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What is the oldest known example we have of humanity introducing an invasive species to a new area?
|
[
"Humans introducing themselves to areas outside of Africa. Although, this depends somewhat on your definition of \"humanity\", as there were several times in pre-history when hominids seem to have migrated out of Africa. If you mean \"anatomically modern humans\", or \"homo sapiens sapiens\" then this would be circa 100,000 years ago (although various pre-homo sapiens hominids had migrated out of Africa previously). At the time when homo sapiens sapiens migrated out of Africa they seem to have had no domesticated animals, and had not adopted agriculture, so they would not have introduced any new animals or plants to new areas. Other than themselves as an invasive species, they may have introduced their own parasites, and possibly (though less likely, due to sparse populations) some diseases."
] |
[
"The primary cause of extinction at this time is loss of habitat resulting from human beings cutting down forests, paving over fields, and otherwise altering existing ecological environments. Additional causes include air pollution and its various side effects such as the increasing acidification of the ocean, global warming, etc. Then there is also over-hunting or poaching (as for valuable elephant tusks) and over fishing. If we did not address these underlying problems, simply introducing new species into the wild would be ineffective. You have to have a suitable environment for a species to inhabit, before that species can establish itself and contribute to biodiversity. It is, of course, still scientifically interesting if an extinct species can be brought back to life by some kind of genetic manipulation. But it is not going to have major consequences for biodiversity."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
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How did Native Americans view sex?
|
[
"Which time period? Which region of the Americas? Which culture? In 1491 there were tens of millions of Native Americans spread from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego and they all had their own views on sex."
] |
[
"Why aren’t Americans trying to speak the Native American language?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query about Social Sciences:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Social Sciences:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
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Since the 1800's western visions of the future frequently feature space travel and robots; how did previous centuries imagine the future? Were there concepts of utopia's, space travel and robots? If not what did they imagine and when did 'modern futurology' begin?
|
[
"There's always room for more discussion! (On this topic...please!) We do, however, actually have a [section of the FAQ](_URL_2_) that explores just those questions! You might be specifically interested in: * [What did ancient Romans think about the future?](_URL_4_) * [Before 1700, is there any literature with a definite setting in the future? What did they think the future would look like?](_URL_1_) * [The birth of futurology - when did people start to think, \"Wow! This invention will change the world!\" and write about what would happen?](_URL_3_) I also just answered a related question about [space travel](_URL_0_), if you're interested."
] |
[
"Science Fiction is less of a prediction mechanism and more of a window into what people are currently thinking. In early sci-fi, the goal was to exploit a possible future where people became better as individuals and as a species. Currently, sci-fi represents a general pessimism about the human condition. Not everything is that way of course, and there are a few upbeat stories about people in science fiction (see: the new Arrival movie)."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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The Libyans! What was going on in 1985 that would have made Libya the go-to reference for Doc Brown's illicit plutonium sourcing in Back To The Future?
|
[
"During the 1980s, Libya (having tried and failed to buy nuclear weapons from other countries) tried to get access to uranium and plutonium alike for the purpose of building weapons. It completed a research reactor (with Soviet help) back in 1979, that gave it the opportunity to produce plutonium, and evaded IAEA safeguards during that time. They also attempted to buy nuclear material from black market sources throughout this period. You can read more about their plans for nuclear weapons at the links below: _URL_0_ _URL_1_"
] |
[
"If you're talking about America, that's simply not true. Go to any big Reddit thread and you'll see hundreds of comments talking about what a glorious socialist utopia Europe is. Many Americans also have varying degrees of obsession with British culture. Half the women in my family got up at 3 in the morning to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding live. See also: the British Invasion of the 1960's Historically, France was seen as the epitome of class and elegance as well."
] |
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
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What is the consensus on the historicity of Aztlán?
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[
"There's always room for discussion, but perhaps these previous topics I answered will answer your inquiry. * [Has there ever been archaeological / written evidence to identify the \"lost home in the north\" of the Aztecs?](_URL_1_) * [Is Aztlán in the Lower Colorado River Basin?](_URL_0_) If you have any follow-up questions, please feel free to ask."
] |
[
"Just a follow-up question to the original question - what about the reverse. What was Napoleon's view of the United States?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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i would like for you to follow this thread and add your two cents...
|
[
"The historical answer to your question is: The Silk Road. The economic links between Europe and China, through Central Asia, carried not just silk and spice, but scientific information, philosophy, and military technology. I see it as a multi-continent society in terms of cultural advances, which means it can go much quicker than the isolated civilizations of the Americas, Africa or the Oceania region. The best example is the gunpowder thing. The Chinese discovered it by accident through alchemy and figured out some nifty fireworks and rudimentary cannon. This preliminary discovery then got transmitted through the known world of the time, and was improved on the other side of the trade circuit into modern firearms, which then made the return circuit."
] |
[
"looks like everyone visits this page, and becomes so productive, they cant even leave a comment.."
] |
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{
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What are some good primary sources that discuss life during the cultural revolution in China?
|
[
"Wild Swans is a good place to start."
] |
[
"This as incredibly helpful. I'm doing my master's thesis on the historical memory of free black societies in the north. Could you suggest anything worth reading on that subject?"
] |
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{
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How does a town's government get started? [US]
|
[
"The process for forming a town officially is called *incorporation,* but towns can exist without that. Take Alaska, for example. The state capital, Juneau, was founded in 1881, but it wasn't incorporated as a city until 1900 because no laws existed to allow a town government. Now, if you look at older maps, you'll see Juneau on there. You'll also see lots of other towns in Alaska. Town placement is determined by the mapmaker and his or her desires. If you look at a lot of maps of Alaska, you might see a town called Circle, on the Yukon River. It was founded in 1896 and is one of three places where Alaska's road system meets the Yukon River. It appears on lots of maps, yet it has a population of about 100 people. Deadhorse, Alaska has a population of fewer than 10. It's an industrial town; no one actually lives there. Yet, it's the home of Prudhoe Bay, so you'll see it on maps, too. Importance is a relative term, and maps reflect that relativism."
] |
[
"It's a big system. It also carries a bit from state to state. Are you interested in the application process? Policy? Logistics?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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I have seen many places/cities in the UK and USA share the same name. Was there any purpose behind this? How were the people not confused by this naming convention?
|
[
"Many places in the new world (the US, Australia etc) were named by explorers passing through. Often homesick explorers. So they would name whole regions after wherever they came from (New England, New York, New South Wales) or someplace the area reminded them of back in the old country. (They also named a lot of stuff after monarchs, saints and wealthy patrons. But those are not the ones you are asking about, right.) Settlements would also often be named for a town in the old country. There are lots of Paris's, Birminghams, Heidelbergs etc in the US and in Australia etc. Mostly the purpose was just an expression of homesickness. The practice could also serve to bind communities together culturally and linguistically. The reason it is not confusing is because traveling back-and-forth was not an issue in those days."
] |
[
"Why not? Plenty of other places have done it; we still have Nova Scotia despite it not being Scottish in any political sense, New York is still New York despite having little to do with York, etc. It's easier to keep up the naming rather than change now."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
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How much of the "classic pirate" that we see in movies and books is historically accurate?
|
[
"This is actually a rather commonly asked question - and luckily for you, we have a pirate expert who's done an AMA that can answer most of these questions! Let me link a few threads that might help :) * [Wednesday AMA: I'm eternalkerri, moderator and Pirate analyst. Ask me questions about Pirates!](_URL_3_) * [Sources on Pirates/Caribbean in late 1600s](_URL_1_) * [What can you tell me about pirates?](_URL_0_) * [I have a few questions about pirates. (Arrr!)](_URL_2_) Hope those help! :)"
] |
[
"> If they were as common as they seem to be in nearly all adaptations of the old West... They weren't. Probably 99% of the way the old West is depicted in films is complete BS."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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What repercussions did the Battle of Stamford Bridge have back "home" in Scandinavia?
|
[
"Hi! I am not a historian, but I am studying history in Norway and writing a bachelor degree in Norwegian middel ages. When Harald Hardraade, left for England he had his son Olav with him. Olav was not present at the battle, so he survived and went back home to Norway. He co-ruled with his Brother Magnus, the first years before Magnus died, and Olav ruled alone. Olav got the name Olav ''Kyrre'' Meaning peacefull. The 26 years he ruled as Norwegian king, Norway was in no conflicts with other kingdoms. So the repercussion for Norways part, was that they got a king who ruled peacefully for 26 years, unlike his son but that is another story."
] |
[
"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
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{
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What is the oldest known dated coin?
|
[
"[The earliest known dated coin using our modern Western dating system (AD, CE) is the Danish silver denier of Roskilde from the year 1234](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"Do you have a specific place or country in mind?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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How did the grand tour enable London's public museums to gain antiquities?
|
[
"Are you limited to just talking about antiquities? The Grand Tour had many effects on British culture other than just filling up museums. The Grand Tour brought a lot of modern Italian culture to Italy, including the upper classes of the time having a robust taste for Italian fashion, art, and opera."
] |
[
"Probably not, state visits were very rare when Washington DC was built. Especially so for the United States, given that until Latin American independence, all the countries that US had diplomatic relations with were across the Atlantic Ocean. The first foreign leader to visit the United States wasn't until 1874 when King Kalakaua visited from Hawaii. It is true that many landmarks of DC's urban landscape, such as the National Mall, wouldn't be complete until the early 1900s. The Mall had little to do with foreign relations, however, and a lot to do with the \"City Beautiful Movement\". The City Beautiful movement was a progressive urban renewal initiative that championed the construction of parklands in cities with the intent of promoting healthy orderly urban life."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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Short Answers to Simple Questions | February 20, 2019
|
[
"How serious did academics take the Norse settlement of North America theory before the discovery of the settlement in the 1960’s? Was it a given without evidence or a crackpot theory?"
