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Announcing Winners for 'Best of December'
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[
"Congrats to /u/meninthemirror, and also I swear there was no collusion here! Other mods have checked and verified! Also, for those wondering, there *will* be a Best of 2015 contest very soon, based off the monthly winners of the past year. So the voting thread won't be up until tomorrow, but you can get a head start by checking out the nominees [here](_URL_0_)!"
] |
[
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Announcements:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Announcements:",
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Have any countries or groups vanished due to low birth rates?
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[
"I believe this was a serious issue for Sparta."
] |
[
"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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{
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Hey /r/AskHistorians! I'm trying to do some research for a short story. What can you tell me about daily life following the collapse of the Soviet Union?
|
[
"Although this is nowhere near my area of expertise, I would recommend reading the memoir [*After the Wall*](_URL_0_) by Jana Hensel, which traces Hensel's life as a young teenager in the (former) GDR after the fall of the Berlin Wall; it explores all kinds of interesting questions about identity, memory, and what you do when the country you grew up in suddenly ceases to exist."
] |
[
"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?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Why does it seem like all the numbers in the bible are either 3, 4, 7, 12, 33, 40, 70, or 120? If a drought lasted 45 days, would they just call it 40?
|
[
"Just for the record \"40\" does not necessarily mean 40 of any given time (days or years) but instead just a \"very long period of time\" of testing or judgment. For instance the rain falling for forty days and forty nights during the flood, the forty days that Moses spent in the wilderness, the forty years the Israelites spend in the wilderness and the forty days that Jesus spends in the desert. It does not mean literally forty days or years, just an indeterminately long time."
] |
[
"Do you mean units of time? Like seconds? Well, days, years and lunar months are pretty easy to observe. Now, 12 is a great number its better than ten. You can only divide 10 by 10, 5, 2, 1 but you can divide 12 by 12, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1. As multiples of 12, 60 & 24 are also useful numbers. So a day was divided into 24 hours and then hours into 60 minutes and minutes into 60 seconds."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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What methods of propaganda were used to convince populations under monarchical rule that the monarchs rule was legitimate?
|
[
"Not discouraging anyone from providing more input on this - particularly regarding the thoughts/feelings of subjects - but this question was asked the other day, so check out this post for the discussion: [Have there ever been any monarchs/rulers with absolute authority who argued philosophically that monarchy was better for the people in society? What rationale did monarchs generally use to defend their authority?](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"How revolutionary was the general populace in areas controlled by the anarchists? Did they actually believe in the anarchist ideals? To what extent were those ideals actually carried out?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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The Battle of Cerami
|
[
"To my knowledge that account appeared in the work of Goffredo Malaterra about the life and affairs of the Normans in the Apenine peninsula and it is widely believed to be an exaggeration. The accounts are not very reliable, historically speaking, as they also mention the Christian army being lead by Archangel Michael in a shiny armour. Mods may decide to remove this, since I haven't sourced it, but I'm putting it out here anyway."
] |
[
"_URL_0_ It says here: Base 21, Mios Woendi, Biak Mios Woendi on wiki: _URL_1_"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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How Could President Lincoln (and relevant advisors) have thought a single policeman was adequate security for such a controversial figure?
|
[
"In short: They didn't. Lincoln's Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, was constantly trying to convince him to beef up his personal security but Lincoln wouldn't have it. He liked to be seen as a man of the people (partially because he truly was) and approachable, which would be compromised with added security."
] |
[
"They would either be arrested, or in the process of overthrowing the government. Military command's pretty rigid."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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[NSFW] Story about nuns+priests secretly meeting in tunnels, then later people find the tunnels filled with baby skeletons. Did this really happen?
|
[
"This is a common story but appears to be entirely fabricated. Such tales were regularly circulated in the anti-Catholic literature and mob violence of the 19th century. One of the most famous uses of it originated from the anti-Catholic propaganda book in 1836 [*Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk*](_URL_0_), ghost-written by a group of Protestants. As a fabricated hoax, most of the information in the book was false, designed to stir up popular violence against Catholics, and there was no evidence of this alleged tunnel. This didn't stop the book from becoming a bestseller and its fabricated tales of lechery from becoming commonly accepted knowledge, even to the present day."
] |
[
"Hopefully this isn't forbidden in the rules, but may I ask a question? Are there any urban legends which have been proven true? For instance, has there been a murder by gang members when an individual flashed their lights at a car one night? Did a scuba diver get sucked up in a fire fighting helicopter and plunged to his death? Etc, etc."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
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Why has South Korea seem to have developed so well in comparison to other countries used as US vs Soviet proxy wars?
|
[
"A lot of the reason behind South Korea's rapid economic development has to do with the way Park Chung Hye implemented modernizing and reform policies, and how he funded them. There are literally thousands of examples, but my favorite anecdote involves the use of ROKA's best units to support the American war effort in Vietnam. Park sent down these men to have them trained, equipped, and supplied by the Americans, and in return he was paid massive sums. He used those sums to modernize Korea's shipbuilding and steel industries, which in turn stimulated a variety of other industries. As a cherry on top, when the war ended he had several crack units of infantry trained and equipped by the United States essentially for free."
] |
[
"First World is the USA and their allies during the Cold War. Second World is the USSR (Russia) and their allies during the Cold War. Third Word are those nations that were neutral during the Cold War. Both the US and the USSR gave a lot of money to their allies for economic and military development during the Cold War. This is what brought the idea of the developed world being First World and Undeveloped world being Third World as the undeveloped world did not get much foreign aid for development during this time. It is also interesting to note that countries like Ireland and Switzerland were neutral during the Cold War so are technically Third World nations."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about history:",
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Did homer's odysey exist by 700BC?
|
[
"It depends what you mean by 'The Odyssey'. There are several theories for how the poem was composed - one popular theory is ['oral composition'](_URL_1_); instead of being composed by an individual poet, advocates of this theory postulate that the story of the Odyssey would be recited by a poet with a unique composition, aided with structuring tools including 'ring cycles', epithets and such. Our source for 'The Odyssey' is an edition pieced together from the Library at Alexandria, it's not the definitive poem. [Start with this wiki article for an introduction](_URL_0_). It's traditional to call the Odyssey and Iliad's composer 'Homer', but opinion is split as to whether there actually was a geezer called Homer who came up with all this great poetry."
] |
[
"Ancient Sumerian literature is pretty old, though dating it exactly is hard. It's from about 2nd millennium BC. Edit link didn't work"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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What was the the platform of FDR's opposition running up to the 1936 elections?
|
[
"1. The economy was pretty weak from the Great Depression. Similar to Obama, Landon's campaign basically said \"he hasn't done enough\". 2. Kind of a referendum on the New Deal. They phrased it as an unprecedented growth in the Federal Government and the usurpation of the rights of states. Unsurprisingly, this was not a winning strategy for a country that had just suffered 25% unemployment; 'fairness' and the needs of the rich weren't at the forefront of people's minds. [You can read the Republican party platform here](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"It's a Great Depression era thing. When FDR was elected in 1933, he used the term in his radio address to the nation. In 1933, things were really bad, and FDR was elected president on a platform of making things better, and fast. During FDR's first 100 days in office he pushed through a lot of legislation and policy as part of his \"New Deal with the American people\" that he campaigned on. The idea is that a President is at their height of power and influence in the first part of their presidency, right after the election, before any scandals could happen."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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During the American Revolution, were the Thirteen Colonies self-sufficient in their gunpowder production, or did it need to be imported?
|
[
"In December 1775, there was a major shortage of gunpowder in the continental army. To combat this, the continental army freely spread the \"recipe\" to create gunpowder among their supporters and began to encourage domestic manufacture, which largely didn't exist before the war. Between 1775 and 1777, they were able to produce 100,000 pounds of gunpowder domestically. France began supplying the colonial army with gun powder near the end of 1776 and continued to do so throughout the remainder of the war. France was able to supply the colonists with 1,000,000 pounds in this amount of time. I drew my information from the following article. It's a description manuscripts that gave instructions on how to produce gun powder during the revolutionary war. [Gunpowder manufacturing during the American Revolution](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"It seems that one of the largest reasons the Confederate states found themselves losing the war may be attributable to the fact that they lacked the industrialization that the North had. The South's economy was historically a crop culture (indigo, rice, cotton, etc…), and when the war hit, not much changed. Thus, while the North was able to ramp up their war-time and railroad manufacturing, the South had a much less complete transportation network. Had the South been able to shift towards manufacturing (and maybe this would have caused their economy to collapse??), maybe they would have been able to hold out longer or win."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Did the invention of cheap instant ramen make ramen more popular or did it hurt the ramen restaurant industry?
|
[
"Did you mean in the USA, or in Japan?"
