query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
What was unemployment like, during your period of expertise? Was there even a concept of such a thing? | [
"There is a story in Suetonius that an inventor showed a device to Vespasian that allowed one man to do the work of four in construction (or something like that). Vespasian rewarded him handsomely but did not use the device, as he was unwilling to use something that would put so many out of work. Now, archaeologica... | [
"Having a job implies you're employable, whereas not having a job leaves it in question. Apply this to relationships."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How secure were wax seals? | [
"Last time I was there the [International Spy Museum](_URL_1_) in Washington, DC had an exhibit on this. It wasn't that easy, but some people would either cut the seal off and reattach it, or make a reverse mold of the seal, break it off, and then make a forgery of the seal from the mold."
] | [
"Companies bid to buy the recipes for things like twinkies."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Where did "skinhead" originate? Why did they begin shaving their heads? What is the symbolism or meaning behind this? | [
"I could follow up with a similar question: My understanding is Skinheads were not originally necessarily neo-Nazis. When and why did Skinheads start to become associated with them?"
] | [
"Historical context. White Power and White Pride are associated with racism because of a history of their use by racists. Consider the complaints about the Confederate battle flag. People say that it is just a symbol of Southern pride. But it was first flown on the SC capitol as part of the struggle against civil r... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
What were the short and long term effects of Tsar Alexander 3rd's juridical reform? | [
"Since this question is apparently related to howework, giving you a full answer would be a bit of a violation of the sub's rules, but giving recommended reading sources is not. One thing for you to do is to run out to the library and check out the anthology *Russia's Great Reforms, 1855-1881* edited by Ben Eklof w... | [
"Basically there was revolution in imperial Russia that led to the nation breaking away from its tsar ways. This lead to the Romanovs being taken out and killed by the Red Army."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Was Giulietta Guicciardi, the pupil that Beethoven dedicated Moonlight Sonata to, able to play the sonata? | [
"This is a weird question because \"able to play\" the sonata is somewhat imprecise in terms of wording. Do you mean if she actually played it well, or could have if she wanted to? Anyways, I don't know if there are any sources about her playing. In any case, the Moonlight Sonata is relatively easy to play (especia... | [
"I believe your thinking about Bach, who went blind, and Beethoven, who went deaf. The answer is they both became disabled later in life, albeit Bach lost his vision just a few months before his death so it didnt impact him much. Beethoven, on the other hand, was totally deaf for the last few years of this life, i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How did the United Nations approve US-led military force during the start of the Korean War if China was on the UN Security Council? | [
"The People's Republic of China was -not- on the Security council, the Republic of China, which is to say the nationalist government which fled to Taiwan was the recognized government of China all the way up until the early 1970s and therefore held the security council seat."
] | [
"Basically the Soviets were boycotting the Security Council at the time so when Resolution 84 was voted on they were not there to Veto it. The Soviets had been ordered to not go to meetings by Stalin after a series of disagreements, most notably the PRC/ROC issue of who should hold the seat. After that every Securi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Rome is famous for their widespread use of NCO's in their legions. Where did they get the idea from? Were there previous military's they took inspiration from, or was it original? | [
"There were NCOs in the Spartan Army. They were called enōmotarches. Xenophon talks about them. Each village(Obai) sent a Lochoi of around 1,000 men. The basic unit was the Enomotiai which was led by a enōmotarches."
] | [
"By \"similar\" do you mean \"the exact same\". The Romans developed their pantheon of gods off of the Greek pantheon. This is because it was Greeks that traveled to Rome when it was still wilderness and built it up from there. Because of this everything from their pantheon to their government, to even their milita... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about History:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about History:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Medical advancements made as a result of WWII | [
"Thank you /u/Dubstripsquads for tagging. I'm indeed happy to answer any follow-up question. Also, rather quickly: > the modern field of Orthopedics is actually rooted in German experiments during the Holocaust. While I'm not terribly familiar with the history of Orthopedics, I call bullshit on that one. The idea ... | [
"Scientific advancements in ER the past few decades still don't change the fact it costs a ton of money to go out there."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about medicine:",
"pos": "Represent the answer about medicine:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What are the beliefs of the Alawite sect? | [
"A follow-up question. I remember my Arabic teacher telling me that they were historically persecuted by the Sunni majority, and found refuge in Christian communities, which in turn forged a bond between Alawites and Christians in the Levant. Is there truth to this?"
] | [
"Sunni and Shiite are not tribes, they're sects of Islam. It's like the equivalent of Catholics and Protestants in Christianity."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
[North and South (TV-series)] Is it true that the citizens would line up close to the battles in the beginning for entertainment? | [
"It didn't happen routinely, but there is a quite famous incident at the battle of Manassas (First Bull Run). [Washington, DC was only a carriage ride away from where the battle occurred in Northern Virginia](_URL_0_) and many members of DC high-society, including member of Congress, followed the Union army as it m... | [
"If you mean the police showing up, it's the same police who showed up at the corpse of a man one of the main characters killed. If you're talking about the organ music in place of the end credits, no idea."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Did people start accusing the moon landing of being fake as soon as it was televised or did this happen much later? | [
"While no one was publishing that NASA faked the moon landings in 1969, not even the USSR, the first book to be published that claimed the landings were faked, *We Never Went to the Moon: America's Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle*, was (self)published in 1976. The author, Bill Kaysing, stated he had a \"hunch\" the l... | [
"During the late 1940s, the US government had a secret project to use high altitude balloons to listen for soviet nuclear tests. One of these balloons crashed near Roswell. The government claimed that it was a weather balloon that crashed. In the aftermath people started to claim that it was an alien ship that cras... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Lewis and Clark's names are always listed in this order. Why is this? | [
"The simplest answer is that Lewis was a US Army Captain, and designated commander of the expedition. Clark was a Second Lieutenant (few ranks lower) and essentially a close friend, brought in by Lewis himself, so they were not equals in some minor ways. These two were the only commissioned officers however."