] |
[
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1988. > > Howe, Daniel Walker. “Church, State, and Education in the Young American Republic.” Journal of the Early Republic 22, no. 1 (April 1, 2002): 1–24. > > Kaestle, Carl. Pillars of the Republic: Common Schools and American Society, 1780-1860. 1st ed. Hill and Wang, 1983. > > Spring, Joel. The American School: From the Puritans to No Child Left Behind. 7th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. > > Katz, Michael B. “Horace Mann: What Went Wrong?” Reviews in American History 1, no. 2 (June 1, 1973): 218–223. > > Messerli, Jonathan. Horace Mann: A Biography. New York: Knopf, 1972."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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How large was the United State´s population in 1820?
|
[
"9,638,453, of which 1,538,022 were slaves, according to the 1820 census. That's about the population of New Jersey."
] |
[
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Why isn't Dwight Eisenhower considered a traditional Cold warrior?
|
[
"Actually, I'd argue that Eisenhower is the quintessential Cold Warrior. He spent billions building a nuclear deterrent, oversaw the creation of a peacetime standing military without precedent in American history, and let the CIA loose against Cuba, Iran, Indonesia, and Guatemala. He teetered on the edge of war to defend Taiwan, hurled humans into space in a pissing match designed to show our capability to nuke anywhere on the planet, and sent U.S. pilots continuously over Soviet territory on recon missions which would have triggered World War 3 had they been performed by Russian pilots over Anchorage. You don't get a lot more Cold Warrior-y than Eisenhower."
] |
[
"Would John Jay count? Is he considered as influential as Hamilton in academic circles?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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Have musical notes remained constant throughout history?
|
[
"Normally we tune to 440, but in my baroque ensemble we tune to 415 for a \"truer\" sound. Also, it's MUCH easier to tune gut strings to 415 than to 440. I've never really thought of that having to do with anything though."
] |
[
"Are you asking about the history of Chinese music perhaps? We have a lot of documentation for the history of Western music."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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Why were USAF and US Navy members allowed to paint pinup girls on US planes during WWII? (NSFW ?)
|
[
"Morale. Air crews suffered a far higher casualty rate than infantry, I think the highest in the services. It was a great morale boost to let the guys plan and paint the nose art."
] |
[
"USAF egress maintainer in training here - every aircraft has a letter designating it's primary mission. Here's the setup: A - Attack (A-10 Warthog) B - Bomber (B-1B Lancer) C - Cargo/Transport (C-5 Galaxy) E - Special Electronic (E-3 Sentry AWACS) F - Fighter (F-22 Raptor) G - Glider (TG-10 trainer) H - Helicopter (AH-64 Apache) K - Air Refueling (KC-46 Pegasus) O - Observation (OV-10 Bronco) P - Patrol (P-51D Mustang) R - Reconnaissance (RF-4 Phantom) T - Trainer (T-38 Talon) U - Utility (U-2 Dragon Lady) V - VTOL/STOL (AV-8B Harrier) X - Research (Bell X-1) The actual name of the aircraft is assigned by the manufacturer or by the services itself, like the A-10. It was originally named the Thunderbolt II as a spiritual successor to the original P47 Thunderbolt, but the overall performance of the aircraft earned it the Warthog nickname. NATO will also designate names for foreign aircraft as well, much like the MiL Mi-24 Hind."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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What was the per-enlightenment explanation of 'static electricity' and other elector-magnetic forces?
|
[
"Check the FAQ before posting, my friend _URL_0_"
] |
[
"The waves in question, carried by photons, are called electromagnetic waves. They are the same thing, fluctuations in the same field. The movement of charge produces the \"magnetic field\". Attracting metal, through ferromagnetism or its friends paramagnetism, diamagnetism, and antiferromagnetism, is more a property of those materials than of the field itself."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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How effective were Aztec weapons against the Spanish?
|
[
"There's always room for discussion, but perhaps this previous question answered by /u/400-rabbits and /u/The_Alaskan will answer your inquiry. * [How effective was Native American weaponry and armor when compared to contemporary european equipment in 1500?](_URL_1_) You may also be interested in our section [Pre-Modern Non-Western Warfare](_URL_0_) in the FAQ."
] |
[
"Thanks guys! This was an awesome start to my day! I was particularly surprised to realize how long the conquest took and how many times it seems like Cortez was extremely lucky (getting native support after breaking out of Tenochtitlan, having the forces sent to arrest him switch sides, almost being captured during the siege, etc.) Two questions about Cortez's native allies. 1) Are there casualty figures for them throughout the conquest? Were those casualties comparable to Aztec casualties? Basically, to what degree did Cortez's Spanish \"shock troops\" tip the balance away from Aztec dominance? Obviously, it caused them to win rather than lose, but I never got a sense of how balanced or unbalanced Cortez's victories were. 2) Did smallpox hit Cortez's native allies? To the same level? Less? More?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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How many pirates (being specific, let's say 16th-18th century European pirates) were bisexual?
|
[
"Erin Mackie in her 2014 *Rakes, Highwaymen, and Pirates: The Making of the Modern Gentleman in the 18th Century*, has argued that categorical differentiations like straight, gay, or bisexual do not apply to early modern piratical sexuality. Her book includes a chapter on pirate masculinity, and it may be of interest to you."
] |
[
"hi! you'll find lots of answers to your pirate questions here in the FAQ * [The Golden Age of Piracy, Life of a Pirate and Other Related Topics](_URL_3_). Re flags, see particularly [Why did Pirates even have flags?](_URL_2_); re signing up, /u/DavidAOP points out useful comments in this post [I am an English peasant in 1715, and I decide enough is enough. I want to join a pirate ship. How do I go about doing that?](_URL_1_) ... a bit more on flags * [Where did the idea of a 'pirate flag' come from?](_URL_6_) * [Did pirates in the Caribbean really fly the skull and crossbones flag? If not, what?](_URL_0_) and crews * [If mass unemployment of sailors in the early 1700's lead to widespread piracy why don't we hear about pirates after every major sea-war?](_URL_4_) * [Were pirates equal opportunity employers?](_URL_7_) Lastly, pirates were featured in a two-part AskHistorians podcast, which can be found [here](_URL_5_), episodes 16 & 17"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Thursday Reading & Recommendations | September 13, 2018
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[
"I'm less and less impressed with Bernard and David Bachrach's *Warfare in Medieval Europe*. It's not bad, but I'm just really not enjoying reading it. The book takes a thematic rather than chronological approach to its subject, which I totally endorse but it's a hard way to write a book and so far they haven't been brilliant about tracing a clear line of reasoning or narrative through the chapter I'm reading. I just find reading it a bit of a slog without a ton of detail (it doesn't help that it's really early medieval focused) and with occasional vague straw men thrown up to make a point. It's mostly fine, but it just doesn't offer me a lot that I don't already know and it's kind of a slog to read so I'm not sure if I'm going to keep going. I may set it aside for a while and try it again later. Work has me stressed and I can be a lot less forgiving of a book when I'm stressed and tired. A more relaxed self might enjoy it more."
] |
[
"1. The First Salute by Barbara Tuchman 2. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown 3. The Civil War by Shelby Foote 4. Reconstruction by Eric Foner 5. The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman 6. Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch 7. Brute Force: Allied Strategy and Tactics in the Second World War by John Ellis 8. The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A Caro 9. A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan 10. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn 11. 1491/1493 Charles C Mann Sorry, couldn't keep it to 6."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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Thursday Reading & Recommendations | October 18, 2018
|
[
"Are there any good open access journals for modern European History in English, German, or French (roughly in that order of preference)? I can think of one on [legal history](_URL_0_) and I just found out about one for [medieval history](_URL_1_) (albeit, clearly that isn't modern), but are there others that anyone would recommend?"
] |
[
"1. The First Salute by Barbara Tuchman 2. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown 3. The Civil War by Shelby Foote 4. Reconstruction by Eric Foner 5. The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman 6. Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch 7. Brute Force: Allied Strategy and Tactics in the Second World War by John Ellis 8. The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A Caro 9. A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan 10. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn 11. 1491/1493 Charles C Mann Sorry, couldn't keep it to 6."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query about Literature:",
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Was Rudyard Kipling mocking imperialism when he penned the "White Man's Burden"?
|
[
"[Shadowing the White Man's Burden](_URL_0_) contains some discussion of the conflicting opinions of both the educated and the uneducated at the time. You could make a convincing argument either way on the subject. I've always been of the mind that Kipling merely sought to foment discussion rather than suggest a destiny or course of action (though I may be giving Kipling's intelligence too much credit). Additional info: [The Kipling Society](_URL_1_) provides a nice combination of the poem and a personal letter from the same timeframe to promote the idea that Kipling saw the \"White Man's Burden\" as a sincere \"humanitarian\" mission to bring the savages out of depravity."
] |
[
"Lions have been associated with royalty for thousands of years, just consider the sphinx. The first record of Lion as king seems to be in Aesop's fables from about the sixth century B.C. King Lion is referred to in \"The Fox, The Cock, and The Dog\" Lion King of Beasts is referred to in \"The Lion in Love\" and in \"The Lion's Share\" Lion Lord of the Beasts is referred to in \"The Lion the Fox and The Beasts\". I'm probably forgetting some other references. So the Lion as a King of Animals has been around since at least the 6th century B.C. As for the reference to \"King of the Jungle\" this probably has it's roots in 17th and 18th century notions of Africa as a land of Jungles."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Can anyone tell me who this portrait is of?
|
[
"Looks like Charles I of Great Britain to me."
