id int64 0 18.9k | biography stringlengths 151 1.51k | qa listlengths 1 25 |
|---|---|---|
6,518 | The calendar was a refinement to the Julian calendar amounting to a 0.002% correction in the length of the year. The motivation for the reform was to bring the date for the celebration of Easter to the time of the year in which it was celebrated when it was introduced by the early Church. Because the celebration of Eas... | [
{
"answer": "0.002%",
"question": "What was the percentsge of correction from the Julian calendar to the new Gregorian calendar?"
},
{
"answer": "length of the year",
"question": "What was the correction due to?"
},
{
"answer": "celebration of Easter",
"question": "What change in dat... |
6,519 | The Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar. A regular Gregorian year consists of 365 days, but as in the Julian calendar, in a leap year, a leap day is added to February. In the Julian calendar a leap year occurs every 4 years, but the Gregorian calendar omits 3 leap days every 400 years. In the Julian calendar, this l... | [
{
"answer": "solar",
"question": "What kind of calendar is the Gregorian calendar?"
},
{
"answer": "365",
"question": "How many days are in the Gregorian calendar?"
},
{
"answer": "every 4 years",
"question": "How often is a leap day added to the Julian calendar year?"
},
{
"... |
6,520 | Easter was the Sunday after the 15th day of this moon, whose 14th day was allowed to precede the equinox. Where the two systems produced different dates there was generally a compromise so that both churches were able to celebrate on the same day. By the 10th century all churches (except some on the eastern border of t... | [
{
"answer": "15th day",
"question": "When was Easter Sunday celebrated after the equinox?"
},
{
"answer": "compromise",
"question": "What did churches do to settle the date if there was a difference? "
},
{
"answer": "10th century",
"question": "By what century had almost all churche... |
6,521 | Lilius's proposals had two components. Firstly, he proposed a correction to the length of the year. The mean tropical year is 365.24219 days long. As the average length of a Julian year is 365.25 days, the Julian year is almost 11 minutes longer than the mean tropical year. The discrepancy results in a drift of about t... | [
{
"answer": "length of the year",
"question": "What did Lilius first propose to correct in the calendar?"
},
{
"answer": "11 minutes",
"question": "By how much is the Julian calendar too long?"
},
{
"answer": "three days",
"question": "How much difference does the extra 11 minutes ma... |
6,522 | Most Western European countries changed the start of the year to 1 January before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. For example, Scotland changed the start of the Scottish New Year to 1 January in 1600 (this means that 1599 was a short year). England, Ireland and the British colonies changed the start of the year to... | [
{
"answer": "1 January",
"question": "On what date did most European countries set the start of the new year?"
},
{
"answer": "1600",
"question": "When did Scotland begin to use January 1 as the start of the new year?"
},
{
"answer": "1752",
"question": "When did the other British st... |
6,523 | Extending the Gregorian calendar backwards to dates preceding its official introduction produces a proleptic calendar, which should be used with some caution. For ordinary purposes, the dates of events occurring prior to 15 October 1582 are generally shown as they appeared in the Julian calendar, with the year starting... | [
{
"answer": "caution",
"question": "Attempting to use Gregorian dates for earlier events on the Julian calendar should be used with what action?"
},
{
"answer": "25 October 1415",
"question": "When was the Battle of Agincourt?"
},
{
"answer": "prior to 15 October 1582",
"question": ... |
6,524 | A language-independent alternative used in many countries is to hold up one's two fists with the index knuckle of the left hand against the index knuckle of the right hand. Then, starting with January from the little knuckle of the left hand, count knuckle, space, knuckle, space through the months. A knuckle represents... | [
{
"answer": "language-independent",
"question": "Why would a knuckle -space count be used to determine months?"
},
{
"answer": "31",
"question": "A knuckle count is a month of how many days?"
},
{
"answer": "short month",
"question": "The space between knuckles is what kind of month?... |
6,525 | The Gregorian reform contained two parts: a reform of the Julian calendar as used prior to Pope Gregory XIII's time and a reform of the lunar cycle used by the Church, with the Julian calendar, to calculate the date of Easter. The reform was a modification of a proposal made by Aloysius Lilius. His proposal included re... | [
{
"answer": "two parts",
"question": "How many parts did the Gregorian calendar reform have?"
},
{
"answer": "Julian calendar",
"question": "What was the first reform concerning the calendar?"
},
{
"answer": "lunar cycle",
"question": "What was the second reform of the calendar?"
}... |
6,526 | Prior to 1917, Turkey used the lunar Islamic calendar with the Hegira era for general purposes and the Julian calendar for fiscal purposes. The start of the fiscal year was eventually fixed at 1 March and the year number was roughly equivalent to the Hegira year (see Rumi calendar). As the solar year is longer than the... | [
{
"answer": "lunar Islamic",
"question": "What calendar did Turkey use before 1917 for general purposes?"
},
{
"answer": "Julian",
"question": "What calendar did Turkey utilize for fiscal purposes?"
},
{
"answer": "1 March",
"question": "Where did Turkey start the fiscal year?"
},
... |
6,527 | Up to February 28 in the calendar you are converting from add one day less or subtract one day more than the calculated value. Remember to give February the appropriate number of days for the calendar you are converting into. When you are subtracting days to move from Julian to Gregorian be careful, when calculating th... | [
{
"answer": "subtract one day",
"question": "How many days do you subtract to convert days from a calendar?"
},
{
"answer": "February 29 is discounted",
"question": "What does one need to remember about the date of February 29 in the Julian calendar?"
},
{
"answer": "-4",
"question"... |
6,528 | In addition to the change in the mean length of the calendar year from 365.25 days (365 days 6 hours) to 365.2425 days (365 days 5 hours 49 minutes 12 seconds), a reduction of 10 minutes 48 seconds per year, the Gregorian calendar reform also dealt with the accumulated difference between these lengths. The canonical Ea... | [
{
"answer": "10 minutes 48 seconds",
"question": "What is the difference in time between the calendars?"
},
{
"answer": "accumulated difference",
"question": "With what other difference did the Gregorian calendar concern itself?"
},
{
"answer": "20 March or 21 March",
"question": "Wh... |
6,529 | The Council of Trent approved a plan in 1563 for correcting the calendrical errors, requiring that the date of the vernal equinox be restored to that which it held at the time of the First Council of Nicaea in 325 and that an alteration to the calendar be designed to prevent future drift. This would allow for a more co... | [
{
"answer": "1563",
"question": "When did the Council of Trent agree to the corrected calendar?"
},
{
"answer": "325",
"question": "To what time did the Council require the date of the vernal equinox to be set?"
},
{
"answer": "motions of the sun and moon",
"question": "What did math... |
6,530 | A month after having decreed the reform, the pope with a brief of 3 April 1582 granted to Antonio Lilio, the brother of Luigi Lilio, the exclusive right to publish the calendar for a period of ten years. The Lunario Novo secondo la nuova riforma printed by Vincenzo Accolti, one of the first calendars printed in Rome af... | [
{
"answer": "3 April 1582",
"question": "When were the rights to publish the calendar granted?"
