Historical Parallax

Historical Parallax is an AI-powered website that explores historical figures and events through records, analyses, and evaluations. It leverages AI to provide insightful perspectives on history, aiming to offer a parallax view—multiple angles on the same subject for deeper understanding.

This project is open-source and licensed under the MIT License. It is owned by Parallax AI, LLC.

Features

• AI-Driven Content: Generates and evaluates historical records using advanced AI models.
• Hallucination Verification: Includes fact-checking features powered by multiple AI models (e.g., Grok, Claude, GPT, Gemini, Deepseek, Perplexity) to ensure accuracy and reduce hallucinations.
• Content Management: Articles are stored in Markdown format in the content/articles directory.
• Integration Support: Compatible with online cloud storage and tool calling integrations (e.g., Slack, Figma, GitHub, and over 10 others) for enhanced collaboration and data handling.

Installation

To set up the project locally:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/parallax-ai-llc/historical-parallax.git
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Configure environment variables (e.g., API keys for AI models, cloud storage).
4. Run the application:

   npm run dev
   

Usage

• Browse historical articles via the web interface.
• Use the fact-checking tool to verify content by selecting from available AI models.
• Integrate with external tools for storage and collaboration.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome but must follow strict guidelines to maintain quality and consistency. We only accept contributions in the form of creating or modifying Markdown files in the content/articles directory.

Guidelines

• Content Focus: All contributions must relate to historical figures or events, including records, evaluations, or analyses.
• Format: Use Markdown (.md) files. Structure each article with headings, sources, and AI-generated insights.
• Fact-Checking: All new or modified content must pass hallucination verification using the built-in tools.
• Pull Request Process:
  1. Fork the repository.
  2. Create a new branch: git checkout -b feature/your-article.
  3. Add or edit .md files in content/articles.
  4. Commit changes: git commit -m "Add article on [Topic]".
  5. Push to your fork: git push origin feature/your-article.
  6. Open a pull request with a clear description and reference to any fact-checks performed.
• Prohibited Changes: Do not modify code, configurations, or other directories without prior approval from Parallax AI, LLC.
• Code of Conduct: Be respectful and adhere to open-source best practices.

For questions, contact the maintainers at Parallax AI, LLC.

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Article Contribution Guide

This section provides detailed instructions for contributing articles to Historical Parallax.

File Naming Convention

• Use lowercase with hyphens: firstname-lastname.md
• Examples: napoleon-bonaparte.md, cleopatra-vii.md, winston-churchill.md
• For figures known by single names: aristotle.md, confucius.md

Article Structure

Every article must follow this exact Markdown structure:

---
id: "firstname-lastname"
name: "Full Name"
birth: "YYYY-MM-DD"
death: "YYYY-MM-DD"
nationality: "Country"
occupation: ["Occupation1", "Occupation2"]
image: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/..."
socialLinks:
  wikipedia: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/..."
lastUpdated: "YYYY-MM-DD"
---

## Summary
A 3-4 sentence overview of the person's significance.

## Early Life
Birth, family background, education, and early career. Include citations [^1].

## Middle Years
Main career achievements and key events. Include citations [^2].

## Later Life
Final years and legacy. Include citations [^3].

## Positive Perspectives
- Positive point 1 with citation [^4]
- Positive point 2 with citation [^5]
- (Include 4-6 points)

## Negative Perspectives
- Criticism or controversy 1 with citation [^6]
- Criticism or controversy 2 with citation [^7]
- (Include 4-6 points)

