political system in Russia in 1920s & 1930s\"*](_URL_5_)*.* Nobody replied there so perhaps someone will see it here. Any suggestions about political history of Soviet Union in 1920s and 1930s would be really amazing as well! & #x200B; And a bit unrelated question, but how do you keep track of any news books on a subject you like? I enjoy reading about early years of the Soviet Union and every once in a while I simply go to [_URL_5_](_URL_5_) and [_URL_5_](_URL_5_) and search for new releases in history book section hoping to see something new that fits my interests, but there surely must be a better way to see new books. Plus Amazon's search engine for books is near unusable."
] | [
"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:"
} |
William the Bastard's coronation; Christmas Day 1066. Does anyone actually believe the Official Story? | [
"Soapboxing is [expressly forbidden](_URL_0_.) in our subreddit rules. Please familiarize yourself with our rules thoroughly before posting here again. Further violations will result in a ban."
] | [
"Edwardian when Edward was king Victorian when Victoria was queen"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the logic behind the statue of Boudica opposite the Houses of Parliament? Its symbolism seems completely out of place. | [
"Boudica was British, not Irish, so they were commemorating British patriotism when they raised the statue. Your Boudica = pre-Roman = Celtic = Irish connection is quite tenuous and rests on modern notions of pan-Celtic nationalism that were not all that popular at the time. It's true that the contemporary British rulers had little substantial connection to Boudica, but they didn't really have any substantial connection to the people she was fighting, either. The 19th century Victorian elite was a product of quite recent history - its real genesis was in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. But that is the nature of nationalism - it colonises the past."
] | [
"Also a black figure would look odd and distract the viewer from what is actually going on in the picture."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
In "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby mentions that because he fought in WW1 the British let him study at an English University (Oxford) for free, or low cost. Did this actually happen for American troops in WW1? | [
"Just an add-on question, how hard was it (during the time of the Indian struggle for Independence) to get into colleges like Oxford, Cambridge and UCL? Was it as hard as it is today or comparatively easier? (Gandhi attended UCL, if I'm not mistaken.)"
] | [
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Hi reddit, please help me interpret this quote by Paulus Orosius! | [
"Orosius himself explains in the preceding sentence: > hostes binis castris atque ingenti praeda potiti **noua quadam atque insolita exsecratione** cuncta quae ceperant pessum dederunt So presumably it happened for religious reasons but even then was a highly unusual thing to do. I guess the main question is whether this action was looking back (the Roman armies and camps had been devoted to the gods in order to ensure a favorable outcome of the battle) or forward (a sacrifice to ensure future success). *exsecratio* suggests the latter, to me the former would seem more usual (cf. Roman devotion rituals like the devotio hostium which afaik does not include material effects and the ver sacrum which does)."
] | [
"Could you post where that quote came from? Thanks"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
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} |
The Space Shuttle was intended to fly 26 missions a year, a flight every 2 weeks. When did NASA officially give up on this goal and who made the decision? | [
"Pinging /u/IrishWaterPolo who specialises in the space race. Follow-up question, come the early-mid '70's why did public interest in the space race seemingly dwindle? When only 6 years previous the moon landings had received mass media attention."
] | [
"During the Apollo program, we used a type of spacecraft designed to land on the moon and return to the earth safely. After that program concluded, we moved to the shuttle program which had no landing module and was really just a spacecraft capable of low orbit and easy re-entry into earth. Since that's been decommissioned, we have no spacecraft capable of manned flight and none capable of landing on the moon. For that to happen again, we'd need to do more R & D to make it happen."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
A question about the splitting of Korea? | [
"The creation of the Juche philosophy was highly nationalistic by nature and some of the historical events that occurred such as the Korean War helped to cement this concept of us vs. the United States mentality. So combined with that past history of being invaded (although North Korea started it) and that highly nationalistic tone of self-sufficiency probably helped to cement that ideology into the mindset of the North Korean population."
] | [
"Just a follow-up question to the original question - what about the reverse. What was Napoleon's view of the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
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} |
Looking for a FBI Historian to help me if my found collection of documents is worth anything, historically and/or monetarily. | [
"Everything /u/Borimi says is correct. Let me add: you might want to talk to a lawyer. Chances are, the U.S. Government was the original owner of those documents, and however they got into your hands, someone didn't follow proper procedure for archiving those documents. I have no idea what the applicable laws or regulations are, if any, but you might want to speak to a lawyer about it."
] | [
"I have done a little research paper last year about the Blount Conspiracy that took place in the late 1790's. I know that it is some years after the Revolution but it was in the wake of it. The continental expansion of the US was (or could have been) greatly changed if the conspiracy had went through. Right now I am not home and don't have much time to find the sources I used, but here's William Blount's wiki _URL_0_ Hope it can help!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Archiving:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Archiving:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Are colonies who negotiated with their former colonial power for independence better off than those Colonies who won independence through a liberation war? | [
"Is there any reason the mods keep shadow deleting all the comments? one or two were quite helpful"
] | [
"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 | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
To what extent was there romantic and/or sexual intermingling between the British and their Indian subjects? | [
"Not a historian, but I'm an Indian. This was definitely a \"thing\". There still exists a small and shrinking population of \"Anglo-Indians\" in India. The history and culture of Anglo-Indians in India is a fascinating one. Members of this community would usually be located in towns with British-run Cantonments, hill stations and resorts where the British officers liked to holiday, away from the heat and dust of Northern India. In India's complex caste and social system, the Anglo-Indian occupies a curious place, but the gap of nearly 70 years since independence means some of those defining features and characteristics are diluted. You should google for the history of Anglo-Indians. There are at least a few books that were published in the 1970s and 1980s on this topic."
] | [
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why was the Brasilian slave trade so much worse than the others? | [
"Slaves in Brazil were growing sugar, for one. Sugarcane is very difficult ti grow, and harvesting it is quite dangerous. You have to cut the stalk and the remaining pieces are sharp enough to cleanly impale a person if they fall on it. In addition to the working conditions, the Brazilian slaves also had to contend with a host of tropical diseases that weren't present in places like the Southern US. Slaves died with much higher numbers in Brazil forcing slave owners to replace their workforces more frequently, meaning that Brazil needed to import more slaves. Essentially, the work was more difficult, more dangerous, and the environment was more hostile. All this came together to create a \"perfect storm\" of making a slave's like absolutely horrible."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
WWII and Reinforced Units. | [
"You are correct that reinforced units had extra assets attached, before making an attack on an important target. In the US Army, every Corps and Army had a pool of independent Armor, Artillery, Engineer, Recon and Tank Destroyer battalions. These battalions could be plugged into a division making a major objective attack. For example, the US Army XV Corps only had one infantry and one armored division. It also had eight battalions of artillery, five battalions of armor, five battalions of tank destroyers, three battalions of Recon and six battalions of engineers. Source: \"Panzer Leader: Rules, Designer's Notes and Campaign Data\" by Dave Clark and Nick Smith (1974)"
] | [
"British Empire -- > Post-WW2 / Cold War America -- > British and American pop culture -- > Silicon Valley."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What happened when one nation puts in an order for battleships and at the outbreak of war, the nation that builds these battleships decides to keep them for itself? | [
"I couldn't tell you about the incident in your example, but there was a similar problem more recently where a small squadron of missile boats were built by the French in Cherbourg for the Israeli navy in the 1960's. While the boats were still under construction relations soured and Charles de Gaulle ordered an arms embargo. Israel had already paid for the boats but were prevented from taking them out of France. But work continued and Israeli crews were heavily involved in construction and fitting and on Christmas Eve 1969 they pulled off a pretty ballsy [operation to steal five boats](_URL_0_) and get them all the way to Israel from northern France."