},
{
"answer": "the pope",
"question": "Who awarded the rights to publish the calendar?"
},
{
"answer": "demand for copies",
"question": "What problem caused the papal brief granting the r... |
6,531 | The year used in dates during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire was the consular year, which began on the day when consuls first entered office—probably 1 May before 222 BC, 15 March from 222 BC and 1 January from 153 BC. The Julian calendar, which began in 45 BC, continued to use 1 January as the first day of th... | [
{
"answer": "consular year",
"question": "What year did the Roman Republic use for dates?"
},
{
"answer": "consuls first entered office",
"question": "What event started the consular year?"
},
{
"answer": "1 May",
"question": "What was the date of the consular year before 222 BC?"
... |
6,532 | In conjunction with the system of months there is a system of weeks. A physical or electronic calendar provides conversion from a given date to the weekday, and shows multiple dates for a given weekday and month. Calculating the day of the week is not very simple, because of the irregularities in the Gregorian system. ... | [
{
"answer": "system of weeks",
"question": "What other system of calculations are inherent in the Gregorian calendar?"
},
{
"answer": "irregularities",
"question": "Why is calculating the days of the Gregorian calendar not simple?"
},
{
"answer": "uninterrupted",
"question": "After e... |
6,533 | Because the spring equinox was tied to the date of Easter, the Roman Catholic Church considered the seasonal drift in the date of Easter undesirable. The Church of Alexandria celebrated Easter on the Sunday after the 14th day of the moon (computed using the Metonic cycle) that falls on or after the vernal equinox, whic... | [
{
"answer": "Roman Catholic Church",
"question": "Who thought that the seasonal drift in the date of Easter unacceptable?"
},
{
"answer": "spring equinox",
"question": "What even is tired to the date for Easter?"
},
{
"answer": "Metonic cycle",
"question": "What did the Church of Ale... |
6,535 | "Old Style" (OS) and "New Style" (NS) are sometimes added to dates to identify which system is used in the British Empire and other countries that did not immediately change. Because the Calendar Act of 1750 altered the start of the year, and also aligned the British calendar with the Gregorian calendar, there is some ... | [
{
"answer": "\"Old Style\" (OS) and \"New Style\"",
"question": "What designation was added to British dates to differentiate them from countries not using the new calendar? "
},
{
"answer": "1750",
"question": "When was the Calendar act enacted?"
},
{
"answer": "Gregorian calendar",
... |
6,536 | The Gregorian calendar improves the approximation made by the Julian calendar by skipping three Julian leap days in every 400 years, giving an average year of 365.2425 mean solar days long. This approximation has an error of about one day per 3,300 years with respect to the mean tropical year. However, because of the p... | [
{
"answer": "Julian",
"question": "The Gregorian calendar is an improvement over what other calendar?"
},
{
"answer": "three Julian leap days",
"question": "How many days must be skipped to align the calendar with mean solar days in a year?"
},
{
"answer": "one day",
"question": "Wha... |
6,538 | At launch, the Xbox 360 was available in two configurations: the "Xbox 360" package (unofficially known as the 20 GB Pro or Premium), priced at US$399 or GB£279.99, and the "Xbox 360 Core", priced at US$299 and GB£209.99. The original shipment of the Xbox 360 version included a cut-down version of the Media Remote as a... | [
{
"answer": "20 GB",
"question": "The Xbox 360 Pro included what size hard drive storage?"
},
{
"answer": "Xbox 360 Core",
"question": "What was the official name of the lower-priced 360 SKU at launch?"
},
{
"answer": "US$479",
"question": "The Xbox 360 Elite eventually launched at w... |
6,539 | The Xbox 360 launched with 14 games in North America and 13 in Europe. The console's best-selling game for 2005, Call of Duty 2, sold over a million copies. Five other games sold over a million copies in the console's first year on the market: Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Dead or Ali... | [
{
"answer": "14 games",
"question": "How many titles did the 360 have at launch in North America?"
},
{
"answer": "Call of Duty 2",
"question": "What title was the console's best seller in 2005?"
},
{
"answer": "8 million copies",
"question": "How many copies did Halo 3 sell?"
},
... |
6,540 | The Xbox 360 supports videos in Windows Media Video (WMV) format (including high-definition and PlaysForSure videos), as well as H.264 and MPEG-4 media. The December 2007 dashboard update added support for the playback of MPEG-4 ASP format videos. The console can also display pictures and perform slideshows of photo co... | [
{
"answer": "Windows Media Video (WMV) format (including high-definition and PlaysForSure videos), as well as H.264 and MPEG-4",
"question": "What 3 video formats did the 360 support natively at launch?"
},
{
"answer": "MPEG-4 ASP",
"question": "Support for what video format was added in 2007?"
... |
6,541 | When the Xbox 360 was released, Microsoft's online gaming service Xbox Live was shut down for 24 hours and underwent a major upgrade, adding a basic non-subscription service called Xbox Live Silver (later renamed Xbox Live Free) to its already established premium subscription-based service (which was renamed Gold). Xbo... | [
{
"answer": "Xbox Live Silver",
"question": "What was the name of the non-subscription Xbox online gaming service?"
},
{
"answer": "Gold",
"question": "What was the \"color\" name given to the premium version of Xbox Live?"
},
{
"answer": "multiplayer gaming",
"question": "What key f... |
6,542 | The Xbox 360 features an online service, Xbox Live, which was expanded from its previous iteration on the original Xbox and received regular updates during the console's lifetime. Available in free and subscription-based varieties, Xbox Live allows users to: play games online; download games (through Xbox Live Arcade) ... | [
{
"answer": "Xbox Live",
"question": "What is the name of the 360's online service?"
},
{
"answer": "Xbox Live Arcade",
"question": "What is the name of the feature that allows users to download games from Live?"
},
{
"answer": "stream media",
"question": "What can people owning both... |
6,544 | To aid customers with defective consoles, Microsoft extended the Xbox 360's manufacturer's warranty to three years for hardware failure problems that generate a "General Hardware Failure" error report. A "General Hardware Failure" is recognized on all models released before the Xbox 360 S by three quadrants of the ring... | [
{
"answer": "\"General Hardware Failure\" error",
"question": "What hardware defect code plagued the 360?"
},
{
"answer": "Red Ring of Death",
"question": "What is the flashing indicator of a general hardware error known as?"
},
{
"answer": "Microsoft extended the Xbox 360's manufacturer... |
6,546 | The Xbox 360 sold much better than its predecessor, and although not the best-selling console of the seventh-generation, it is regarded as a success since it strengthened Microsoft as a major force in the console market at the expense of well-established rivals. The inexpensive Nintendo Wii did sell the most console un... | [
{
"answer": "collapse of third-party software support in its later years",
"question": "What problem hurt Nintendo's Wii console?"