] |
[
"They're easy to make and transport. The prominence of Chinese food and pizza in our cultures also contributes to the demand for deliverable food."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Was the Borneo Confrontation the most effective use of anti-terrorist tactics in modern time?
|
[
"This is an interesting question, mainly because the quote itself seems to mix-up different aspects of what is essentially counterinsurgency. Yet the Borneo Confrontation is not remembered as a counterinsurgency operation, but rather one that seemed to mix both conventional and unconventional warfare. However, that is really not the question. Denis Henley is clearly exaggerating in his rhetoric and while the Borneo Confrontation had some long lasting effects in the region, it was not a breakthrough in either counterinsurgency or conventional warfare. In fact, if we see it out of a counterinsurgency perspective, it could serve as a sort of extension of the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) which would fit more into the quote in question. Was the Borneo Confrontation the most effective use of anti-terrorist tactics in modern time? That's debatable. However, when it comes to counterinsurgency, it is the Malayan Emergency which stands out as the textbook success in the 20th Century."
] |
[
"Could the rebuilding of Japan after WWII be considered a partial colonization by the United States?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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I am a 5'4" tall woman, which is the average height of a woman in the modern US. Was there ever a time/place in European history when I would have been considered tall (or edging towards tallness) for a woman?
|
[
"You would have been slightly above average for parts of the 17th 18th and 19th centuries as well part of the 20th( in Europe). However in the Middle Ages people actually weren't much shorter than they are today ( Men at least). However that all depended on social class, location, and a variety of other factors Sources: _URL_0_"
] |
[
"Based on the surviving statues; no, humans have been pretty consistent in looks for the past few millennia. However people were a lot shorter then than now. For example, during the Napoleonic era, 5'7\"ish was considered the standard height for a grown man. I'm guessing during the Roman times they were even shorter/if not around the same height. This had to do with nutrition mainly; your average Roman isn't going to be as well fed as your average modern American & etc."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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What do we know about Mesopotamian sexual mores?
|
[
"There is a wealth of primary source material available on the [electronic text corpus for sumerian literature](_URL_1_). I did a search for \"sex\" and found [this](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"How do you define your hints of schizophrenia?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Which came first: the dog or the haircut?
|
[
"This may be better suited for /r/askanthropology. I know the domestication of the dog is prehistoric, and hair cutting and styling is found in so many societies I'd be surprised if it wasn't as well."
] |
[
"The real question is why do they all have the same haircut‽"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Some advice for a aspiring Historian
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[
"[So this thread might of of interest to you,](_URL_2_) especially the middle section, as it spends a lot of time going over how to do self-directed research and keep focus. You should also check out [Monday Methods,](_URL_1_) and [Thursday Theory](_URL_0_), as these continuing series ' will help introduce you to more in-depth historical work and what \"doing history\" is all about."
] |
[
"How much demand is there for a poet or painter, compared to a lawyer or doctor?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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I keep reading about the large amounts of alcohol that sailors drank during the age of sail. Did this just result in hundreds of alcoholics serving in the Navy? Or was this just normal for the time period?
|
[
"How much alcohol did they drink to get drunk vs. using it to sterilize the \"fresh\" water that had been stagnating in barrels for weeks?"
] |
[
"Having a bit of formal education on the matter, I can say that, yes, some sailors were predicted to die. However, it depended on the quality of the sailors, quality of food, and supplies. In the 1500s, scurvy was the biggest killer of seamen in general. Sailors' diets consisted mostly of meat preserved with salt and a type of biscuit likened to hardtack. Naturally, this diet was devoid of many essential vitamins, causing their immune system to drop. Sickness then spread pretty quickly. I think I've extended my knowledge far enough at this point, perhaps someone can help me complete your question."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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What is the modern era, and when did it begin?
|
[
"The French Revolution in regards to the mindset of modern culture. The Industrial Revolution when it comes to technological advancements."
] |
[
"To be a little less specific, what did people think the future in general would be like before the Industrial Revolution?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Are mentally ill people going on rampages a new thing? Did this kind of stuff happen in the middle ages or even earlier?
|
[
"I think rampage is a rather loose term. Let's say someone snaps and stabs 2 or 3 people, would you call that a rampage? Is there a minimum number of victims for these acts to be called a rampage? I think one can't properly answer your question with out defining what you consider to be a rampage. Two, I'm actually not entirely convinced that the people doing these rampages are actually mentally ill (a certain a portion of them have history of mental illness, but I believe there's a tendency to label an attacker mentally ill when we don't fully understand why they did what they did) Pretty sure I've violated some rule with this response, but I genuinely feel that these points are relevant to the question."
] |
[
"It's not a modern phenomenon at all, what makes you think it's only been happening for the last 20 years?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Why were Philip II of Macedon's military reforms so effective and why had they not been tried before
|
[
"Many of them had been--Epaminondas worked towards diversifying the Greek army, Isocrates laid out a formation type of hoplites with lighter armor and longer spears, Xenophon in his *Anabasis* stressed the importance of light skirmishers--but ultimately no state in Greece could implement a full reform. Philip's changes were really only possible with a full time, professional army, which no other place in Greece had the economic capability to create. Specifically, Philip exploited the enormous mineral wealth of the northern Balkans to give himself the financial ability to create his new army. As for its success, the simplest answer is that no other army of the time so brilliantly applied the principles of combined arms. For the other Greeks, the real \"army\" was the phalanx, and everything else was there to support it. In Philip's system, every part is supporting each other. This principle has lay at the heart of virtually all highly successful militaries, from the Assyrians to the Romans to Cromwell."
] |
[
"In terms of military conquests, the simple fact is that although he successfully reconquered large swathes of land, neither he nor his successors had the ability to maintain nor to build upon them. Though it would be pointed out that his campaigns drained the imperial treasury, that want the only reason for the empire failing. The plague that struck the empire late in Justinian's reign also drained much manpower and consequently harmed the tax base. In another way though, Justinian is arguably the most influential emperor. The Codex Iuris Civilis is the basis for all European Civil Law (which also heavily influenced English Common Law). So whenever you see two people signing a contract, having a baby, or someone getting bit by his neighbor's dog, it's all something still governed by the principles contained in the Codex."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Was stylized physical gesturing an important part of Roman public speaking?
|
[
"The late Republican Romans practiced a form of public speaking (oratory) called [rhetoric](_URL_2_), which they copied from the Greeks, and adapted for themselves. The Roman version of rhetoric included \"[pronuntiatio](_URL_1_)\", which explained how to *deliver* speeches in public, including the gestures to use (\"actio\") to portray various emotions. Cicero helped codify Roman oratory practice in his book '[De Oratore](_URL_0_)'. Roman rhetoric continued to be used and written about for centuries, [through the Middle Ages, up to Renaissance times](_URL_4_). Here is [a description of gestures](_URL_3_) written in 1888."
] |
[
"Previously, it was everything you needed to know to operate in political society, like poetry. Kind in mind, we are talking Roman and Athenian society. These days, it is everything not related to an actual career. History, literature, basic psychology, social sciences, etc."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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When and where did the tradition of standing when a superior (usually military) enters the room come from?
|
[
"Not a historian, but do have some military background. During the average day, if you are wearing headgear such as a beret or peaked cap, it is a mark of respect to salute your superiors and for them to acknowledge it by returning it. When indoors, you should not be wearing headgear - it's considered a massive faux pas (with some exceptions, such as OOD) The RN takes this seriously - a rating going to Captains Table for being a naughty matelot has his cap on, but is ordered to remove it prior to proceedings getting underway. Without headgear, you are not supposed to salute, at all. Standing up and to attention is a reasonable way of showing the due respect for the superior rank, even if you detest the person. As Dick Winters said, \"We salute the rank, not the man.\" OOD = Officer Of the Day"
] |
[
"It's definitely still proper manners to stand up whenever someone arrives or leaves a table."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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Best book on the War of the Roses?
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[
"\"The Wars of the Roses\" by Alison Weir can probably be taken as the best all-around history. Concise and accessible, covers everything in nicely chronological order, doesn't have any overt biases, and looks into the lives of ordinary people as well as the key high-level players."
] |
[
"Are there any good introduction books to historiography in general? JFK in particular? Thank you"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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What was the icon of Paris before the Eiffel Tower?
|
[
"Looking at medieval times, philosopher John of Jandun wrote his *Treatise on the Praises of Paris* in 1323 and singles out three buildings for praise: the Notre Dame Cathedral as you mentioned, the Conciergerie, and the Sainte-Chapelle. All three buildings are on the Ile de la Cite so I think this island in its total could be considered the icon of Medieval Paris I think you could also make an argument for the Sorbonne as a major icon of Paris. Back in the Middle Ages I definitely think you could consider it the intellectual capital of Medieval Europe in terms of the thinkers it produced in this period."
