query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why did no outside force intervene in the Soviet invasions of Czechoslovakia in 1968 or Hungary in 1956? | [
"Same reason no one interfered with US invasion of Dominican Republic. It was our sphere of influence. Just like Eastern Europe was USSR's. No one was willing to risk global war. During the Cold War it was the countries more distant (Vietnam, Angola, etc) that were really up for grabs and fought over. The Truman Do... | [
"Do you mean: \"Did the fear of communism enable the working class to obtain improved social conditions in 1950s until the 1980s in Western Europe?\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
The Gospel of John talks about Jesus having a "seamless robe". From a historical perspective, what is this and why include this detail? | [
"The High Priest in the Temple wore a [seamless robe](_URL_0_) as one of the sacred garments. Jesus wearing such a robe seems to make some kind of identification (either historical or editorial) of Jesus as being the true High Priest. Either Jesus was making a theological statement by wearing such a robe, or John w... | [
"The difficulty with answering this question is that we have no outside sources from the Gospels themselves pertaining to this story. What further frustrates the matter is that Matthew and Luke don't necessarily provide alternate accounts of the event, seeing as how most scholars agree that they used Mark as the ba... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
What is the consensus on the CIA's involvement in the Indonesian mass killings of 1965? | [
"As for general US involvement: the National Declassification Center is currently completing its review of many US Embassy files related to the mass killings. They are expected to be released later this year and will become accessible at the National Archives. I expect the National Security Archive will also go thr... | [
"Some of his greatest hits: -helped orchestrate a military coup in Chile in 1973 that overthrew the democratically elected socialist president Salvador Allende and installed brutal military dictator Augusto Pinochet -in the Ford administration, approved Indonesian dictator Suharto's decision to violently invade and... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How did Mandarin Chinese come to use the question mark (?) and what was used before to differentiate written questions from statements? | [
"It and other punctuation marks like commas were adapted directly from Western writing systems in 20th century. Another interesting adaption was differentiating the gender neutral 3rd person pronoun 他. 他 became used purely for he/him with 她 and 它 added for she/her and it respectively, though all share the same pron... | [
"To put it very simply, it's because Chinese hanzi characters do not indicate a certain pronunciation, but a specific meaning. For example, a character means \"dog,\" but does not tell you how to pronounce it. So, \"dog\" has a different spoken word in Mandarin and Cantonese, but the same character. What complicate... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Who was the greatest presidential candidate to lose the election? | [
"Greatness is hard to measure and it is difficult to answer the second part of your question without drifting into /r/historicalwhatif territory. Without drifting too much into the what would happened I think ultimately the country would have been better served with Daniel Webster taking the VP slot for the 1840, 1... | [
"For a little while, the Vice President was the runner-up from the Presidential race. That turned out not to work so well."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why were the seventies such a dangerous decade? | [
"We've addressed the issue of crime in the seventies in a couple of earlier threads ... while you're waiting for fresh answers to your question, you might like to review [A Serial Killer expert on the podcast 'Accused' claimed that the late 70s saw such a high number of serial killers because they were raised by me... | [
"It's not a modern phenomenon at all, what makes you think it's only been happening for the last 20 years?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Gentrification:"
} |
What kind of evidence do historians generally deem sufficient? | [
"Every piece of evidence needs to be weighed on its own, and in its own context. To say that Evidence X is better than Y is not a hard science. As there are very few \"correct\" answers in the study of history, it's all about argument and emphasis. Using your example above, another writer could refute the above cl... | [
"You teach your child to look at all of the evidence which is available to him, from as many sources as possible, and reach his own conclusion. Thats all there is to it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How could the practice of performing excorcisms in the Catholic church survive for so many centuries? Are there credible cases where it worked? | [
"When you're asking \"where it worked\" do you mean where someone had an ailment that was actually found to have been caused by demons or demonic possession who were actually, literally expelled by exorcism, or where someone just felt better after an exorcism?"
] | [
"I believe that this is done out of sensitivity. A religion which no longer has followers will not offend anyone if called a myth. Maybe in the distant future many of the religions popular today will be referred to as myths."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
In Hacksaw Ridge, a US soldier claims the Japanese deliberately targeted combat medics and the wounded. Is this true? Was this sanctioned by Japanese army officials, and was it used in anti-Japanese propaganda? | [
"[This answer](_URL_0_) about medics in the war may prove of interest for you."
] | [
"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 argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings | [
"New posts/discussions are of course always welcome but the contents of these threads might be of interest to you in the meantime: [Is there conclusive answer to the Jefferson - Hemings question?](_URL_1_) [What is the case for Thomas Jefferson having fathered children by Sally Hemings?](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Check out Robert E. May's *Manifest Destiny's Underworld*."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What was the "Great Society"? | [
"The term \"Great Society\" refers to a supposed secret organization behind the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. The idea of the \"Great Society\" in this context is most likely a 19th-century misunderstanding; the indictment against the rebels used the term \"magne societatis,\" which most likely simply referred to the \... | [
"If you are in the US please look up in wikipedia: 1. Barry Goldwater, 2. Richard Nixon, 3. The Southern Strategy."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
In the US, the elections of 1800 and 1932 are to be considered realignment elections. During the Roman Republic were there any elections that we can easily call 'realignment elections' as well? | [
"Would it be against the rules for me to ask for clarification on the term \"realignment elections?\""
] | [
"The candidates are expected to appear at each, debating speaking in that state. The system is designed to allow candidates a moment to focus on each states' core issues. The Primary System is still very young, having come into existence just in time to elect Reagan as it's first candidate. Prior to that, candidate... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Politics:"
} |
The USSR were first to everything except for the manned moon landing. Which were the underlying factors for their advantage? | [
"First, you may be interested in [this thread](_URL_0_) and [this one](_URL_1_). It's common to think of the USSR as being in front for the space race. But that's rather simplistic. The US was quite close behind. The launches of the first US satellites were within months of Sputnik 1. The US was just months behind ... | [
"> Why isn't there an ocean exploration organisation equivalent of NASA? Because the Commies never tried to get to the Marianas Trench first. That was the one and only reason NASA was created."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What happened to the shell shocked soldiers that Patton slapped? | [
"The two soldiers names were Paul G Bennett and Charles Khul. Both survived the war. Paul G Bennett continued to serve in the Army and also fought in the Korean War. He ended up as a SFC and he died in 1973. He is buried in South Carolina _URL_0_ As for Charles Kuhl he also survived the war and died in 1971 after ... | [
"It was due to the way it was used in WW2. It was how a lot of people called Japanese people. The people that really hated the Japanese"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
US federal government punishing states | [
"Congress can withhold revenue to pressure states into passing legislation it wants. It did so by withholding revenue for interstate highways when South Dakota wanted to reduce drinking age laws. See *South Dakota v. Dole*."