] |
[
"Could you post where that quote came from? Thanks"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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John Green talks Central African Republic
|
[
"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 revolution was a major factor in the end in the slave trade (in Britain and the United States), gradual ending of slavery in the northern states, loosening of manumission laws, and an explosion of manumissions in the years following the revolution. Arguments that it would have been better had Britain won for the slaves usually center on the fact that Britain ended slavery 30 odd years before the United States, but this is a rather stupid argument as it ignores the fact that slavery would have been able to wield substantially more political influence within the British empire had the Southern region of the United States remained within British rule."
] |
[
"We created the first Taliban why not the next one."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Do we know what non-carved paleographic Cuneiform was like for any of the cultures that used it?
|
[
"Could you clarify what you mean by non-carved paleographic cuneiform?"
] |
[
"We have no way of answering this because names existed prior to writing and prior to any known history."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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Hi everyone. We at /r/HaShoah are proud to announce that we will be doing an AMA with the staff at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 27 January at 2 PM EST.
|
[
"Just curious ... why do they link in their subreddit /r/holocausttruth and /r/holocaustconspiracy ?"
] |
[
"The JFK Daily Diary at the Miller Center at the University of Virginia shows that he and Jackie were at their Glen Ora property in Middleburg, Virginia that weekend. They were having a house built there. I guess he decided to do that instead of lay a wreath at Arlington. The daily diary shows they arrived at Glen Ora at 5:32pm on Saturday November 10, arriving back at the White House on Monday, November 12 at 9:05am."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Why did the North Koreans not choose to revolt during and after the event of the N.K. Famine?
|
[
"They blamed others for it ~ specifically they blame the United States. The North Korean propaganda machine is strong and has instilled in the heads of the populace that the American imperialists are out to get North Korea and are responsible for even the smallest things such as lights flickering. The cult of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il was very strong as they saw that they could do no wrong for their country. It's a very sad country."
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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When was the last point in English history that I, with my extended family or group, could have settled a piece of land we liked without anyone's permission?
|
[
"Do you mean within any of the colonies and dependencies, or purely within the home islands? Your answer will grant you very different answers to your question."
] |
[
"You have been raised to consider land ownership an untouchable right, people haven't been of the same opinion throughout history. Land is unique in that it is the ONLY commodity not created by human labour. That means all land has been taken at one point or another in history and that nobody actually has a moral right to any land. The closest thing to a moral right to a land is if you have been occupying the land uncontested for a long time. Hence squatters rights. It is even supported by the Bible. However two years is too short of a time in my opinion, these people just wanted to abuse the laws, let's hope the soldier blasts them."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query about History:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about History:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
}
|
Is there any evidence to indicate New Madrid Zone earthquakes had anything to do with the fall of Cahokia?
|
[
"The apex of Cahokia was 1050-1200 AD, with a gradual decline starting around 1200. General consensus holds the the site was mostly abandoned by 1400, so any seismic activity in 1450 would have been well after the initial decline and population dispersal. Researchers suggest many potential causes to the population decline and abandonment, ranging from soil degradation due to intensive agriculture, [over-exploitation of wood resources](_URL_0_), and [drought](_URL_1_)."
] |
[
"Well, some of them did. Take a look at the Mississipian peoples, for example. They had a rather complex society with extensive trade routes and the city of Cahokia is believed to have been home to ~40,000 people in the 13th century. And just an little thing to mention, there was never any kind of Mayan Empire."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
If Pinochet's coup was motivated in response to Allende's policy of resource nationalization, why did copper remain nationalized in Chile? In other words, why did the United States and Chilean corporations go through the trouble to support a coup if resources remained nationalized?
|
[
"You're factually wrong in your question. The fact is that the market became wildly liberalised under Pinochet. What was a part of the public sphere or the commons was ruthlessly sold out to private interests. As soon as Pinochet came to power the US sent a squadron of economists, all of them from the Chicago school of economics, famous for being a major school in the development of neoliberal economics. It has been said by plenty of economists and historians that Chile (and in some ways Indonesia) was a neo-liberal experiment. Source: Harvey, David. A brief history of Neoliberalism."
] |
[
"Not exhaustive by any means, but look at Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), Chile (1973), Nicaragua (initially a revolutionary government, but meaningful elections were held in 1984), Venezuela (2002 - no direct intervention, but support for and recognition of those behind the coup was not insignificant). There were of course many other interventions where the US has befriended a dictator, only to turn on them or their successors when US interests were not being given due concern."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
}
|
Were there many American born loyalists who moved to England after the Revolutionary War? If so, what was life like for them? I know many resettled in modern day Ontario, I am just curious about the rest.
|
[
"William Franklin, Benjamin Franklin's son, was the last royal governor of NJ. He refused to support the patriot cause, even though his father was a founding father. He was eventually arrested and brought before the NJ Provisional Congress and booted out of office. He worked with loyalist militias after that. When the war was over he moved to England. Benjamin Franklin never really reconciled with William."
] |
[
"The main thing is that Poland immigrants going to North America went to the United States. Greek immigrants going to North America went to the United States. Irish immigrants going to North America went to the United States. Spanish immigrants going to North America went to Mexico, because it was a Spanish colony and they spoke the language there. Very few Spanish immigrants, if given a choice between one country that does speak their language and another that doesn't, would choose the United States."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Why didn't the reconquista continue into Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, etc.?
|
[
"It did continue. Portugal and Spain fought a series of wars in North Africa - just as an example, here's a graphic of [Portugal's empire in Morocco](_URL_0_). Spain took over a couple of Portuguese enclaves in Morocco - Ceuta and Melilla - which it continues to control even today, even after it gave up its own colonial control of Morocco. Why didn't the conquest continue? Both Spain and Portugal had more profitable fish to fry, especially after the Battle of Alcácer Quibir in 1578, when a Moroccan army devastated an army led by the King of Portugal Sebastian I. Sebastian was killed along with a third of his army. The rest of his army was captured. Portugal and its allies in Morocco lost 23,000 men that day; only 100 escaped. With its king dead, Portugal fell under Spanish control. That was the end of Portuguese ambitions to carve out an empire in North Africa."
] |
[
"Syria has been in civil war since 2011. Remember, the US had one of those about 150 years ago too. The reason for the fighting centers around the President. His family has provided that country with all of its' presidents for the past 40 years. Some of the Syrian people don't think that's quite fair and they want a chance to have their wants and needs represented by someone who they have some hand in choosing. Why didn't it happen earlier? 40 years is a long time to accept single-family rule. Syria isn't alone in their outcries against their ruling class. Since 2010 rulers have been ~~deposed~~ removed from office in Tunisia, Egypt (twice), Libya and Yemen. Additionally, serious protests have occurred in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Sudan, Mauritania, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti and Western Sahara."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
|
Why was Wallonia the first region on the European continent to industrialize so thoroughly?
|
[
"I have not heard of Wallonie being called \"the first region o nthe European continent to industrialize so thoroughly,\" can you share your source, please? Regardless, a lot of the industrial machines were invented to help with coal mining. Up to the 16th century, the most developed coal mining regions were around Liège/Carleroi/Mons, and around Aachen/Ruhr. In the early modern era, an ironworks/foundry industry were built around these areas, producing many weapons for the Eighty Years War and the Thirty Years War. Historically, Holland and Brabant were wealthy due to other reasons, namely fishing and trade for Holland (if we are to talk about early modern to modern), and textiles and trade for Brabant (at least up to the early modern era). Brabant in particular suffered tremendously due to the sack of Antwerp and the blockade of the Scheldt. The cities of Noord and Zuid Holland rose as Antwerp's prowess declined. Source: *The Cambridge Economic History of Europe* edited by E.E.Rich, C.H.Wilson."
] |
[
"Dutch King William III got himself on the English throne with the support of a Dutch army. His Glorious Revolution ended turmoil in England, ironically laying the foundation for England to become more powerful than the Dutch Republic. In France, Louis XIV came to power and made the country an important competitor on the world marketplace. Meanwhile, the Dutch economy was already in decline. Also, the consensus culture, still important in the Netherlands today, came to a grinding halt, which stopped innovation from continuing. If England and France hadn't experienced so much in-fighting, they might have overtaken Holland sooner. Still the Dutch Republic maintained a lot of its wealth, not in the last place by investing in the Industrial Revolution in England."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Any good documentaries/resources on the Second Mafia War in Italy?
|
[
"John Dickie's *Cosa Nostra* is a good, accessible, reliable history of the Mafia from its earliest days which nonetheless has a strong focus on the period you are interested in. Dickie is Professor of Italian Studies at University College London and so has a firm grasp of the Italian sources and their contexts, unlike many writers on the Mafia in English. The book has a strong narrative and is an easy and compelling read."
] |
[
"Just asked this in the other sticky, but maybe this is the better place for it: Does anyone have any good book recommendations about the Nigerian Civil War or about Biafra as a country?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Literature:"
}
|
Who was the last illiterate person to lead a western country?
|
[
"Illiterate in a can't read the equivalent of 'see spot run' in their birth language, or in the country that they might end up governing?"