] |
[
"One of these is not like the others."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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It's 1850 and I want to make a postcard with an iconic image of Paris. Without the Eiffel Tower being there, what is the best choice of an image? Was Arc de Triomphe known well enough?
|
[
"The obvious choice would be Notre Dame. Note that the parvis (place in front of the cathedral) is more recent (it used to be crowded with houses, which would be [destroyed during](_URL_2_) the general transformation of the city in the 1860s), but the towers were the highest buildings in town and easy to see from any of the numerous surrounding hills ([Montmartre](_URL_1_), Butte aux Cailles...). Also, the [view from the Left Bank](_URL_0_) would be more or less the same as now."
] |
[
"It's really pretty. People really like how it looks, and it gets photographed a lot, especially in the fog. It's been used over and over again as an establishing shot to show that a movie or TV show is taking place in San Fransisco and is really a symbol of that city in the media now. It's famous for the same reasons that the Empire State Building or Big Ben are - people like what it looks like, took a bunch of pictures, and now it's the first thing we think of when we think about that place."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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I read that the reason why the swordfish's from the Ark Royal were able to sink the Bismarck was because the swordfish's flew too slow for the fire control on the Bismarck to track them. Any truth?
|
[
"The Swordfishes didn't sink the Bismarck. However, one of them did jam the ship's rudder so it could only maneuver in a circle, which in effect doomed the ship, enabling other British ships to finish the work. There are a number of reasons why the Swordfish were successful. The Bismarck was taking heavy evasive action at the time of the attack, with gunners working on a rolling and pitching deck. Too, the hit that jammed the ship's rudder also jammed the ship's steering gear into a 15-degree list to port. This, added to the Swordfish's slow speed, made effective anti-aircraft fire difficult but not impossible. There is one recorded instance of a Swordfish being hit 175 times during the Bismarck attack but flying safely back to the Ark Royal. In this case, the Swordfish's fabric covering meant that some shells simply passed right through the plane without causing major damage. The Swordfish was also highly successful in the attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto in November 1940."
] |
[
"They tried. Many of the land based artillery guns had a longer range than the ship-mounted guns, so they were simply out-ranged. Plus they didn't want to run the risk of obliterating the beach and not being able to actually land on it."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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In 1960, Herman Kahn published 'On Nuclear War,' in which he argued that nuclear wars are winnable, and that the US government should set nuclear policy on that assumption. How outdated is this view (he wrote before the widespread adoption of ICBMs)? Are nuclear wars winnable?
|
[
"You may find this piece, written during the Cold War about Soviet thinking regards to nuclear war interesting. _URL_0_ Basically, the Soviet Union at that time did not fully subscribe to the motion of mutually assured destruction, and assumed as Kahn did that an exchange was 'winnable' where winning roughly meaning that the Soviets could engage in an exchange and come out with a more viable society."
] |
[
"We have enough nukes to destroy the world a few times over, actually. It's a remnant of the Cold War, when the issue was ensuring sufficient arms that you could always respond with devastating force. That is, if Russia launched a nuke attack, they did so knowing that the US would have time while their missiles and bombers were in the air to launch an attack capable of glassing all of the USSR. So, what do you do when missiles get faster, and bombers go stealthier? Build more nukes, so that even if they knock out your primary fleet, your secondary one is sufficient for the job. And on and on the logic rolls. This doctrine was called Mutually Assured Destruction or M.A.D., and is one of the easiest (albeit not most accurate) ways of understanding why the Cold War nuclear standoff never went hot."
] |
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What are some good books about land and naval military strategy of the 1700s-1800s?
|
[
"The best book, far and away, is Russell Weigley's [The Age of Battles](_URL_0_). Weigley explores the evolution of modern military strategy from its roots in the 30 Years War to the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. He does exactly what your question asks, tells you how generals planned and fought battles from the 1630s to 1815, as well as telling you a bit about pretty much every major war and battle between. Plus, he also ties in the evolution of naval strategy, such that it was, into his narrative. I cannot recommend this book enough, as it is *exactly* what I think youre looking for."
] |
[
"Yes. Slavery in Rome was not tied to race/skin color like it was in the United States during the 1700-1800s"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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}
|
How would I go about finding more information about a family member that served in Vietnam for the US military 47 years ago?
|
[
"Hello there! As your question is related to looking for identification/information regarding military personnel, our [Guide on Military Identification](_URL_0_) may be of use to you. It provides a number of different resources, including how to request service records from a number of national agencies around the world, as well as graphical aids to assist in deciphering rank, unit, and other forms of badges or insignia. While the users here may still be able to lend you more assistance, hopefully this will provide a good place to start!"
] |
[
"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 Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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If I take a photo of and print out a primary source (extract from Bayeux Tapestry), can I refer to that printout as a primary source?
|
[
"It is a photograph OF a primary source. It is neither a primary source nor is it a secondary source (a commentary about the primary source). As a photo of a primary source, it falls within the realm of a primary source, but I would call it a copy of a primary source rather than a primary source in itself. In a post-holocaust world in a future time when the Bayeux Tapestry were destroyed and your photograph was a rare surviving image of that artifact, it would elevate to the realm of being a primary source. Even a secondary source can become a primary source: Gibbon's work on the Roman empire was a secondary source at birth, but it can now also serve as a primary source as a means to understand how the Romans were viewed in a historic period."
] |
[
"Because it is a secondary source. Just like you shouldn't use a print encyclopaedia, you shouldn't use an online one. You can use Wikipedia to find primary sources, but you shouldn't cite secondary sources as research."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Photographing Primary Source Material
|
[
"Most researchers just use their phone. Really hard core researchers use a camera with a tripod/monopod of some sort, to reduce blurry images from hand shake. Not all archives allow them, mine doesn't mind for example, but the one I worked at in grad school didn't allow them, so you'll want to check first before you bring it in. A [string monopod](_URL_0_) is a classic budget solution. Some people use scanning apps on their phones, I don't know which ones are preferred. Whatever camera you use I would advise buying some decent PDF software and converting the images into PDFs with OCR, if they're typewritten. ABBYY FineReader is the best on the market for that."
] |
[
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Biological warfare in Ancient times.
|
[
"I've heard from local Ojibwe First Nation people that when the Iroquois, an opposing First Nation, attacked, they burned a pile of poison ivy. The chemicals in the poison ivy bind to the smoke and are carried downwind towards the attackers. The fumes lead to serious respiratory problems and can be fatal. According to wikipedia, > [If poison ivy is burned and the smoke then inhaled, this rash will appear on the lining of the lungs, causing extreme pain and possibly fatal respiratory difficulty.](_URL_1_) I couldn't find any proper sources (unless oral history counts as a source), but I did find a [youtube video](_URL_0_) which outlines poison ivy and its use as a chemical warfare agent as well as a [garden tool supplier](_URL_2_) with a notice about poison ivy on its website."
] |
[
"British Empire -- > Post-WW2 / Cold War America -- > British and American pop culture -- > Silicon Valley."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
What year was this map published?
|
[
"Interwar period for sure. Probably late 1920s or early 1930s. Post WWI borders are established and in tact. British and French colonial empires in Africa and Middle East are there too. Edit: I can narrow this down to before 1931. Canada is referred to as the Dominion of Canada. In 1931, the Statute of Westminster created the British Commonwealth, after which Canada ceased to be a dominion."
] |
[
"Did you mean in the USA, or in Japan?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
}
|
Why was Russia so broke in the 1990s?
|
[
"Two factors led to this the first was following the breakup of the USSR Russia took on all of the debts/contracts the USSR made. The problem with this was that the USSR depended on the economies provided by all of their member states but especially Poland, the Czech and Slovak republics, and the Baltic nations. The loss of those in the late 80's was a huge blow to the economy that Russia was handed. The second factor is that the funds created to purchase goods from outside the Warsaw Pact had been underfunded since the late 1960's which made it hard for the USSR to purchase things they needed but could not produce domestically. The lack of these funds meant that all purchases made by the post-USSR Russian government had to be made in their currency which was extremely weak in the early 90's. Essentially the USSR's collapse was economic in nature as well as political and as Russia was the state that inherited the mantle of the USSR they inherited their problems as well."
] |
[
"Follow-Up: Do Historians agree that the Chilean economy did badly in the early 1970s?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about economics:"
}
|
Ancient Greek armor and weaponry
|
[
"Azdac7 above covers some of the general anachronisms that crop up due to the poems being a combination of oral tradition and composition when they were written down in the 8th or 9th century BC. I will focus on the descriptions of armour being penetrated with ease, though. The thing to remember is that the characters being described in the Iliad are super-human. A number of times in the poem characters are described as lifting rocks the likes of which 'ten men today could not lift'. Spears ripping through armour like nothing is part of the heroic description, so I would caution against taking it as a description of the armour-penetrating power of contemporary weapons."