] | [
"World War II. Every other industrial power in the world got huge amounts of their infrastructure destroyed; apart from an attack on Hawaii and some minor Alaskan islands, the US itself was untouched by the war. The USSR managed to recover fast enough to oppose the US during the Cold War, but that just encouraged the country to spend even more on securing global dominance."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about World Affairs:"
} |
Did the Japanese use the same pigments as Europeans for their paintings? (in particular, expensive lapis lazuli for the colour blue?) | [
"Many blues were made from copper. Malachite and Azurite were used at different times. There is a source for natural pigments and their use in history, here. _URL_0_"
] | [
"Pigments, which come from a variety of sources. The cochineal is a popular one for red color."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
[x-post to r/scotland] What were negotiations like for the former British empire countries who gained independence? | [
"The ones that spring to mind are India and Pakistan and their negotiations were carried on in the very early days of WWII. India had gained a certain level of autonomy and a legislative council formed under the Government of India Act 1919. Israel was formed post WWII as was Jordan. The \"White Dominions\" were different. Scotland, well it wasn't really a colony , more like a junior partner in the empire business. The Unionists in Northern Ireland are of Scottish descent from a very Scottish Plantation of Ulster. Pre David Cameron, his two immediate predecessors , Brown and Blair, are Scottish. Which brings me neatly on to [Scottish Imperialism](_URL_0_) which is conveniently forgotten at the moment."
] | [
"No, it wouldn't be a good place. I'd suggest you look at Scottish websites from many years back as it grew in popularity. For eli5, The Scottish want independence in a similar way the USA did, for better personal representation and choice of spending money. They already have some control but not all, it is still a Union. There'll be a referendum in 2013/4."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
when John Snow got them to remove the Broad Street pump handle (the water was infected with cholera, in 1854) did many/any people in that part of london complain about it? | [
"Here's a great article from UCLA's dept. of epidemiology regarding contemporary opinions. _URL_0_ Snow wasn't widely believed at the time of his initial request to shut down the pump, but the governing body, local officials, friends, and physicians agreed to remove the pump handle out of caution. This (famously) [may have, though the outbreak was already in decline] stayed the epidemic. Unfortunately, my basic research on the matter doesn't report the feelings of the community surrounding the pump, and as many of the poor did not have a voting right in the Broadstreet Guardians (they did not own property), they seem to have been ignored."
] | [
"It's not the water that will kill you, it's the shit in the water. No seriously the shit in the water. Cholera was the leading cause of death on the Oregon Trail, dysentery was up there as well. The answer is, it did make them sick. Edit: another thing to think about is that some naturally occurring waterborne parasites that can make you sick (giardia for instance) can take almost a month before symptoms manifest. They might not even have known what was causing the illness at that point."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Have past futurologists accurately predicted any of the technological advances of the late 20th to early 21st centuries? | [
"Yes, past futurologists and science fiction writers have predicted things that have come to pass. The problem is that these same people also predicted many things that did not come to pass. They predicted so many things that some were bound to come true if they were at least in the ballpark. Take Jules Verne's [*Paris in the 20th Century*](_URL_0_) for example. That book, which was withheld from publication because of its dystopic ending, predicted things like electronic/electric music, and networks of computing and fax-like machines. It also predicted things like artificial food made from coal."
] | [
"Steampunk uses aesthetics and technology from the Victorian era (mid to late 19th century), when steam power was prominent, while dieselpunk uses aesthetics and technology from between WWI and WWII (early to mid 20th century), when internal combustion engines were prominent."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why did only the greeks and romans do plays and not say the vikings? | [
"Your timeline is a bit off. The Vikings were active starting in the 8th century CE. The Roman Empire in the west fell in the 5th century CE. The Vikings would not have had contact with classical Greece or Rome or if they did, it would have been indirect, through Germanic or Slavic tribes, though this would have made cultural exchange limited. Vikings definitely had contact with the Byzantine Empire through the establishment of Kievan Rus' (a Viking/Slavic federation of tribes) with the most important developments being the adoption of Orthodox Christianity and the development of Cyrillic. I couldn't find any evidence of the plays being put on in Kievan Rus', but it seems somewhat unlikely that it would have been a prominent cultural import as many Greek and Roman plays had prominent pagan religious themes, which would not have been promoted by the Byzantines or Kievan Rus'."
] | [
"Incas lived in the Andes mountains in South America Mayans lived on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico Aztecs lived in Central Mexico It's like asking \"whats the difference between the babylonians, the byzantines, and the nazis?\" Theres a lot of differences. They're all totally different. *edit*: I'm not implying that one of the mesoamerican tribes are like the nazis... it was just the first thing that came to mind."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What were the beliefs,teachings, and tenants of moloch worshipers? All I know of them is that they sacrifice children. | [
"You may be interested in this past answer: [In 'Punic Nightmares', Dan Carlin suggests that at one point the Carthaginians might have practiced child sacrifice; is this claim credible, or likely to be Roman propaganda?](_URL_0_) by /u/yodatsracist It makes the point that \"Moloch\" wasn't a deity so much as a type of sacrifice. We also have a past answer by /u/QuickSpore to [What was the religion of Ancient Carthage?](_URL_1_) There is always more to be said, however, and if anyone wants to go into Carthaginian religion in more detail, that would be great!"
] | [
"Mythology is part of religion. Zeus himself is not considered a myth, but a God. He still referred as a Greek God. However, the rituals (like animal sacrifice and festivals) are not considered part of the mythology, but part of the ancient Greek religion. Mythology is pretty much just the story parts. For example: Christianity is a religion, but the story of Mary giving birth to him and putting him in a manger is mythology, but this is considered sacrilegious to say by a majority of where I live."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In the HBO show Deadwood, they drink shots of whisky very rapidly. Was whisky or other alcoholic drinks in during the Wild West not as strong as it is today? | [
"[This](_URL_0_) thread with answers by the excellent u/itsallfolklore has a lot of information on old west drinking which may be of interest to you"
] | [
"In contrast to a \"hard\" drink, which contains alcohol. It first became popular during prohibition, so it was clear that the beverage being served did not contain alcohol."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
What Archaeological digs are going on right now that i should be paying attention to? | [
"hi! I actually think just subscribing to /r/Archaeology would do the trick. As you say, they're not all that active, but that's more in terms of membership/discussion: they post articles all the time, which I think would be useful to you. As for this sub, there are a few archaeologists and interested parties here; /u/iwinagin's made the best suggestion. Other subs with an interest in archaeology worth a look are /r/AskAnthropology or even /r/AskScience"
] | [
"Hi there! There are 20+ countries that were part of the British Commonwealth and it will immensly help any expert attempting an answer here to narrow it down a bit. Thank you!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Did JFK 'steal the election' as is often claimed? | [
"This was discussed extensively ten days ago in [this thread.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"There definitely was a reason to suspect and fear the infiltration of communists in high levels government in the 40's and 50's. One need look no further than the Verona Project and the case of Harry Dexter White for example. _URL_0_ Although it was never near as widespread as Sen. McCarthy made it out to be."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Ancient Sumeria/Akkadia: What did reed workers use flattening stones for? | [
"The five lines around that were mutilated in the original texts used for translating the Epic, so this is definitely something that's been added to more recent translations either with research or with new corroborating evidence. It's an interesting question, I would suggest that the reed flattening is to do with how reeds are used to construct reed-based boats. If we want a proper answer then, we'll need to get hold of someone with experience in ancient shipbuilding, and in particular with reeds. So that's my conclusion; it's almost certainly related to using the reeds in shipbuilding. But I would like, if we can, to either find a work that discusses this or a user on the subreddit who knows more than me about ancient shipbuilding."