] | [
"Money. It will decrease the net profit of many companies due to new regulations, and federal funding dollars will go to environmental causes and cut from others. The people complaining the most are the ones most affected."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Science:"
} |
Have any Roman Aquila survived into the modern period? | [
"All of the images that you saw on the wiki page were reconstructions of what we believed them to look like. Several reconstructions may have been based off of this artwork done at the time, such as this golden eagle ornament dating between 100-200 AD. _URL_1_ This next image is the front and back of a coin minted... | [
"Where would I go for material on the medieval monarchy in France? Ideally from the emergence of the Capetians to sometime in the Early Modern Era."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Literature:"
} |
Day of Reflection | December 16, 2013 - December 22, 2013 | [
"With an account apparently created to write this answer, /u/Luakey gives us a [splendid account of the effect the cold weather had on the Nazi invasion of Russia](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why did modern Western diet shy away from eating animal organs? | [
"Many Swedish traditional dishes contain animal organs. *Pölsa* contains liver and heart of pig. *Lungmos* was nearly the same thing, but included lugns. *Leverpastej*, paté of liver is still a very common sandwhich spread in Sweden. *Blodpudding*, blood pudding/black pudding is a common meal as well. Liver in stew... | [
"Some cultures have a very specific diet. The Inuit diet contains a lot of seal and they eat most of it, even the eyes. If you watch an animal hunt and eat something, they eat the guts first. The liver is packed with nutrients like vitamin A. Muscle, such as a steak, has a lot less nutritional value than organ meat... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How important was casus beli in the medieval world? | [
"To add on to this. How many wars were actually \"declared\" back then? I was under the impression that most fighting was either raiding someone elses land or defending your own against raiders, and not necessarily the sort of wars we are used to in history books. Although I guess this question also enters \"what ... | [
"Follow up question (please don't delete) how influential were nobility titles on economic upward mobility in the Europe of that same time?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why do superstitions have greater importance in Chinese culture than in Western cultures? | [
"Try r/askanthropology ? This seems to be a modern ethnographical question as opposed to a historical one"
] | [
"> cultural differences There are plenty of cultural differences between the East coast and the West coast."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How lethal was it to be at the head of a military charge? How would you convince soldiers to fight in the front rank? | [
"The front rank issue pops up every so often. [This previous question](_URL_0_) has an excellent thread on the matter, starting from u/Hergrim's answer (which should be top.) On the matter of psychology and depiction of charges, [here's a post](_URL_1_) with answers from u/Iphikrates and u/Iguana_on_a_stick."
] | [
"Of course the answer to this depends on the circumstances. I'm intimately familiar with the sieges of Alexander the Great and while the survival rate of the first men up the ladders is not recorded, what is recorded is that Alexander was sometimes one of the first men up the ladders and over the walls. He was ofte... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is going to happen (in 2039) to the eight defensive base sites stretching from Newfoundland to South America we received from Britain for some destroyers FDR gave to British Forces in 1940? | [
"* Bermuda: The last iteration of the bases NAS Bermuda was closed in 1995. * Newfoundland: 4 army air fields and 1 navy base. The last army base closed 1976 and the navy base 1994. * Antigua: closed 1949. * Bahamas: a sea plane base. closed but not sure when. * Jamaica: army air base closed 1949. Naval facility al... | [
"Here's the status of the bases. Bermuda (not part of the original deal, but the US got basing rights there for free): Closed as a US base 1995. Newfoundland (as Bermuda): The bases were closed 1961, 1966 and 1994. The land had been turned over to Canada 1975, but the US maintained a presence (a radar station) with... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What were cannon laws like in the Age of Sail? | [
"Follow up question: What about weapons on ships in general? Were there laws concerning what kind of weaponry a merchant captain carry on board?"