] |
[
"Because it's a commonplace material that is easy to make out visually even during a battle, and that isn't used for any other military purpose. _URL_0_"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
Question about middle-eastern city (Baghdad!?) development
|
[
"Regarding the size of the city, the Baghdad of modern times is not the same as the Baghdad of the Abbasids. The Mongols razed the city in 1258. Thereafter, the (rebuilt) city would at best play the role of a provincial capital or the capital of modern Iraq. Also, I am skeptical that is a photo of Baghdad. It seems almost certainly too small and there is no bridge across the Tigris. Baghdad has many landmarks that don't seem to be present in that photo."
] |
[
"hi! there's lots of room for more input to cover more cultures, but meanwhile, there are a couple of posts asking about \"sword control\" in this section of the FAQ* [Gun (and other weapons) control](_URL_0_) *see the link on the sidebar or the wiki tab"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
}
|
Looking for a good book about WW2
|
[
"Hi there! I'm glad to hear that you want to educate yourself through the best possible way of learning history: by reading. [We have a great list of WWII books that can be found on this link.](_URL_0_) You seem curious to learn about the Eastern Front, in which case there are many accessible books for beginners (the books by Antony Beevor comes to mind), but I'd recommend that you pick up a more general book at first to get a good grasp of the whole war before getting in-depth about one part."
] |
[
"I would assume this is all talking about the 19th century; is this a typo?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
}
|
Who would have worn gorgets in European armies in the 1770’s?
|
[
"My the later 18th century, gorgets were worn only by officers. Originally part of the complete plate armor, by the early 18th century the gorget was reduced to a small piece of embossed metal, often enameled to show the unit and sometimes personal decorations as well. In the British, French, and Hanoverian armies, only comissioned officers wore a gorget as a badge of office, while in Prussia and Austria, NCOs often wore gorgets as well. Because the gorget was a symbol of rank, many officers wore it when getting their portraits painted. Despite this, in daily life an officer would wear his gorget only while on duty -- thus an officer attending a salon or dinner would not wear his gorget as part of his dress uniform, but might if he were about on official business."
] |
[
"Yes. Slavery in Rome was not tied to race/skin color like it was in the United States during the 1700-1800s"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
I heard that 18th century Americans used to eat up to 7000 calories per day, but became tall rather than fat. Is this true?
|
[
"I don't know what context it was in but it's absolutely not true. Even today the US food system only produces 3,900 calories per person per day and per capita food production is certainly higher today than it was in the 18th century, by a huge margin. The only context in which a person could eat 7000 calories per day and merely become taller is if they are undertaking very strenuous exercise which consumes most of those calories. Which may have been true for some Americans on some days, but certainly not the average American on the average day."
] |
[
"There is a major difference between nutritional deficiency and a deficiency in caloric intake. The latter is what most likely concerned the early settlers, as opposed to modern diets that recommend limiting so-called \"empty calories.\" So yes, it's pretty outlandish. I wouldn't try to starve someone by giving them free twinkies. \"They had been eating it for thousands of years\" nuff said"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
}
|
Why does Portuguese not use "names" for it's weekdays similar to Spanish?
|
[
"Oooh, Oho i know this! In the late 500's a bishop in what is now Braga started using numbers to name the days of the week in order to remove the pagan influence from them. The names themselves are derived from Ecclesiastic latin. The bishops name was \"Martinho de Dume\", i can't find the exact council where the decision to make the change was made, but there was a council in 563 where that might have happened. It might have also happened in the councils of 561 or 572. In any case, the first written reference that we can find of the \"new\" way of naming the week comes from [this](_URL_0_) gravestone in Braga dated from 618."
] |
[
"It's the nature of the language, just like you have masculine and feminine nouns in Spanish and French. English is one of the few languages not to have differently gendered words."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
}
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Does nonviolent protest work?
|
[
"I can't speak to the author's thesis, but I can offer some thoughts on a particular example of nonviolence. The AIDS activist group ACT UP used confrontational direct action to bring attention to the AIDS crisis. They were, as a rule, nonviolent. They accomplished really amazing things and really contributed to both saving lives and improving the quality of life for people with AIDS. Now, ACT UP was never violent, but they were definitely confrontational and in-your-face. They stopped traffic, interrupted church services, shut down the FDA, harassed government officials, and generally were pretty obnoxious towards people who were not responding to AIDS they way ACT UP felt that they should. But they got what they wanted. They helped create pretty drastic changes in how the government and medical establishment dealt with AIDS. I can go into more detail if you want, but I would say that ACT UP is a good example of effective nonviolent protest, and I'm sure there are others."
] |
[
"Since when does acting like a complete and utter violent fool help spread the message of non-violence?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
}
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Did ancient cultures use different units of times?
|
[
"More can be written, but you might like to start with the FAQ section [\"Hours, minutes, and seconds\"](_URL_1_) with answers by /u/jeanlucpeckinpah , /u/kookingpot, and [deleted]. > months, and years all seem pretty natural Heh, heh. Actually not quite so obvious. Might could scroll up that page to the \"The year and months\" section. Not much I can see on that, except for /u/dpoon 's answer at [\"Why is the year divided in 12, awkwardly arranged months instead of 13 months with 28 days each based on the lunar cycles?\"](_URL_0_) . This is not to discourage discussion. Further questions, data, and debate are always welcome."
] |
[
"Because bullets generally travel in units of feet rather than units of miles and the United States uses the Imperial system rather than the metric system for common units of measure."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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We've all heard about how the CIA meddles in foreign countries' politics, but let's flip that around. How have foreign intelligence agencies influenced US politics?
|
[
"The Mitrokhin Archive will provide a wealth of info: _URL_3_ * Stirring up racial tensions in the United States by mailing bogus letters from the Ku Klux Klan, by placing an explosive package in \"the Negro section of New York\" (operation PANDORA) * Spreading conspiracy theories that Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination had been planned by the US government."
] |
[
"Russia and the US still do not see eye-to-eye on a lot of political issues. America is also worried that Russia is corrupt enough to undertake political or military action for something that'd turn a profit. (Such as arming some group in the middle east so ultimately they can get in there for oil rights). And Russia, of course, is worried America would do the exact same. This has been the case for quite some time, it's just become a news highlight following accusations of Russian hacking during the election. Of course, America and Russia are **constantly** trying to snoop on each other's business, so even that's not new."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
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What underlying social factors caused the 90s Norwegian black metal scene to be so violent?
|
[
"As unreliable as Varg Vikerness may be, you might get satisfactory answers by looking up his videos where he speaks of the Norwegian Black Metal scene during '91 - '93. The documentary \"Until the Light Takes Us\" and Fenriz of Darkthrone are also good sources to answer this question. Members and fans of the scene have pointed out that the book Lords of Chaos is not entirely reliable."
] |
[
"Why are American and British Muslims going over to join IS? I kind of thought extremism only worked like fascism, via desperation? What is the appeal for Muslims in a developed world to join such a clandestine and clearly destructive entity?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
How would someone keeping records before the Common Era denote the current year?
|
[
"You may also be interested in the following questions, with answers from /u/zeeblecroid and others: * [How were years calculated before 0 AD was established?](_URL_0_) * [How did ancient folks reference BCE times?](_URL_1_)"
] |
[
"I don't know that he would even recognize the calendar shift, unless he noticed the extra day in February of 1992. Our time traveler would be slightly confused that the year began in January, rather than at Easter, but several conventions for when to start the year were already extant. He would not recognize the system of numbering days, as he would have still used the Roman system of the Kalends, Ides, and Nones. He would also not immediately recognize the current way we lay out the calendar (his would be much more like [this](_URL_0_)). But other than this, yes, the calendar functioned in the same way as ours, and it was identical as far as years went."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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My grandma gave me this badge from WW2 when she was a child.
|
[
"That's a *Laufbahnabzeichen der Kriegsmarine*, a career patch of the navy. The cannons indicate artillery mechanic, the star indicates a *Bootsmann* (petty officer). They are worn on the left upper arm as shown here: _URL_0_"
] |
[
"According to my father, it was all the bad things I did when I was a kid."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
}
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Can anyone help me find the significance of this badge?
|
[
"That is a WWI era Yugoslavian/Serbian officers cockade cap badge. I believe they are pretty rare. Usually those pins had blue in the center and red on the outside. It is from the Yugoslavian \"Kingdom era\" 1918-1939 Hope that answered some questions. Edit to add example: _URL_0_ Just a little way down the page youll see the same badge and description."