},
{
"answer": "due to being too expensive and initially lacking quality titles",
"question": "The Playstation 3 originally struggled for market share for what reaso... |
6,547 | The Xbox 360's original graphical user interface was the Xbox 360 Dashboard; a tabbed interface that featured five "Blades" (formerly four blades), and was designed by AKQA and Audiobrain. It could be launched automatically when the console booted without a disc in it, or when the disc tray was ejected, but the user ha... | [
{
"answer": "Xbox 360 Dashboard",
"question": "What was the original user interface for the 360 called?"
},
{
"answer": "AKQA and Audiobrain",
"question": "Who designed this user interface?"
},
{
"answer": "the Xbox Guide button on the gamepad",
"question": "The simple dashboard coul... |
6,550 | The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for the console that allows Xbox Live users to download purchased or promotional content. The service offers movie and game trailers, game demos, Xbox Live Arcade games and Xbox 360 Dashboard themes as well as add-on game content (items, costumes, levels etc.). The... | [
{
"answer": "Xbox Live Marketplace",
"question": "What XBox Live service allows users to buy games and downloadable content?"
},
{
"answer": "Free and Gold members",
"question": "Which levels of Xbox Live membership may access the Marketplace?"
},
{
"answer": "A hard drive or memory unit... |
6,552 | In May 2008 Microsoft announced that 10 million Xbox 360s had been sold and that it was the "first current generation gaming console" to surpass the 10 million figure in the US. In the US, the Xbox 360 was the leader in current-generation home console sales until June 2008, when it was surpassed by the Wii. The Xbox 36... | [
{
"answer": "10 million",
"question": "What sales figure was the 360 the first console of its generation to surpass?"
},
{
"answer": "June 2008",
"question": "When did the 360 surrender its lead in total sales?"
},
{
"answer": "the Wii",
"question": "What console eventually passed th... |
6,553 | TechRadar deemed the Xbox 360 as the most influential game system through its emphasis of digital media distribution, Xbox Live online gaming service, and game achievement feature. During the console's lifetime, the Xbox brand has grown from gaming-only to encompassing all multimedia, turning it into a hub for "living-... | [
{
"answer": "game achievement feature",
"question": "Besides online gaming and media distribution, what other feature made the 360 influential, according to TechRadar?"
},
{
"answer": "Five years",
"question": "How many years after initial launch of the console was Kinect released?"
},
{
... |
6,554 | Kinect is a "controller-free gaming and entertainment experience" for the Xbox 360. It was first announced on June 1, 2009 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, under the codename, Project Natal. The add-on peripheral enables users to control and interact with the Xbox 360 without a game controller by using gestures, s... | [
{
"answer": "a \"controller-free gaming and entertainment experience\"",
"question": "How did Microsoft describe Kinect?"
},
{
"answer": "June 1, 2009",
"question": "When was Kinect first announced?"
},
{
"answer": "Electronic Entertainment Expo",
"question": "At what event was Kinec... |
6,555 | Since these problems surfaced, Microsoft has attempted to modify the console to improve its reliability. Modifications include a reduction in the number, size, and placement of components, the addition of dabs of epoxy on the corners and edges of the CPU and GPU as glue to prevent movement relative to the board during ... | [
{
"answer": "a reduction in the number, size, and placement of components",
"question": "How did Microsoft modify the architecture of the 360 to reduce failure rates?"
},
{
"answer": "heat",
"question": "What was the root cause of hardware failures with the 360?"
},
{
"answer": "system o... |
6,556 | On November 6, 2006, Microsoft announced the Xbox Video Marketplace, an exclusive video store accessible through the console. Launched in the United States on November 22, 2006, the first anniversary of the Xbox 360's launch, the service allows users in the United States to download high-definition and standard-definit... | [
{
"answer": "Xbox Video Marketplace",
"question": "What was the name of the 360's video store service?"
},
{
"answer": "November 22, 2006",
"question": "When was this video service launched?"
},
{
"answer": "14 days after download or at the end of the first 24 hours after the movie has b... |
6,557 | While the original Xbox sold poorly in Japan, selling just 2 million units while it was on the market (between 2002 and 2005),[citation needed] the Xbox 360 sold even more poorly, selling only 1.5 million units from 2005 to 2011. Edge magazine reported in August 2011 that initially lackluster and subsequently falling s... | [
{
"answer": "sold poorly",
"question": "How did the original Xbox fare in Japan in general?"
},
{
"answer": "2 million units",
"question": "How many original Xboxes were sold in Japan between 2002 and 2005?"
},
{
"answer": "1.5 million units",
"question": "Between 2005 and 2011, how ... |
6,558 | Two major hardware revisions of the Xbox 360 have succeeded the original models; the Xbox 360 S (also referred to as the "Slim") replaced the original "Elite" and "Arcade" models in 2010. The S model carries a smaller, streamlined appearance with an angular case, and utilizes a redesigned motherboard designed to allevi... | [
{
"answer": "Two",
"question": "How many major hardware revisions has the 360 had?"
},
{
"answer": "\"Slim\"",
"question": "By what other name is the 360 S model known?"
},
{
"answer": "the original \"Elite\" and \"Arcade\" models",
"question": "Which SKUs did the 360 S replace?"
}... |
6,559 | Six games were initially available in Japan, while eagerly anticipated titles such as Dead or Alive 4 and Enchanted Arms were released in the weeks following the console's launch. Games targeted specifically for the region, such as Chromehounds, Ninety-Nine Nights, and Phantasy Star Universe, were also released in the ... | [
{
"answer": "Six",
"question": "How many launch titles did the 360 have in Japan?"
},
{
"answer": "Mistwalker",
"question": "What was the name of the Japanese developer that strongly supported the 360?"
},
{
"answer": "Blue Dragon",
"question": "What was Mistwalker's first title for ... |
6,560 | Music, photos and videos can be played from standard USB mass storage devices, Xbox 360 proprietary storage devices (such as memory cards or Xbox 360 hard drives), and servers or computers with Windows Media Center or Windows XP with Service pack 2 or higher within the local-area network in streaming mode. As the Xbox ... | [
{
"answer": "Windows XP with Service pack 2 or higher",
"question": "What PC operating system is required to stream content to a 360?"
},
{
"answer": "UPnP",
"question": "What modified AV protocol does the 360 utilize?"
},
{
"answer": "MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV",
"question": "What codecs a... |
6,561 | Xbox Live Gold includes the same features as Free and includes integrated online game playing capabilities outside of third-party subscriptions. Microsoft has allowed previous Xbox Live subscribers to maintain their profile information, friends list, and games history when they make the transition to Xbox Live Gold. To... | [
{
"answer": "integrated online game playing capabilities outside of third-party subscriptions",
"question": "What extra features do Xbox Live Gold members get?"