] | [
"Simple, anywhere where there are rivers. After all, the word Mesopotamia is Greek for \"the land between two rivers,\" specifically the Tigris–Euphrates. Also, the Nile was so important to the Egyptians, it became a major part of their religion A short summary of how of humanity developed by river systems: Nomads -- > Wandered until they reached a river = abundant source of food -- > (Most Likely) people observed how plants grew and learned how to farm -- > Food surplus -- > They now have time to settle down, make cities, babies, experiment, make pottery, chill out etc."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Are there any examples of kings that suffered from schizophrenia, dementia, bi-polar, or were otherwise "crazy"? | [
"Sorry, we don't allow [throughout history questions](_URL_1_). 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, you may PM /u/caffarelli to have your question considered for an upcoming [Tuesday Trivia](_URL_0_) thread."
] | [
"Neither Down Syndrome or Autism are mental illnesses. Could you clarify what you mean by this question? Do you mean disorders such as Down Syndrome or Autism, or mental illnesses, more along the lines of depression or schizophrenia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Does the Chinese Communist Party hold the Mandate of Heaven in the traditional Chinese model of history? | [
"As well as what /u/portabledavers said, it's important to note that the mandate of heaven was often a post-hoc explanation to justify passage of power from one leader to another. The kind of disruption that normally precipitated a major power shift (massive droughts/famines) or were part of one (rebellions/uprisings) were then used by the next dynasty as evidence of the previous one losing it's mandate."
] | [
"Can anyone suggest respected works that deal, on a theoretical level, with the concept of elites? Specifically from the standpoint of history."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
On October 31st, 1941, USS Reuben James was sunk near Iceland by German Submarine U-552, whilst neither nation was at war with the other. What was the response from the American Public, and why was there seemingly such a lack of public outcry? | [
"There was some outcry. Woody Guthrie even wrote a song about it. But the Rueben James was escorting a convoy from a belligerent country to another belligerent country. The torpedo was actually meant for a merchant ship. It wasn’t widely seen as an attack on the United States - and Americans at this point staunchly supported neutrality. Pearl Harbor, on the other hand, forced Congress to declare war."
] | [
"It was a preventative action by the Japanese to stop the US from interfering with Japanese activities in south-east Asian waters. FDR had implemented a trade ban on Japanese exports such as oil, steel and iron. By bombing Pearl Harbour, Japan largely eliminated any effective naval response from the US. This enabled them to carry out activities to their benefit which the US wasn't agreeable to. It was also intended to demoralize the Americans, who were already against participating in WWII having struggled to get over the losses of WWI. This obviously didn't happen, with the bombing of Pearl Harbour being the catalyst for American involvement in WWII."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Were there any die-hard supporters of the Articles of Confederation who tried to keep it alive, any fanatical "hold-outs" after the Constitution replaced it? | [
"Rhode Island initially refused to ratify the Constitution well past every other state. A combination of internal pressure from towns who threatened to secede from the state and join neighboring states coupled with threats of Federal economic pressure finally convinced Rhode Island to ratify the constitution. Edit- I should add in that in the first series of elections anti-federalists conspired to win majorities in the house and senate thereby essentially nullifying the constitution. For instance Patrick Henry attempted to Gerrymander ( although the term wouldn't come into use until 1811) Madison's district by including Monroe within it, and pitting the two men against each other. Ultimately the anti-federalists failed to win many seats in congress."
] | [
"The Gadsden flag dates back to the Revolutionary War. The idea of a snake representing the US comes from a political cartoon Benjamin Franklin drew. It showed a snake cut up into pieces, each piece identified by the initials of the colonies. And it was captioned \"Unite or die\" to encourage all the American colonists to unite against the British. Then someone else made a flag with an angry coiled snake that said \"don't tread on me\" as a symbol for the American Revolution. Nowadays, it's a favorite of Tea Partiers and libertarians who look back to the Founding Fathers and the Revolution as the \"good ol' days\", and use symbols from back then like teabags, the gadsden flag, and triangular hats. They use it as a symbol of resistance to government tyranny. \"Don't tread on me\" y'know? \"Don't trample on my rights and liberties.\" I'm not saying I agree with them, I'm not a Tea Partier or a libertarian, just explaining what they believe."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Has any peaceful protest been successful where there was not some violent (but separate) entity working in the same interest? | [
"You question lacks specificity. Are you asking if there has ever been an example of a peaceful protest movement that has toppled a regime/government? Moreover, how are we defining \"violent protest?\" Is it merely bloodshed? Or would the destruction of symbols (e.g., statues, religious icons, monuments) also be considered violence? In any case, I'm pretty sure your hypothesis can be quite easily refuted. There are countless examples of entirely peaceful protest movements overturning governments. The 1989 revolutions in Czechoslovakia and East Germany are but two examples of a peaceful revolution."
] | [
"Two things: First, you're assuming rioters have a coordinated goal. Some, maybe even most people involved have might have a principled political message to get across, but others are along as opportunists who don't care about that message. Second, even with the chaotic anarchy, there is still a message being transmitted. How many peaceful political protests are held that don't get any media coverage? The rioting/looting stage gets the message across that there is something wrong, even if it's not the goal of the people actually doing the private property damage. (That's not an endorsement of the private property damage, but it does seem to be an effective strategy in getting people to pay attention.)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Best books on military tactics? | [
"I'd recommend the Memoirs of William Tecumseh Sherman as a good book on tactics. I believe Erwin Rommel put some of what he used from those memoirs to good use."
] | [
"Reddit as the new opiate of the masses?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does a battle happen? | [
"I actually want to link to this great post by iSurvivedRuffneck in [this thread.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"How are you going to change the filter?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How many times in the U.S. has a state constitution been written before the state was admitted by Congress? | [
"Every time, since the territory needs to draft a constitution and submit it to Congress in order to get Congressional approval for statehood. For each of the 50 individual stories, see Benjamin Shearer, ed., *The Uniting States*."
] | [
"If you’re not referring to the US Constitution at all, please disregard this entire post. If you mean “Who has the authority to amend the US Constitution,” then it can be done by either a convention of the states, requiring three fourths of the states to vote in favor of the amendment, or by three quarters approval of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. If you mean, “Who has the authority to chuck the US Constitution and start over,” nobody has that authority."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Help with identifying patch | [
"You might have more responses in r/whatisthisthing, which is astonishingly good at it."
] | [
"There is its called florescent lighting. Edit: typo"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Technology:"
} |
How did the concept of claiming "Sanctuary" come about? And more to the point, when did it die out? | [
"The origin is Biblical. [The Old Testament](_URL_1_) and the Talmud describe sanctuary cities where a murderer may flee to and live in exile. You may be interested in [*Sanctuary and crime in the Middle Ages](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"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:"
} |
How historically accurate is Colleen McCullough's "Masters of Rome" series? | [
"It is decent for broad outlines, but the characterization heavily reflects her own bias'. Particularly with Caesar: he was not, in fact, a baby genius and we have little reliable information on the size of his penis. Beyond that, McCollough will invent episodes for the sake of narrative and characterization (see: Sulla, Roman Super-Spy) and generally give more flesh to the story than we can reasonably take from the sources. But it is a nice portrayal of the period and, to my mind, gets the tone of the time quite well."