] | [
"To be a little less specific, what did people think the future in general would be like before the Industrial Revolution?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Was there ever a communist insurgency in Spain in the 80's like this map implies? | [
"It seems likely to me that the map is referring to Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (\"Basque Country and Freedom\", commonly known as ETA), a violent insurgent group that fought for the independence of the Basque region of Spain up until [the ceasefire in 2011](_URL_0_). According to [an article by Tristan Dougdale-Pointon]... | [
"It was just a gimmick to illustrate cold war tensions. It went up or down depending on how mad the US and the USSR were at each other that week."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Is anyone studying the social psychology of history? What interesting phenomena can you report? | [
"It's commonly called [historiography](_URL_0_). At my university it was taught as a capstone for the BA in History program. The term itself can refer to a lot of things ranging from the body of historical works on a given subject, to the history of the study of history, to the philosophy of the study of history (t... | [
"Don't speak for the entire field of historians. They've already spoken for themselves. Your historiography should take these statements and make an attempt at understanding their meanings and implications. What, based on their choices of analysis, has governed their focus in writing? What implications does this ha... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How and why did social security go from a limited, discrete program to an unsustainable long-term government program? | [
"Nope, there was never a limit. First paragraph of the 1936 act, emphasis mine: > APPROPRIATION > SECTION 1. For the purpose of enabling each State to furnish financial assistance, as far as practicable under the conditions in such State, to aged needy individuals, there is hereby authorized to be appropriated fo... | [
"Yes, to a degree. Medicare is for the elderly, Medicaid is for the poor. Both are essentially government-funded single-payer systems."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
When social security was implemented in the US, what happened to those who were already elderly or middle-aged and therefore had worked their whole lives without paying into it? | [
"The first person to begin receiving SS benefits only contributed ~$24 into the system her first payment was for $22.54 so basically they contributed from when the program began, for Ida Fuller (the lucky lady I mentioned above) that was in 1937, until they where eligible for benefits (her first check was dated 1/3... | [
"If you and other people opt out, it would ruin the economics of the system. Because right now, and for a few more decades, is very top heavy, the people currently paying into the system are paying the pension for those already retired. In either case, if you opted out, it's not likely you'll save elsewhere, based... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did New Yorkers feel about the American Revolution? | [
"By New Yorkers do you mean citizens of the Colony of New York? Or people who lived in New York city? There is a difference between those who live in the back country and those who live in NYC Either way New York City had a lot of Loyalists in it. Howe was assisted by Loyalist spies during his invasion of New York ... | [
"Follow up: What *were* his reasons for siding with the British?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What happened to Dutch citizens of New Netherlands after it was handed over to the British? | [
"Basically nothing happened. The take over was a power and money issue and not ideological or religious. Since New Netherlands was at that time the biggest and most profitable of the american colonies they left basically everything as it was. Practically only the governor was replaced. Besides the people living in ... | [
"They were both part of the New York colony until the lands between the Hudson and Delaware rivers were given to Sir George Carteret to settle a debt. Seriously. That part (along with other lands that had been sold to the Baron Berkeley of Stratton) later became New Jersey, and didn't include the island."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
suppose in 1557 you asked an educated European what they thought was the highest civilisation on earth if you exclude all of Europe from consideration. What would they most likely say? | [
"Do you mean a contemporary society to themselves, or can they include past societies?"
] | [
"Not OP, but I have a related follow-up question to this. How many years did it take for the discovery of America become a \"common knowledge\", say in Europe? By that I mean, if you asked a random stranger on the streets of a large European city, there is a fair chance that they would know that a \"new world\" exi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why doesn't the USA use the 'stone' as a weight measure, even though we use the rest of the Avoirdupois system? | [
"The stone (14 pounds, about 6kg) sounds like it should be a really ancient unit of measure, and it is. But it was only added to the UK's Imperial system in 1824, several decades after the U.S. had left the Empire. Update: Although today we often call the U.S. system of measurement \"Imperial,\" that's technically... | [
"Actually, the entire world save a few developing countries have adopted the metric system. And the UK uses a weird mix of imperial and metric units..."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Traditional Japanese Houses (800-1300 AD): how did they keep animals/bugs out? | [
"The one of the old methods for bug repellent is to use rattan blinds around the Windows and doors, with powder incense made with mugworts and ciders. This is called \"kayaribi\" and the oldest known writing about this incense is found in The Tale of Sagoromo during the early 11th century. The similar method still ... | [
"Aye, it's much more costly and somewhat more dangerous, and in some ways harder to maintain. Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: Why don't we build underground more and utilize space more efficiently? ](_URL_3_) 1. [ELI5: Aside from Aesthetic reasons, why aren't there more undergr... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Is there a single book -or perhaps 2 or 3 books- that while they aren't exhaustive, give the layperson an excellent, well-written and engaging feel for history? | [
"The book that comes immediately to mind is A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. It acts as a very engaging trip through the evolution of the modern sciences and how the development of different scientific disciplines affected the world. How people reacted to the emergence of new ideas throughout hu... | [
"I haven't read it, but, in general, universal histories, from any time period, tend not to age well. No one can be expert on that many subjects in any meaningful sense, and as a result such a work will inevitably turn into a tertiary-source-esque encyclopaedia. It may actually be worse insofar as specialist encycl... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Before planes/faster ships -Did travellers ever experience Jetlag? | [
"I've actually written about this a bit before -- excuse the brevity but I'm on mobile about to board a plane. It was understood in classical antiquity that time was different in different places, and in fact measuring the differences in time in different places was an early proposal for measuring the earth's circu... | [
"It was the fastest way by sea to asia. Land routes were treacherous and slow, and you had to cross mountains to get to asia."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What did early astronomers and explorers think about the Magellanic Clouds? What kind of records do we have? | [
"Well, obviously written records of them don't survive prior to written records coming from the southern hemisphere. The *Encyclopedia of Islam* (s.v. \"al-Nud̲j̲ūm\") reports that the earliest record of them is in the writings of the 12th/13th century geographer [Yāḳūt or Yāqūt al-Hamawī](_URL_0_), *Muʿd̲j̲am al-b... | [
"The actual reason for this phenomenon is roughly understood. One of the leading theories for this behavior is that it imitates their spaceships. The ones they used over 2000 years ago to make contact with the ancient Egyptians and enslaved them to create beautiful statues."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why didn't the Habsburgs ever think, "damn, maybe we shouldn't do this?" when it comes to inbreeding? | [
"fyi, you'll find some previous responses in these threads * [Were the Habsburgs aware about the dangers of inbreeding?](_URL_0_) * [Did the Hapsburgs have any clue that their marriage traditions were weakening their lineage?](_URL_1_) * [Did European dynasties know that their inbreeding was causing progressively w... | [