] | [
"People got those last names because they were from that country. If you're in England and have two Johns and one is French, you might call him French John or John French. Same deal with other countries. On a related note, the name Scott comes from the country Scotland. For some odd reason though, it has made the j... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Native Americans in Vietnam | [
"I'd love to read this article, but by and large that stuff about \"sixth sense\" and their hair is nonsense. It's all white myth. John Luke Flyinghorse wrote: > My grandfathers told us that the white man has a myth about us—that we can see in the dark, hear movement miles away simply by putting our ears to the gr... | [
"Only if the federal government let it. See: American Civil War"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
When does a history book become obsolete? | [
"Your book may not necessarily be obsolete, or an unreliable source. This is the checklist I use for evaluating books. Publisher: is it published by an academically reputable publishing house? Author credentials: is the author qualified within the field they’re writing about? Citations: has this book been cited i... | [
"Your choice. When the book was first released, Ford's Theatre refused to stock the text in its bookstore due to historical inaccuracies. Supposedly these have since been fixed. Still, IMHO, it appears a little too sensationalist for my liking."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why does Great Britain only hold Northern Ireland? | [
"I don't want to sound obnoxious, but for future reference it's the United Kingdom that holds onto Northern Ireland, not Great Britain. Great Britain is the name of the largest island in the British Isles, which includes England, Scotland and Wales but strictly *not* Northern Ireland. The UK, however, is the name o... | [
"Because Canada does not benefit from that. Why do you think Canada *should* have the same size military as the US?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
What are the trades and services that should be available in a big late medieval town? | [
"A handy reference is the list of [livery companies of London](_URL_0_), many of which have their roots in medieval guilds. Obviously not the Honourable Company of Air Pilots (unless you're running some kind of really extravagant clockpunk campaign?), but after number 50 or so the list is roughly ranked in order of... | [
"Yes, but perhaps real estate is cheaper than the equipment needed to cover the entire land?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
In 1780 John Adams attended a Catholic mass and described seeing "A picture in tapestry was hung up, of a number of Jews stabbing the wafer, the ban Diett, and blood gushing in streams from the bread." What's the "ban Diett?" Are there any surviving examples of tapestries such as this? | [
"I'm afraid you've been led astray by OCR. The original quote is: > \"A picture in tapestry was hung up, of a number of Jews stabbing the wafer, **the bon Dieu**, and blood gushing in streams from the bread.\" \"Bon Dieu\" is French for good God--it was (is?) a common name for Jesus in French, and Adams is in Brus... | [
"It comes from a legend about St. Peter's martyrdom. Allegedly, he was going to be crucified, but he felt that he didn't deserve to be killed in the same way Jesus was, so he asked to be hung upside-down instead. It's used now in the Catholic Church (along with keys) as a symbol of the papacy, because Peter was \"t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Roman (and other classical) political graffiti--what's the deal with it? | [
"> In I, Claudius, I think there's a major plot element where Claudius freaks out about seeing his name written upside down Not quite. Part of the plot involves Germanicus, Caligula's superstitious father, being terrorised by defacements of his name and other omens, which turn out to be the doing of Caligula."
] | [
"A soldier might have been, but probably not your average citizen. Ancient art tended to portray the ideals of their society, the same way we Photoshop a celebrity today. For example (and I'm not kidding about this), there's a difference in dick size between Greek and Roman statues due to their respective views on ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How common was filming from aircrafts during WWII? | [
"it was not extremely common but not usual for some planes to have a [gun camera](_URL_0_). The camera is triggered to start recording when the pilot pulls the trigger and fires planes guns and stays recording for a short period of time. This footage is used to review the missions and to help train new pilots and o... | [
"Follow up question: What other types of bootcamp training strategies would drill instructors use? Also what were training structures like when there was a massive influx of troops who needed to be trained quickly, such as when the US joined WWII after Pearl Harbor?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Based on the latest XKCD strip 'The Pace of Modern Life': did other civilisations and societies also have the notion that their current life was too fast paced? | [
"Roman poets for example liked to praise the calm, tranquil pace and simple pleasures of rural life. Think the Eclogas of Ovidius (Ovid in English) and similar bucolic works. _URL_0_ So for them, city life was too fast paced, chaotic, materialist etc. Now, the point is, we live in an age of urbanization, people flo... | [
"I do believe it was less sudden than you might be led to believe. Rapid on a geological time scale but quite long in terms of human perception of time."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer about Science:"
} |
Did people complain about the pace of modern life centuries ago? | [
"Well they were certainly complaining about Kids These Days back when Plato was writing: \"The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, they show disrespect to their elders.... They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobb... | [
"To be a little less specific, what did people think the future in general would be like before the Industrial Revolution?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
My dad had a Vietnam draft card from 1974 even though the draft ended in 1973 how is this possible? | [
"When you say Draft Card, do you mean a Selective Service Registration Card? If so, registration was still going on through April 1, 1975 and then again resumed in the 1980s. Also, while the draft had ended, draft lotteries still continued for a few years (presumably, just in case the draft was re-initiated). > Th... | [
"November 11, 1918 is when ww1 ended, September 1, 1939 is when world war 2 began, This is 21 years. Most soldiers are ready to fight at the age of 18-21"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How was lint used in medicine back in the day? (Medieval-Early Modern times) | [
"\"Lint\" did not refer to the fuzzy stuff you find in your pockets. Instead it was a particular weave of linen fabric used for dressing wounds. Linen comes from the flax plant as do Linseed products, so the term Lint has the same source. [This article](_URL_0_) is about its usage in the American Civil War, but is ... | [
"There's lots of room for more contributions on this, but you may be interested in these posts * [Sunday AMA: I am FG_SF, ask me questions about the history of science & medicine!](_URL_2_) * [How common was the medical use of leeches in the Middle Ages? Where did it come from? How did the practice disappear?](_URL... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do I check for existing/previous scholarship on a primary document I'm interested in publishing as an e-book? | [
"You check Worldcat! And maybe some of the major scholarly databases in that field if you are thinking there's some articles that will be out there on it, but mostly Worldcat. That's a harder thing to check in Worldcat though, so if you want to PM me more specifics I can dig around."