] |
[
"Just the US as far as I know. To the rest of the world he was just another dictator. Possibly something to do with the proximity of communism to the US."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
Is history inevitable?
|
[
"Consider history this way. It's like a moving car, it has a certain inertia and weight. This means that it tends to move in whatever direction it is currently going. But if it hits a big enough bump or someone takes the wheel it can change direction. They are no inevitable events in history, but some are more probable than others. eg. Britain and Germany would become rivals over the colonial resources needed to power industrialization was very probable. Overwhelming US victory at Midway? Somewhat improbable."
] |
[
"What do you want to know about them exactly?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
}
|
Does Biagio Bossone's 2016 article "Macroeconomics in Germany: The forgotten lessons of Hjalmar Schacht" disprove the statements that Adam Tooze made in "The Wages of Destruction"?
|
[
"Not sure what statement Bossone's article disproves. Bossone does not really deal with the international situation that Nazi Germany found itself in, nor does he attempt to show how MEFO bills were used (hint: massive rearmament). He also does not address the role of the Nazi decision to default on Germany's reparations and war debt or the parlous state of the German economy by 1938 that was ultimately only saved by German military success."
] |
[
"Possibly \"After the Reich: The Brutal History of the Allied Occupation\" or \"Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II\" \"Postwar\" is an excellent book."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
}
|
During the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean what notions of national identity did pirates have?
|
[
"Short answer: It depends. Long answer, there are a few things going on with the various crews. Some pirates were privateers who turned to piracy because a war ended, or because they figured on more profit attacking their own side. Some pirate crews formed out of mutinies, and the circumstances generally affected how they felt about their home nations. Often, pirate crews were comprised of a significant number of escaped slaves, who felt no allegiance to the great powers. I recommend reading Marcus Rediker's \"Villains of All Nations.\" It's not only a decent look at piracy in the golden age, but it's also a masterpiece of Marxian scholarship. In my grad school it was required reading because of how well structured and tight the whole thing is."
] |
[
"Two really good sources for this are Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition - BR Burg And Rum, Sodomy and the Lash - Hans Turley Homosexuality amongst pirates has been pondered and researched but not proven. In Villains of All Nations, Marcus Rediker convincingly argues that matelotage is more of an insurance policy to ensure that belongings made it back to families on shore, or to the right friends rather than a bond between two gay men. It is much more likely that these men were close friends than lovers. Although homosexuality probably did exist on pirate ships, at this point with the documents we have, it can't be proven, merely postured as a probability."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
}
|
Were there any early political campaigns that led to Southern Baptism becoming so closely aligned with the Republican party?
|
[
"The alignment of Southern evangelicals with the Republican party is much, much later than I think you realize. You don't need a 19th century historian; you need a mid-20th century historian. Prior to that, Southern evangelicals generally went firmly Democratic. I'm not qualified to explain in detail why, but I would look up the Southern Strategy and the general political realignment of the South as a result of the Civil Rights Act."
] |
[
"The Republican party in the US represents the right-wing side of American politics. Given the electoral system in the US, which is not parliamentary, almost all elected officials come from one of the two major parties. The Republicans' constituents largely include: - Economic conservatives, who believe that minimal regulation, low taxes, and business freedom lead to the best economy. - Social conservatives, who believe in strong moral codes based on the way America was before the cultural revolution in the 60's. These are largely found in the South. - Members of the military, since the Republicans generally believe in peace through strength."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
}
|
A family member recently told me that slavery had nothing to do with the Civil War. Can anyone provide me with articles to show him he is incorrect?
|
[
"Linking to the FAQ or previous answers is not intended to discourage further questions or discussion. It's just a timesaver. In this case, there's the FAQ section \"The Civil War and Slavery\" at _URL_0_ . /u/Borimi had a shorter answer, but the first two articles by /u/Georgy_K_Zhukov are pretty definitive and well-sourced (20-item bibliography, many quotations from primary sources). The primary answer under the second item, \"Why was there a Civil War? Why could that one not have been worked out?\" (at _URL_1_ ) is newer, and there are many more replies on various other topics there. Though at most he must have just polished the previous version in the first item, \"Was the American Civil War about more than just slavery?\" (at _URL_2_ )."
] |
[
"As a side question, did Andrew Jackson have disdain for Native Americans? The popular view of Jackson today does not match with what I've read in the primary sources and to my knowledge his actions were not fueled by a hatred of Indians, but this isn't the area I got my degree in so I would appreciate some input from a historian of the antebellum era."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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My Great Uncle was an engineer on a B-26 in the Korean War. He went MIA in December of 1950. What probably happened to him?
|
[
"He either.. 1. Died in a crash 2. Died in a prison camp (during or after the war) Slim slim possibilities 3. He is still alive in North Korea (very very unlikely) It is incredibly unlikely (more so than #3) that he is still in South Korea if he went down in Dec of 50. He likely died in a crash or a POW camp."
] |
[
"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 returning to Indiana. _URL_1_ As for the rest of their service in the War I have nothing definitive to say however I think it would be safe to assume that Bennett at least did see combat again since he continued to serve for many years after WWII."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
|
What was the earliest form of widely available public transportation?
|
[
"The wagon that carried passengers for a fare appeared in Paris about 1820. Somehow it acquired the appellation *omnibus,* Latin meaning \"for all.\" From this we get the shortened *bus.* Once steel wheels and steel rails had been developed, horsecars proved much more efficient and were installed in most cities. Those in turn developed into cable cars and electric trams."
] |
[
"Welcome to the one of the strongest arguments against the prohibition of firearms."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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[META] Even MORE Changes in Policies and Rules **Please read**
|
[
"> there's no actual ban on WW2 or Hitler related questions, so if you see someone ask about Hitler, he did nothing wrong. The whole thing was a set up for this one beautiful sentence, wasn't it?"
] |
[
"the /r/mylittlepony won the CCCC (Combined Community Charity Challenge). For detailed info, check out the thread on their sub: _URL_0_"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
|
What were some pre-modern weapons that were considered "too cruel" to use in combat?
|
[
"Assassins weren't hugely popular between states. Likewise, spies were hung or shot without trial. Kidnap and ransom of one's family was frowned upon but people still did it. Scorched earth policies are horrendously cruel to their victims but that's never stopped Tilly (30 Years War), the English (Peninsular War) or the Russians (WW2) before."
] |
[
"I like most of the answers below, especially m4nu, but there's one big thing no one's mentioning: Armor. As technology progressed, muskets made armor utterly useless. Then, when hand to hand combat did occur, there was no need for a sword so heavy it would break a man's ribs through iron, just something to stab him with would do just fine. I always thought it was interesting that through Korea people quit using personal body armor and now it's coming back. Modern soldiers look about as covered up as a knight these days."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
}
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Why it is suggested that battle of Cannae was fought on Paullus day of command?
|
[
"Thank you for taking the time to answer. Interesting stuff. One thing though. Can we really assume that Livy and especially Polybius could be wrong/lying on a subject? Polybius was almost contemporary to the event. One might think that at a time he wrote his Histories everyone still knew quite definitely who was in charge."
] |
[
"Which events? He describes many events in the film."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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I am a god-fearing peasant in England during the 1530s and Henry VIII renounced the papal authority. What does this mean for me and what kind of effect does it have to my life and beliefs?
|
[
"So please correct me if I'm wrong here, but I've read on other threads here that getting the opinions of the general public was difficult because very few of the read and even fewer wrote things that survived to today. So I guess my follow up question is this: how can we even begin to understand how the commonfolk of this period felt or thought with few primary sources?"
] |
[
"? He wasn't exiled. He abdicated the throne. He willingly gave it up to his younger brother. Huge difference there. The other piece you are missing is that this happened in 1936. The world was a very different place and people had different expectations. The king is the head of The Church of England, which at the time forbid remarriage after divorce. It would have looked very bad and caused a lot of more complicated problems for the head of the church to openly do something that the church disapproved of so he willingly gave up the throne in order to marry who he wanted. These days people are a bit more accepting of things like this."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
}
|
Did the United States ever try to build a competitive navy following the war of 1812?
|
[
"Yes. The United States built several ships-of-the-line. However after the end of the war there was a long period of peace so they were not needed. To keep them from rotting the USA put them up on blocks in the Navy Yards so they would not be eaten by teredo worm. Some of them finally saw service during the American Civil War, mostly as training and stores ships. [Here's a list of them](_URL_3_)"
] |
[
"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 sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
|
After prohibition, were the criminals let out of jails that were locked up for selling/consuming alcohol?
|
[
"Prohibition is pretty popular topic, and I wonder if this question has been asked before. So I started by typing only the word \"prohibition\" in the \"search reddit\" box and checking \"limit my search to /r/askhistorians\". _URL_0_ Several question that were previously answered might be interesting to OP, but this one is worded almost exactly the same. It's about the 12th question from the list above. _URL_1_ Hope that helps. Edit: Thank you for the gold. I will pay it forward."
] |
[
"Prohibition failed due to cultural backlash. The ban eliminated an American staple. Alcohol was part of American daily life, where as marijuana and refined hard drugs such as opium were not. Simply put, families did not pass a roach when they came together for dinner, they enjoyed a pitcher of beer or a carafe of wine. When men and women went out 'on the town' they didn't seek out the nearest opium dealer, they sought out the nearest pub. So when the pubs closed the secret speakeasy's opened to fill the need. When the Prohibitionists attempted to change cultural norms, culture fought back. Aldo don't forget that Prohibition dealt only with alcohol, where as the so-called 'War on Drugs' is more general, spanning numerous drugs from marijuana to crack cocaine and heroin. So in terms of scope, it's an apples to oranges comparison."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
}
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What is the difference between an abbey, a priory and a monastery?
|
[
"An abbey is a home of a religious fraternity whose leader is called an abbot (from the Latin, Greek, and Aramaic words for \"father\"). A monastery is a specific type of religious home for a religious fraternity leading an ascetic life (monks). They may also be led by an abbot. A priory is a home of a religious fraternity or sorority led by a prior, a religious leader lower in rank than an abbot."