"The line of succession is pretty fucking long. If they were all wiped out, we'd have far bigger things to worry about than who gets to rule Britain, we'd be dealing with a huge cataclysm."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Were the horses real heros of WWI? See comments. | [
"> My high school history teacher once told me that WW1 was won by horses. Can this statement be truth if we compare horses to mechanized transport in given war? It is a colourful, but certainly valid statement. In the case of the French artillery, 70-80% of units were reliant on horse-drawn transport, and it rema... | [
"Are you sure they were defeated at all?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Are these legitimate Smithsonian documents, and is there a reasonable explanation for the unusual features of the Native Americans described? | [
"What features are unusual? The Timucua Indians (the tribe in question) were notoriously tall, with males often being over six feet in height. (Different sources list them as being between 5'6\" and 6'6\" in average height). It seems to be descriptions of three skeletons that are estimated to be from males who were... | [
"I won't be able to make it. Will someone asks them about Gustave Whitehead? I am also interested in the deal the Smithsonian has with the Wright estate that gives them exclusive rights to the first in flight status."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What were sleep schedules like in pre-industrial societies? | [
"I think the theory you are refering to is one commonly put forth, but most evident in the work of Roger Ekirch, who has written a book relating to to this topic called At Day's Close: Night in Times Past. He states that in the preindustrial era, before modern electric lighting, people segemented their sleep patter... | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why don't former British Colonies hate Great Britain? | [
"I want to extend this to India, Australia and other colonies. Was the reconciliation between the UK and its former empire a \"natural\" development. Or a conscious effort by statesmen and diplomats. And on the contrary, did certain actors in UK actively try to sour relations, or hinder reconciliation, trying to t... | [
"It's illegal in a huge number of jurisdictions already. Where do you live?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
What's Your Favorite Book on Military History? | [
"Maybe you find an interesting book in [this](_URL_0_) similar thread."
] | [
"Okay so this is a huge huge topic so i'll give you some of my personal favorites and/or quality works. **African Americans** * *Freedom Struggles: African Americans and World War I*- Adriane Lentz-Smith * *Black Newspapers and America's War for Democracy 1914-1920*- William G. Jordan * *The Double V: How Wars, Pro... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
I hope its okay to ask for book suggestions here. Looking for well written books on military history. | [
"Anything by John Keegan is, imo, the preeminent historian on this subject. Anyone of his books has serious insight. The best by far is the face of battle which covers three different campaigns in english history. amazon link: _URL_0_ those are by far his most popular books but definitely give him a look through"
... | [
"Is it against the rules to ask for book recommendations on this topic? if not I would like to do so."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
What's the first known incidence of a work of fiction produced in installments? | [
"I can't speak to it being the earliest but my mind immediately jumped to the 10th century Maqamat of Hamadani as being an example of \"episodic\" fiction in Arabic. The basic setup involves the narrator, Isa ibn Hisham, travelling to a new city or entering a new place, encountering some situation where he encounte... | [
"Follow up question; what is the earliest example of something being porn and not just art? How can historians even tell?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Did 18th/19th Century canal projects ever turn a profit? | [
"Yes, often. In the case of the most famous American Canal, the Erie Canal, investors had made a profit before construction on the canal had even finished."
] | [
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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} |
How were Roman numerals pronounced out loud? | [
"hi! not discouraging other responses, but do check out this related post. TL;DR: the same as you would say it: \"one thousand nine hundred ninety two\". * [Roman Numerals in Common Speech](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
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(Migration) How many waves of aboriginal immigration made it to Australia? | [
"Hi, it may be worth x-posting this question to our sister sub /r/AskAnthropology"
] | [
"They were descendents from a group of humans that crossed from what is now Russia over to what is now Alaska. This happened 16k to 11k years ago. Eventually as the ice age ended sea levels rose leading to the land they crossed to end up under water. This meant the humans being able to populate the New World withou... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Did the Spanish Monarchy ever try to do anything to stop the mis-treatment of slaves? | [
"The Spanish Monarchy did enact legislation that prohibited excess punishment. For example, there was a decree issued in the 1540s that prohibited the castration of male slaves as punishment. In Spanish America, it was the Catholic Church more than the royal authorities who did more to protect slaves a good work th... | [
"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:",
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} |
The idea of basic, universal, fundamental 'human rights' seems, on the scale of history, remarkably modern, and seems to arrive in conjunction with the Great Divergence. Is there a link? Has any work been done to try and establish one? | [
"Are you considering the 18th century to be in conjunction with the great divergence?"
] | [
"There are plenty of 'explanations' for the wide-ranging process we shorthanded as 'fall of Rome', but the trick in reading Gibbon is actually reading him. His work is much more nuanced than it is commonly presented, and relies only on historical texts (including the Augustan History) and not on archaeology, but ov... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Is this a geniune coin? | [
"Hey! A question I can answer! Possibly but very unlikely, in my early days of coin collecting I bought a lot of these on ebay and they were all fake. Did some research and found out that counterfeiters pump these out by the thousands. Look at the reeding (the lines on the edge of the coin) If they are not even and... | [
"Don't you mean what is the porpoise of that behavior?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Are World War II-era RAF records available online? | [
"This does sound like something the BNA would have in their records but I don't know if those records have been digitized and placed online. I will do a few searches and see what I can dig up. I did find with a quick Google search of the date of the raid and the city they were heading for and found [this](_URL_0_).... | [
"Also, would her military experience be any useful in finding a job? Did women serve in the British military during World War 1 and if so, did they go back into the workforce afterwards?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is right-bank Ukraine and left-bank Ukraine the opposite of what we expect? | [
"It's not uncommon in riparian areas to orient around the local river and not the compass. The Dnieper flows south and empties into the Black Sea. If you were on a boat floating in the river being carried along the current to the Black Sea the east bank would be to your left and the west bank to your right. Another... | [
"What do you mean? Do you mean why Germany is where it is and not where China is?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
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} |
Who gave the names for the coalitions during World War I and World War II. | [
"The Axis label came from the Hungarian Head of State when he was pursuing an alliance with Germany and Italy. The implication is that all foreign policy (war, essentially) should revolve around the three countries working together around Austria. Hungary wanted its land back that it lost after WWI but the other Ba... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Thursday Reading & Recommendations | May 23, 2019 | [
"Recommend me your favourite works of historical theory, philosophy of history or historiography! What works have influenced your thoughts on history the most?"