] | [
"There is a /r/askacademia sub that you might find useful! Are you doing the translation yourself? If not, site the book you found the translation in."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Can anyone help me find information on masks from WWI? | [
"There were a heck of a lot of different gas mask designs during the war, was there one particular design you are talking about?"
] | [
"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:"
} |
Recommended reading on the archaeology of foederati in the Later Roman Empire | [
"In *Kingdoms of the Empire : the integration of barbarians in late Antiquity*, edited W. Pohl (Leiden Brill, 1997), there is a discussion by Heather about foederati in the 4th century. There are also a few more items that might be of interest in that volume. And from there, the bibliographies (especially to Heathe... | [
"Where would I go for material on the medieval monarchy in France? Ideally from the emergence of the Capetians to sometime in the Early Modern Era."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text about Literature:"
} |
It seems to me the usefulness of hot air balloons before aeroplanes and lighter than air travel could have been increased by adding some manner of steering such as sails or propellers, what am I missing? | [
"So the key factor that made aeroplanes practical at the turn of the twentieth century was lightweight internal combustion engines. Since you need this invention for a propeller driven lighter than air craft, these don't exist before aeroplanes because they depend on the same key technology. (After airplanes, Zepp... | [
"Biplanes and triplanes were necessary at those times because the engines they had at the time weren't fast enough to generate the lift required to keep the plane in the air. As a drawback, biplanes generate more drag and are much slower than single-wing aircraft. Now that we have high-speed engines to put in plane... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Was there ever any mainstream speculation about non-deity beings on Earth that were superior to humans? | [
"Yes, tons. Lots of religious traditions include beings somewhere between humans and gods. Jinn, jotnar, tengu, faeries, elves, goblins, crocodiles. The list goes on. You must have heard of these things?"
] | [
"Some of them have been mashed together into one generalized \"bad guy\". In older versions of the Old Testament there were passages that described them as gods worshiped by tribes in conflict with Israel."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How did Australia and the United States end up with a culture of "Rugged Individualism" that promotes government austerity, whereas the UK and Europe ended up with more collectivist attitudes which promote greater social welfare? | [
"I'm not sure this is accurate - Australia's welfare network is more similar to the UK than the US (e.g. we have socialised healthcare and our loans system for higher education is far less of a burden). And then both the UK and Australia are quite different from the Scandinavian social democracies."
] | [
"Classical conservatism and neoconservatism most differ in that neoconservatism promotes internationalism. Neoconservatives tend to be much less interested in domestic policy in general, with \"small government\" taking a backseat to the global promotion of freedom and American values and the protection of America'... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Did the Sawney Beane cannibal family actually exist? | [
"Most evidence points to it being a story far more than truth. While the story is said to have taken place around the end of the 17th century (some versions claim the 15th century), there's no written evidence of it until 1775. It's found then in English broadsides and newspapers. Likely it was brought up as an Eng... | [
"They aren't. The people either weren't actually dead, or the stories are complete fabrications. No zombie apocalypse for you."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How easy was traveling within the Third Reich? | [
"If I can piggy back off of this question: Currently the stigma of a police state is portrayed as a lot police checkpoints. Was this true traveling through Germany, where you were asked for your papers in order to go anywhere?"
] | [
"They were made in chronological order from when the state became part of the US."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why did Rapiers become wide spread? | [
"The \"Italo-Hispano\" rapier became widespread because the style of combat to which it was conducive became wide spread, although it must be noted that its heyday did *not* last to the 1800s, being almost entirely supplanted by the beginning of the 1700s with the shorter and more maneuverable small sword, and in t... | [
"Why, when restored, don't they fix this then?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Is this picture showing a samurai donning his armour historically accurate? | [
"Well considering it matches almost picture per picture this 1858 [pamphlet](_URL_2_) (start at the bottom right and go clockwise) it is at least based on history. Though there seem to be various short-cuts like [having the entire set ready and just putting it over your head](_URL_1_) Also [this](_URL_0_) is appare... | [
"Oh I have a great poop related historical fact! The death of Uesugi Kenshin. Kenshin was a 16th century Japanese daimyo who is notable for many things in his life but his death is what applies to this thread. How he died is not entirely agreed upon by historians. The generally accepted theory is that a stomach can... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How correct are the Ancient Greek pronunciations in Assassin's Creed Odyssey? | [
"Would you have some examples for us who don't own the game? Youtube video or something of the sorts."
] | [
"Read one of the ancient historians like Thucydides, Herodotus, Livy, or Tacitus. I like Thucydides'account of the Peloponnesian war the best."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
looking for text books or good reference book titles about European armor smithing | [
"*The Knight and the Blast Furnace* by Alan Williams is an excellent look at the process of making metal armour."