},
{
"answer": "profile information, friends list, and games history",
"question": "What information does Microsoft allow users to reta... |
6,562 | On May 26, 2009, Microsoft announced the future release of the Zune HD (in the fall of 2009), the next addition to the Zune product range. This is of an impact on the Xbox Live Video Store as it was also announced that the Zune Video Marketplace and the Xbox Live Video Store will be merged to form the Zune Marketplace,... | [
{
"answer": "the Zune",
"question": "What hardware device was merged with the video marketplace?"
},
{
"answer": "E3 2009",
"question": "Where and when was the Zune HD marketplace announced?"
},
{
"answer": "Xbox Live Video Store",
"question": "The Zune video marketplace was merged w... |
6,563 | Beginning in 1689, the colonies became involved in a series of wars between Great Britain and France for control of North America, the most important of which were Queen Anne's War, in which the British conquered French colony Acadia, and the final French and Indian War (1754–63) when Britain was victorious over all th... | [
{
"answer": "1689",
"question": "When did wars between Britain and France in North America start?"
},
{
"answer": "Queen Anne's War",
"question": "What was the most important North American conflict between France and Britain called?"
},
{
"answer": "Acadia",
"question": "What French... |
6,565 | Secretary of War Elihu Root (1899–1904) led the modernization of the Army. His goal of a uniformed chief of staff as general manager and a European-type general staff for planning was stymied by General Nelson A. Miles but did succeed in enlarging West Point and establishing the U.S. Army War College as well as the Gen... | [
{
"answer": "Elihu Root",
"question": "Who was the Secretary of War who modernized the US military at the beginning of the 20th century?"
},
{
"answer": "West Point",
"question": "Which military academy did Root help grow?"
},
{
"answer": "General Staff",
"question": "What military a... |
6,566 | The United States originally wished to remain neutral when World War I broke out in August 1914. However, it insisted on its right as a neutral party to immunity from German submarine attack, even though its ships carried food and raw materials to Britain. In 1917 the Germans resumed submarine attacks, knowing that it ... | [
{
"answer": "neutral",
"question": "When World War I started, what was the official US position?"
},
{
"answer": "August 1914",
"question": "When did World War I commence?"
},
{
"answer": "submarine attacks",
"question": "What German war policy precipitated US involvement in WWI?"
... |
6,567 | Memories and lessons from the war are still a major factor in American politics. One side views the war as a necessary part of the Containment policy, which allowed the enemy to choose the time and place of warfare. Others note the U.S. made major strategic gains as the Communists were defeated in Indonesia, and by 197... | [
{
"answer": "Containment",
"question": "The Vietnam War was an element of what US diplomatic policy?"
},
{
"answer": "Indonesia",
"question": "Communists were defeated in what country in 1972?"
},
{
"answer": "a \"quagmire\"",
"question": "What term did critics of the Vietnam War use... |
6,568 | The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. The lead up to the war began with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 which was met with immediate economic sanctions by the United Nations against Iraq. The coalition commenced hostilities in January ... | [
{
"answer": "34",
"question": "How many nations were against Iraq in the US-led coalition?"
},
{
"answer": "the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait",
"question": "What precipitated the Persian Gulf War?"
},
{
"answer": "August 1990",
"question": "When did this precipitating event take place?"
... |
6,569 | US troops participated in a UN peacekeeping mission in Somalia beginning in 1992. By 1993 the US troops were augmented with Rangers and special forces with the aim of capturing warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, whose forces had massacred peacekeepers from Pakistan. During a raid in downtown Mogadishu, US troops became trap... | [
{
"answer": "Somalia",
"question": "In what African country did US troops participate in peacekeeping operations?"
},
{
"answer": "Mohamed Farrah Aidid",
"question": "What was the name of the Somalian warlord who directed massacres of peacekeeping troops?"
},
{
"answer": "Mogadishu",
... |
6,570 | In January 2002, the U.S. sent more than 1,200 troops (later raised to 2,000) to assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines in combating terrorist groups linked to al-Qaida, such as Abu Sayyaf, under Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines. Operations have taken place mostly in the Sulu Archipelago, where terrorists a... | [
{
"answer": "January 2002",
"question": "When did the US send troops to the Philippines to battle terrorists?"
},
{
"answer": "al-Qaida",
"question": "Terrorists in the Philippines were linked to what larger terrorist organization?"
},
{
"answer": "the Sulu Archipelago",
"question": ... |
6,571 | The British, for their part, lacked both a unified command and a clear strategy for winning. With the use of the Royal Navy, the British were able to capture coastal cities, but control of the countryside eluded them. A British sortie from Canada in 1777 ended with the disastrous surrender of a British army at Saratoga... | [
{
"answer": "Saratoga",
"question": "What battle ended a British invasion from Canada in the Revolutionary War?"
},
{
"answer": "1777",
"question": "When was the battle of Saratoga fought?"
},
{
"answer": "General von Steuben",
"question": "What Prussian expatriate helped train the C... |
6,572 | When revolutionary France declared war on Great Britain in 1793, the United States sought to remain neutral, but the Jay Treaty, which was favorable to Great Britain, angered the French government, which viewed it as a violation of the 1778 Treaty of Alliance. French privateers began to seize U.S. vessels, which led to... | [
{
"answer": "to remain neutral",
"question": "What was the US policy when France declared war on England in 1793?"
},
{
"answer": "the Jay Treaty",
"question": "What treaty with England conflicted with the United States' Treaty of Alliance with France?"
},
{
"answer": "the Caribbean",
... |
6,573 | In the Treaty of Paris after the Revolution, the British had ceded the lands between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River to the United States, without consulting the Shawnee, Cherokee, Choctaw and other smaller tribes who lived there. Because many of the tribes had fought as allies of the British, the U... | [
{
"answer": "Treaty of Paris",
"question": "What treaty ceded territory to the US extending west to the Mississippi River?"
},
{
"answer": "Shawnee, Cherokee, Choctaw",
"question": "What three major tribes occupied these formerly British territories?"
},
{
"answer": "1791",
"question... |
6,574 | Sectional tensions had long existed between the states located north of the Mason–Dixon line and those south of it, primarily centered on the "peculiar institution" of slavery and the ability of states to overrule the decisions of the national government. During the 1840s and 1850s, conflicts between the two sides beca... | [
{
"answer": "the Mason–Dixon line",
"question": "What dividing line separated slave states from free states?"
},
{
"answer": "1860",
"question": "When was Lincoln elected?"
},
{
"answer": "states in the South seceded from the United States",
"question": "How did slave states react to... |
6,575 | The Spanish–American War was a short decisive war marked by quick, overwhelming American victories at sea and on land against Spain. The Navy was well-prepared and won laurels, even as politicians tried (and failed) to have it redeployed to defend East Coast cities against potential threats from the feeble Spanish flee... | [
{
"answer": "Cuba",
"question": "Where did the American army fight the Spanish in the Spanish American War?"