] |
[
"A church is a place of Christian worship. A cathedral is a type of important church where you'll find a bishop, who is in charge of many priests. A basilica is a Catholic church which has been granted that title by the Pope because it has some special historical or architectural significance. A chapel is a smaller place of prayer which is either part of a larger church, or which is attached to some non-religious institution: for example, a place of worship on a military base is a chapel, and the cleric in charge of it is called a chaplin."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
|
What movie comes closest to an accurate representation of medieval England? How and why?
|
[
"Depressingly, I can't think of a single satisfactory answer for this. Kenneth Branagh's *Henry V* (1989) springs to mind, as does *Becket* (1964) and *The Lion in Winter* (1968), both starring Peter O'Toole, but all three are based on plays and so take a lot of dramatic license. In *Becket* for example Thomas à Becket is portrayed as a Saxon competing with a Norman aristocracy when in reality he was Norman serving an Angevin king. As all three are quite dated films they're riddled with small inaccuracies and anachronisms in the detail. There is no standout out of the myriad Robin Hood adaptions and the less said about a certain Mel Gibson film the better. You're probably better off looking to older films like I've mentioned. There are some quite historically sound films about the medieval period but not a great many about England in particular."
] |
[
"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:"
}
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When did European armies technologically and strategically surpass other (Ottoman, Muslim, Indian etc.) armies in the world?
|
[
"Follow-up question: how much of the advantage was tactical instead of technological? I have read (sorry, no sources) that line organization and volley fire were very powerful tactical innovations. Can anyone confirm or contradict this?"
] |
[
"This is probably kind of a dodge, but the Mongols managed to attack, conquer, and rule at least half a dozen empires that were vastly larger and more wealthy than they were. The Jin & Song dynasties of China, the Seljuks of Turkey/Persia, etc. The kicker, of course, is that by the time the Mongol empire was established, they were vastly wealthy beyond the dreams of Genghis Khan's parents & ancestors."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
}
|
How strictly did the French, English and German armies enforce the rule of shooting men who fell asleep during their night watch duty?
|
[
"I'm somewhat skeptical these ever took place. For one thing there _are_ military regulations that define punishment for dereliction of duty and these generally involve a court-martial. And executing someone after a court-martial is actually very uncommon. Indeed if we look at the number of soldiers executed it's around just 300 for the British Army, 600 for the French, a mere 18 for the Germans, and zero for the US Army - and these figures include those executed for desertion and cowardice (both of which were far more common. Note that the Germans apparently had 150,000 men who deserted!). _URL_0_ If these killings did happen in large numbers then they were extra-judicial in nature; albeit I would personally comment that given the nature of the war I would see it more likely that the soldiers would \"frag\" heartless commanders who imposed such self-defeating policies. More likely the Youtube channel is projecting Hollywood or Warhammer 40k sensationalism into the subject."
] |
[
"War conducted by armies with leaders has rules. World War II was fought by draftees on both sides. It is logical on both sides to not harm the other sides soldiers once they are rendered harmless. Every soldier knows they could be captured any day."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
}
|
It's the 3rd of September 1939. I'm the British ambassador and I handed the declaration of war to the German government. What happens to me and my staff now?
|
[
"At 11 am on September 3, 1939, when the British ultimatum expired and Britain declared war, the diplomats of the British Embassy gathered in the embassy's meeting room and stopped the clock. Ambassador Nevile Henderson and his staff immediately began closing the embassy down. About 4 pm, the telephone lines were cut. German soldiers [EDIT] *and Gestapo agents* arrived to detain all British staff at the Berlin embassy and other staffers working at the nearby Hotel Adlon. The diplomats were then moved out of Berlin to a cushy arrest at the resort of Bad Nauheim, where final arrangements were made through Swiss diplomats for Germany and Britain to exchange their embassy staffs. The British were back in Britain on September 7, although most of their personal effects remained in a diplomatic limbo in Switzerland."
] |
[
"They were aware that something was happening, but they had much bigger concerns at the time. They were fighting wars on several borders, and constant bombings made them more worried about their own skins than whatever might have happened to their Jewish neighbors. Source: Grandmother who lived in Dresden during the firebombings."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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What would a typical vaudeville comic's routine have sounded like circa 1915 or so?
|
[
"Here's an [early Burns & Allen routine](_URL_0_). Produced in '29, but basically Late Vaudeville."
] |
[
"Do you have a period you specifically want to know about? This is ranges from slightly different to totally different if we're talking about Asia Minor and Syria circa 333 B.C., Italy in 216 B.C., Gaul 500 A.D., Palestine 1066 A.D., Brandenburg in 1630/31 A.D., Silesia in 1740 A.D. or Sedan in 1870. I'm sure we could whip up some kind of generalized answer but I feel by better knowing what you're thinking about when you ask this question I (or someone else) could provide a more in depth, specific answer tailored to you."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
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|
In the Soviet Union, was "Kremlinology" really a thing? Were Kremlin watchers really able to learn what has happening behind the scenes in the govt by interpreting seemingly minor gestures & details? Examples?
|
[
"Just to clarify: your quote seems to be saying that Western analysts were the ones doing these deep readings, but your question is about Soviet journalisms. Do you mean Western journalists that covered the Kremlin/USSR, or do you mean journalists within the USSR?"
] |
[
"I'm doing a lot of work recently on Stalin, and I think if people somehow tried to forget about the stigma behind his name (well deserved stigma, but still) they would see that he was not all-powerful, and did not control the entire party with an iron grip. Many of the purges in the 30s were bottom up, the result of various factional infighting, and a lot more chaotic than they would appear. He may have signed most if not all death warrants, but it may also have crossed his desk as a list of 1,700 names and he just signed the bottom. Many were indeed ordered directly by him, but this changes the way we should see him."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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}
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When were the first recorded instances of the humans and dogs symbiotic relationship? Also how did each side benefit each other during these times?
|
[
"FYI, there are a few related posts in this section of the FAQ*; check it out for previous responses [Pets (cats and dogs)](_URL_0_) *see the \"popular questions\" link on the sidebar or the \"wiki\" tab above"
] |
[
"Domestication changes the genes of the species, and the changes don't seem to happen in everything we try to domesticate. We domesticated the wolf into dogs twice in different parts of the world in our history. But falconry has been practiced since before the establishment of the written word. It's referred to in the very first written literature that human beings have (the epic of Gilgamesh) as an already venerable practice. Falconry is an advantageous arrangement for the human and the bird. Yet, we don't have domestic falcons. If any animal has had enough time to become domestic, it's the falcon. I'm just an armchair scientist, but this is what I've learned from the headlines in the past several years. As far as I know, the \"why\" of this genetic phenomenon is still unknown."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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What is the oldest well-defined border between two states/countries/kingdoms that we know of?
|
[
"This is a very strange question as the \"oldest\" is somewhat subjective depending on how you define a border. If an island constitutes a well defined border. I would say that the [Sentinelese people](_URL_0_) in the Andaman Islands might be what you are looking for. There are anywhere between 40-500 people living there (this is an estimate because the tribe is still un-contacted) and they have been there from perhaps the Middle Paleolithic era which ranges from 300,000 to 30,000 years ago."
] |
[
"A nation is a large group of people who feel a connection with each other, typically based on language, religion, or other cultural features. They also have some amount of political organization, but don't necessarily have their own countries. A state is a legal concept, a community living under a single government. A nation-state is a state that was founded by a nation. Some examples are Germany, France, or Italy. The US, Switzerland and Belgium are examples of countries that are *not* nation-states."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about Social Sciences:"
}
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Is there a reason airships/zeppelins aren’t really used anymore?
|
[
"While you're waiting for a more in-depth answer, you might be interested in this thread asking a similar question: _URL_0_ The responses by /u/rocketsocks and /u/Woekie_Overlord may contain what you're looking for."
] |
[
"Not to talk down to you (I don't know how much you know), but most of the pictures you see featuring \"blimps\" are probably just barrage balloons. These were large unmanned balloons, tethered to the ground with large steel cables, such as in [this](_URL_0_) picture of the normandy beaches. Militaries put these up as air defenses, to make it risky for aircraft to fly low around them (large cables and fast aircraft don't play nice together). Now, if you already knew all that, and were taking about real blimps with people inside, then the answer is yes, they were used. The American navy was the largest user of blimps during the war. I answered a different question about them [here](_URL_1_)."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
}
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In the 18th century, who lent money to governments?
|
[
"The bank of England issued national government bonds from 1693. These were modeled on bonds issued earlier by cities and Provinces in the Netherlands. So, yes, there were government bonds in the 18th century and the wealthier sections of the populace were generally the people who bought them. British consuls were particularly popular. These were a form of perpetual bond (bonds which never expired - the capital was never repaid - the interest went on forever - though the British government had the right to call them and repay the capital any time after (usually) five years. These bonds were first issued in 1752 at 3.5% interest. By 1757 the interest was reduced to 3%. It remained there until 1888. 3% Interest in an era of essentially 0 inflation, from a source perceived as risk free, was an attractive and popular investment."