] | [
"Are there any good books on the structural evolution of the baroque to the early romantic guitar out there? Or at least a book comparing the two?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Hello, I'm looking for some book recommendations | [
"You should make your title more specific so that it is clear that WW2 military equipment, or even just \"nonfiction,\" is what you are looking for. I clicked on this because I like giving book recommendations but WW2 is not really my era of choice. If you want to get the military history buffs to click on your lin... | [
"Hey there! Would you be able to provide some examples of the texts your're talking about?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Literature:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Literature:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Does anyone have access to a complete pdf of the Anglo-Saxon chronicles in the original Old English? | [
"Is [this](_URL_0_) what you're looking for? (I searched a uni library catalog for \"Anglo-Saxon Chronicle\" and then plugged the edition title/publisher into Google/_URL_1_)"
] | [
"Can you give me a full citation on the book?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
The Democratic Party was able to win a majority in the US House of Representatives from 1954 until 1994. How were they able to do this? | [
"If i may piggyback on this. In the 60s-70s the Democratic party underwent massive change. Dixiecrats to more modern democratic party values. How did they reconcile this with the voting public? How did they, in a sense, \"rebrand\" themselves?"
] | [
"Not that long ago. In 2008, the democratic party held the US presidency, and both houses of the US Congress. This lasted until 2010, when the republicans won a majority in the US House of Representatives."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence about Political Science:"
} |
Why is the shower scene in Schindler's List so controversial? | [
"I'm on mobile so I can't type out in length, but here's an article referencing the inaccuracies: _URL_2_ Essentially, the main criticism of the scene is the fear of death the prisoners have when they are brought into the showers. They believe to have been brought into a gas chamber, and the audience, with their kn... | [
"PG-13 didn't exist until 1984, that's why. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom has a guy get his heart ripped out on screen and it was rated PG. Just as a reference."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
When Matthew Perry arrived in Japan, who translated for them? | [
"User /u/diana_mn in their comment [here](_URL_1_) details the exact people who were used as translators during the mission as well as the languages they spoke. EDIT: That same user also answered many followup questions to the same answer in [this](_URL_0_) thread that add significant amounts of context that you m... | [
"He didn't say anything about it, and neither did his family or anyone he told. Plain and simple."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Question about alaska | [
"The concept that it's just a lease appears to have originated as a plot element in the novel A Matter of Honour by Jefffrey Archer. This theory has no basis in reality and the Alaska purchase of 1867 was just that - a purchase."
] | [
"for: all the data against: fossil fuel interests"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Was Suleiman the Magnificent's hat really as big as is commonly depicted? If so, how did he keep it on? | [
"As a follow on question, did it have any particular significance with regards to foreign countries (e.g. \"My hat's bigger than his because I'm a better ruler\")?"
] | [
"Along with special techniques with composition, The Mona Lisa gets a lot of its attention from its historical background, or more specficially, the lack thereof. - Most paintings at that time took several months at most to complete. The Mona Lisa took 10 years. Why did Leonardo da Vinci take so long? - It is said ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Native American tribe settlements | [
"Hi there -- the answer depends quite a bit on which Native American groups you're asking about, but there were certainly urban areas, some including quite large cities, and capitals with satellite or subordinate cities attached to them, throughout pre-Columbian history. The large urban areas of Mesoamerica and Sou... | [
"There is but it's for males vs females Title IX"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What was the difference ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Chinese locks | [
"[Here you go.](_URL_0_) Page 470 has a great diagram on how an Egyptian/Sicilian lock works. If the preview is too limited, tell me and I'll dig up the book and regurgitate it back to you."
] | [
"The arriving missionaries had technology like better masonry, metal and gold working, and some improvements to agriculture. When the missionaries come with significant improvements to your life, why not convert?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Korea vs Japan history books | [
"Hiya! I'm afraid you're going to need to be much more specific with this question. Both Korea and Japan have published more than one history book, and thousands of years of history have 'actually happened.' If you could please specify which textbooks you're referring to and which events you're asking about (and I ... | [
"Same difference between color and colour. Continent-based spelling differences."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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} |
Andrew Jackson, known for his disdain for Native Americans and initiating the Trail of Tears, secretly adopted and raised an Indian son, Lyncoya. Jackson had him privately educated and hoped to send him to West Point. How widespread was knowledge of Jackson's Indian son, and was it controversial? | [
"As a side question, did Andrew Jackson have disdain for Native Americans? The popular view of Jackson today does not match with what I've read in the primary sources and to my knowledge his actions were not fueled by a hatred of Indians, but this isn't the area I got my degree in so I would appreciate some input f... | [
"Franklin acknowledged one illegitimate son, William Franklin, who later stayed loyal to the British during the Revolution and was appointed royal governor of New Jersey. As far as I know, he didn't have any more extramarital liaisons, or at least none that became known. Much later, when posted to the French court ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
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} |
Is modern American culture really more cynical than that of the early to mid 20th century? | [
"King Vidor's [The Crowd](_URL_0_) (1928) presents a very cynical view of the American dream."
] | [
"The Middle Ages is a pretty huge period that spanned centuries, so you might want to refine your question. The daily life of a monarch in the 8th century was incomparably different from that of a 16th century one."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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} |
Does anyone know of an English historian by the name 'Mr. Thompson' who can be placed in British India (c. 1860)? | [
"I'm not a historian, however this part seems suspect. Why would an English military commander refer to the Indian rebellion (or the Sepoy Mutiny, Sepoy Rebellion, Great Revolt, etc, take your pick) as an uprising of freedom? It reads rather like an anti-British propaganda piece. > were not part of the 1857 **upri... | [
"According to my edition of \"On Liberty\" it is William Nathaniel Massey. He was MP for Salford and Undersecretary of State for the Home Department. The source for the speech is The Times of 14 November 1857."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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} |
Best of April Winners | [
"Maybe we say this every month, but I thought April saw some exceptionally fantastic posting across the board. Congratulations to /u/shlin28 and /u/agentdcf, two thoroughly deserving victors in a tournament of champions."