},
{
"answer": "volunteers and state militia",
"question": "The army in this war was primarily made up of what sort of units?"
},
{
"answer": "Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippin... |
6,576 | The Philippine–American War (1899–1902) was an armed conflict between a group of Filipino revolutionaries and the American forces following the ceding of the Philippines to the United States after the defeat of Spanish forces in the Battle of Manila. The Army sent in 100,000 soldiers (mostly from the National Guard) un... | [
{
"answer": "1899–1902",
"question": "When was the Philippine-American War fought?"
},
{
"answer": "Manila",
"question": "Where did the US defeat occupying Spanish forces prior to the Philippine American War?"
},
{
"answer": "General Elwell Otis",
"question": "Who led American forces... |
6,578 | The Korean War was a conflict between the United States and its United Nations allies and the communist powers under influence of the Soviet Union (also a UN member nation) and the People's Republic of China (which later also gained UN membership). The principal combatants were North and South Korea. Principal allies o... | [
{
"answer": "the People's Republic of China",
"question": "What country supplied troops to North Korea during the Korean War?"
},
{
"answer": "the Soviet Union",
"question": "What country supplied advisors, pilots, and war materiel to North Korea?"
},
{
"answer": "the United States",
... |
6,580 | Fighting on one side was a coalition of forces including the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam or the "RVN"), the United States, supplemented by South Korea, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The allies fought against the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) as well as the National Liberation Front (NLF, a... | [
{
"answer": "RVN",
"question": "What acronym was given to South Vietnamese troops?"
},
{
"answer": "NVA",
"question": "What acronym was given to North Vietnamese army regulars?"
},
{
"answer": "Viet Cong",
"question": "By what name were fighters of the National Liberation Front known... |
6,581 | The military history of the American side of the war involved different strategies over the years. The bombing campaigns of the Air Force were tightly controlled by the White House for political reasons, and until 1972 avoided the main Northern cities of Hanoi and Haiphong and concentrated on bombing jungle supply trai... | [
{
"answer": "Hanoi and Haiphong",
"question": "What two northern Vietnamese cities did the US avoid bombing at the outset of the war?"
},
{
"answer": "the Ho Chi Minh Trail",
"question": "What was the major supply trail for the Northern Vietnamese forces?"
},
{
"answer": "William Westmor... |
6,582 | In 1983 fighting between Palestinian refugees and Lebanese factions reignited that nation's long-running civil war. A UN agreement brought an international force of peacekeepers to occupy Beirut and guarantee security. US Marines landed in August 1982 along with Italian and French forces. On October 23, 1983, a suicide... | [
{
"answer": "1983",
"question": "When did fighting between Palestinians and the Lebanese begin?"
},
{
"answer": "1982",
"question": "When did US marines land in Lebanon?"
},
{
"answer": "October 23, 1983",
"question": "When did a suicide bomber successfully attack the marine barracks... |
6,584 | After just 100 hours of ground combat, and with all of Kuwait and much of southern Iraq under coalition control, US President George H. W. Bush ordered a cease-fire and negotiations began resulting in an agreement for cessation of hostilities. Some US politicians were disappointed by this move, believing Bush should ha... | [
{
"answer": "100 hours",
"question": "How long did ground combat operations last in the Persian Gulf War?"
},
{
"answer": "US President George H. W. Bush",
"question": "Who ordered the cease-fire that effectively ended hostilities?"
},
{
"answer": "pressed on to Baghdad and removed Husse... |
6,585 | The War on Terrorism is a global effort by the governments of several countries (primarily the United States and its principal allies) to neutralize international terrorist groups (primarily Islamic Extremist terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda) and ensure that countries considered by the US and some of its allies to ... | [
{
"answer": "The War on Terrorism",
"question": "What term is given to the attempt by the US and her allies to fight global terrorist groups?"
},
{
"answer": "Islamic Extremist",
"question": "What religious groups are primarily targeted by this war?"
},
{
"answer": "al-Qaeda",
"quest... |
6,586 | After the lengthy Iraq disarmament crisis culminated with an American demand that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein leave Iraq, which was refused, a coalition led by the United States and the United Kingdom fought the Iraqi army in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Approximately 250,000 United States troops, with support from 45... | [
{
"answer": "that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein leave Iraq",
"question": "What demand did the US make before invading Iraq in 2003?"
},
{
"answer": "250,000",
"question": "How many US troops participated in the invasion?"
},
{
"answer": "Turkey",
"question": "What country refused to... |
6,587 | As a result of the Libyan Civil War, the United Nations enacted United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which imposed a no-fly zone over Libya, and the protection of civilians from the forces of Muammar Gaddafi. The United States, along with Britain, France and several other nations, committed a coalition forc... | [
{
"answer": "United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973",
"question": "What declaration established a no-fly zone over Libya?"
},
{
"answer": "Muammar Gaddafi",
"question": "What is the name of the Libyan leader opposed by US and UN forces?"
},
{
"answer": "Operation Unified Protect... |
6,589 | The Berbers along the Barbary Coast (modern day Libya) sent pirates to capture merchant ships and hold the crews for ransom. The U.S. paid protection money until 1801, when President Thomas Jefferson refused to pay and sent in the Navy to challenge the Barbary States, the First Barbary War followed. After the U.S.S. Ph... | [
{
"answer": "modern day Libya",
"question": "Where was the Barbary Coast?"
},
{
"answer": "The Berbers",
"question": "Who sent pirates to capture merchant ships?"
},
{
"answer": "The U.S. paid protection money until 1801",
"question": "How did the United States initially deal with th... |
6,590 | The American Civil War caught both sides unprepared. The Confederacy hoped to win by getting Britain and France to intervene, or else by wearing down the North's willingness to fight. The U.S. sought a quick victory focused on capturing the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia. The Confederates under Robert E. Lee... | [
{
"answer": "getting Britain and France to intervene",
"question": "What was the Confederate overall strategy to win the Civil War?"
},
{
"answer": "capturing the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia",
"question": "What was the Union's original war aim?"
},
{
"answer": "Robert E. Le... |
6,591 | The Navy was modernized in the 1880s, and by the 1890s had adopted the naval power strategy of Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan—as indeed did every major navy. The old sailing ships were replaced by modern steel battleships, bringing them in line with the navies of Britain and Germany. In 1907, most of the Navy's battleship... | [
{
"answer": "the 1880s",
"question": "When in the 19th century was the US navy modernized?"
},
{
"answer": "modern steel battleships",
"question": "What replaced the older sailing ships in the navy?"
},
{
"answer": "the Great White Fleet",
"question": "By what name was the US fleet k... |
6,593 | After the costly U.S. involvement in World War I, isolationism grew within the nation. Congress refused membership in the League of Nations, and in response to the growing turmoil in Europe and Asia, the gradually more restrictive Neutrality Acts were passed, which were intended to prevent the U.S. from supporting eith... | [
{
"answer": "isolationism",
"question": "What general sentiment was the result of losses in World War I?"