] | [
"I'm currently reading the *Dead Zone* by Stephen King, which is pretty good, but I'm planning on reading something more historical soon. For the past couple of years I've made a habit of reading one long presidential biography a year, and this year my in-laws gave me a crap ton of them, so I have to choose which one I want to read this year. I'm being very indecisive, though, so I thought I'd put it to a vote. The options are: 1. *Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power* by John Meacham 2. *James Monroe: the quest for national identity* by Harry Ammon 3. *Woodrow Wilson: A Biography* by John Milton Cooper 4. *Man of the People: A Life of Harry S. Truman* by Alonzo Hamby 5. Presidents are boring, read *The Art of Warfare in Western Europe During the Middle Ages* by J.F. Verbruggen instead."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post about Literature:"
} |
Did the Caesars really have a slave behind them, to remind them that they weren't gods when they were celebrating a Triumph? | [
"Not just the Caesars but anyone having a triumph. It's a holdover from the republic, discouraging anyone from attempting to seize power. The exact words that were said changed based on the person and time period. It's discussed here: _URL_0_"
] | [
"The Romans had a formal process by which the deified worthy persons. Augustus, for example, and many of his successors. But only the simple folk actually believed such people were gods. As Gibbon wrote, “ The plebeian believed that all religions were equally true, the philosopher, that they were equally false, and the politician, that they were equally useful.” Worshipping a deceased emperor was, to a Roman, a bit like the way Americans revere their flag. It was a way of showing loyalty. Except the Romans weren’t such pompous gits about it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What was the most unwieldy currency? Would people not accept it despite being the coin of the realm? | [
"[Rai stones](_URL_1_) are limestone 'coins' from Palau, used by the people of the island of Yap. They were used as a form of currency and apparently still are on rare occassions. They vary greatly in size, with the largest around 12 feet across and weigh up to 4 tons. [Here is an article about them](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"That often is done, but coming up with a new currency, printing it, and handling all the logistics of getting that money to banks so people can trade in their old currency for new currency is not cheap and takes quite some time. Also, if you haven't handled the issues that caused the hyperinflation in the first place, you will soon be back in the same situation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What was the democratic evolution of Sweden after joining the UN? | [
"The UN membership did not really change the state of democracy in Sweden. Sweden approved universal and equal suffrage for men and women 1917 and enacted it in the first election 1921. Sweden was part of the Legue of Nation pre-war and continued to be a democracy troughout ww2. Tage Erlander was the leader of the social democratic party, which dominated Swedish politics post-war and he served as prime minister 1946 (on the death of Per Albin Hansson) until 1969 when he retired. He won no less than seven democratic elections durting this era. Leading the largest party and the government for so long meant that he had a huge influence over the country."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Was the cause of admittance in asylums in the early 1900's really this extreme? Can someone please confirm? | [
"When I was doing some archival research at a former state hospital, the thing that made is tricky is that these sorts of claims are based on notes such as ‘reason for admittance’. For example, one person was listed as ‘kicked in the head by a horse’. Obviously, they weren’t admitted because they were kicked by a horse, but they suspected the kick led to whatever got them admitted to the hospital. This was a common format for forms at the several hospitals whose records I looked at from that era and so when you see a claim like that is good to consider it through that filter. In general, the reasons for admittance written down is often vague and unreliable. While there were definitely different standards then, it’s not quite like it first appears usually."
] | [
"It is considered a physical defect and therefore ugly so it is considered an insult, just like calling someone's entire body fat is an insult. It was a common insult in from the late 1800s till around 1940."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How much would it cost for an english medieval knight to be fully kitted out in armour, weapons and a horse at the time of the mid 13th century. (1230-1260) | [
"_URL_0_ Here's an answer from a slightly later time period. It might be of interest, although metallurgy techniques and trade changed a bit between the periods. Edit: also, it's from /u/waritter"
] | [
"Not an answer but a question for OP, are you asking about the different in feasting tables of England in 1048 Anglo-Saxon England vs 1103 Norman England? Or a feasting table in Anglo-Saxon England in 1048 vs a feasting table in Normandy in 1103?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How was it that the United Nations forces fought in the Korean war with the Soviet Union on the Security Council? | [
"Basically the Soviets were boycotting the Security Council at the time so when Resolution 84 was voted on they were not there to Veto it. The Soviets had been ordered to not go to meetings by Stalin after a series of disagreements, most notably the PRC/ROC issue of who should hold the seat. After that every Security Council member made damn sure they had somebody there at the meetings in order to Veto anything they needed."
] | [
"China, before Mao (before and during WWII), were allies to the US, since Mao's death relations have been improve with them. The UN and the US went to war with North Korea, a significant war. At the time, Korea was supported by Moaist Chinese. 100s of million of people died as a result of communists and their conquests. it wasn't trivial."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What would £24 from 1664 be in today's money? | [
"I used the Measuring Worth calculator from [this](_URL_2_) website and got the results: In 2013, the relative value of £24 from 1664 ranges from £3,212.00 to £5,600.00. *A general guide is that in the early 17th century 1 English pence was roughly the equivalent of one English pound 400 years later. This means that 1 guilder is worth about £24 or US$36. Also interesting (to me) is a list of what things cost back in the 17th Century, like [here.](_URL_3_)"
] | [
"Someone is willing to pay $50,000 for it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Where does the idea of hell come from? | [
"I don't knew where it originally started, but Christianity inherited it from Judaism, which acquired it during the Jewish exile in Babylon in the 6th century B.C. Before that, the Jewish idea of the afterlife was like that of most ancient cultures: that it was a grey boring eventless place where dead souls drifted endlessly."
] | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
I read an article about a hairdresser researching & experimenting with Greek and Roman hairstyles and publishing her findings. Are there other examples of non-historians bringing their subject matter expertise to historical questions? | [
"Dogfish Head, a microbrewery based in Delaware, has brewed a number of \"ancient ales\", which try to recreate beers from the past. Check out [the full list here](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"Haha, this is a fun and difficult question. There are thousands to choose from. Let me ask a few follow up questions: What time period (medieval, modern, etc.)? What type of history? Do you simply want a political history that discusses how the structure of the kingdom changed form monarch to monarch, or do you want something about how the monarchy was perceived by the people, etc.? Do you want one that's fun to read, provides exacting citations and research, or both? Do you want one with comprised of primary source material or an academic monograph? Do you want a recently published book or does the publication date not matter?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
When did it first begin to dawn on people that the Second World War had exceeded the First in size, scope etc? | [
"In many countries in Europe the first world war is still referred to as 'the great war', la grande guerre. In France for example there was barely any fighting most of the war, quick occupation and no renewed fighting until D-Day, while the first war saw years of continuous fighting on French soil. The difference in scope lies in the global scale of the fighting. The first world war was essentially a European one that included their colonies to a limited extent, it was a world war but not as much as the second world war which had a whole second theater, the Pacific. I know I'm not answering your question but I'm trying to shed light on the different perceptions people in different countries would have of these conflicts. And the different nature of the conflicts and the different effects on different countries means that for some countries the 1st world war is still the great war, while in others it is overshadowed by the second."
] | [
"War. Man. Good God y'all. What is it good for? By which I mean, how do you as a historian handle war? As we know, there is a certain degree of inhumanity about it, and it is important to keep in mind the pain and hardship it involves, but to take too critical of a reading risks distorting the societies involved, and misrepresents the attitudes of the participants. How do we tread this line? Personally I have no idea how to do this for my corner of history. How should I talk about the invasion of Britain or wars with Persia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
If you were to defend Louis 16 against his charge of treason, what would you say to defend him? | [
"I think that it would have been impossible to defend Louis whilst keeping your own head. France was scared at this time and lashing out at anyone that was even tagently connected to royalists, so defending Louis would be impossible since the prosecution wanted him dead. It must be noted that Louis wasn't a terrible king, he just wasn't the king France needed at the time. He let a financial crisis explode into a sociopolitical crisis and the people whom didn't have a voice had one, and they wanted to lash out at Louis for simply being born a king. The more I've studied the Revolution, the more I feel sorry for Louis. He was a good person, he loved his family and didn't have any I'll feelings toward the people whom were wanting him dead, he was just afraid."
] | [
"A related question were there public figures at the time who were apologists that tried to justify for the actions of the Japanese military at Pearl Harbor?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why was Florida the only southern state to benefit from sunbelt migration? | [
"While Florida experienced tremendous growth after World War II, it wasn't the only southern Sunbelt state to experience substantial migration. While the region had experienced considerable out-migration from 1930-1950 due to the poor economic opportunities resulting from a stagnant agricultural economy, the region reversed this trend in the postwar period. This reversal was largely driven largely by the growth of defense industries in the South, which had flocked to the region due to the absence of unions and political clout of southern congressmen eager for bring \"pork\" to their districts. Big southern states like Texas & Virginia enjoyed big growth, but even poorer states like Louisiana and Mississippi saw in-migration [outpacing California during the same period.] (_URL_1_) A good resource on the South during this period is Bruce J. Schulman's [From Cotton Belt to Sunbelt: Federal Policy, Economic Development, and the Transformation of the South, 1938-1980] (_URL_0_)."