] |
[
"Could you find a picture of what you mean?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
}
|
Do we know of any chants that galley sailors would sing while they rowed?
|
[
"It's unlikely that they sung - that would not be conducive to rowing, which is physically tiring. It has been theorised that they may have hummed, which is less tiring, but there is no substantial proof of this. [A reconstructed trireme was tested using various means of synchronisation - humming was reportedly effective.](_URL_1_) [You may find this source useful, though I do not know how you might best access a full version of it](_URL_2_); 'The Athenian Trireme: The History and Reconstruction of an Ancient Greek Warship, By J. S. Morrison, J. F. Coates, N. B. Rankov'. Edit: See also [The Trireme](_URL_0_), by Prof Boris Rankov (Royal Holloway), also a rower."
] |
[
"Did sailors generally know the name of the ships they're fighting?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
How much did the british help out in the war in the Pacific?
|
[
"While the United States is rightly credit with bearing the brunt of the fighting, the British did do their part in combating the Japanese. As you point out, British soldiers fought the Japanese in Hong Kong, Burma, Malaya, Singapore among other places yet the main focus of the British from 1942 to 1945 was to be Burma. [I've written quite a long post](_URL_0_) on the British campaign in Burma out of the perspective of Field Marshal Bill Slim's 14th British Army. It's a mini-biography, so you're bound to learn a little more about (in my opinion) the best British general of WWII."
] |
[
"It was part of the color coded war plans. The British empire one was war plan red, Germany black, Japan orange etc as well as a bunch of other scenarios like problems in Mexico or Cuba. Basically red found that the British would have an upper hand and use Canada as a staging ground for invasion but eventually the US would win. Plan Red-Orange (Uk and Japan) found that USA was not prepared for a two ocean war and should focus probably on the Atlantic and not the pacific. Which is exactly what the US did in WWII, with the obvious exception of the different enemy."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
}
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How true are the stories of Mozart's feats of near-superhuman intelligence?
|
[
"> Not even the demons themselves were able to relieve the composer of all need > for reflection, for trial and error, for discard and hard work. Nor does this in > the slightest diminish Mozart's genius and, as Jacob Burckhardt put it, his > “Reichlichkeit” (the \"prodigious abundance\" of his talent, so to speak). > Reflecting, seeking, toiling -- genius is exempt from none of these. They are, > rather, its obvious ingredients, just as is the personal certainty of finding and > succeeding. [_URL_0_](_URL_0_) Ulrich Konrad, 1992. Basically Mozart is very romanticized and lots of liberty is taken in his portrayal in modern film and media. Most notably the film \"Amadeus\" (1984) depicts this sort of image. However he was just a man and still had to work hard. I think there is evidence of some of his first drafts with notes in the margin (cant remember where I saw them though). (Hope that reference is ok btw)."
] |
[
"Rachmaninov and Paganini were both known to have gigantic hands. Historians believe they both may have suffered from [Marfan syndrome](_URL_1_). This allowed them to play very precisely, and also to play those gigantic chords they're famous for. I don't know about their skill with other instruments (Rachmaninov outside the piano, Paganini outside the violin). I always thought Paganini was totally a violinist, and his compositions for other instruments were just background for a solo violin. But he was so good with his violin that people claimed he had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his skilled hands."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
}
|
Why didn't the US want to allow its western allies to keep their colonial domains?
|
[
"By the US, you mean Rooservelt, because the US actually did help a few of its western allies (i.e France) try to keep their colonial domains after 1945. Especially with the start of the cold war. But also helped the colonized/ex-colonized (i.e Suez, Indonesia) after the war. But Roosevelt's basic view was that European imperialism was much responsible for creating WWI and WWII in the first place, plus, he, at least by some of his comments, genuinely seem to think that colonialism was wrong and sympathized with colonized people's nationalist aspirations. source: Warlords: An Extraordinary Re-creation of World War II through the Eyes and Minds of Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin"
] |
[
"They had a lot of assistance from the US in rebuilding their infrastructure and because part of their surrender involved basically no longer having a real sizable military they were able to focus all of their attention on building their economy."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
When most people were illiterate, how did businesses indicate their trade?
|
[
"My understanding is that this is what all those weird abstract signs like the barber pole, the mortar and pestle for pharmacists, the caduceus, the gold balls for a pawnbroker, etc. were used for. Also, of course, for taverns/pubs you had literal representations of the name like \"horse's head\" or \"crown\" or whatever, on the sign. For people selling specific objects, wares on display or a sign physically representing that thing would have been used. For businesses that are not public-facing, they probably wouldn't have had signs at all."
] |
[
"People still run those companies, and they want the general public to associate their name with quality."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
}
|
Why were the Koreas not members of the UN until 1991?
|
[
"One of the most important goals, politically, to North Korea is reunification. South Korea joining the UN would have presented an additional hurdle to the two countries ultimately rejoining. This plays into the overall Cold War with the USSR and China blocking South Korea from joining. It is no coincidence that South Korea successfully petitioned to join the UN during the political crisis of the Soviet Union. China and the US had also begun rapprochement during the 1980s. North Korea sought UN membership specifically because South Korea petitioned for joining the UN with Gorbachev's support. North Korea needed access to the world economy due to loss of USSR support and the West believed that allowing North Korea to join the UN would help move North Korea reform along more quickly. Source: Korea and the United Nations - Chi Young Pak Source: [North Korea Reluctantly Seeks UN Seat](_URL_0_)"
] |
[
"I can't answer, but Albania, Slovakia (as part of Czechoslovakia) and Romania were all members of the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
}
|
Has any other melange spice ingesting species exhibited traits of the Kwisatz Haderach, such as clairvoyance, after visiting Arrakis?
|
[
"The problem with this question is that it pits the absurd requirement of /r/AskHistorians for verifiable WRITTEN documents against the value of oral sources. While there have been repeated questions asked of this sub about the accuracy and reliability of oral sources, historians repeatedly devalue oral sources and personal testimony. I have spoken with numerous non-Arrakis informants who testify to just this sort of thing. I myself have dabbled in experiments along the same line, but if I were to present insights based on all of this, the mods would, no doubt, delete my response. It is likely that this answer, just for raising this sensitive issue, will be deleted. In short, the answer to your question is yes. I know of instances. But I can't tell you about them. The mods suspect the answer, and they know that it lingers in that place where they dare not look."
] |
[
"The Duncan Idaho is a folktale's character of the last Fremen, it was developed using early Fremen figures from Zensunni mythology. He's the Ultimate Hero of Fremen mythology, a kind of messianic figure. So the numerous sightings of Duncan Idaho can be compared to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary on the Earth of origins."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
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What was the world's reaction (if any) to the Mexican Cession of 1848? Was the new geopolitical reality fully understood?
|
[
"Both states at the time were far, far removed from the geopolitically important important Great Powers of Europe. There wasn't too much of a reason for any of them to object -- America was across an ocean and the acquisition of more territory from another independent state wouldn't affect the geopolitical security of any of the European powers significantly. Lord Ashburton of the UK even stated that his government \"did not have any objection to the United States making an acquisition of territory in that direction.\" (George Lockhard Rives, *The United States and Mexico, 1821-1840*, pp. 45-46)."
] |
[
"You will probably get a lot of differing answers, but at the end of the day it all depends on how you define \"Empire\" and if you include informal Imperialism in this definition. If you are looking for formal Imperialism, it gets a bit easier: The USA was an Empire after the Spanish-American War of 1898, when it acquired Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Philippines and Guam from Spain. Although it has been debated if the Westward Movement could be regarded as Imperialism as well. As you didn't really elaborate on your question, I'll leave it at that for now. Any follow-up questions?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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How long ago was there a time in which the common citizen was subjected to excruciating pain? Was there an adaptation to compensate for it?
|
[
"Anesthetics have been used for thousands of years in the forms of plants, but they weren't widely used in pre-modern times because it was too hard to get the correct dosage. (the wikipedia article has a quote from the sixteenth century doctor Fallopius reading :'When soporifics are weak, they are useless, and when strong, they kill'). Opioid chemicals were used in surgery, particularly in Arabic and Persian schools, but most emergency surgery (as in a war) was done with no anesthesia beyond minimally effective alcohol and the like. Morphine and chloroform were discovered in the nineteenth century, and local anesthetics for surgery have been around since the nineteenth century; from memory this was the first use for cocaine. Aspirin was introduced in the late nineteenth century as well."
] |
[
"I don't know fif the lobster actually suffers or not, apparently the jury is still out on whether they feel pain, but if they do, the lobster only suffers for a few moments as opposed to suffering its entire life. The industrial treatment of pigs and cattle is ghastly in both its severity and duration."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
How and why did South Africa, India and Pakistan become Nuclear Nations?
|
[
"As to the why, but not the how, of South Africa's nuclear weapons program, u/TheAlaskan wrote up an excellent [answer] (_URL_0_) though certainly others can contribute as well."