## Recent News
Recent news or developments related to the person (if applicable).

## Career Timeline
| Year | Event |
|------|-------|
| YYYY | Description of event |
| YYYY | Description of event |

## References
[^1]: Author, "Title" (Year). URL
[^2]: Author, "Title" (Year). URL

Frontmatter Requirements

Field	Required	Format	Description
id	Yes	string	Lowercase with hyphens, matches filename
name	Yes	string	Full name of the person
birth	Yes	YYYY-MM-DD	Birth date in ISO format
death	No	YYYY-MM-DD	Death date (omit if still alive)
nationality	Yes	string	Country name
occupation	Yes	array	List of occupations
image	Yes	URL	Wikimedia Commons image URL
socialLinks.wikipedia	Yes	URL	Wikipedia article URL
lastUpdated	Yes	YYYY-MM-DD	Date of last edit

Content Guidelines

1. Language: All content must be written in English.

2. Objectivity: Present facts neutrally. Attribute opinions to their sources.

3. Balance: Include both positive and negative perspectives with equal rigor.

4. Citations: Every factual claim must have a citation using footnote format [^n].

5. Sources: Use only reputable sources:

   • Academic books and journals
   • Peer-reviewed articles
   • Reputable news organizations (BBC, NYT, Reuters, etc.)
   • Official government or institutional records
   • Wikipedia (as a starting point only; verify with primary sources)

6. Images: Only use images from Wikimedia Commons that are:

   • Public domain, or
   • Licensed under Creative Commons (CC-BY, CC-BY-SA)

Example Contribution

Here's a minimal example of a valid article:

---
id: "marie-curie"
name: "Marie Curie"
birth: "1867-11-07"
death: "1934-07-04"
nationality: "Poland"
occupation: ["Physicist", "Chemist"]
image: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Marie_Curie_c1920.jpg/440px-Marie_Curie_c1920.jpg"
socialLinks:
  wikipedia: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie"
lastUpdated: "2025-12-20"
---

## Summary
Marie Curie was a pioneering physicist and chemist who conducted groundbreaking research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences.

## Early Life
Maria Sklodowska was born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland [^1]. She moved to Paris in 1891 to study at the Sorbonne [^2].

## Middle Years
In 1898, she discovered polonium and radium with her husband Pierre Curie [^3]. She won her first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 [^4].

## Later Life
After Pierre's death in 1906, she continued her research and won a second Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911 [^5]. She died on July 4, 1934, from aplastic anemia caused by radiation exposure [^6].

## Positive Perspectives
- Pioneered the field of radioactivity research [^7]
- First woman to become a professor at the University of Paris [^8]
- Established mobile X-ray units during World War I [^9]
- Inspired generations of women in science [^10]

## Negative Perspectives
- Her research contributed to the development of nuclear weapons [^11]
- Dismissed safety concerns about radiation exposure [^12]

## Recent News
In 2024, new archival materials were discovered detailing her correspondence with Albert Einstein.

## Career Timeline
| Year | Event |
|------|-------|
| 1891 | Moved to Paris to study at the Sorbonne |
| 1895 | Married Pierre Curie |
| 1898 | Discovered polonium and radium |
| 1903 | Won Nobel Prize in Physics |
| 1911 | Won Nobel Prize in Chemistry |
| 1934 | Died in Passy, France |

## References
[^1]: Goldsmith, Barbara. "Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie" (2005).
[^2]: Curie, Eve. "Madame Curie: A Biography" (1937).
[^3]: Nobel Prize Organization. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1903/marie-curie/biographical/
...

Pull Request Checklist

Before submitting your PR, ensure:

• File is named correctly (lowercase-with-hyphens.md)
• Frontmatter includes all required fields
• All dates are in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)
• Article includes all required sections
• Every factual claim has a citation
• Both positive and negative perspectives are included
• Sources are from reputable publications
• Image URL is from Wikimedia Commons
• Content is written in English
• No code or configuration files are modified

Review Process

1. Automated Checks: Your PR will be automatically checked for formatting compliance.
2. Fact Verification: Maintainers will verify claims using AI-powered hallucination detection.
3. Editorial Review: Content will be reviewed for balance, accuracy, and quality.
4. Merge: Once approved, your contribution will be merged and deployed.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Owned by Parallax AI, LLC. All rights reserved except as granted by the license.