] | [
"For clarification purposes, are you asking whether Southern Hospitality is the result of the South losing the Civil War, and their subsequent occupation by the North -- necessitating the boarding of Northern soldiers in Southern homes?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Monday Methods | Fictional Depictions | [
"I've given advice for a book before, the author wanting a general idea of where to start to begin her own research. I think that can be a very important part of it, not just handing out information to be used as is, but the person looking for a path to improve. The book isn't finished yet, so we'll see how that goes. I did also work for a movie once with plans that I would help them, but the designer made it pretty clear he was going for a \"look\" and not accuracy after I agreed to assist. What I did make for them was as close to correct as I could get away with. I did at least get the lead actress to wear stays, but I'm definitely not doing a regular movie again."
] | [
"High Crime + Dwindling Population + Crumbling Infrastructure + Diminishing Jobs = Perceived Shithole."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Did Gilles de Rais actually kill all those children, or was he a scapegoat? | [
"_URL_0_ There absolutely was a trial. It is part of why his history is so well known, as much of what is known about him comes from the trial. How you define \"fairness\" is a matter of debate, but there was significant evidence. Many cases at the time had much shakier evidence for their rulings. It wasn't that \"someone found a lot of bodies on his property\". It was that many peasants had their male children taken away from them, never to be heard from again. And servants of his admitted to helping dispose of disemboweled children."
] | [
"Baphomet never existed. It was a wholesale construct (except perhaps the name) of King Philip IV of France, a man who in the 1300s, owed a lot of money to the Knights Templar. Rather than pay them, or let them hold influence over him, he concocted false charges that they worshipped some demonic entity called Baphomet, invented a load of Satanic and blasphemous nonsense they allegedly took part in, then ordered them all killed or arrested. So inherently, Baphomet was given a whole lot of negative traits that were considered abominations against God at the time. The Illuminati connection is that some conspiracists believe that some surviving members of the Knights Templar went on to found the Illuminati."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Who was the Marcus Aurelius mentioned in the preface of Vitruvius' De Architectura? | [
"We don't know, but the *gens Aurelia* was very populous in this time period and had several important branches. There would have been many \"Marcī Aureliī\" running around in Rome, and Vitruvius does not give us the *cognomen* (the third name) to help us identify the one he means. Some notable branches of the family are: 1. the Aurelius Cotta branch; there was a Lucius Aurelius Cotta who was consul in 74 BCE, and his son was called Marcus. This is a possible candidate. This branch of the family had consuls and other important members going back centuries. 2. The Aurelius Scaurus branch. There was a Marcus Aurelius Scaurus who was consul in 108 BCE and fought against the Cimbri. Cicero mentions one of his descendants, a Marcus Aurelius Scaurus who was a quaestor. He would be around the right age and rank to be with Vitruvius in Gaul under Caesar, perhaps as a *legatus* or somehow attached to the *fabri.*"
] | [
"Because the phrase is from his book *Principia philosophiae* (Principles of Philosophy) which was written in Latin."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why do many of the old Norse letters look similiar to latin letters? | [
"The runic alphabet was not an independent invention. It was inspired by the Roman alphabet, but it was adapted to Northern European languages. This called for the introduction of a few new characters. Its sharp angular lines were apparently part of an adaptation for carving in wood, ivory/bone, and stone."
] | [
"What language would you write the name in? If you can only read English, the flags of several Asian nations would look very similiar. Same for other similiar languages."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What are those pieces of cloth doing in a bar from 1800-something? | [
"These are what are called \"bar towels.\" I Googled the question \"what is a bar towel?\" just to see what would happen, and it surfaced with a definition as well as a mention under \"types of towels\" in [this Wiki article](_URL_0_). Some nineteenth-century bars had small towels readily available for spills and for customers to wipe their hands, etc. during the course of drinking. Drinking can be a messy business."
] | [
"Never mind, really high. Just realized the video is from 1995"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How rich was Crassus? | [
"This is a surprisingly common question. [Here](_URL_1_) is my answer from another thread on the same subject. The short version? Not really that rich. Crassus, although Plutarch evaluates him at 200 million sesterces, simply didn't have access to the big money-makers of Roman society--tribute and a province. 200 million sesterces was what Rhodes paid to Cassius to keep him from sacking the city, which was a fraction of their wealth. Considering that people like Pompey had cities like that and richer paying them tribute Crassus' wealth was practically insignificant"
] | [
"Because for a while in Medieval Europe, rhyming nicknames were popular. William > Willy > Billy. Richard > Rick > Dick."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
I'm a slave in Roman society, but I'm trying to escape my slavery and am dishonest about my citizenship to avoid going back. What are the penalties if I get caught being dishonest? | [
"Runaway slaves, if caught, were typically branded on the forehead with the letters 'FUG' (*fugitivus*) and then subject to whatever other punishment their masters wanted to inflict on them, which usually involved scourging and some bone-breaking. Slaves had no rights whatsoever and were frequently mutilated and killed by their owners - and it was completely legal. However, I don't think you'd have a very easy time trying to lie about your citizenship - you'd probably have no family ties or other connections to prove yourself!"
] | [
"If the woman is free, then the child is free. Same happens if a freed female slave had a child. Since the mother has no owner, neither does the child. The only thing I am not sure of, is if hypothetically the mother is evil or crazy, and wanted to sell her child into slavery. I don't know would would be the legality of that (although I doubt the government would try to prevent it.)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
My grandfather yestersay said that he "speaks American". Is there any particular reason that some of the "baby boomers" would refuse to call the English language by its name. | [
"So I guess I should clarify, he literally thinks that the language is called \"American\" and that is a wholely different language than that of English, whether he was shortening the name from \"American English\" or not, I can not say."
] | [
"It's difficult to work toward for a couple reason. 1.) It would require alot of people to learn different languages that they would not use in their daily life. For example in Afghanistan it is not uncommon for people to be illiterate and speak 3 different languages, none of which are English. 2.) Languages change based on communities and separation. In Britain for example \"Can I bum a fag from you.\" would mean can I have a cigarette. In the USA that would have different meaning. Even if there was to be a universal language it would quickly change into different dialects like you fine in the USA where each State speaks the language slightly differently."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Looking for some recommendations for these specific topics... | [
"Can you clarify what type of policymaking you're wanting to get into? While I can give you some suggestions for, say, foreign policy, I won't be of much help if you're interested in, for example, urban redevelopment. I wouldn't suggest you read Said's *Orientalism*. While it's an important work, there's no need to put yourself through the torture of reading it. Instead, read the Wikipedia page on Said and his thoughts on Orientalism in addition to (if available to you) Andrew Rotter's essay, \"Saidism without Said: Orientalism and US Diplomatic History\". Rotter provides a very good overview and criticism of Said's conception of Orientalism. Edit: Also, Edward Said would fall both into the \"historiography\" and \"philosophy of history\" fields."
] | [
"Not sure if this kind of comment is allowed, but in the i terest of starting discussion, whats the context of this? Perfume, wine, etc?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Did the driver of Archduke Ferndinand of Austria detour ONTO the road of 3 assassins for a lunch break? | [
"Not to discourage further posts which might help answer your question, but Top Quality Contributor /u/mikedash wrote an [excellent article in the Smithsonian magazine in 2011](_URL_0_) which suggested that the idea that Gavrilo Princip was eating a sandwich comes from a 2001 novel and/or a 2003 BBC documentary, and doesn't seem to appear in many sources previously; also, Schiller's delicatessen was on the route that the Archduke Ferdinand was taking."