},
{
"answer": "the League of Nations",
"question": "Congress refused to allow the US to join what organization?"
},
{
"answer": "Neutrality Acts",
"question": "What legislation ... |
6,594 | World War II holds a special place in the American psyche as the country's greatest triumph, and the U.S. military personnel of World War II are frequently referred to as "the Greatest Generation." Over 16 million served (about 11% of the population), and over 400,000 died during the war. The U.S. emerged as one of the... | [
{
"answer": "Over 16 million",
"question": "How many Americans served in the military in World War II?"
},
{
"answer": "400,000",
"question": "How many American service personnel died in World War II?"
},
{
"answer": "the Soviet Union",
"question": "What other country besides the Uni... |
6,595 | The U.S. framed the war as part of its policy of containment of Communism in south Asia, but American forces were frustrated by an inability to engage the enemy in decisive battles, corruption and incompetence in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and ever increasing protests at home. The Tet Offensive in 1968, altho... | [
{
"answer": "Communism",
"question": "The policy of containment in Asia was aimed at what ideology?"
},
{
"answer": "The Tet Offensive",
"question": "What was the psychological turning point of the war?"
},
{
"answer": "1968",
"question": "When did this offensive take place? "
},
... |
6,596 | Ongoing political tensions between Great Britain and the thirteen colonies reached a crisis in 1774 when the British placed the province of Massachusetts under martial law after the Patriots protested taxes they regarded as a violation of their constitutional rights as Englishmen. When shooting began at Lexington and C... | [
{
"answer": "1774",
"question": "When did Britain declare martial law in a North American colony?"
},
{
"answer": "Massachusetts",
"question": "What colony was placed under martial law?"
},
{
"answer": "Lexington and Concord",
"question": "What were the first conflicts of the America... |
6,597 | Following the American Revolutionary War, the United States faced potential military conflict on the high seas as well as on the western frontier. The United States was a minor military power during this time, having only a modest army, Marine corps, and navy. A traditional distrust of standing armies, combined with fa... | [
{
"answer": "having only a modest army",
"question": "What quality made the US only a minor military power after the Revolutionary War?"
},
{
"answer": "A traditional distrust of standing armies",
"question": "Why was the US military so small initially?"
},
{
"answer": "local militia",
... |
6,598 | After the Civil War, population expansion, railroad construction, and the disappearance of the buffalo herds heightened military tensions on the Great Plains. Several tribes, especially the Sioux and Comanche, fiercely resisted confinement to reservations. The main role of the Army was to keep indigenous peoples on res... | [
{
"answer": "the Sioux and Comanche",
"question": "What two tribes particularly resisted being confined to reservations?"
},
{
"answer": "population expansion, railroad construction, and the disappearance of the buffalo herds",
"question": "What caused a spike in difficulties between settlers an... |
6,599 | Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske was at the vanguard of new technology in naval guns and gunnery, thanks to his innovations in fire control 1890–1910. He immediately grasped the potential for air power, and called for the development of a torpedo plane. Fiske, as aide for operations in 1913–15 to Assistant Secretary Frank... | [
{
"answer": "Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske",
"question": "What naval officer developed new doctrines for gunnery at the turn of the 20th Century?"
},
{
"answer": "torpedo plane",
"question": "What aircraft did Fiske call for the development of?"
},
{
"answer": "Franklin D. Roosevelt",
... |
6,600 | By summer 1918, a million American soldiers, or "doughboys" as they were often called, of the American Expeditionary Forces were in Europe under the command of John J. Pershing, with 25,000 more arriving every week. The failure of Germany's spring offensive exhausted its reserves and they were unable to launch new offe... | [
{
"answer": "doughboys",
"question": "What was the name given to American soldiers in Europe in 1918?"
},
{
"answer": "American Expeditionary Forces",
"question": "What was the official name of the American army that went to fight in Europe in 1918?"
},
{
"answer": "John J. Pershing",
... |
6,601 | Starting in 1940 (18 months before Pearl Harbor), the nation mobilized, giving high priority to air power. American involvement in World War II in 1940–41 was limited to providing war material and financial support to Britain, the Soviet Union, and the Republic of China. The U.S. entered officially on 8 December 1941 f... | [
{
"answer": "air power",
"question": "What was the American priority in mobilization prior to entering World War II?"
},
{
"answer": "8 December 1941",
"question": "When did the US officially enter World War II?"
},
{
"answer": "the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii",
"question... |
6,602 | The Vietnam War was a war fought between 1959 and 1975 on the ground in South Vietnam and bordering areas of Cambodia and Laos (see Secret War) and in the strategic bombing (see Operation Rolling Thunder) of North Vietnam. American advisors came in the late 1950s to help the RVN (Republic of Vietnam) combat Communist i... | [
{
"answer": "between 1959 and 1975",
"question": "When was the Vietnam War fought?"
},
{
"answer": "Cambodia and Laos",
"question": "Besides Vietnam, what other countries saw fighting in this war?"
},
{
"answer": "Operation Rolling Thunder",
"question": "What was the name of the stra... |
6,603 | Before the war, many observers believed the US and its allies could win but might suffer substantial casualties (certainly more than any conflict since Vietnam), and that the tank battles across the harsh desert might rival those of North Africa during World War II. After nearly 50 years of proxy wars, and constant fea... | [
{
"answer": "8 years of war with Iran",
"question": "What conflict was supposed to have provided Iraqi forces with battle experience?"
},
{
"answer": "North Africa during World War II",
"question": "Some observers thought that the Persian Gulf War would have tank battles similar to what war?"
... |
6,604 | With the emergence of ISIL and its capture of large areas of Iraq and Syria, a number of crises resulted that sparked international attention. ISIL had perpetrated sectarian killings and war crimes in both Iraq and Syria. Gains made in the Iraq war were rolled back as Iraqi army units abandoned their posts. Cities were... | [
{
"answer": "ISIL",
"question": "What organization captured significant segments of Iraq and Syria?"
},
{
"answer": "Sharia law",
"question": "What legal ethos does ISIL operate under?"
},
{
"answer": "kidnapping and decapitation",
"question": "What actions did ISIL take against West... |
6,605 | Groups that emerged from the American psychedelic scene about the same time included Iron Butterfly, MC5, Blue Cheer and Vanilla Fudge. San Francisco band Blue Cheer released a crude and distorted cover of Eddie Cochran's classic "Summertime Blues", from their 1968 debut album Vincebus Eruptum, that outlined much of th... | [
{
"answer": "San Francisco",
"question": "Where was the band Blue Cheer from?"
},
{
"answer": "\"Summertime Blues\"",
"question": "What classic song did Blue Cheer cover?"
},
{
"answer": "\"Born to Be Wild\"",
"question": "What was the hit off Steppenwolf's self-titled debut lp?"