] | [
"Sleep - Shake Unconscious - Splash Coma - Wait and Hope Vegetative State - Wait and Bury"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Announcements:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Announcements:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is Woodrow Wilson historically considered a bad guy? | [
"Not sure what his reputation is like within the US, but from a non-american point of view, I don't think he was considered a particularly 'bad guy'? I think internationally his reputation is mostly for having well-intentioned, but ultimately poorly thought-out actions - eg, promoting the set of up the League of N... | [
"Would John Jay count? Is he considered as influential as Hamilton in academic circles?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Books on Hungary and Bohemia in the 15th-16th centuries? | [
"You might want to specify your langauge dispositions. I reckon you are not Czech or Hungarian, but German language would be of great use, as many key works on central European history are German or translated only into German."
] | [
"Year 1-100: The 1st century. Year 101-200: The 2nd century. Year 201-300: The 3rd century. Year 301-400: The 4th century. Year 401-500: The 5th century. Year 501-600: The 6th century. Year 601-700: The 7th century. ..... Year 1801 - 1900: The 19th century. Year 1901 - 2000: The 20th century. Ye... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
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} |
Did Native Americans ever have/try to have a written word languange? | [
"Yes, precontact the Olmecs, Maya, Zapotec, and Mixtec/Aztec/Nahua people had written language."
] | [
"And which language would that be? Yours? Mine? How would you coerce every country in the world to teach this language?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
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What were the loudest sounds people in early Greece hear? | [
"The premise of your question is not accurate; there are far louder things in nature than gunshots. Even a regular thunderstorm will be able to match the noise made by an ordinary firearm. Meanwhile, any sizeable earthquake or volcanic eruption will easily drown out most forms of man-made explosive. The ancient Gre... | [
"The short answer is that they didn't. It's just that we don't have that many records of much 'popular' stuff from ancient times."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
How accurately does the Netflix show Marco Polo describe the Kublai empire? | [
"Follow up question, if anyone has read *The Journeyer* by Gary Jennings, would they be able to comment on its historical accuracy as well?"
] | [
"Leadership. Genghis Khan was a genius and a visionary. Take a listen to Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast or r/hardcorehistory for an extremely in-depth retelling of the Khans and their exploits. Worth the time commitment."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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Saturday Sources | March 2, 2013 | [
"As for the English translation, try looking for a copy of A.J. Holden et al. *History of William Marshal. Vol. 1, Text & translation* [in a library near you](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Did Jeanne D'Arc ask to wear men's armour in prison to try to reduce the rape she was being subjected to? | [
"Is there any evidence she was raped in prison? I was under the impression her attackers were never successful."
] | [
"The only example that comes to mind could be Gilles de Rais. He self identified as evil, a Satanist in the medieval France, and possibly a serial killer of children. This 15th century French knight accompanied Joan of Arc and was allegedly shaken when she was accused of witchcraft and executed. This could make a d... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How unusual is it for a historical record in the UK National Archives to have a 75 year closure placed on it ? (more details in text) | [
"Can't speak to the UK National archives in particular, but on the other side of the pond, yes this is a pretty normal restriction period on sensitive records. 1945 isn't that long ago, think of all the WWII veterans still alive, there could be witnesses or family members still living who would be included in these... | [
"This is a commemorative print by the artist Dan Smith titled ‘World War - In the Service of the Nation’. You can see his signature in the centre on the right hand side. It was published in 1919. As far as I can tell, this appears to be a certificate of service for WW1 veterans. Since it contains his induction inf... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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} |
Who/which group implemented the Metric System first? | [
"It was implemented by the French government on Nov. 25, 1792, after being developed by a committee originally containing Joseph Lagrange, Antoine Lavoisier, and Pierre Laplace (among others). The outstanding mathematician Joseph Lagrange was the driving force behind adopting base ten instead of base twelve - along... | [
"The US *has* officially adopted the metric system."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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When was the first instance of the Undead in fantasy? | [
"That depends on how you define the genre of \"Fantasy\", and where you put its beginnings. The beginnings of Undead creatures in fantastic literature can be seen in Mary Shelley's 1818 opus *Frankenstein*, often considered to be the first science fiction work, and science fiction and fantasy are often combined in ... | [
"What do you mean by downfall? This is still a dominant part of current culture."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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When did borders become rigid? | [
"The answer to your question is different for practically every border. There was no definite point in history in which it started happening. For example, the borders of the Roman Empire were clearly delineated, but the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia wasn't until the year 2000."
] | [
"What do you mean on them? The signs, the walls, floors?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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In which post-1945 wars did US troops end up doing good* going into another country? | [
"This seems like a really charged answer, and your criteria of good is very odd. The Korean War could be seen as \"good\" war under those criteria. The US was not defeated, it achieved its goal of preserving the South, China and the USSR were *already* our enemies (that whole Communism thing) and the region had no ... | [
"Russia is several orders of magnitude more dangerous than Iraq. The middle eastern occupation was and still is only that, an occupation. Trying to do anything with Russia would be a war - and actual war. You know like, millions of people dying."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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} |
So I keep hearing that in the 1970s that New York City was in a terrible shape. What happened? | [
"hi! not discouraging NYC historians from contributing here, but fyi there have been a few threads on this topic that you might find interesting * [Why did New York City deteriorate in the late 1960s and 70s only to recover in the late 70's and 80's](_URL_3_) - featuring NYC flair /u/Yearsnowlost * [Was New York of... | [
"They were in slow decline for a long time after the industrial revolution but what finally brought them down was losing WWI."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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How did Japan come to be omnivorous? | [
"During the Meiji period, the Westernizing forces in the government encouraged meat eating to make Japanese people more like Europeans in terms of size (and strength, for building a military). Initially, in worked very well, and the average height of the Japanese born in the Meiji period increased from that of prev... | [
"I'd like to add on to this. Were the Hawaiian people disenfranchised in this vote too?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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[META] All Rise! AskHistorians presents its latest and greatest, the astonishing, astounding, and tremendously stupendous NEW MODERATORS! | [
"Now you too get to see the terrible deleted comments! Welcome!"