] | [
"IF he was trying to flee, he would have taken a different car, or disabled his GPS Nav system, and from that point he would stay off the grid. | They do use it for the domestic good, remember the Boston Marathon manhunt?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why is this cathedral in a recent r/pics post still standing with the surrounding buildings all destroyed? | [
"The picture you see is not the Frauenkirche (I see you updated your post?), but [Cologne Cathedral](_URL_0_). According to the German language wiki, the cathedral was hit by up to 70 bombs, which caused several arches to collapse. But the top construction is made from steel (it was completed only in 1880!), and fires were put out quickly by volunteers. I find the claim you often here, that churches/towers were used as aiming aid by the bomber crews and, thus, spared, to be highly dubious. I've never seen a source confirming this, and anyway, the bombers weren't accurate enough to spare a single building. Rather, the materials, and pure massiveness (Cologne Cathedral contains about 300 000 t of stone!) were what kept them standing. Nevertheless, many works of art, and especially the windows were destroyed. Edit: Don't believe anything you read in /r/pics, r/history, or /r/historyporn - it's 90% high school students with minimal knowledge and maximum posting frequency."
] | [
"I was reading about a massive fire that burned afterwards. But if the city was built of stone, what exactly was burning?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How could exotic Easterners come to be in a Medieval English Court? | [
"Of course they did; Europe is really small, and trade routes to the east were exceptionally common. The Romans were trading with the Chinese in the 3rd Century ([and the Chinese thought they were amusingly small-scale](_URL_2_)), there [were black people in the UK in the 5th century](_URL_3_), [Scandinavia was trading](_URL_4_) with [central and southeast Asia](_URL_1_), there were the Crusades (if the Europeans could get to the Holy Land, why couldn't people from the Holy Land get to Europe?), and by the time of Elizabeth I, there were so many \"blackamoors\" in England that she tried to [have them all deported](_URL_0_). Europe wasn't a particularly lily-white place at any point of history."
] | [
"What do you mean by downfall? This is still a dominant part of current culture."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Has an armed group ever defeated the US government (Feds, SWAT, National Guard etc)? | [
"Here's a few big one's that might interest you. I don't know of any academic sources, so you have to do digging for those. Waco, TX Siege - The initial law enforcement personnel sent to the complex were repulsed. Due to possible bias, I shouldn't say more than that without giving you sources, but you should look it up. \"Ballarat Bandit\" - This may be exactly what you were looking for. From [wikipedia page](_URL_0_): \"George Robert Johnston,1954-2004, better known as the Ballarat Bandit or as John Doe #39-04, was a Canadian-born burglar who gained nationwide attention as he spent the last several years of his life hiding from police in Death Valley National Park.\" D.B. Cooper - Guy hijacks a plane, gets ransom money and parachute, jumps out of the plane mid-flight and is never found, still an ongoing investigation for the FBI."
] | [
"Ok this might get a bit complicated so I hope I can make it simple. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, CIA, NSA, DIA are part of the Department of Defense. Homeland Security is it's own Department it also contains the TSA, Border Patrol and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). FBI, ATF, Marshals, DEA are part of the Department of Justice. Secret Service is part of the Treasury Department Justice, Treasury, Defense and Homeland Security are under the control of the president, they are federal. At the state level it flows like this: State Police > County Sheriff > Local Police. None are necessarily more powerful then the others its just a matter of jurisdiction (their area they are patrol). State Police are controlled by the Governor of the state, the elected sheriff controls his department and the Mayor of the city appoints the Chief of Police. I hope this helps."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How did spies make microdot documents? | [
"There were (and are) many methods of making microdots, and they didn't necessarily require resources any more unusual than with ordinary photography. The 'British Method' is one simple example; a high-contrast black and white photo of a document would firstly be taken in such a way that the document filled the whole frame of the film. The film is developed as per normal, and the negative was mounted in hole cut in a piece of black cardboard. When lit from behind, with lamps, the text on the negative was visible very clearly in black and white. This image was then photographed from a close distance to produce a c. 1mm length image, which was then cut out to make the microdot itself. This was a more clunky process than later systems such as the KGB's 'Bagulnik' system but it was still quite simple. [Here is a picture of a reconstructed process from Melton.](_URL_0_) **Source and further reading** H.K. Melton (2002, revised from previous ed 1996), 'Ultimate Spy'. Dorling Kindersley. See esp. pp 150-153."
] | [
"It photographs the paper and compares it to real bills. Also real money has magnetic ink they can use to double check them."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What gave Richard I 'The Lionheart' of England an enduring popular reputation when he barely even spent any time in England? | [
"During his 10 year reign, Richard spent only 6 months in England. However, Richard took the cross and joined the Crusades, forever making his mark as a champion of Christianity. Better yet, he secured England's French territories by persuading King Philip II of France to go with him. On top of that, Richard's masterful evasion of John's schemes for the throne made Richard seem politically skilled and set John's course as \"the villain.\" Also, John was hardly a competent administrator. He arranged the murder of his nephew Prince Arthur because he was a threat to his throne, and John lost the Angevin Empire. Honestly, the Magna Carta is really the only significant achievement to come from his reign."
] | [
"It might help if you provided some examples for us. Are you thinking of the Middle Ages or the modern period? Within my own area, I can only think of four really nasty fights over inheritance - William of Normandy and Harold Godwinson in the 11th century, Stephen and Matilda in the 12th century, Richard II and Henry Bolingbroke at the tail end of the 14th, and Richard III and Henry Tudor in the 15th. Of these, two saw stronger blood claimants successful (William and Matilda), and a third was a fight between first cousins who both had reasonably strong connections (Richard & Henry Bolingbroke). Henry Tudor is the only example I'm aware of of someone who lacked a strong blood connection seizing the throne during the Middle Ages, and that's because it was an outright rebellion, not a fight over who was the qualified heir."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
In the Harry Potter books, students are seperated into houses and compete for points. Aside from the magic hat, is there any historical basis for this type of internal organization for British boarding schools? | [
"Just as an aside, I’m aware of a US public middle school that’s used “houses” since 1957. It would have had the same structure as Hogwarts. We had separate dining halls, separate core classes and separate administration (like house heads in Harry Potter). Shared library and gym etc. No real competitions though. This is because it was funneled from 5 different elementary schools and then mixed up in 6th grade randomly. So roughly 2/3 of your friends were in other houses. Sometime in the last 25 years they have switched to 4 houses from the previous 3. _URL_0_"
] | [
"When you go to a university, you want to live on campus. There are groups of people who live under the same roof, they form a \"social group\" known as a Fraternity (men) or sorority (for women). Basically you represent your social group at events, and maintain the rituals etc of the house. I'm sure when you were at school, the school was divided into groups (possibly called \"houses\") for sporting events, and to encourage people to contribute. It's the same as that, except you're living together, older, and usually involves alcohol"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In the movie Django Unchained a character called Dr King Schultz is portrayed as a Liberal minded German Bounty Hunter who is appalled at American Slavery but while also carrying around an almost Prussian like identity. Is he based on any historical precedent/would a person like him exist in 1858? | [
"Could you clarify what about Schultz you found to be \"Prussian\" as opposed to more generally \"German\"?"
] | [
"The movie is generally speaking taken accurately from the book. Many of the scenes that are added are for sake of time or for Hollywood (the stabbing on the slave ship for instance). The only major change that I disagreed with is in regards to Ford's character. In the movie Solomon reveals to Ford that he is a freeman which Ford character does nothing about. In reality Solomon never revealed his former status to Ford, and in fact says something to the fact that he later thought Ford would have freed him had he been aware. Personally I think the actual version of events would have been better even for Hollywood especially because of the sharp contrast with Epps. Outside of that just keep in mind that slavery differed wildly from locale to locale."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
In the immediate end after World War II, it is often stated that all the traditional great powers were in ruin with the sole exception of the United States. How feasible would it have been for the United States to pursue a world empire at that time? | [
"Too much Hearts of Iron. Impossible as US was and is a democracy and declaring war on EVERY country would be unexplainable to public opinion and it would be extremely hard to ignore average Joes who wouldn't be happy being on eternal war. If we assume that US would be an totalitarian autocracy (like Stalin SU or Nazi Germany), then still it would be a ernomous problem for US to conquer AND control the rest of the world, due to demography (not enough men to bear arms), due to economy (wartime economy planning) and due to strategic planning (planning conquering the world would be and still is too complicated). **TL;DR**: It would be impossible."