] |
[
"I do now that it was financed largely by money lent the Spanish crown by the Dutch. Much of the gold and silver from the New World returned to Europe to pay the debts of the Spanish crown that was heavily leveraged and indebted as a result of the Reconquista. As to a monetary equivalent in today's dollars, I am not sure."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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Why were inhabitants of the Hebrides and Shetland Islands so opposed to joining the European Union in 1975?
|
[
"Hebridean here, Fishing and the Seaweed industry. True enough the islands collapsed in the late 80s 90s and now are a shadow of once they once where. European boats came in and destroyed fish stocks and the populations been in decline since, going up now but that's just retirees who are slowly corroding the culture of the area (all lovely people though)."
] |
[
"Scotland *is* part of Great Britain, there is no changing that - Great Britain is the island on which Scotland, England and Wales are situated. Some people no longer want Scotland to be a part of the *United Kingdom* - there will be a vote on it in 2014."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
}
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I am a citizen of classical Athens watching a performance of the new play, Lysistrata. How do my reactions, interpretation, and humor derived differ from those of a 21st century Westerner watching a modern performance of this play?
|
[
"Well, an important consideration with Lysistrata is the nature of the comedy. A modern reader's first impression normally centres around how strange a tactic the withholding of sex is for political reform. I'm sure the ancients though that this was funny as well, but remember that this play was written as a critique of the Pelopponesian war. The punchline, in the end, was not the humorous way in which the women enacted change, but that it was the women themselves who had to act for this change. Greek views of women's intelligence were not flattering, and for even the WOMEN of Greece to see that the men were being fools would have been a very serious critique of the leaders of both cities. If we look at ancient greek drama, even slaves are sometimes allowed insight, but serious intellectual clout is almost never attributed to women. If I was home, I'd have a source, I'll see if I can't find something in the next few days."
] |
[
"A lot of his plays deal with timeless emotional themes rather than the current events of his day. For this reason among others, they remain popular."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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WWII Historians -- I need assistance in researching the classified wartime activity of my grandfather on the eastern front.
|
[
"hi! you might also get some useful leads from the family history research crowd in /r/Genealogy"
] |
[
"Just a follow-up question to the original question - what about the reverse. What was Napoleon's view of the United States?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about history:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage about history:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
}
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Why were so many of the early British colonists in the New World "gentlemen?"
|
[
"Money. English explorers were incentivized to colonize the new world with the promise of land ownership. This, combined with accounts of the vast riches available in the Americas, persuaded a lot of people of means to risk the travel. Of course, they were ill prepared to deal with the hardships of colonization and the vast majority of them died within a few years."
] |
[
"Look at the immigration history of the USA and you'll get some idea. English Puritans, Scots Calvinists, Irish and Italian Catholics, and more recently the rise of Evangelicalism in the African American communities ... all hung-up on \"morals\" and fond of telling people Thou Shalt Not."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
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Is there any historic evidence of a real-life high noon duel in the Wild West era?
|
[
"More of course can be said, but regarding the 'high noon duel' of popular fiction set in the American West, I would direct you to [this old answer of mine](_URL_0_) which might be of interest."
] |
[
"I wonder if they were more a convention in 50's movie westerns than a common reality."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Western saloons:"
}
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Did a country ever achieved independence through a referendum?
|
[
"Montenegro springs to mind, which gained independence from Serbia through a referendum in 2006. However, this breaks the 20 year rule on this subreddit so I won't go into too much detail about it. One independence I can talk about is the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992/3, which is sometimes referred to as the 'Velvet Divorce' which refers to the peaceful 'Velvet Revolution' in 1989 which led to to fall of the Communist party. On the 17th July 1992, Slovakia declared its independence from the Czechoslovakia, which was dissolved 6 days later. It was a peaceful division, and some would argue an inevitable one, due to the stark differences between the Czech and Slovak people. Most British colonies, e.g. Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand also all achieved independence peacefully through the 20th century. Portugal's colony of Brazil also achieved independence with almost full peace (there was some guerilla fighting between Portuguese troops and citizens) in 1822."
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question about history:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about history:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
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Did the 3 Axis powers of WW2 ever ask any other countries to join them as a 4th ally?
|
[
"For all intents and purposes, Japan never really fought coordinated campaigns with Germany and Italy. Italy was essentially out of the war by 1943. However, along with these three \"main\" axis powers were several other smaller players. Puppet states such as Vichy France and Manchukuo activity fought for the Axis. Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria assisted Germany until they switched sides in the 1944-45 Russia counteroffensives. Finland, while not closely aligned with the Axis powers, did coordinate with Germany to win back lands they lost in the Winter War. Edit: Hungary never switched sides, it attempted to exit the war and was subsequently invaded by Germany. Credit to /u/TheLegitimist."
] |
[
"Japan were similarly motivated as the Germans. Their motivations were not as much about race as in Germany but they wanted to reinstate the Japanese empire to its former glory just like the Germans wanted to reinstate the Holy Roman Empire to its former glory. The Germans and Japanese did not have any common goals and therefore no conflict areas. They were both in war with the Soviet but not helping each other. Because of the war in Europe and the expansion of the Japanese empire the US limited the supply of oil to Japan which eventually escalated into war between Japan and the US. And because the US were now at war anyway they joined the allies on the European front as well. This also caused the rest of the allies to declare war on Japan. As Japan and the axis powers had were fighting the same alliance they started cooperating."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
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I've learned a lot about American history and some European history that was included; however, I've never learned anything about South America. What's the history like between Europe and South America?
|
[
"Read \"Open Veins of Latin America\" By Eduardo Galeano if you ever get a chance"
] |
[
"Britain is famous to Americans because America was founded by former British subjects. American schools tend to only really teach history that is relevant to America, even world history. Our founding fathers based a lot of their principles on Greek and Roman principles, so we learn about ancient Greece and Rome more so than, say, ancient China or India. Same applies to Britain- most people in the United States were British when it was founded, so we focus on learning more about Britain than other European countries. This is how it was when I was in primary and secondary school. My wife is a social studies teacher and says it's changing to include a more balanced curriculum, which is awesome. Go watch Crash Course World History on YouTube if you really want a brief history of everything. Shout out to John and Hank Green!"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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What would have happened if a child were to be conceived by the King/Lord/Ruler exercising his right of prima noctis?
|
[
"This is an easy answer. There is no such thing as the right of prima noctis. See: * Alain Boureau, The Lord’s First Night: The Myth of the Droit de Cuissage (University of Chicago Press, 1998)."
] |
[
"Elizabeth II is the daughter of George IV, the last reigning king of England. She married Prince Phillip, which makes him a regent. You cannot marry a Queen and become king. You have to be in line to secede the previous monarch."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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From a Historians perspective whats the best method of dealing with ISIS?
|
[
"This is not a question that any historian, including yours truly whose expertise is just *that*, is going to be able to properly answer. We deal with the past, not what's happening right now. :)"
] |
[
"Just asked this in the other sticky, but maybe this is the better place for it: Does anyone have any good book recommendations about the Nigerian Civil War or about Biafra as a country?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about Literature:"
}
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Vikings and Muslims, an interesting relationship.
|
[
"It's considered a myth that viking-age Scandinavians had bad hygiene. Ibn Fadlan wrote that they were filthy. [Ibn Rustah](_URL_0_) on the other hand wrote the opposite about varangians. There are many archeological finds in Viking settlements of grooming accessories such as combs and tiny spoons for earwax."
] |
[
"American Revolution had foreign support, Canadian rebels didn't."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about History:"
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How effective was cultural infiltration in breaking the "iron curtain" during the Cold War?
|
[
"I hope I'm not too late with this. Here's an award-winning documentary about life in Tallinn in the '80s. It depicts quite accurately the mindset of common people and the regime's response to western media seeping through the general censorship. I can attest to it all as I grew up at that time in the middle of it. _URL_0_"
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
}
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Please explain the dynasty of "Ynglings" to me.
|
[
"The Ynglinga lineage is an invented and mythological lineage going from Odin/Oden/Wotan over Frej/Frey/Frö to Harald Hårfager (Fairhair) and Erik Segersäll (Often-victorious) - both are the first confirmed Kings of Norway and Sweden, respectively. Supposedly, the Kings of Old Uppsala, who were of the Ynglinga lineage, emigrated to Norway and became Kings there. In reality, there's no evidence of any Ynglinga lineage, and it is most likely as mythological as the Solomonic ties of the Ethiopian Emperors or the Swedish Royal Lineage going back to Noah's grandson that was 'discovered' for Erik XIV's crowning. Most likely both Harald Hårfager and Erik Segersäll claimed Ynglinga lineage since it was established in myths and sagas of the time to bolster their claims as Kings of a united Norway and Sweden (respectively) and would give some air of legimity to their claim to right to rule over the various petty Kings of the two Kingdoms they had respectively conquered and united."
] |
[
"Because the name translates to Joshua in English. Edit: And we differentiate the Son of God by using Jesus, (the Greek name for Joshua)."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
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In 1765, a chimney sweep was banished from for 5 years from Edinburgh and expelled from the local chimney sweep organization for assisting after a hanging went awry. Were chimney sweeps notably anti-death penalty? Why was it a "grievous punishment" to be exiled to leith?
|
[
"Follow up question: why did the guild (if that's the right word) have the power to exile someone from a city?"
] |
[
"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
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
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In regards to the news that republican senators sent a letter to Iran: Has this ever happened before? If so when?
|
[
"In te Anjala Conspiracy 1788, 113 noble officers in the Swedish army wrote Russian empress Catherine the Great an offer of restoring peace, since they considered the King's declaration of war illegal under the Swedish constitution. The whole thing was a piece of a larger play between the King and the nobility, who had gotten used to special priviliges and power during the corrupt \"freedom era\" 1719-1772 (when the King restored absolutism in a coup)."