}... |
6,609 | Hard rock developed into a major form of popular music in the 1970s, with bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, AC/DC and Van Halen. During the 1980s, some hard rock bands moved away from their hard rock roots and more towards pop rock, while others began to return to a hard rock sound. Establish... | [
{
"answer": "Bon Jovi and Def Leppard",
"question": "What are two examples of glam metal bands?"
},
{
"answer": "grunge and later Britpop",
"question": "What two genres cut into hard rock's popularity at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s?"
},
{
"answer": "Led Zeppelin, The Who, Deep P... |
6,610 | The roots of hard rock can be traced back to the 1950s, particularly electric blues, which laid the foundations for key elements such as a rough declamatory vocal style, heavy guitar riffs, string-bending blues-scale guitar solos, strong beat, thick riff-laden texture, and posturing performances. Electric blues guitari... | [
{
"answer": "electric blues",
"question": "What genre laid the roots for hard rock?"
},
{
"answer": "Link Wray",
"question": "Who recorded \"Rumble\"?"
},
{
"answer": "1958",
"question": "When was \"Rumble\" released?"
},
{
"answer": "\"Let's Go Trippin'\" (1961) and \"Misirl... |
6,613 | Hard rock entered the 1990s as one of the dominant forms of commercial music. The multi-platinum releases of AC/DC's The Razors Edge (1990), Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II (both in 1991), Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tears (1991), and Van Halen's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991) showcased th... | [
{
"answer": "1991",
"question": "Guns N Roses released both Use Your Illusion albums in what year?"
},
{
"answer": "The Black Crowes",
"question": "What band's debut was titled Shake Your Money Maker?"
},
{
"answer": "Adrenalize",
"question": "What was the title of Def Leppard's 1992... |
6,614 | The term "retro-metal" has been applied to such bands as Texas based The Sword, California's High on Fire, Sweden's Witchcraft and Australia's Wolfmother. Wolfmother's self-titled 2005 debut album combined elements of the sounds of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. Fellow Australians Airbourne's début album Runnin' Wild (2... | [
{
"answer": "2006",
"question": "When did the band The Darkness break up?"
},
{
"answer": "retro-metal",
"question": "The Sword, High on Fire, Witchcraft and Wolfmother are all examples of what hard rock sub-genre?"
},
{
"answer": "Runnin' Wild",
"question": "What is the title of Air... |
6,615 | In the 1960s, American and British blues and rock bands began to modify rock and roll by adding harder sounds, heavier guitar riffs, bombastic drumming, and louder vocals, from electric blues. Early forms of hard rock can be heard in the work of Chicago blues musicians Elmore James, Muddy Waters, and Howlin' Wolf, The ... | [
{
"answer": "Elmore James, Muddy Waters, and Howlin' Wolf",
"question": "Who were three Chicago blues players who influenced hard rock?"
},
{
"answer": "The Kinks",
"question": "Who recorded \"You Really Got Me\"?"
},
{
"answer": "The Yardbirds",
"question": "\"Shapes of Things\" was... |
6,617 | Often categorised with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, in 1981 Def Leppard released their second album High 'n' Dry, mixing glam-rock with heavy metal, and helping to define the sound of hard rock for the decade. The follow-up Pyromania (1983), reached number two on the American charts and the singles "Photograph"... | [
{
"answer": "the New Wave of British Heavy Metal",
"question": "What sub-genre of hard rock does Def Leppard belong to?"
},
{
"answer": "High 'n' Dry",
"question": "What was Def Leppard's second album called?"
},
{
"answer": "\"Photograph\", \"Rock of Ages\" and \"Foolin'\"",
"questi... |
6,618 | While these few hard rock bands managed to maintain success and popularity in the early part of the decade, alternative forms of hard rock achieved mainstream success in the form of grunge in the US and Britpop in the UK. This was particularly evident after the success of Nirvana's Nevermind (1991), which combined elem... | [
{
"answer": "Nevermind",
"question": "What was the title of Nirvana's 1991 album?"
},
{
"answer": "grunge",
"question": "What was the hard rock style that emerged in the early 1990s?"
},
{
"answer": "Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Mother Love Bone and Soundgarden",
"question": "What are... |
6,620 | Hard rock is a form of loud, aggressive rock music. The electric guitar is often emphasised, used with distortion and other effects, both as a rhythm instrument using repetitive riffs with a varying degree of complexity, and as a solo lead instrument. Drumming characteristically focuses on driving rhythms, strong bass ... | [
{
"answer": "The electric guitar",
"question": "What instrument is usually at the center of a hard rock sound?"
},
{
"answer": "repetitive riffs with a varying degree of complexity",
"question": "Rhythm guitar in hard rock usually plays what?"
},
{
"answer": "a solo lead instrument",
... |
6,625 | In the late 1960s, the term heavy metal was used interchangeably with hard rock, but gradually began to be used to describe music played with even more volume and intensity. While hard rock maintained a bluesy rock and roll identity, including some swing in the back beat and riffs that tended to outline chord progressi... | [
{
"answer": "heavy metal",
"question": "By the late 60s, what term was synonymous with hard rock?"
},
{
"answer": "Black Sabbath",
"question": "What heavy metal group introduced darker themes to the music?"
},
{
"answer": "hardcore punk",
"question": "What genre was an influence on e... |
6,626 | By the end of the decade a distinct genre of hard rock was emerging with bands like Led Zeppelin, who mixed the music of early rock bands with a more hard-edged form of blues rock and acid rock on their first two albums Led Zeppelin (1969) and Led Zeppelin II (1969), and Deep Purple, who began as a progressive rock gro... | [
{
"answer": "1969",
"question": "Led Zeppelin's first two albums both came out in what year?"
},
{
"answer": "In Rock",
"question": "What was the title of Deep Purple's hard rock 1970 album?"
},
{
"answer": "occult and elements of Gothic horror",
"question": "Black Sabbath's lyrics c... |
6,630 | The term "Great Plains", for the region west of about the 96th or 98th meridian and east of the Rocky Mountains, was not generally used before the early 20th century. Nevin Fenneman's 1916 study, Physiographic Subdivision of the United States, brought the term Great Plains into more widespread usage. Before that the re... | [
{
"answer": "\"Great Plains",
"question": "what is the name of the region east of the Rocky Mountains?"
},
{
"answer": "Nevin Fenneman's",
"question": "who brought the term great plains into widespread usage?"
},
{
"answer": "1916",
"question": "what year was Nevin Fenneman's study?"... |
6,631 | Much of the Great Plains became open range, or rangeland where cattle roamed free, hosting ranching operations where anyone was theoretically free to run cattle. In the spring and fall, ranchers held roundups where their cowboys branded new calves, treated animals and sorted the cattle for sale. Such ranching began in ... | [
{
"answer": "open range",
"question": "what type of land is much of the great plans?"