] | [
"The British Empire was arguably one of the vehicles that enabled the virtual extinction of the slave trade. That must rank fairly high in a list of good things. In India, Suttee and the rigid caste system were broken under British rule, and similar improvements could probably be found for most of the other territories of the Empire. Not to mention the technological and economic improvements that occurred. One thing that is often overlooked when discussing the Empire is that without the advantages of resources, economy and manpower that the Empire brought it is doubtful whether Britain would have been able to stand up to the might of Nazism, and to some extent the ultimate defeat of Nazi Germany in WWII was a result of Britain's having an Empire."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Hey historians of reddit, i'm a highschooler writing a thesis paper about the war on smoking, but im having trouble finding newspapers on the subject. Are there any archives that provide full newspaper articles back to 1964? | [
"As the commenter above mentioned most of the major newspapers from that era will only be available through a paid database subscription. But you may want to see if your local public library has access to any. Most community colleges and universities will have access as well, but you will have to check with library staff to see what community members have access to. Talk to the reference librarians, they are to help. (I speak from experience. I work for two community colleges, reference librarian at one and the archivist at the other)"
] | [
"There often actually are very specific collections available, on specific subjects. For example, the place the titanic was built. The biggest local library near there is likely to have gathered a lot of material on that, including newspapers and such. Then theres the good old physical paperwork from back in the day. The ships bringing in the coffee would have manifestos saying how much they brought in and where from. The captains would keep a diary too. Plantation owners as well. But yeah as you said, tracking all that down can be a pain. Public collections like libraries and archives are usually your best bet. I dont know where you're at, but around here librarians jump for joy when they see somebody thats actually interested in books these days. Theyre extremely helpful, often giving addresses and events to try and help you out."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about Education:"
} |
Was reading the synopsis for Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, and it made me think: who determines what you are allowed to say about deceased historical figures? | [
"You can make a movie called *Abe Lincoln:Donkeyfucker*. It would be legal. It might not find an audience though, and you would have difficulty finding funding, actors or shops to sell it or cinemas to screen it, but legally it would be OK (as long as the donkeyfucking is simulated, if not it would only be legal in some countries). As for living people or people with close relatives, it might be more difficult as it could be prosecuted as defamation."
] | [
"That's a hard question to answer. Should we even consider movies like \"300\" or \"A Knight's Tale\" or \"Inglorious Basterds\", when they are basically Monty Python movies as far as the history goes? I think a better question might be \"what do period films get wrong even when they are trying to get it right?\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
I recently read an article depicting Abraham Lincoln's (president at the time) personal leadership during the capture of Norfolk in 1862 during the Civil War. The article said that he was 2nd President to lead a military exhibition like that. Who was the first? | [
"Perhaps it was referring to Washington during the [Whiskey Rebellion](_URL_0_) in 1794."
] | [
"It's less to do with the substance of his Presidency, and more to do with him winning the Civil War for the United States as a General, and then being elected to the Presidency. When Grant first appeared on a $50 gold certificate in 1913, he'd been dead for nearly 30 years: long enough to forgive some of the bad things, and recent enough to remember the hero."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Were there Pearl Harbor 'truthers' like there are 9/11 'truthers' today? | [
"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?"
] | [
"These obviously false beliefs are based on *conspiracy theories* that claim a group of powerful people are trying to fool us. You're not alone in asking, and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5:Why are some people so susceptible to believing in conspiracy theories? ](_URL_6_) 1. [ELI5: Why do so many people believe conspiracy theories ? ](_URL_0_) 1. [ELI5: conspiracy theories. How do people believe them so vehemently? Where do all the big theories come from? ](_URL_2_) 1. [ELI5: Why do so many people believe in ridiculously complicated 9/11 conspiracy theories (controlled demolitions, holographic planes, mini-nukes, etc) instead of simple ones (hijackers were government agents, other people had advanced knowledge, etc)? ](_URL_7_) 1. [ELI5 the Illuminati and why so many people believe in them. ](_URL_4_) 1. [ELI5: Why do people deny the moon landing? ](_URL_5_) 1. [Why People Believe Conspiracy Theories ](_URL_3_) 1. [Why Do Some People Believe in Conspiracy Theories? - Scientific American ](_URL_1_)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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Can you explain the relationship had between Saladin and Richard the Lionheart? | [
"Not an answer to your question, but if you have an interest in the relationship between Saladin and Richard the Lionheart, and, by extension, the Third Crusade, I would recommend [*The Crusades* by Thomas Asbridge](_URL_0_). It covers the entire history of the crusades, but focuses heavily on the Third Crusade. I think you would like it."
] | [
"A related question were there public figures at the time who were apologists that tried to justify for the actions of the Japanese military at Pearl Harbor?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
AskHistorians Booklist is now also available on Goodreads | [
"I think the most surprising thing here is that there are at least four books about Bhutanese history written in English, and that they are listed here."
] | [
"Chronological: - Ray Harris Jr.- The History of World War 2 - Mike Dunkan - The History of Rome - Robin Pierson - The History of Byzantium (follow up podcast) - Khodadad Rezakhani - Iranologie (History of Iran) - The British History Podcast Other: - The AskHistorians Podcast (Intervies with AskHistorians contributers) - New Books in History (Interview with Authers) - Dan Carlin - Hardcore History - Russ Roberts - Econtalk (mostly about Economics but includes quite a bit of History) There are more, but others I have either not jet listen too, or I don't think they are quite as good as the ones I have named. Edit: Maybe not really a podcast but you might still like it. The youtube channel \"TheGreatWar\" goes threw the First World War week by week tracking the original war 100 years later."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
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What, or where, can I find primary sources about Tanganyika and Zanzibar before, or shortly after, union into a single country? Specifically the opinions of the 'average' citizen? | [
"You say you have newspaper articles. Are these American/british/Western newspaper articles? Have you looked for Tanganyikan newspapers? [the BU library has some Tanzanian newspapers that would cover 1964](_URL_0_). Even if you can't get it directly through interlibrary loan from BU, you might look for libaries/archives nearer you that have those newspapers on file."
] | [
"I have a question/observation that is mostly addressed to /u/khosikulu and /u/profrhodes. Though if other post-colonial scholars feel moved to answer, I am all ears. In conversations with Ghanaians that I have met, they have strongly positive attitudes toward Kwame Nkrumah, both from those old enough to remember him, and people born in the 1980s. Similarly, when talking to a Tanzanian, he had very positive, nostalgic feelings towards Nyerere. Can/should these popular memories be seen as a sort of \"big man history\" for the independence generation of leaders? Western histories try to have a more nuanced treatment of these Two figures, noting failings of specific policies. Is Ghanaian and Tanzanian academic scholarship in line with this? Do historians from African countries have different attitudes and perspectives than the common man's view?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
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In Back to the Future, they call Marty Calvin Klein because of the name on his underwear. Did clothing in the 1950s not have brand labels? | [
"What was new and novel in the 1980s was *full personal names* of individual designers on mens clothing. Prior to that, brand names for underwear had primarily been corporate names such as Jockey, Hanes, BVD, Fruit of the Loom, Fieldcrest, Pilgrim (Sears), Signature (Montgomery Ward), etc. Even for mens suits, ready-to-wear names were things like Hart Schaffner & Marx, Botany 500, Brooks Brothers, Bond, individual department stores, or names chosen to evoke tweedy associations with London tailoring. Only in the late 1970s did individual designers—Pierre Cardin, Alexander Julian, Bill Blass, Ralph Lauren—become menswear brands known to the average consumer."