] |
[
"He was invited, though, by Speaker of the House, Boehner. The fact that this was done entirely without informing the White House is part of the reason why the Democrats are so up in arms over it."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Politics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Politics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
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In the earliest productions of Othello, was he generally played by a dark-skinned actor or by a light-skinned actor in makeup?
|
[
"[This is a portrait of Richard Burbage](_URL_1_) from around 1600. Regarded as one of the best actors of his age, Burbage originated the roles of Hamlet, Richard III, and King Lear, and was almost certainly the first actor to play Othello. His portrayal of The Moor of Venice in 1604 is noted in multiple sources as being fantastic and he made the role famous. It is unknown whether or not Burbage darkened his skin for the role and there are no descriptions of the costume he wore, but he set the convention of Othello being portrayed by white actors that would last for two centuries. In 1825 American (and later English) actor [Ira Aldridge](_URL_0_) was the first black actor to play Othello. Aldridge's Othello stunned critics and made him famous in the London theatre scene. Aldridge is honored with a bronze plaque at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon."
] |
[
"Historical context. Over a hundred years ago, it used to be part of comedic theater to have a white man paint his face black and make fun of black people by acting like a dumb fool and other stereotypes. So, today, the idea of black face evokes imagery and emotions of a time when black people were clearly second class citizens and it was socially acceptable for the sake of humor to mock them."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
}
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How big was Plato's lyceum ? Do floor plans or other architectural knowledge exist ?
|
[
"Do you mean Aristotle's Lyceum? Or do you mean the Academy? The Academy was not a building, it was a grove sacred to Academus, north of the city. The site is quite large, with a number of buildings, most of which were built during the Hellenistic Period. The Lyceum, where the Peripatetics met, was also originally a sanctuary to Apollo and technically described the entire space, not just the gymnasium built there in the 5th Century. Like the Academy, the Lyceum was not a single building, but a number of them, the most important of which is the [gymnasium](_URL_0_), although Aristotle generally taught on the various walkways (περίπατοι) scattered throughout the sanctuary, from which the school got its name--the archaeological site was opened to the public a few years ago"
] |
[
"Not sure what you mean. The pictures we have are taken from the inside. We don't have pictures from the outside, those are artist depictions based on scientific indications about the nature of our galaxy."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about astronomy:"
}
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I've always seen makeshift signs saying "Free Leonard" along the highway and I've looked it up and know it refers to Leonard Peltier and the 1975 Pine Ridge Indian Reservation shootout. What was this and why is there so much controversy about his life sentence for killing two FBI agents?
|
[
"This might be its own question, but I would be really interested if anyone could speak to the larger context on Pine Ridge at the time. Often, especially in the lefty activist circles I hang out in, Peltier's story, and the story of Wounded Knee occupation, are told as the story of a revolutionary indigenous movement being crushed by US authorities. It wasn't until much later that people would talk about the war between AIM and GOON, and Dick Wilson's name is still whispered by some people like a bogeyman. What really went on? Were Wilson and GOON *really* supported by the US government, or is that just propaganda?"
] |
[
"Jack Ruby asked for protection from the Warren Commission after he shot Lee Harvey Oswald as he believed his life was in danger, but he was declined (partly due to the public interest in the case, and because the Warren Commission had no police powers to protect him). I imagine if they're wealthy enough they'd have some sort of private security - though you would assume this would start well before an acquittal if it was a publicised criminal trial. Presumably if you're not, you change your name and move to a new state. That said, one thing I've never understood about the US is how JFK and MLK can be assassinated, there can rafts of school shootings, snipers taking potshots on the Washington Beltway and Larry Flynt, yet nobody's ever taken a shot at the Westboro Baptist Church during one of their pickets at a soldier's funeral."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
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I was floored when I learned that Lucy’s husband was Cuban in “I Love Lucy”. What was the public’s reaction to their marriage, especially since this was before interracial marriage was legal in the U.S.?
|
[
"Hi -- not to discourage further answers, but there have been a couple of threads on this before that you might want to check out: * [Was there any backlash against Lucy and and Desi Arnaz's mixed race relationship? Was it even considered mixed? Was there any issue after the cold war began?](_URL_0_) with /u/EvilAnagram * [Was there any backlash when Lucille Ball married Desi Arnez?](_URL_1_)"
] |
[
"Considering what happened to the Japanese Americans in World War II, I'm kinda curious what would happen to the Chinese Americans."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
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Any historians out here talking about the cause and effect of Russia's losses in the first two world wars as it connects to their decline and eventual collapse?
|
[
"> first two world wars > Russia's losses > collapse Do you mean to ask about the heavy casualties in the wars and how they related to the rise and fall of the USSR? There are other.. stranger interpretations of this question so I'm trying to clarify for others."
] |
[
"Would you mind clarifying the question a little? Are you asking if the American participation in the Vietnam War is responsible for the recession of communism *now*?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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Why is it that such a large chunk of European emigration to the United States happened during a time when Europe's economy was rapidly industrializing, and as such, job creation was booming? What was their motivation?
|
[
"I'm speaking for Germany here: 1. Industrialization left winners and losers. Moving to a big city wasn't as cheap as one might think and, apart from having a job there, life was hard. You lived in one room as a big family, earned a low wage and that a dangerous job in the factory. Moving to the United States seemed a good opportunity 2. Political reasons: Especially after the failed revolution of 1848, a large chunk of intellectuals and political liberals migrated to the USA because of the amount of freedom one could find there. 3. The largest chunk of german migration to the US happened before the real industrial revolution. This graph shows the coal and steel production in Prussia: _URL_0_ It really kicks in after 1860 and this, more or less, is the time when migration slowly decreases."
] |
[
"Indeed, the question is a tad broad. It really does depend. For example, on the question of industrial revolution and change, places like England and Germany underwent it in the early parts of the century, while places like Canada didn't really until decades later. Even within countries would this change be difficult to track. The US south and west did not industrialize until many years after the northeast and the states around the southern great lakes. This was due in part to the prevalence of an economy built around agriculture and slavery, and in the west's case, the density of population took many years to build up (major cities like Phoenix and LA were tiny only a century ago compare to places like Chicago and New York) In a general sense, one could explore the 1870s as a depressionary decade in much of the western world, and could look at the 1840s-1850s as a time of revolution in many european monarchies"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
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Why are prayers said before the US presidential inauguration? (x-post: r/NeutralPolitics)
|
[
"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. Thanks!"
] |
[
"I'm sorry, this sort of contrafactual speculation is not appropriate for this subreddit. Try cross-posting to /r/HistoricalWhatIf."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
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Why is a Bayonet Charge Terrifying enough to break formations of disciplined soldiers? Even if your heavy machinegun is loaded to the max and you can just spray fire on them?
|
[
"One thing I forgot to mention here - you might be facing a problem regarding selection bias. I have heard tell of occasionally, very successful bayonet charges into the modern era. Perhaps someone could write a book on that topic. But I haven't heard any exceptional stories of failed bayonet charges (with the exception, possibly, of the lancers apocryphally charging Panzers in Poland)- they'd likely be folded into all the other stories of attackers being gunned down by machine guns. What I'm saying is, you're not hearing about all those other bayonet charges that didn't work - only the ones that succeeded \"against all odds.\""
] |
[
"Most guns of the time were not very accurate and took a long time to reload. If you're by yourself shooting at a small target you'll probably miss. But if you're in a rank with 99 other guyas and you all fire at once you'll probably hit. And then if there's another rank behind you you can go round the back to reload while they all fire at once, reloading takes about 15-20 seconds for a well-drilled soldier."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment about history:"
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How should I ask a historically sensitive question before it's too late?
|
[
"Another concern if he does admit it's him in the photo should I document it? Or would it cause grief to the family in the future if his name is known? I think it is more of a positive than a negative. Thoughts?"
] |
[
"Can you please rephrase this so it abides by our 20-year rule? We're a history forum, not a current events one, and I think your question is asking how things are today instead of how they have been in the past. Thanks!"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
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How did Boccaccio write the Decameron with elements of eroticism and criticism of the Catholic Church without falling afoul of the Inquisition?
|
[
"Because criticism of the people and institution of the Church was not considered in and of itself a heresy. Boccacio did not seek to undermine the theology of the Catholic Church, and the inquisition was only tasked with rooting out heresy. Yes, heresy could be liberally interpreted, but a tour through inquisition depositions reveals a tremendous amount of criticism of the Church and occasionally some pretty racy, sexy material, but that rarely had consequences. However, if one *unrepentantly* rejected the sacraments and teachings of the church, including the nature of Christ, etc., then one could be looking at penance and worse."
] |
[
"in 374 AD Ambrose became Bishop of Milan and went from being a fairly moderate Catholic who was tolerant of Arian Christians to a staunch anti Arian who tried to stamp out Arianism. Pretty radical change, I don't remember reading a clear explanation as to why. Any one able to confirm or is it a mystery?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
}
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Why does the U.S. typically use Blue to indicate the left wing and red to indicate the right wing when the rest of the world seems to do it the other way 'round?