},
{
"answer": "spring and fall",
"question": "when did ranchers usually have a cattle round up?"
},
{
"answer": "branded",
"question": "in a cattle round up, what did ranchers do to the new calves?... |
6,632 | With the arrival of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, a Spanish conquistador, the first recorded history of encounter between Europeans and Native Americans in the Great Plains occurred in Texas, Kansas and Nebraska from 1540-1542. In that same time period, Hernando de Soto crossed a west-northwest direction in what is no... | [
{
"answer": "Francisco Vázquez de Coronado",
"question": "who was the spanish conquistador who had encounters with europeans and native americans?"
},
{
"answer": "Hernando de Soto",
"question": "who crossed a section of oklahoma and texas?"
},
{
"answer": "the De Soto Trail",
"quest... |
6,633 | The 100th meridian roughly corresponds with the line that divides the Great Plains into an area that receive 20 inches (510 millimetres) or more of rainfall per year and an area that receives less than 20 in (510 mm). In this context, the High Plains, as well as Southern Alberta, south-western Saskatchewan and Eastern ... | [
{
"answer": "The 100th meridian",
"question": "what is the name of the line that divides the great plains?"
},
{
"answer": "20 inches",
"question": "about how much rainfall does the great plains get per year?"
},
{
"answer": "dust storms",
"question": "what do high winds in the area ... |
6,634 | After 1870, the new railroads across the Plains brought hunters who killed off almost all the bison for their hides. The railroads offered attractive packages of land and transportation to European farmers, who rushed to settle the land. They (and Americans as well) also took advantage of the homestead laws to obtain f... | [
{
"answer": "1870",
"question": "after about what year did railroads bring hunters to the great plains?"
},
{
"answer": "bison",
"question": "what animal did hunters kill off for their hides?"
},
{
"answer": "European farmers",
"question": "what farmers rushed in to settle the land w... |
6,635 | The rural Plains have lost a third of their population since 1920. Several hundred thousand square miles (several hundred thousand square kilometers) of the Great Plains have fewer than 6 inhabitants per square mile (2.3 inhabitants per square kilometer)—the density standard Frederick Jackson Turner used to declare the... | [
{
"answer": "a third",
"question": "how much of the population have the rural plains lost since 1920? "
},
{
"answer": "Frederick Jackson Turner",
"question": "who declated the American frontier \"closed\" in 1893?"
},
{
"answer": "more than 6,000",
"question": "how many ghost towns ... |
6,636 | Although the eastern image of farm life in the prairies emphasized the isolation of the lonely farmer and wife, plains residents created busy social lives for themselves. They often sponsored activities that combined work, food and entertainment such as barn raisings, corn huskings, quilting bees, Grange meetings, chur... | [
{
"answer": "Women",
"question": "who usually organized shared meals and potluck events?"
}
] |
6,637 | From the 1950s on, many areas of the Great Plains have become productive crop-growing areas because of extensive irrigation on large landholdings. The United States is a major exporter of agricultural products. The southern portion of the Great Plains lies over the Ogallala Aquifer, a huge underground layer of water-be... | [
{
"answer": "1950s",
"question": "around when did the great plains become productive for crop growing"
},
{
"answer": "Ogallala Aquifer",
"question": "what is the large underground layer of water in the great plains called?"
},
{
"answer": "Center pivot irrigation",
"question": "what... |
6,638 | The Great Plains is the broad expanse of flat land (a plain), much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, that lies west of the Mississippi River tallgrass prairie states and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts, but not all, of the states of Colorado, Kansas, Mon... | [
{
"answer": "broad expanse of flat land",
"question": "what is the great plains?"
},
{
"answer": "west of the Mississippi River",
"question": "where does the great plains lie?"
},
{
"answer": "extensive cattle ranching",
"question": "what is the region known for?"
}
] |
6,639 | The North American Environmental Atlas, produced by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, a NAFTA agency composed of the geographical agencies of the Mexican, American, and Canadian governments uses the "Great Plains" as an ecoregion synonymous with predominant prairies and grasslands rather than as physiograph... | [
{
"answer": "Commission for Environmental Cooperation",
"question": "who is the North American Environmental Atlas made by?"
},
{
"answer": "Mexican, American, and Canadian governments",
"question": "what countries is the Commission for Environmental Cooperation made up of?"
}
] |
6,641 | During the Cenozoic era, specifically about 25 million years ago during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs, the continental climate became favorable to the evolution of grasslands. Existing forest biomes declined and grasslands became much more widespread. The grasslands provided a new niche for mammals, including many un... | [
{
"answer": "about 25 million years ago",
"question": "about how long ago did the climate become favorable?"
},
{
"answer": "mammals",
"question": "what animals did the grasslands provide a new home for?"
},
{
"answer": "grazing diets",
"question": "what diet did the mammals switch t... |
6,642 | To allow for agricultural development of the Great Plains and house a growing population, the US passed the Homestead Acts of 1862: it allowed a settler to claim up to 160 acres (65 ha) of land, provided that he lived on it for a period of five years and cultivated it. The provisions were expanded under the Kinkaid Act... | [
{
"answer": "1862",
"question": "when did the US pass the Homestead ACt?"
},
{
"answer": "up to 160 acres",
"question": "how much land did the Homestead Act allow a person to claim?"
},
{
"answer": "five years",
"question": "how long did the person have to live on the land?"
},
{... |
6,643 | Infrared radiation is used in industrial, scientific, and medical applications. Night-vision devices using active near-infrared illumination allow people or animals to be observed without the observer being detected. Infrared astronomy uses sensor-equipped telescopes to penetrate dusty regions of space, such as molecul... | [
{
"answer": "active near-infrared illumination",
"question": "What technology is used by night-vision devices?"
},
{
"answer": "Infrared astronomy",
"question": "What discipline uses infrared telescopes to see through molecular clouds?"
},
{
"answer": "red",
"question": "What color s... |
6,644 | The onset of infrared is defined (according to different standards) at various values typically between 700 nm and 800 nm, but the boundary between visible and infrared light is not precisely defined. The human eye is markedly less sensitive to light above 700 nm wavelength, so longer wavelengths make insignificant con... | [
{
"answer": "700 nm",
"question": "At what wavelength does the human eye become significantly less sensitive to light?"
},
{
"answer": "near-IR",
"question": "What sort of light is generated by IR lasers?"
},
{
"answer": "780 nm",
"question": "Up to what wavelength does the human eye... |
6,645 | The concept of emissivity is important in understanding the infrared emissions of objects. This is a property of a surface that describes how its thermal emissions deviate from the ideal of a black body. To further explain, two objects at the same physical temperature will not show the same infrared image if they have ... | [
{
"answer": "emissivity",
"question": "What is the term for the property that describes how a surface's thermal emissions deviate from the ideal of a black body?"
},
{
"answer": "hotter",
"question": "How will the infrared image of an object with a higher emissivity appear in relation to one wit... |
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