] | [
"Because they are a great market. No mortgage, car loans, grocery bills. Most teenagers' money is spent on non-necessities, including music and all the crap branded with band / singer images. When is the last time you saw an adult with a briefcase bearing an image of their favorite singer? Girls' backpacks are all Bieber and One Direction these days. Source: my daughter and her friends"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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What Happened to Cairo, Illinois? | [
"Cairo is extremely flood-prone, completely surrounded by levees. Its situation certainly did not attract early settlers: it wasn't even founded until 1837, decades after other areas of Southern Illinois and the Ohio Valley, and grew very slowly. Merely being at a confluence of rivers that can handle the same kind of boats is not a great advantage over other river ports. Any cargo just sails past. As a port, having easily accessible bluffs out of danger in spring floods would give places like St. Louis the advantage. Places where cargo must be shifted from ship to barge or railroad (like Chicago) are classic entrepôts, and have natural advantages as places to set up factories. Once the Illinois Central Railroad bridged the Ohio, it could transport agricultural products all the way to New Orleans with no need to transfer cargos to riverboats at Cairo."
] | [
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
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} |
How did a giant, egg dealing, bunny come to be the mascot of a Christian holiday? | [
"Honest follow up,I hope this is allowed: is the Easter bunny supposed to be giant? I'm from Germany where we've also got the Easter bunny but I never had it in my mind as being bigger than a usual rabbit. Edit: hat/had. I know the difference, my phone doesn't I guess."
] | [
"Europe brought the world Mozart, Wagner, Rembrandt, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Kant, Aristotle, Gödel, Händel, Bach, van Gogh, Leonardo and Dumas. America brought the world the Baconator, NASCAR, double stuff Oreos, Ally McBeal, Ben Affleck, Paris Hilton, Jersey Shore, the Five Dollar Fillup at KFC, and the last three Britney Spears albums. Basically, the soul-dead conformist modern culture of capitalism, runaway consumption and aimless middle-class people who can't afford to be intellectually curious has been designed, packaged, distributed and sold by the United States of America. While the whole Western world is a mirror image of that culture now, Europe at least has a rich cultural and intellectual heritage to draw upon. America is basically what happens when you give rejects guns and send them across the Atlantic to fend for themselves. I believe that summarizes the prevailing view."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Why did Richard of York live in Ludlow castle? | [
"Ludlow belonged to the de Lacy family in the 11th century. When the last male heir of the family died, it passed down to two daughters of his until it came to the possession of Geoffrey de Geneville. He, in turn, passed it to his son Peter in 1283. Roger Mortimer, who married a daughter of Peter de Geneville, made use of the castle as a base since he was the leader of a group of barons who dethroned the unpopular Edward II in 1326. The last male Mortimer died in 1425 but Ludlow castle passed to his sister's (Anne de Mortimer) son Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, who was the leader of the Yorkists in the War of the Roses. It only became part of the Crown estates when Edward IV became king. Edward of Westminster fled with his mother, Margaret of Anjou when his father Henry VI was captured by the Yorks when he was around 7 years old. Historical and descriptive sketch of Ludlow Castle by Thomas Wright"
] | [
"Why were they sealed in the first place?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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What was the Internationale? Why does it no longer exist? | [
"There were several internationals, many unrelated to each other. The First International was dissolved after the split between Anarchists and Marxists. The Second International dissolved after World War One, and the Third was dissolved by Stalin as to not anger the United States and Britain during WWII. The ones you're talking about are the International Socialist Women's Conferences. They evolved into other groups, that still exist, but are much less active since the end of the Cold War."
] | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I've read that Pyrrhus of Epirus served in the hetairoi of Alexander the Great, are there any recordings of what he participated in while serving in his bodyguard? | [
"Who says this? Pyrrhus was born in 319/318, and Alexander died in 323--it's simply impossible for Pyrrhus to have served as a Companion"
] | [
"The Varangrian Guard of the Byzantine Empire are likely the best example of this. From the late 800's A.D. until sometime in the 14th century this unit was the personal bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperor, and also acted as an elite unit of shock troops in many of the wars the empire was involved in. The members of the guard for most of its history were Germanic, Norse, or Anglo Saxon immigrants brought in for their martial prowess, and also because of their detachment from court politics (the Byzantine Empire is somewhat notorious for its issues with corruption and betrayal). The most well known member was Harald Hadrada, who served in the guard for years and fought in numerous military campaigns before returning to Norway and becoming king. He was the guy who tried to invade England shortly before William the Conquerors attempt."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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What impact did the show 'Albi the Racist Dragon' have on race relations in New Zealand during its original airing in the 1980s? | [
"It helped the once persecuted Albanian minority find acceptance by teaching a generation of schoolchildren that Albanians were no different to the majority White and Polynesian populations. However recent scholars have suggested that a simple cartoon had much less of an effect than the increase in travel to foreign cultures due to improvements in aviation resulting from the flight of a certain Anglo-French aircraft."
] | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Chinese crossbow similar to the Roman Ballista found. Simultaneous invention or result of trade? | [
"Considering how different they actually are when you look at the triggering mechanism (the most tricky part of the design, and one most likely to be copied. ([Chinese](_URL_2_) ([artifact](_URL_0_)), [Roman](_URL_1_)), I would say developed independently."
] | [
"1) Many technologies are invented multiple times independent of each other. This is particularly true of our early technologies. 2) Arrow and spear technology was in use before the Ice Age man entered North America. So they brought it with them from Asia."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about History:"
} |
In 1829, Sam Houston married Eliza Allen, a woman 16 years his junior. She proceeded to leave him with little explanation almost immediately, and afterwards Houston resigned his governorship of Tennessee. What exactly happened here? | [
"Please, no more half-assed answers. Remember [the rules](_URL_1_). As was explained in the excellent recent meta post on [\"What it means to post a good answer in /r/AskHistorians\"](_URL_0_): If you're choosing to answer a question in /r/AskHistorians, there are three questions you should ask yourself first in turn: 1. Do I, personally, actually know a lot about the subject at hand? 2. Am I essentially certain that what I know about it is true? 3. Am I prepared to go into real detail about this?"
] | [
"I imagine there's a more tragic figure somewhere in the world, but: Franklin Pierce, 14th POTUS. Three kids die in childhood, the last of which is in a train accident with Pierce and his wife just weeks after the election. He sees the child decapitated, attempts to hide the body from his wife and fails. She sinks into a serious depression and drags him along with her, regarding her children's deaths as God's punishment for his political life. He goes on to have one the worst presidential terms in U.S. history, so bad that he isn't even nominated by his own party for a second term. His alcoholism gets worse, his marriage dissolves. Any remaining respect he received dried up when he came out in support of the Confederacy and personal correspondence between he and the Confederate president showed up in the media. Died of cirrhosis."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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I want to learn about the Ottoman Empire between 1500-1700, what are some good resources I can use to help me learn? | [
"For the general history of the Ottoman Empire, the standard textbook is Douglas Howard's *A History of the Ottoman Empire* (2017), so you should start there. Caroline Finkel's *Osman's Dream* (2005) is more detailed with regard to the broad narrative of sultans, wars, and imperial politics and should be your reference point if that's what you're interested in. Both are accurate, up-to-date, and written by experts, something which can't really be said about any other single-volume general history. Beyond that, I could offer recommendations for more specific topics if there's anything in particular that you're interested in."
] | [
"Hi guys. I hope this is the right place to post this, I'll move it if it isn't. I'm currently writing an essay on the working class in the British Empire and wondered if anyone could give me any good sources relating to the development of the working class and the impact of the Empire on the working class 1870 and 1914. Apart from the recommended reading I haven't really found anything else of much use and would appreciate the help. Thanks."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence about News:"
} |
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