] |
[
"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 document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Listening to Dan Carlin this morning and he was describing a couple different civilizations that constructed 100ft high by 50ft deep walls. Is this historical exaggeration? Do any examples still exist from that time period?
|
[
"The easiest one to source would be the walls of Babylon: Herodotus gave around 300 feet for the height of the walls, but people that came after him slowly revised it backwards. Most notably one of Alexander's historians, Clitarchus, gave the estimate of 75 feet tall. _URL_0_ The good part is that we actually have excavations of Babylon to check this source, since the Germans started excavating ancient Babylon in the early 1900's. They found that the outer city walls from the time of Nebuchadnezzar (page 6 in the source) were 7 (23ft) and 7.8 (25.5ft) meters thick. _URL_1_ I'm not going to math it out, but the ratios on that seem almost directly on point for what Clitarchus was stating. It is entirely possible that they were built taller than that but there's a point of diminishing returns on wall height."
] |
[
"Nothing is that \"special\" about it per se, but it's just a huge mystery. It took over 1000 years to build and we still don't know how people that long ago did it. In doing a little bit of research I found that some people think it's an ancient burial ground, while others think its a monument of sorts. Currently, its considered a monument in a different sense than if it was a monument to the people that built it, but no one from that time period left any written records, so unless we figure out some special function that it has, we don't really know why they built it."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
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Was having a sexual relationship with a slave something a plantation owned would have to keep secret in 1850s deed south?
|
[
"\"This is only what I see: like the patriarchs of old, our men live all in one house with their wives & their concubines, & the Mulattos one sees in every family exactly resemble the white children- & every lady tells you who is the father of all the Mulatto children in everybody's household, but those in her own, she seems to think drop from the clouds or pretends so to thin\" _URL_0_ It was an open secret that was not talked about in polite company. However it was extremely obvious and pervasive."
] |
[
"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 query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Western saloons:"
}
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What happened with the US Postal Service during the Civil War? Did it fracture into the USPS and CSPS, and two PMGs? What about reunification?
|
[
"Follow-up question: If you lived in the North (or South) during the Civil War, was there any way (either through the USPS or otherwise) to transmit your letter to a family members, say, on the \"other side?\""
] |
[
"I'm going to ask this as a question: Are there not still legacy treaties in place between USA and Holy Roman Empire? Stemming from Revolutionary War mercenaries that performed well?"
] |
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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Karl Marx and the new technologies: What would be his stand on it?
|
[
"Reddit as the new opiate of the masses?"
] |
[
"To be a little less specific, what did people think the future in general would be like before the Industrial Revolution?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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Back in the good old days, it was all about teaching people different trades, when was it decided that doctor's needed degrees in order to treat patients and perform surgeries and why?
|
[
"I would suggest clarifying the question. Different societies had different norms and regulations on the medical profession, as well as other healthcare-related trades and agents. The same goes for how these norms developed over time. Maybe it would be better if you narrowed the question down to a given timeframe and place so it could be answered with more accuracy."
] |
[
"Because medical school is long, hard and expensive. (Cue dick joke). Hence we don't have as many doctors and nurses as we do WordPress developers. If medical school was free and every bit as hard, then we would have the issue of finding teachers to teach it because the government office would pay its staff three times what it would pay the teachers. Pardon my cynicism, it's late. In short, lots of people tout the continuity if care but let's face it: We don't have as many doctors as we need because medical school is hard and expensive."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
}
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At 900 AD which civilization should have become the dominate force on the planet by 2000?
|
[
"This is a cool question but I think it'll get more traction in /r/HistoricalWhatIf. Round here we talk about history as it happened, but over there I'm positive you'd get good discussion."
] |
[
"Did you have a specific time period in mind? Because for most of the age of colonization by those powers (let's paint with a broad brush and say roughly 1500 to 1850), there was no \"Germany\" to speak of as a nation."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
}
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Ancient Rome: How could a foreigner make ends meet if they suddenly found themselves in Rome?
|
[
"It is kind of hard to say, as we simply don't have any accounts of bright eyed country boys from a small Gaullish town showing up in Rome with a small wallet and big dreams. Immigration seems to have been intimately connected to *guanxi* (I think \"patronage networks\" doesn't cover it), and so nobody just showed up without a plan. The most obvious examples of this are slaves who would often be freed later in life, although I tend to think that the heavy focus on slavery for these matters smacks of laziness. We also have literary references of educated people who came to Rome to find work, most vividly of St. Augustine, although they were certainly not ordinary folk."
] |
[
"* Killed. * You might be sold into slavery along with everyone else in your tribe if your people had been vanquished. * Ransomed, if your family still had money/lands. * Kept hostage for the good behaviour of your father and tribe. I think this would depend on who captured you and your standing and character. If you were captured by a high standing senator you might have to stay with him in his house as a prisoner. A pertinent example would be that of Caratacus who was captured, but so impressed Claudius with his conduct that he was freed and lived in Rome for the rest of his life. This would depend on what type of Barbarian you were, a Parthian barbarian is different from a Gaulish barbarian."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
}
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Why are people blindfolded before they are executed? When did they start doing this?
|
[
"/u/Bobby_Newmark gave an excellent answer to this question in regards to common law. _URL_0_ In summary, the cultural importance of death was such that it had to occur in a dignified way, even if it was an execution of a criminal. The hood was used to spare the audience from having to see the agonised face of the condemned and to save the condemned from being exposed at such a time. It was meant as a kindness."
] |
[
"Kinda related question: What are the first records of a last meal being offered to those about to be executed?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
}
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Was the invention of agriculture, or the industrial revolution more catalytic?
|
[
"That's a really, really broad question, that calls for someone to basically present a grand theory of history AND prehistory. I would highly suggest you try to narrow down what you seek to know about the industrial revolution (maybe a breakdown of economic/quality of life information we have about a certain country pre and post a big industrial push?) and /r/AskAnthropology would be a better fit for questions about the beginnings of agriculture."
] |
[
"The industrial revolution was made possible by a couple of key discoveries and inventions. One was steam power, which required coal. Another was things like the cotton gin and flying jenny that made textile production far more efficient than it used to be. Advances in agriculture like crop rotation made food production increase and made famines more infrequent. And 17th century advances in steel production made steel a lot more useful and efficient to produce. The Romans did have an enormous and diverse economy, extremely impressive for their time (although it did run on slave labor and brutal conquest, so maybe not so impressive). But without certain technologies, there couldn't be an Industrial Revolution."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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Did people really wear "tights" as much as it is depicted in art, in the Renaissance?
|
[
"I'm not a garment historian, but since this question has gone unanswered for a while I'll have a stab. The garments you're thinking of are [hose](_URL_0_), which are generally more like modern stockings, and the depictions of them in art are generally quite accurate. They were made of wool, generally. [This article](_URL_1_) (PDF) on how to make reproductions of later period fitted stockings gives some idea how they were shaped."
] |
[
"they were called liripipes. Most people believe it was just a fashion trend at the time, one that was capitalized by modern artists/video games/what have you whenever they want to make something look \"medieval.\" There are a few manuscripts from around the fourteenth century in which people complain about how ridiculous the liripipes look, and speculating that soon people will be wearing hoods that hang down to their feet in back. It's kind of like old people complaining about saggy pants."
] |
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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On American Horror Story: Freak Show, there is a flashback which depicts and talks about post WW1 Germans taking out their frustration in depraved sex brothels with some BDSM tendencies. Are there any records of anything like this?
|
[
"There's actually a lot of documentation on this subject. Weimar-era (1920s) Berlin really was a sex-tourism destination. A good book that I read recently is [Voluptuous Panic: the Erotic World of Weimar Berlin](_URL_0_) by Mel Gordon, who is a phenomenal historian of early 20th-century decadence."
] |
[
"IIRC it has to do with the shameful nature of their culture. If a woman enjoys sex then she shames her family by being promiscuous and so they have accounted for this by making many of their pornos rape influenced. As for the bizarre topics, I can't really say, but it probably has something to do with the fact that they already embrace a lot of strange things whole-heartedly."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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How accurate is Charles Dickens representation of winter in Great Britain 170 years ago?
|
[
"Dickens' description of winters were based on his own childhood. A White Christmas is very unusual in London, but by the time he was 9 he'd seen 6 of them as the first decade of his life happened to coincide with the coldest decade in England since the 1690s."
] |
[
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
}
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How did the USA become one nation?
|
[
"During the American Revolution and in its immediate aftermath, the former colonies were organized under the Articles of Confederation, which did indeed give most of the power to state governments rather than a central federal government. This caused a lot of problems, chief of which was that the federal government could not compel the state governments to give them money to pay the soldiers who had fought in the war. The problems with the Articles of Confederation prompted the drafting and ratification of the US Constitution, which created the United States of America as we know it today, with a federal government sharing power with state governments (although nowadays, the federal government definitely has the lion's share of the power)."