] | [
"1. The First Salute by Barbara Tuchman 2. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown 3. The Civil War by Shelby Foote 4. Reconstruction by Eric Foner 5. The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman 6. Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch 7. Brute Force: Allied Strategy and Tactics in the Second World War by John Ellis 8. The... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
How warm were houses in preindustrial society | [
"From what i researched on the topic, the houses from the elites and aristocrats of the time were made mostly out of stone, resulting in a cold temperature. Also no-one had actually came up with insulating buildings. A quote from a diary from a maid in the court of Louis XIV stated that the wine and water on the ta... | [
"Follow up question (please don't delete) how influential were nobility titles on economic upward mobility in the Europe of that same time?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
People say that the British were really the revolutionaries in 1763, while the colonists were the conservatives trying to preserve the status quo. How is this true? | [
"This comes from the reason for the revolt. After the English Civil War the colonies had been basically operating by themselves with little interference from London. However after the seven years war and the glorious revolution the new British state was heavily in debt and so needed to raise taxes. For London it lo... | [
"The Americans won the American revolution, whether the British gave up or not, since the purpose of the revolution -- the establishment of a country independent of Britain -- was achieved. Though it is true the British did not utilize their maximum possible military strength to put down the rebellion, and did rely... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why does the abolition of slavery in the US seem more important than (for example) the abolition in Brazil? | [
"'Seeming' is entirely down to you and your perceptions of whatever you've been exposed to."
] | [
"Can't comment on the CAR but in his closing statement he says something to the effect that slaves would have been better off under British rather than American rule. I'd love to know his rational for that statement, since especially if we accept the rather compelling arguments made in *Moral Capital*, the American... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why did they decide to make front wheel of historical bikes so comically large compared to the back? | [
"The type of bicycle of which you speak, is called a \"penny-farthing\" or a \"high wheeler\". They were the first type of bicycle, and had neither gears nor chains. The large front wheel gave the rider sufficient leverage to move the wheels in the absence of a geartrain to give him a mechanical advantage. High whe... | [
"It's so they can use the same size lugs on the front and back. The ones on the back need to be long enough to accommodate two sets of wheels. The front only has one set, so they stick out"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Did the United States ever give out Letters of Marque? | [
"[Absolutely](_URL_0_), during the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Privateering - that is, a private ship engaging in war, with the authority of a letter of marque and reprisal - was later outlawed by international law, so while Congress still technically has the power to issue such a letter, it hasn't don... | [
"Why is the US so upset over the labeling of US treatment of Native Americans as a genocide?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
I'm taking a class titled 'religion and the enlightenment' next semester, and want to get a good background in the period. What are some enlightenment writings that I definitely need to read? | [
"Try Voltaire's \"Candide.\" It's a really easy read, you can probably do it in about a day. As you read, think about what institutions of Old Regime France Voltaire targets with his satire, how and why he satirizes them, and what you can learn about his attitudes towards various aspects of society. The novel addre... | [
"I have an interest in Greco-Roman philosophy, and before I started reading primary sources I wanted to know more about who the Greeks and Romans were: their lives, their culture, the views on themselves and the world around them, and the major events that happened around them (ie, the Peloponnesian war). I've bee... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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} |
In the book 1421: The Year China Discovered America, it says they had colonies on Australian shores, how true is this? | [
"The frequently asked questions wiki page on this subreddit has a [section dealing with Gavin Menzies and 1421](_URL_0_). As you'll notice if you read the posts linked to in that FAQ, historians do not have a high opinion of Menzies. Also, an excellent [blog post](_URL_1_) by /u/mikedash - a quality contributor her... | [
"Christopher Columbus thought he was sailing to India but accidentally found a new continent. As such he called them Indians."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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} |
How close was the rest of the scientific community to discovering what Einstein discovered? | [
"as a side question, were any of Einstein's peers jealous or antagonistic towards him? at this time, did he have anyone who would have liked to see him fail? rivals or anything of the sort"
] | [
"To be a little less specific, what did people think the future in general would be like before the Industrial Revolution?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
During his time at the patent office in Bern, did Einstein cross paths with an invention that would later prove to be important? Was he ever impressed by a patent he was considering? | [
"I have not heard of anything like what you are asking, but there are a lot of indications that the kinds of inventions he was involved in overseeing did influence his thinking on relativity. One of the major categories of invention at that particular time were attempts to synchronize clocks over vast distances, fo... | [
"People would just plan to arrive early enough at the train station, synchronize with the grand central clock, then run some errands, patronize the numerous cafés, bars and restaurants on the other side of the street ... Actually not that different from us, we may know exactly when a plane will take off, but not ex... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post about History:"
} |
Have there been any historical examples of entrenched corruption being removed from a country/empire without a violent revolution? | [
"Great Britain had a lot of corruption in the late 1700s. Not just pocket boroughs; members of parliament were receiving sinecures and places, naval procurement was corrupt, and reversions could allow succession of relatives. Reforms were very gradual through the 1800s. The KMT were notorious for corruption when th... | [
"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 co... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What is the history of, and design conventions (if any), of album art? | [
"If by album art you mean like for music CD's (or LP's and EP's back in the day), the history and design conventions are pretty broad. Some producers hire graphics artists or designers for their album covers, some artists make their own or have artistic friends make them. I'm not quite sure of the history in terms ... | [
"There is no functional difference and those are not legal terms, simply the names the organizations chose."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Has any president ever actually wanted to get America off its dependence on foreign oil? If so, what concrete steps did they take towards that end? | [
"What do you mean when you say, \"actually.\" The United States largely relied on foreign oil to protect it's own strategic reserves. Every president since the energy crisis of the 70's has had energy independence register *somewhere* on their political radar as something that needs to be done. *With that said* ... | [
"Saying someone's a good or a bad President is an opinion, not a fact. That's a fact. In my opinion, Obama is in the Dwight Eisenhower category -- he hasn't accomplished much, hasn't created many major problems, but certainly hasn't solved many major problems. He's just \"been there,\" always ready with a stirring ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about History:",
"pos": "Represent the document about History:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
I was just reading about Alexander Selkirk (the guy Robineon Crusoe is based on) Was he just uncommonly skilled and resourceful, or was it just normal for 17/18th century British working men to some basic knowledge of animal husbandry, hunting, foraging, metal working, tanning and carpentry? | [
"During the time of Alexander Selkirk, it was very, very common for young single men to travel to the more prosperous coastal cities from the interior of England in order to find work. At this time, there was a high rate of unemployment and these men did not often have marketable skills for urban life, so they ende... | [
"Empires don't just appear, they need resources. Big, domesticatable animals to eat and to plow fields, crops to feed people, metal to make tools and weapons out of, stone to build castles and palaces, other empires to trade with or conquer...Australia doesn't have these things in abundance, or at all. Or, to put i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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} |
Did any famous people from antiquity (or any time before the 17th century) make predictions about 21st century? | [
"Iirc, Kepler claimed ships would take men to the moon someday."