] | [
"Stuff You Missed In History Class Also, /r/AskHistorians has their own podcast. Check it out."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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Are there any "lost cities" in Chinese/Eastern Asian history? | [
"Can you please add a description to your post to clarify a little bit more what you mean?"
] | [
"\"ancient times\" is very broad. Are there any specific cultures you're interested in (e.g., Republican Rome, Old Kingdom Egypt, etc.)?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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Does anyone know of any primary sources that contain anecdotes or a compilation of anecdotes from people who were displaced in the 1947 partition of the Indian Subcontinent? | [
"There's more to life than JStor and Google products! In fact Google Scholar is actually kinda a poor scholarly index, I typically use it dead last. But mostly you didn't check WorldCat, a classic mistake! :) There's a lot of things I think are pretty promising under [India -- History -- Partition, 1947](_URL_1_).... | [
"The question is a bit vague. There's been trouble for thousands of years. Even the Peloponnesian war was hardly the beginning of trouble in the middle east. Is it possible you're referring to United Nations Resolution 181, which divided Palestine into Arab and Jewish states?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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} |
Can somebody school me on Byzantine tactics and strategy? | [
"Ah, my speciality! To begin with, if you can get your hands on the following books, they will help you: _URL_6_ _URL_1_ _URL_0_ _URL_4_ As for strategy and tactics, keep in mind the Byzantines existed for 1100 years so there military doctrine was in constant development. Here are some online links for you to perus... | [
"Just asked this in the other sticky, but maybe this is the better place for it: Does anyone have any good book recommendations about the Nigerian Civil War or about Biafra as a country?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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"neg": "Represent the document about Literature:"
} |
Is there any general consensus on whether overall quality of life was better or worse during the late 19th/early 20th century in the US? | [
"You might want to clarify what you mean by \"better or worse\". Do you mean better or worse than present-day conditions or do you mean in comparison to earlier conditions? I don't think any reasonable historian would agree with the statement that life was better for most people during that time frame than it is to... | [
"The Middle Ages is a pretty huge period that spanned centuries, so you might want to refine your question. The daily life of a monarch in the 8th century was incomparably different from that of a 16th century one."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
I'm watching Spartacus, and a character named Varinia says she is from Britain. Were there many Britons in mainland Europe before Caesar first crossed the English channel? | [
"Absolutely. What we would now call southern England and northern France and the Low Countries were extremely well integrated, to the point where the Romans identified a significant chunk of the island with the Belgae (a northern Gallic community) and archaeologists until the last couple decades believed there had ... | [
"What book are you reading? I've never heard of a \"Calvino\", and I am assuming \"Crasso\" and \"Varo\" refer to Crassus and Varus. Crassus was an important figure of the Late Republic, while Varus was the Roman commander responsible (in part) for the defeat at Teutoburg Forest in 9 A.D. Neither feature in any sch... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
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"neg": "Represent the comment about History:"
} |
Short Answers to Simple Questions | February 13, 2019 | [
"How long have green and red been associated with go and stop/good and bad?"
] | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Companies have been issuing stock since the 1600s. How did early stock markets work, without the benefit of instantaneous communication and centralized data storage? | [
"> (For example, NPR was talking today about how the Asian markets opened lower because the Fed is going to attempt to roll back austerity measures) Just a correction, the Fed said they believe that the economy is close to the point where they can stop their **stimulus** measures. [link](_URL_6_) I hate to nit pick... | [
"The NYSE started all the way back in the 18th century, and the Nasdaq only started up in the 1970s. The Nasdaq was originally just for information purposes, and only later became a stock exchange. Because of this, the Nasdaq is where more cutting-edge companies chose to list themselves, while old stalwarts still j... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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Kim Jong-il was ridiculed outside of North Korea for his perceived incompetence. Pre-1994, how responsible was he for the misfortune that befell North Korea, and to what degree was he a scapegoat? | [
"I'd recommend you ask it in /r/NorthKorea, because that's where you'll find the most people who know about the issue. But are you sure you mean Kim Jong-Il? He ruled North Korea from 1994 to 2011. Pre-1994, he was less involved and his father, Kim Il-Sung, would be the ultimate authority. So you you mean Kim Il-S... | [
"There are a lot of elites in North Korea who are happy with the way things are. If something were to change, these elites would lose their cushy lifestyles in a best case scenario or be tried and sentenced to death in the probable scenario. They have a very strong iterest to prevent change and would likely assassi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
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} |
A mere 18 years went by between Teddy Roosevelt's presidency and the beginning of Mount Rushmore construction. Was there any controversy regarding his inclusion on the mountain? | [
"What is the veracity of the claim that TR was included so there would be two Republicans on Mt. Rushmore?"
] | [
"It's less to do with the substance of his Presidency, and more to do with him winning the Civil War for the United States as a General, and then being elected to the Presidency. When Grant first appeared on a $50 gold certificate in 1913, he'd been dead for nearly 30 years: long enough to forgive some of the bad t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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When did smelting coins with the faces of statesmen come into practice? And at what point did other cultural icons start to be used? | [
"I don't have an answer, but coins aren't smelted. Smelting is the process of removing a metal from ore, using heat and chemicals. An imprint is put on coins using coining, a type of stamping, where the metal blanks are compressed with a die at room temperature."