] |
[
"Why would you assume that America is like the rest of the world?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
}
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How did North-Korea influence Sino-Soviet relations during the cold war?
|
[
"Not very much. North Korea was actually something of neutral in the whole split, and fostered support from both the Soviets and the Chinese during the period. They were more or less the only Communist country that was able to do this, though there were certainly periods where they favored the Soviets to Chinese and vice versa. As for books, I'd recommend Chin Chung's P’yongyang: Between Peking and Moscow: North Korea’s Involvement In The Sino-Soviet Dispute, 1958-1975. It doesn't take you through the whole Cold War, just much of it."
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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What were the historical relations between China and Korea like?
|
[
"It was only a vassal state in certain dynasties such as the Chosun dynasty. However kingdoms like the Goguryeo were actually powerful enough to match some Kingdoms in China (key word being some)."
] |
[
"A follow-up and related question: how about young people in other parts of the world in this time period? I.e. South Asia, China, West Africa, South America?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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What is the closest the United States has gotten to a military coup?
|
[
"One *possible* example is the so-called \"Business Plot\" from 1933. It has been discussed a bit on this sub before: * I liked /u/bug-hunter's answer to [my question](_URL_7_) about the veracity of the conspiracy * /u/InfamousBrad and /u/adimwit gave answers to a similar question [here](_URL_8_)"
] |
[
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
}
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What actually happens when a city is sacked?
|
[
"Follow up question: was the sacking/genocide/mass murder of Carthage an unusual occurrence or where there any other such gigantic mass killings of entire populations in pre-modern times?"
] |
[
"Nobody talks about the ones that become janitors."
] |
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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A question about Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun
|
[
"Speer described it in depth in his biography. Their relationship was not public, and also not very open in the hidden corridors of the Reich. They slept in separate rooms even when away from the public. A girlfriend or usually has or even requires some degree of open recognition. Why? It was said they wanted it to appear that Hitler was married to the Reich. Germany came first and other such PR concerns. So they kept it a secret, so that's one factor. But in Germany, she can and is referred to as his Geliebte which can mean mistress or lover, or also his Lebensgefährtin, which means companion or partner, also Ehefrau, which means Lawful Wife, or just Wife. But they were only married for a little while, so wife is rare, mostly because the sources we read are referring to them in company in the time before they were married."
] |
[
"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 question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
}
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Has anyone ever been successful in faking their own death?
|
[
"If they successfully faked their death, doesn't that mean no one would know?"
] |
[
"Good heavens, I have never experienced or heard of that. Do you know other people who get this besides yourself?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Health:"
}
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Has there every been a successful attempt of someone faking their own death?
|
[
"If there had been, we probably wouldn't know about it, would we?"
] |
[
"They do it under the guise of them filming a TV show about what it's like to work, or something like that."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Law and Entertainment:"
}
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Can anyone help me come up with a research topic?
|
[
"Napoleon relocated loads of Italian art to Paris. Bloke who arranged it for him was a chevalier and court artist with a very interesting life _URL_0_ He personally accompanied Napoleon at Egypt, was the first director of the Lourve, met Catherine the Great and Voltaire, had passionate love affairs ... You could frame a question around that... I'd recommend it because the reading will be extremely interesting."
] |
[
"Happy to explain this one but I'll need you to be a bit more specific about what you want to understand. Are you asking the how or why?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
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}
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How important of a political issue was border security pre-2000's? Would I be mistaken to say that border security has become a more dominant issue in post-millennium politics, or am I just unaware of the political climate before the 2000's?
|
[
"I just realized my title is very America-centric. I should have clarified **US pre-millennium politics**, not just politics in general. Sorry about that! edit: Also, **I realize this straddles the line concerning rule #2, so let's assume I'm asking about pre-1999 politics, to keep our discussion outside of the 20-year range.**"
] |
[
"The typical reasons, from the liberal and left side of US politics (conservatives and libertarians may have different reasons): * Being declared president under unusual circumstances (Al Gore won the popular vote, but the Supreme Court ruled that Florida's electoral votes be awarded to Bush, making him president) * Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which many consider unethical if not downright illegal, along with being a considerable factor to the US debt. Plus there's a whole slew of other controversies and scandals related to Iraq and Afghanistan. * USA PATRIOT Act, expanding the security state * No Child Left Behind, which opponents feel overemphasizes testing and is pro-charter school * Many feel his administration botched their response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina I'm sure there's more I can't think of at the moment."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Political Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Political Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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Are there any modern historians that attempt to defend colonialism wholeheartedly?
|
[
"Niall Ferguson, who is a professor of history at Harvard, immediately comes to mind. He wrote a book called Empire a decade or so ago, which is a history of the British Empire, butis also aimed toward rehabilitating the reputation of both the British Empire and the concept of Empire more generally. As you may imagine, Fergusson is a fairly controversial figure. There are a dozen different reasons other professional historians don't like him. One of the huge ones is obviously that he puts out contrarian arguments. Another is that he aims his books toward a popular audience. Sometimes historians are snobs."
] |
[
"A related question were there public figures at the time who were apologists that tried to justify for the actions of the Japanese military at Pearl Harbor?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
}
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A question on the Anglo-Saxon culture...
|
[
"It seems it's just an accident of history, in Celtic languages such as Welsh we English are called 'Saesneg' meaning 'Saxons!' It is believed that Saxon immigrants significantly outnumbered Angle immigrants so it is a mystery why we called ourselves Angles/English!"
] |
[
"What do you mean by the 'earliest breeds'?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about history:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about history:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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Were there any easily habitable places that premodern societies "missed"? Or did humanity claim it all?
|
[
"There were still a number of habitable but uninhabited islands discovered by European sailors during the early-Modern period, such as Mauritius, home of the dearly departed Dodo. As you might imagine, these tended to be quite isolated geographically."
] |
[
"I could just as easily ask \"How could Europe, Asia and Africa go unnoticed by the rest of the world for so long?\" The shortest answer is that when transportation becomes possible and the potential gain from exploration is high enough, people naturally explore."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the question about History:",
"pos": "Represent the document about History:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
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Why was knowledge of Vinland lost in Europe, and after it was, why were there no more expeditions to check if there was something just on the other side of Greenland in the following ~500 years?
|
[
"There's[ a recent answer to a similar question](_URL_1_) by /u/platypuskeeper here, which mentions a previous answer by /u/y_sengaku whose [post here is also worth reading](_URL_0_). Hope that helps!"
] |
[
"Are you talking about the Vinland sagas? These are stories about a guy \"Erik the Red\" who was thrown out of Norway for being a murderer. He settled in Iceland for a while and got into more trouble, which encourages him to seek new land to settle. The two books you want are: \"Saga of the Greenlanders\" and \"saga of Erik the Red\" There has been research into the contents of these stories, and there is archeological evidence of a Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland which is dated to the correct time period. But I think it would be incorrect that it was \"greenlanders\" who did the exploration..."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about history:"
}
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When did the Republican and Democratic parties switch alignments--both politically and geographically-- and what caused this?
|
[
"_URL_0_ This might be a good starting point."
] |
[
"The southern democrats (dixiecrats) had similar political views as the Democratic party, but different social views. Most of them, being former slave owners or the descendants thereof, opposed civil rights legislation. And therefore they abandoned the party as it endorsed that legislation. What I'm not sure about is why democrats went from being the States' Rights to being a federalist-esque party."
] |
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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Looking for book recommendations r/e the Battle of Moscow
|
[
"I read *Moscow 1941: A City and its People at War* by Rodric Braithwaite a few years ago and found it to be really interesting. I'm unsure of its reception among the scholars of Soviet Russia, but from my recollection it has quite a bit of discussion of civilian life in Moscow at the time of the battle. I'm not sure I'd say it focuses on the civilian perspective so much as it tries to take in all of the major aspects of what the city was like at the time (including military, political, etc.)."
] |
[
"Something About an apple or fruit.. Source: book i found in the drawer at a hotel."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
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I'm an American-born defector to the Soviet Union living in Moscow in December 1991. What happens to me once the Soviet Union dissolves? Do I go home to America?
|
[
"Are there any legal obstacles to returning? Absent a formal renunciation of citizenship, does such a person retain it?"
] |
[
"An EU citizen is a citizen of any country that is a member of the EU. A feature of the EU is that any citizen of any country in the EU can move to any other country in the EU. Think of it like moving from Kansas to Florida, it's supposed to be that easy. Now that the UK is no longer in the EU (or won't be in the near future), there is a question about what to do with citizens of EU countries, who are living in the UK. It's like if you were from Kansas, you moved to Florida, and then Florida seceded from the union. Do you get to stay in Florida? Or do you get kicked out?"