] | [
"Related question: Is the mindset that we live in a \"better\" time a modern one? So would someone in the 1500s even view any sort of technological progress as being good? As in the mindset that the non-existent past was some golden age. Perhaps the question could also be answered the other way around, \"why would ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about history:"
} |
The symbolism behind my family crest | [
"Could you post the original image of the coat of arms, please (not your recreated photoshop rendering)? I'm not sure what kind of bird that is or what the charge in the middle is. In general, there are no set meanings in heraldry. Some have tried and made lists of charges and tinctures with accompanying symbolism ... | [
"Sometimes they assume the smell of the wood surrounding it in which your drawer is made of."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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} |
During World War 2, why did the United States put "HAWAII" on all of their currency bills that were in Hawaii at the time? | [
"The military governor of Hawaii recalled all paper currency in the territory in January 1942, fearing that if the Japanese landed, they could smuggle the millions in circulation to Japanese agents on the mainland. The indelible stamp was meant to make Hawaiian money valueless if an invasion occurred. From July 194... | [
"It was hard for them to work together due to the huge geographic distances between them. There were some long range submarine cargo missions, supplying things like rubber and tungsten. And some designs for aircraft ended up in Japan too. When Japan attacked the US, Germany declared war on the US in the hope that J... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about history:"
} |
According to myth, Theseus, the founder of Athens, fought a bull-headed monster in a labyrinth under the island of Crete. The Minoan civilization, based out of Crete, seems to have worshiped bulls, or at least saw bulls as important symbols. Are these things related? | [
"Yes, they are. In Greek myth, King Minos attacked Athens, and Athens asked for terms, where Minos requested 7 men and women to be offered to the Minotaur, named for Minos, king of Crete, to be eaten. Theseus once came to Crete to slay the Minotaur, and with the help of Ariadne and the clew or ball of thread to fin... | [
"I've never seen the 2004 film, but that's an absurd implication. Several frescoes from Akrotiri depict monkeys, and there's a fresco at Knossos that depicts these funky-looking green monkeys. Heracles is supposed to have been laughed at by the mischievous Cercopes, whose name means tail-men, and who were supposedl... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Geology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Geology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How important was indigo to the American (North and South) colonies? | [
"Indigo was important because there weren't any chemical dyes invented yet. Clothing had to be colored by natural means until the late 19th century German(?) chemists."
] | [
"Yes. Slavery in Rome was not tied to race/skin color like it was in the United States during the 1700-1800s"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why is army, division, brigade, etc... numbering so seemingly random? | [
"I answered a similar question to this some time ago [here](_URL_0_), but I'll repeat it below with some additional information. Non-sequential numbering in seemingly sequential units sometimes arose naturally, out of specific regulations as I've described below, or it was used to purposefully confuse enemy intelli... | [
"As far as I know they are (mostly) randomly generated and picked from a list. That last thing you'd want is to assign a code name that actually describes the covert operation."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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} |
What happened to the tank man? | [
"To be honesty nobody knows for sure. Jiang Zemin [*thinks* he was not killed](_URL_2_), whether you believe him or not is up to you: There is no evidence confirming his claim or disproving it-and even Jiang Zemin says he can't confirm it. Granted, there are many rumors as to his fate, but they all lack evidence."
... | [
"Was he the referring to a specific mad professor?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
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So what happened to 'Tank Man'? | [
"There is a lot of conjecture about Tank Man's identity and fate but there is very little hard data about this individual before or after the Tiananmen crackdown. Soon after the famous photo, two individuals pulled him into a crowd (you can see this at the end of this [video](_URL_1_) of the incident) and he has si... | [
"/u/CptBuck on Belly Dancing, \"The Streets of Cairo\" and late 19th century world fairs will probably interest you: _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
If I were to return to the high middle ages or early renaissance, which common materials and/or minerals should I use to make gunpowder? | [
"_URL_0_ \"It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate (saltpeter)...\" Saltpeter is the hard one to make. You have to process manure, or hope that it created itself naturally as the manure aged."