] | [
"When worn or damaged coins are taken out of circulation, it's helpful to know how long they've been around, in order to plan coining volume for the future to keep the amount in circulation steady or growing. Governments also have the right to declare money older than a certain date no longer legal tender, the dat... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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Many Eastern generals base their strategies off the teachings of Sun Tzu. Are there any Sun Tzu/Art of War counterparts in the West? | [
"Von Clausewitz is usually considered to be the great Western military theorist, but he's strictly modern, and he sticks to military theory. Sun Tzu's writings had a lot to say about politics and human nature. Given that, I'd wonder whether Machiavelli might be the better comparison. I think the two big things that... | [
"I don't know about \"military leaders studying military history,\" but one of the oldest military treatises that I know of is the Liutao written by Lu Shang, a Zhou dynasty general sometime around 1000 BC. He wrote this treaty upon reflecting on his defeat of the Shang dynasty forces during the overthrow of the Sh... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
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} |
What counted as "science" in the Greek Academy circa 500 AD? | [
"Greek science can be better described as natural philosophy. It is not fair to judge their reasoning in what we perceive science to be today; as it was more theorising about the natural world then based on hypothesis and experiment. Greek natural philosophy was arguably more vibrant BCE due to the many varying sch... | [
"Off the top of my head, denying the existence the gods was one of the charges against Socrates. That's 399 BCE."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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What flag would my grandfather have flown? | [
"I can’t answer your question directly, but I think I know who can... You may want to try contacting the US Navy History and Heritage Command. Assuming that [this](_URL_0_) *Pallas* is the same ship you mean, they should be able to answer any questions you have about her American service."
] | [
"It could be that he was attached to an RAF squadron. Do you know what unit he belonged to?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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} |
Why does Hayden White use the feminine pronoun when referring to historians? | [
"Can you clarify what third-person singular pronouns he is using and what the alternative, gender-neutral pronouns would be?"
] | [
"Can anyone suggest respected works that deal, on a theoretical level, with the concept of elites? Specifically from the standpoint of history."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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} |
Saturday Sources | Feb. 23, 2013 | [
"I've only recently started delving into a new project on the American wives of British officers in the Revolutionary War. The sources are few and far between, but fascinating. In the course of my research, I came across a transcript of a letter written by a Hessian, describing Major Christopher Carleton, nephew of... | [
"It's a bit unclear what you're interested in. (Early US education? Mann? Cremin's perspective?) But here are some resources that may help: > Binder, Frederick M. The Age of the Common School: 1830-1865. New York: Wiley, 1974. > > Glenn, Jr., Charles Leslie. The Myth of the Common School. Amherst: University of M... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Looney Toons and Interest in Classical Music | [
"That's an excellent question that I don't know the answer to. However we definitely studied the \"What's Opera Doc\" and \"The Rabbit of Seville\" in my music history classes in university, talking about how the influence of opera came into the public lexicon. That being said, the lack of interest in classical mu... | [
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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Did Neville Chamberlain actually believe that he had achieved peace in Europe or was he simply trying to buy time for Britain to prepare for war? | [
"You might be interested in the answers provided in these similar posts: _URL_2_ _URL_2_"
] | [
"They didn't really make much of an effort to hide it, Hitler simply kept pushing the boundaries of the Versailles Agreement in order to test the resolve of the Allies to reinforce it. The truth was they were so afraid of another Great War that they let him get away with a lot before they finally said enough was en... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
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D-Day: Landing on Omaha Beach | [
"The initial landing in Normandy was split between 5 different beaches and allies: Utah and Omaha for the US, Gold and Sword for the UK and Juno for Canada. Omaha is the beach most commonly presented in fiction (Saving Private Ryan or, to relate to your question, in Cod 2), which is likely because it was the most ... | [
"Next Week's Theme: 'Royalty, Nobility, and the Exercise of Power' To be followed by: \"Eastern Europe\""
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
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} |
Are there any examples of a real life Count of Monte Christo; someone wrongly convicted, then taking revenge after release? | [
"I don't know of any tales of comeuppance, but in terms of mysterious wealthy men who show up and seemingly are capable of anything, we have the Count of Saint Germain, who we still really don't know much about. He was a talented musician, wealthy, seemed to know people, made up endless stories about his origin, an... | [
"Really fun would be a wrongly convicted innocent man who escapes, proves his innocence and then has to go to prison for the prison break..."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
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} |
Is there anything to the American Protestant work ethic legend or is it a mythical construct? | [
"Just as a point of clarification, it's not an American myth. Max Weber, a German sociologist, invented it in the early 20th century. So although many Americans believe it, it's really something we share with most of Northern Europe."
] | [
"What information do you have that leads you to believe that their depictions are accurate, and not merely full of fictional details?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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} |
How advanced was late Roman sandal making technology? | [
"Intersting question! What, though, do you mean by \"advanced\"? Although I am no expert, there were no significant changes in the process of manufacturing footware, at least for the army, during Late Antiquty, save the process being centralized under state control in the *fabricae.*"
] | [
"Rome collapsed in the 5th century, cutting off the long distance spread of ideas and the vast manpower reserves and trade routes needed to build huge monuments. The actual growth of technology continued on a more local scale though, the dark ages weren't as \"dark\" as the historical myth says they were. There wer... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
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Asterix and Gaulish names | [
"If I may butt in someone else's question... What of the women's names (ending in -ine in the original french)? And do we have any such written traces?"