] |
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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Did it ever look like the Confederacy was going to win the Civil War?
|
[
"A follow up & relevant question, how close did the CSA come to being recognized by a European Power?"
] |
[
"The Confederacy declared they were their own country but the Union said no you're not. So it's considered a civil war because the South lost. Had they won it would be called a revolutionary war."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
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Is there any evidence to support the rumours of Field Marshal Montgomery being a paedophile?
|
[
"*Empire And Sexuality: The British Experience* by Ronald Hyam mentions this. The least we can say is that, after he was widowed, he had some [strong friendships](_URL_1_) with young boys that petered out as they grew older, and that he made some boys uncomfortable by requiring [nude drills](_URL_0_). There is no evidence of actual touching or overt sexual behaviour."
] |
[
"A related question were there public figures at the time who were apologists that tried to justify for the actions of the Japanese military at Pearl Harbor?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about History:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about History:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
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What are some good, accurate WWII documentaries?
|
[
"Howdy, OP! You *might* find some suggestions in these previous threads: [one](_URL_4_), [two](_URL_1_), [there](_URL_3_), [four](_URL_0_), and [five](_URL_2_). These threads contain scattered references to documentaries about WW2, but the consensus appears to be *World at War*. There are a few other mentions that look really interesting as well. Hopefully, you will get some more answers!"
] |
[
"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 Reddit post about Education:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Education:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about Literature:"
}
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Saturday Sources | April 20, 2013
|
[
"Anyone know of a good text examining the evolution of penal systems, *outside of* Western / Egyptian / Near Eastern traditions? Like, China, India, Japan, SE Asia, Africa, the Americas? Is there some equivalent of Foucault's *Discipline and Punish* for one of these other cultures?"
] |
[
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1988. > > Howe, Daniel Walker. “Church, State, and Education in the Young American Republic.” Journal of the Early Republic 22, no. 1 (April 1, 2002): 1–24. > > Kaestle, Carl. Pillars of the Republic: Common Schools and American Society, 1780-1860. 1st ed. Hill and Wang, 1983. > > Spring, Joel. The American School: From the Puritans to No Child Left Behind. 7th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. > > Katz, Michael B. “Horace Mann: What Went Wrong?” Reviews in American History 1, no. 2 (June 1, 1973): 218–223. > > Messerli, Jonathan. Horace Mann: A Biography. New York: Knopf, 1972."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
}
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Why did lager become so prevalent in the United States?
|
[
"I imagine in the hotter areas it is because the heavier and more alcoholic ale is no where near as refreshing. That is just speculation though, I'm looking forward to an actual answer lol."
] |
[
"History. Wine was drunk by the Romans, while beer and ales were consumed by the horrible, uncivilized barbarian natives. Fast forward about 1000 years. If you want good wine it's grown in France, Italy, or Greece. And everywhere else has to import it, often at high cost."
] |
eli5_question_answer
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{
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
When Western European powers such as France, Britain, the Netherlands and Spain were sending fleets of ships to conquer and colonise the outer known corners of the world, how did contemporary German leaders feel?
|
[
"Did you have a specific time period in mind? Because for most of the age of colonization by those powers (let's paint with a broad brush and say roughly 1500 to 1850), there was no \"Germany\" to speak of as a nation."
] |
[
"The time of Russian territorial expansion was a time of colonialism for all the great powers of Europe. Russia was not well situated to become a maritime power like most of Western Europe, but it did have essentially exclusive access to \"unclaimed\" territory to its east. While Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands were creating empires for themselves in the Americas and to a lesser extent in Africa and Asia, Russia spread east to Siberia. They were seeking what everyone was seeking, new lands to colonize and cultivate, new resources to tap, new people to spread the gospel of their religion to. And it was \"available\", so to speak. There were not, at the time, any great empires or powerful states laying claim to the territory. Only relatively undeveloped societies, mainly herders and hunter-gatherers, who could be easily conquered and subjugated. Just as Spain and France had laid massive territorial claims in North and South America, so did Russia to the vast northern expanse of Asia."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
Help find a book to dissect French history around the events in "Les Mis" (the Revolution to World War I)
|
[
"I would recommend *A Social History of France, 1789-1914*, by Peter McPhee. It is a helpful survey of how historical effects effected the changes in French society during the period."
] |
[
"Are there any books on Berlin during 1920s?"
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Literature:"
}
|
Why are Devils and Other Demonic Beings Pictured with Pitchforks/Tridents?
|
[
"As a follow-up to this, why is death portrayed with a scythe?"
] |
[
"Being Black Does Actually Have (Relatively Minor) Health Consequences, It's Just That They're Obviated By Modern Life. There's An Energy Cost To Have Extra Melanin, Even A Small One, So If You Don't Need It It Won't Be Selected For. Melanin Reduces Vitamin-D Uptake From The Sun If Sunlight Is Lower Than You're Adapted For. Vitamin-D Deficiency Was Very Common In Black Children In The Northern US And Europe Before Modern Technology Made Nutrients More Easily Accessible. Being Black Or Brown Outside Of The Tropics Would Have Been Maladaptive For Most Of Human History Because There Would Not Have Been Enough Sunlight For Proper Nutrient Uptake. Capital Letters."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
}
|
How was the 501st Legion routed by the Ewoks of Endor?
|
[
"I'm actually having trouble tracking down a primary source document claiming that the 501st legion was even present at all. Specifically I bring up this point because the 501st was known to be the best offensive units in the Imperial Military and to have them placed on guard duty was not the greatest utilization of their power. Now I'm not saying it isn't possible that they were there setting the trap but having found no direct evidence of their involvement with the battle I will have to come to the conclusion that the Empire severely underestimated the ability of the rebels and placed a much inferior team to protect the shield generator."
] |
[
"Red, Green, and Blue took over The Seventh World and enslaved its inhabitants. The Galactic Peacekeepers are trying to free them."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
}
|
For those with a BA in History degree.
|
[
"I would ask you - as I would have asked myself decades ago - what do you want to write about? That's where you start. Then you develop a good question around that. So, what do you want to write about?"
] |
[
"You're 5, don't worry about it! Jk Associates - 2 year degree, the lowest form of degree Bachelors - 4 year degree, your classic college degree Master's - An add-on degree to your Bachelors, could be 1 year or several but is a specialized degree in a specific field. For example a Master's of Science in Accounting is a common degree for someone to get as part of becoming an Accountant. It takes an extra year over the 4 year bachelors. PHD/Doctorate - Also an add-on degree, this degree may also involve doing your own research in the field or is a much higher level of academic knowledge. Doctors all have a Medical Doctorate as an example."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
}
|
What exactly is being depicted in the oldest known surviving camera photograph?
|
[
"Niépce's house is now a [museum](_URL_1_) and photography is not allowed inside, so unfortunately there is no modern photograph of the view from the window that I can find. That said, [on the website of the Harry Ransom Center](_URL_0_), you can see a sketch done by the historian Helmut Gernsheim, who rediscovered the original plate in 1952 (it is now on exhibition at the Harry Ransom Center.) The image you linked is actually a pointillist painting by Gernsheim; the original plate is much more washed out. In the video on that webpage you can also see a 3D reconstruction of the landscape being viewed. The video mentions that the exact view in the photograph no longer exists because the window it was taken from was later moved to build a chimney."
] |
[
"It's complex and also involves a lot of what has survived over the years as well as ideas about the purpose and function of artwork. Take a look at the Fayum Mummy Portraits if you want good examples of realism way before the Renaissance."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
If a ship in the 1500s set off from Europe to the New World with 100 people on board, was there an expectation that a certain number would die on the voyage?
|
[
"Having a bit of formal education on the matter, I can say that, yes, some sailors were predicted to die. However, it depended on the quality of the sailors, quality of food, and supplies. In the 1500s, scurvy was the biggest killer of seamen in general. Sailors' diets consisted mostly of meat preserved with salt and a type of biscuit likened to hardtack. Naturally, this diet was devoid of many essential vitamins, causing their immune system to drop. Sickness then spread pretty quickly. I think I've extended my knowledge far enough at this point, perhaps someone can help me complete your question."
] |
[
"They maintained line of sight. If they got separated too far it was a problem. One famous example of this was in 1733 when James Cook's two ships the Resolution and Adventure got separated in a heavy fog off New Zealand. They had previously arranged a meeting point. Weather meant that one ship got delayed for several days by which point the other gave up waiting and returned to England alone. Yes, in fact the Santa Maria ran aground and sunk off Haiti so the entire crew transferred to the other two ships for the rest of the return journey. Transferring people and supplies moved between ships was generally done using small boats in calm water, but it was also possible to use ropes to swing supplies or a person on a bosun's chair between ships."
] |
eli5_question_answer
|
{
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
}
|
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