] | [
"I have heard about mandragora and belladona extracts being used to dilate pupils for matters of beauty, but that might have been for Roman ladies. I wonder what kind of products and materials would they use, if some of it was dangerous and what kind of tools they used to apply it (for example I do know that some f... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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} |
In the film Gettysburg, Longstreet says, "We should have freed the slaves and then fired on Fort Sumter." Did Longstreet ever actually express such a sentiment? What were his views on slavery? | [
"Longstreet did *not* such a sentiment during the war, but it is possible that it is a *very* poorly contextualized allusion to his post-war shift into the Republican camp. I wrote about Longstreet's Republicanism [here](_URL_1_) which you should find relevant, and while it doesn't mention Longstreet, [this is abou... | [
"He is widely considered to be one of the best generals the US has ever produced. He was an absolutely brilliant commander (Gettysburg is the notable exception) and was a consummate professional soldier. On top of that - Robert E. Lee was never tarnished by the issues of slavery and secession. He didn't want to sec... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Where did the germ of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy begin? | [
"I answered a similar question a couple of years ago that addressed the roots of the \"State's rights\" causal argument in Civil War history, which I think addresses this Lost Cause origin question to a certain extent. I hope it helps a bit! _URL_0_"
] | [
"The main reason is because of the religious background of the United States."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
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} |
"Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us..." Is it even possible that this is an accurate quote of Socrates? | [
"In the text where you see God, he is not referring to the Judeo-Christian 'God', he is referring to 'the god' Apollo, whose oracle decreed that 'no man is wiser than Socrates' which sent him into the whole philosophical investigation because he didn't consider himself wise at all. I can't find a source for that qu... | [
"A church is where Christians go to pray. A synagogue is where Jews go to pray. Not quite sure what else you want to know."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Before 1066, what system was Britain/England run on? | [
"The system that came before that was the Burghal Hidage system implemented by King Alfred I \"the Great\" in the 9th century. This was an economic and defensive system designed to maximize internal trade and defend against the viking raids. Alfred built hundreds of trade towns called Burhs which were maintained by... | [
"What year/grade/class are you? Was the question you posed the prompt you were given? For most of the history of Europe, 'countries' and 'nations' were seen entirely differently. For example, some of 'england' was in France. Brittany was controlled by the King of England. It's better to talk of Kingdoms than countr... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why didn't Spain and Austria-Hungary take part in the Scramble of Africa? | [
"Didn't Spain control what is now Western Sahara and Equatorial Guinea? That means, to an extent they did participate but in the 19th century Spain was distracted by internal conflict and a weak economy relative to other European states like France, Germany and even Italy."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
when is the veil of beyond which the historian can't look, the age that that must be left to the archaeologists? | [
"An archaeologist works in the field, studying primarily by excavating remains and recovering objects from the place of history. Historians typically write and study about the subject, but don't necessarily have to be archaeologists. There isn't any sort of time divider, though."
] | [
"the fuzzy gray line lies around intention to discipline not intention to inflict harm."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
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Did Nathaniel Bacon really cause the separation of poor whites and enslaved blacks, and if so do you believe he meant for this to happen? | [
"The separation of poor whites and enslaved blacks had come into some question before Bacon's Rebellion. In 1640, there is a clear law excluding blacks from owning any arms. 1662 deemed slavery a lifetime sentence (1) There are free blacks in the colonies however. There is an issue during this time regarding whethe... | [
"Did the US ever attempt the systematic genocide of Native American people? No. Did the US: * Make treaties with tribes and then dishonor them and end up forcing the natives onto reservations where they would have no economic opportunity? * consistently make war with tribes in the US' relentless push Westward? * In... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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} |
paintings of Napoleon | [
"A popular question! [And here's a great answer from the archives.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"TYL the highest mountains in florida are landfills."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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} |
Alternate Names Proposed for the USA? | [
"And to hijack this in a related way, what were the alternatives to \"America.\""
] | [
"The Art of War in the Western World - Archer Jones"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Education:"
} |
How would ancient greeks work out? Would they lift weighs? | [
"Hi there. Not discouraging further comments, but the gold standard answer we have here on the ancients and weight training can be found here, via u/iphikrates: _URL_0_"
] | [
"You can, go run around while lifting heavy things. You will do both. Thats how most athletes get tone, they play their sport."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How did Latin mottos as a feature on coats of arms get started? | [
"I'll not speculate as to the beginnings of latin mottos, but you might find one of the reasons for their continued use interesting. Canada uses many latin mottos for government organizations as a way of avoiding perceived favouritism between English and French. Perhaps there is historical precedent for that outsid... | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Questions regarding nicknames | [
"The Viet Cong were referred to using the military phonetic alphabet (V-C = Victor Charlie) shortened to Charlie."
] | [
"To add to that, can someone give the literal answer to that question, ie what are the very first names we have written down?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why did Benjamin Franklin think that Swedes were swarthy? | [
"Hi, not discouraging others from responding here, but fyi, /u/alexistheman answered this in some detail not long ago * [Why would Ben Franklin call Germans and Swedes \"swarthy\"? Is there more context to this?](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Are you saying we should be more racist towards cats?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Time for a religion to become accepted | [
"I would just like to quickly point out that at least from what I've seen, Scientology is far from acceptable, with Alex Gibney's recent documentary bring the church even more negative attention due to the truly shocking things that go on in that church, which I would gladly elaborate on if you want. The church has... | [
"For the record as part of the free world, I do not consider the USA as my leader"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Book on Native American history after the arrival of the European colonists? | [
"*1493* by Charles Mann. It's popular history, but it's still a good overview of the interactions between the Europeans and Native Americans after first contact. His previous book, *1491* is also really good, but deals with the native populations before European contact."