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[
"hi! you may be interested in this section of the FAQ (link on sidebar): [Why Red vs. Blue?](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"Super quick note: In the rest of the world, \"Liberal\" refers to \"individual liberalism\", or in other words things like lower taxes, smaller government, less restrictive laws surrounding business and finance, etc, while \"Republican\" tends to imply social programs and big government. This used to be the case in the US, then politics happened and everyone forgot what they stood for in order to get elected."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Political Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about Political Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
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Does anyone have sources about the lives of common people in different eras and places?
|
[
"Well, yes. Look to the sources of social historians, who have been working on this sort of thing for at least four decades now. Or the very small niche (pun) that is microhistory. Have you read Carlo Ginzburg's *The Cheese and the Worms* yet? That might be a place to start."
] |
[
"Follow up question (please don't delete) how influential were nobility titles on economic upward mobility in the Europe of that same time?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
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What is the first historical reference to an explosion? Would the average person have been familiar with the idea before gunpowder?
|
[
"I don't know the answer to your first question, but as to the second people were familiar with explosions in regards to natural phenomena. For example, Pliny the Elder talks about volcanic explosions in his Natural History. He describes them in terms of a sudden, violent outburst. Likewise, Pliny the Younger also wrote about the eruption of Vesuvius using similar terminology, such as the blast and violent shocks."
] |
[
"The historical answer to your question is: The Silk Road. The economic links between Europe and China, through Central Asia, carried not just silk and spice, but scientific information, philosophy, and military technology. I see it as a multi-continent society in terms of cultural advances, which means it can go much quicker than the isolated civilizations of the Americas, Africa or the Oceania region. The best example is the gunpowder thing. The Chinese discovered it by accident through alchemy and figured out some nifty fireworks and rudimentary cannon. This preliminary discovery then got transmitted through the known world of the time, and was improved on the other side of the trade circuit into modern firearms, which then made the return circuit."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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What's up with all the captives after major battles?
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[
"For the classical period, the first question we need to ask is not 'how did they take so many prisoners?', it's 'did they take that many prisoners?' Estimates of the sizes of ancient armies, camp followers and prisoner pools are a fairly controversial area of discussion among historians. There's a great post in this thread about how Herodotus's estimates, as an example, are largely regarded as implausible despite following and explaining his own methodology. _URL_0_"
] |
[
"It's still going on but isn't getting the same level of attention is was a few years back. According to the news, they've moved on to Iranian vessels."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
}
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Who decides/when is it decided to give someone an epithet?
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[
"hi! you may be interested in some of the responses in the FAQ (link on sidebar) : * [Epithets \"the Great\", \"the Terrible\", etc.](_URL_0_.)"
] |
[
"Would it be against the rules for me to ask for clarification on the term \"realignment elections?\""
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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Why are labor unions typically blue-collar?
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[
"I'm not sure if there is a historical reason, but I can explain the business ones. The strength of a union comes from it's collective bargaining power. A single blue collar worker quitting isn't much of a threat, all of those workers quitting is a serious threat to business. By threatening collective action, the union can bargain for higher wages and benefits from their employer than they would otherwise be able to get. There isn't that much fundamental difference between two blue collar workers. Sure one may be better than the other, but the differences would be small compared to two white collar workers. White collar workers draw bargaining power from their own individual value. They each have a set of skills unique to them, and are valuable on an individual basis. An employer may not care about a single plumber quitting, but they would care about their talented accountant quitting."
] |
[
"* unions benefit the group, at the expense of individual achievement...many Americans believe they can do better on their own * unions in the US have a history of corruption...both in terms of criminal activity, and in pushing the political agendas of union leaders instead of advocating for workers * American unions also have a reputation for inefficiency, to the point it drives the companies that pays their wages out of business * America still remembers the Cold War, when trade unions were associated with communism"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
}
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What was the first millennium "party" like?
|
[
"FYI, there have been a couple of posts on this, so you'll find some answers here: [Did people in 999 AD celebrate the new millennium? Were there any doomsday predictions similar to Y2K?](_URL_0_) [Were there any \"new millenium\" celebrations in the year 1000AD?](_URL_1_)"
] |
[
"Also, a small follow-up; When was the \"Santa myth\" as we know it established?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
}
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How did whaling ships pull up whales next to them or onto the ship without capsizing?
|
[
"If you ever find yourself traveling in New England, the museum at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut is an excellent (maybe the best) place to visit if your interested in the ships and processes of whaling at its height in New England (1840-1860). You can climb into actual wooden sailing ships and get a real sense of all the rigging involve. They also have a great collection of items from the whaling industry in New England."
] |
[
"The captain steered the ship too close to some rocks. The ship hit a rock and tore a hole 165 feet (50 meters) long in the hull. This allowed water to enter and the ship began to sink. As they tried to turn the ship, the water sloshed to one side and made the ship lopsided and it tipped over. It would have sunk completely, but it hit the shallow bottom next to the shore."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
}
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How do we know how historical instruments were tuned?
|
[
"Historically tuning was not standarized at all. One major indication of this is organs, since their tuning is relatively stable over hundreds of years. Even organs from the same time period were often tuned in completely different pitches, indicating that tuning didn't become universal until later on."
] |
[
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
}
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How did pornography work in 14th century France?
|
[
"Unfortunately, I'm not really sure there even was pornography in 14th century france-- that would have been the 1300s. Is there a specific work you're thinking of? Either way, pornography would not have existed as we are aware of it and call it, the concept is a relative modern one, only dating to around 1850 or so. The erotic would have been seen and known about, and it largely wasbused as a mode of talking about the Church or the State, but I can't think of any 1300s french authors."
] |
[
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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Can someone explain to me this map from the 9th century Europe?
|
[
"The boring answer is that its not an accurate map, or intended to be one since its from an atlas for schoolchildren from 1905. From the [preface](_URL_0_): > The principles which have been followed are mainly two-never sacrifice clearness for the sake of detail, and to let each map deal with one period only; in short, we have aimed at telling one story at a time and at telling it graphically in clear and easily-remembered outlines. You can see how this map would be to illustrate the \"story\" of the domain of Charles alone, with vague or incorrect detail everywhere else."
] |
[
"I would assume this is all talking about the 19th century; is this a typo?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
|
I had always heard that Ronald Reagan backed Osama Bin Laden when he was rising up in the Middle East by providing him arms to fight the Russians. Is this remotely true and if so what is whole story of our involvement in the Middle East during this time?
|
[
"You might want to check out the answers to these two questions: [I've heard many times that during the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the US armed, trained, and funded a new rebel group called Al Queada, recently founded by Osama bin Laden to help fight against the Soviets. What parts, if any, of this claim are true?](_URL_1_) [Was Osama Bin Laden \"recruited, armed, and financed by the CIA\"](_URL_0_) The long and the short of it is that there is no real straight line of funding between Bin Laden and the US. More often than not, popular commentators simplify or distort events to suit a politically charged narrative to create a chain of responsibility for 9/11 that leads straight back to the US. The whole picture, as the answers in the linked threads suggest, is much more complicated."
] |
[
"Saudi Arabia made a deal with the U.S. After discovering oil. The deal was oil for protection and weapons. Since originally making this deal (wanna say it was FDR), every president has kept the relationship going. Iran was an ally of the U.S. Until the Islamic Revolution of 1978. This revolution overthrew a U.S. Friendly Shah in favor of a theocracy led by ayatollah Khomeini. Part of his platform was that the shah was a U.S. Puppet so he took he opposite position. I would recommend looking up the history of Iran/US relations. Interesting stuff. While the governments have these relationships, the population has grown to develop contradictory opinions. I spent six weeks in Iran last summer to visit my family and see the countr of my birth. Can promise you a majority of the populace loves the USA. Cant speak for the Arabian populace."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
It seems impossible to bring up Douglas Haig without being called a revisionist. Both in his case and in similar ones, how can one cut to the truth, and how valuable are the perspectives of his contemporaries (the ones without ulterior motives)?
|
[
"I read this and I get what you're going I just don't even know where to start because it's so...vague. What do you mean \"bring [him] up\"? What truth are you trying to \"cut to\", specifically? If you mean speaking on him not being the literal incarnate of Satan and the worst General in the history of man who maniacally sent men into their dooms for laughter then that perspective is dying down a lot recently. Being called a \"revisionist\" is not an inherently bad thing; history is about revision and revision and then revision on the revision. The revision these days, I've certainly noticed as I compare 2010+ works to say 1980's or 1990's works, is that Haig is getting a lot more of a fair treatment. Regardless it would help if you had anything specific in mind. In any case /u/NMW has a [fantastic post here](_URL_0_) about popular perceptions of Haig and dealing with them all; so this may interest you!"
] |
[
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
}
|
When did spaying/neutering pets begin? How big of a problem were feral cat/dog populations before hand?
|
[
"This is an interesting question, I look forward to reading other responses. The ASPCA write that [veterinarians have been recommending spay/neuter since the 1900s](_URL_0_). More scientific research was performed in the mid-20th century to examine effects of spay/neutering and determine best practices. Humans have been castrating livestock and other humans for millennia, so it's likely that some pets snuck in there once or twice. [Here](_URL_1_) is a Girolamo Romanino stucco in Trento, Italy showing a cat being castrated, ca. 1531-32."
] |
[
"Necessary for what? A non-neutered cat will survive just fine. However, neutering can reduce the chance of an unwanted and unanticipated litter, if you have a potentially reproductive pair, or your animal escapes. It can also reduce some behaviors that many pet owners consider undesirable, like spraying. It can potentially have some benefits such as to lifespan. Then again there are also disadvantages associated, like the risk of surgery in general just as a start. But none of that is *necessary,* unless there is a law requiring it, for instance to take home an adopted animal."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
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