] | [
"The Art of War in the Western World - Archer Jones"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
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"neg": "Represent the document about Education:"
} |
What would be the earliest year I would be able to have a conversation in English with someone from the past? | [
"Here's a couple from here that might be what you're looking for: /u/Lewed_Lose and /u/Steakpiegravy answered in this thread _URL_3_ and _URL_5_ I found these threads over in /r/history with some more information, although I have no idea as to the accuracy of them, or any of them really. _URL_1_ _URL_4_ And one ... | [
"I'd like to flip this and ask a question, can anyone shed some light on wintertime survival in Early Medieval Britain and Ireland?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
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Is there a word for the act of reading your own biases into history, and judging people in the past based on your own modern cultural assumptions? | [
"I think you're looking for the word \"presentism\". I know answers as short as this one normally get deleted here, but in this particular case there's really not much else to add..."
] | [
"Just as a general comment, there are lots of events in history that seem \"crazy\" to a contemporary observer. One of the lessons of history that for some reason is difficult to stick is that people in different cultures and times had wildly different values from the ones you or I may have. To project our values b... | eli5_question_answer | {
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Spanish Corrales/ Golden age (snacks?) | [
"Oh shit shit shit I had a youth Siglo de Oro themed book that the Spanish diary *El País* released in serial form when I was in high school. It told of all these common life things and a lot more (there was also a comic adaptation of the first *Capitán Alatriste* novel), but it is in my parents home and I can't co... | [
"TYL the highest mountains in florida are landfills."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
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} |
Access to luxury goods during the Roman Empire | [
"Contrary to popular opinion, sugar *did* exist in the ancient Mediterranean - Dioscorides describes it as 'a sort of crystallised honey, found in India and Arabia...not unlike salt in its texture.' However, because it came from so far away, it was very, very rare and very, very expensive. As such, it was almost ex... | [
"Primarily China, Australia, and the US, the three wealthy countries with citizens on board."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do POW or people in Concentration camps control their sexual urges? | [
"I have read various accounts from survivors of concentration camps, Japanese POW camps, and Russian Gulags. You lose sexual urges after being starved and overworked so that you are constantly hungry and constantly tired. All you care about is food and sleep. Remember, these people slept with rats, bedbugs, cockroa... | [
"An Eli5 was like this before, Essentially you have less control over your emotions the more sleep deprived you are."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Psychology:"
} |
Are there famous female travelers and explorers in the medieval or Pre-Christ era? | [
"[Margery Kempe](_URL_0_) went on several pilgrimages to holy sites all over Europe, and also went further afield to Israel. And [this article](_URL_1_) discusses women going on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Rome in the late medieval period."
] | [
"\"ancient times\" is very broad. Are there any specific cultures you're interested in (e.g., Republican Rome, Old Kingdom Egypt, etc.)?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Has there ever been a movement to 'unite' the various Caribbean countries like Antigua and Barbuda, or Trinidad and Tobago? | [
"Yes; at least twice. First, as the over-ambitious and short-lived [West Indies Federation](_URL_0_), and then as the limited-scope [CARICOM,](_URL_1_) which evolved out of the free trade agreement CARIFTA (essentially adding foreign policy understandings, a common passport, a customs union and easier movement). It... | [
"I think you're cherry picking examples. let's not forget that Nigeria, Jamaica, Belize, Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Sudan, and parts of Somalia and Yemen were all colonies as well. Many other colonies experienced tragedies on a massive scale, and weren't particularly stable until recently... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Did David Marshall Williams really develop the M1 Carbine while in prison? | [
"He certainly developed the first floating chamber/short-stroke piston rifles while in prison. [The actual rifles are preserved in the permanent collection of the North Carolina Museum of History.](_URL_0_) Some ten years later, Williams fitted this mechanism to an existing Browning design to form the M1 carbine."... | [
"Follow up question: I remember reading that school boys in metal shop classes were put to work manufacturing Stens in WWII. Is there any accuracy to that at all?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Question about the flag of Scotland | [
"The white cross on a blue background is our national flag, it is called The Saltire and is supposed to represent the cross of our patron saint (St Andrew) was crucified on. The other one is The Rampant Lion and is the Royal Standard of Scotland. Historically the flag of the king or queen of Scotland, but since the... | [
"Just a follow-up question to the original question - what about the reverse. What was Napoleon's view of the United States?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How would a telegram get from Kentucky to London in the 18th century? | [
"I just want to point out that there seems to be some confusion between the thread title and question asked. A letter and a telegram are two very different forms of media. The telegram, as understood as being the electrical telegram developed in the first half of the 19th century (and not the optical telegram whic... | [
"What drugs were popular in 19th century Britain?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How were the Chinese so easily defeated in WW2? | [
"Are you sure they were defeated at all?"
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Did the pluralism of the British and Russian empires make them more or less tolerant? | [
"When you refer to the pluralism of the British Empire, are you referring to: Religious pluralism (ie Anglicans, the Scottish Kirk, and in the 19th century Empire Quakers, Baptists, and perhaps Catholics in the later periods, etc) British national pluralism (English, Scottish, Welsh) Or racial pluralism? (Whites, B... | [
"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 | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why don't Americans use the English 'Father Christmas' and instead use the Dutch derived 'Santa Clause'? | [
"To add on to the question. Why isn't Zwarte Piet a part of the Christmas stories in America as well?"
] | [
"The Santa Claus character is based on Saint Nicholas, who was a real person. He was known for delivering gifts to less fortunate children. The name Santa Claus is derived from translations of Saint Nicholas' name in different languages. Sinterklaas (Dutch) and Sankt Nikolaus (German) show some similarity."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Are There Examples of Growling/Grunting/Screaming Used in Music Before the Invention of Extreme Heavy Metal? | [
"To clarify, death growls do not use the \"lower end\" of the human vocal range; they actually use a different set of vocal folds. Specifically, the [vestibular folds](_URL_2_), also called the \"false\" vocal folds. The vestibular folds are not normally used in speech, but have a purpose in protection from coughin... | [
"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 Ada... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
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