] | [
"The Russian Empire DID spread over the Bering straight. Vitius Bering was the Russian explorer who gave his name to the straight and the shallow sea to the north of the Aleutian islands. However, the Russian colony in Alaska was so remote, it was quicker to sail from St Petersburg, south to Cape Horn, then north t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Were there any major attempts or developments by any other persons or governments when the Wright brothers were making their first flight? | [
"Another well known attempt (at least in New Zealand) was by Richard Pearse in 1902/1903. He had some success, but never achieved controlled flight for as long as the Wright brothers, nor did he organise media coverage to the same degree that the Wright brothers. _URL_0_ _URL_1_"
] | [
"One of the reasons you likely aren't seeing a lot of answers here is because the use of the phrase \"beyond a shadow of a doubt\". While many inventions were attributed to Thomas Edison there is considerable controversy about other influence and input into that work. His earliest inventions took place while he was... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What sort of guidance did US military leadership give out to the armed services before and during the Nixon and Clinton impeachments? | [
"Just a note - you might want to specify your question a little further since Nixon was not actually impeached. The House Judiciary Committee passed three articles of impeachment for the House to vote on, but the House did not actually vote for impeachment - Nixon resigned before then when it seemed likely that th... | [
"Depends on the circumstances of the war, but really anything goes. For this reason embassy activity is often a clue that war is coming. One example of this is when Japan started burning documents from their embassy before the Pearl Harbour attack."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did Olympians in ancient time compare to Olympians in current times? and were there any weird, training techniques? | [
"I was listening to a lecture on Western Civilization by professor Douglas Favelo, Ph.D. a few months ago and from what I remember there were two main differences. - **No Clothes:** This isn't a big difference in the name of substance, but I think a lot more guys would watch it if it were still like this - **The S... | [
"I might can answer this question but I'm not sure what era you are talking about. Do you mean ancient strong men like Milo of Croton from Greek history? If so it is hard to say because their lives are intermixed with mythology, and that is outside my area of knowledge. If you mean strong men from the Strongman era... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Were bank robberies as common in the wild west are they're portrayed in westerns? | [
"Not only were they not as common none of the violence was as common as portrayed in westerns. Bank Robberies were no more prevalent than they are today. In fact in my city St. Louis they are more common. The cattle town of Tombstone famous for gang shootouts.......4 deaths the year of the shootout at OK corral. So... | [
"Well drugs weren't really an issue back then. Alcohol and marijuana and tobacco were more or less accepted. It is only in the 20th century when those things became taboo. As for sex and rebellion, have you read Shakespeare? He and other playwrights covered those themes extensively especially in tales such as Romeo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why Spain has never invaded/kept Portugal under its reign? | [
"hi! hopefully someone can drop by with comments on the issues raised here, but meanwhile, you can get started with the FAQ * [Portugal and Spain on the Iberian peninsula](_URL_0_) ... and a few additional comments * [How did Portugal survive as a enclave within Spain?](_URL_4_) * [Why did Spain never conquer Portu... | [
"Sovereignty is enforced by brute force. Do you have what it take to defend your country? Tibet was a country. Taiwan was a country. Hong Kong was part of China. Vietnam was part of China. Maryland/Virginia was part of British Empire. A sovereign nation is established by brute force most of time. If you can take an... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Were xwedodah marriages (nuclear incest) really a common occurence in Zoroastrianism? | [
"In the videogame crusader kings 2, zoroastrian characters are able to marry their close relatives. Was this common in real life? Did every level of society engage in it or was it just the nobility? Also, what is the basis for such unions being seen as sacred?"
] | [
"As a side question, is there evidence of how commonplace necrophilia was in hittite realms? Was it ritual in nature or solely sexual?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When Newton "discovered" calculus, was he merely filling in the gaps of mathematics or did he truly discover it for himself? | [
"[Integration](_URL_1_) and [differentiation](_URL_2_) were well known before Newton and Leibniz, however the two concepts were brought together with their help. > In Europe, the foundational work was a treatise due to Bonaventura Cavalieri, who argued that volumes and areas should be computed as the sums of the v... | [
"See it this way: you can probably understand how an engine works... could/would you have ever invented one? Merely understanding a concept is way easier than thinking of it and proving it to a point where it can be considered as correct. Besides, while the theory of relativity is certainly his most prominent cont... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Explain the "Officer" idea as it pertains to not being targetted in Napoleonic style combat. | [
"When it comes to infantry regiments, there was no punishment for fighting and killing officers, sometimes it would even be encouraged since they were leading and maintaining the unit cohesion. When a battle happens, it happens and there is nothing to stop you from killing an enemy officer. Vice versa, there's not... | [
"A large area for discussion is how you tackle and intentionally hitting in ways to cause more pain. Lot rule bending in there."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
How did the Soviet Union size up different NATO militaries? Did they view some as pushovers or others as more formidable? | [
"Pages 11 and 12 may be of interest to you: _URL_0_ The Soviets seem to believe the West Germans' Motorized Infantry Divisions were the strongest while the US Armored Divisions were rated only slightly below it. On the other hand, French Infantry Divisions and the Canadian Separate Mechanized Battle Groups were rat... | [
"It allows them to simultaneously have the protection of reputed nuclear capability without spurring their many enemies to race toward nuclear weapons programs of their own. Also, secrecy keeps countries guessing about their real capabilities which is good considering some are rather callous about \"acceptable loss... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
One always reads of the American Civil War pitting "brother against brother." Is this actually true? | [
"Well it is anecdotal but I have a distant cousin who was named William cook, and on our family tree he has been moved to the side and crossed out. It says \"Disowned: Fought for the North.\" His 3 brothers fought for the South. William, John, and Robert. Robert and the disowned William were both present at the bat... | [
"There really isn't any convention. In fact many wars go by different names in different countries. For example in Russia what I call WWII is called The Great Patriotic War. What I learned about as The French and Indian War is simply the North American part of the Seven Years War in England. Although, even having ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
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