Why History Matters

 

What is history?

Cambridge Dictionary says it's the study of past events considered together, especially events of a particular period, country, or subject.

A simpler definition is history is the study of past events as it is described in written documents or passed down in stories told by humans.

Why is history important?

History teaches us to think for ourselves. It should not be looked at as just a bunch of events and dates for us to remember. We can only learn from it by applying our minds to interpret facts and events. 

History is not wrapped up in a tidy bundle. You can’t really say this is what happened, this is why it happened, and this is what we learned from it. You must break it down to fully understand it.

Here is a video where teachers explain why they think it's important and they are not saying history teaches us lessons. Most are saying, it allows us to examine and interpret the information to understand and learn from the past and to see how we got to where we are today.

Here is a link for an article that gives 15 reasons history is important.

https://curiousdesire.com/reasons-why-history-is-important/#:~:text=15%20Reasons%20Why%20History%20Is%20Important%3F%201%201.,History%20Develops%20Understanding%20Of%20Present%20Issues%20More%20items

What comes to your mind when you think about history? 

When people think of history, they tend to think of happenings from long ago. That is true, but history continues to happen up to today, and the exciting thing is, we're part of it.

I believe it depends on your age and your interests, as to what history means to you.

I'm in my late 60s and I prefer to study and read things that happened in the 1800 old west up to current events. That is what has always fascinated me.

I believe if you want to kill a child's interest in history, just give them a thick, boring history book. Think about it. To them, history is what happened in our lifetime. Show and tell is the better way to get them interested in history.

I'm pretty sure if I sat my 7-year-old great granddaughter down and started reading to her how hard it was for the settlers traveling from Missouri to Oregon in 1850, she would lose interest quickly. 

Now if I sat her down and showed her a rotary phone and explained to her how we had to make phone calls when I was a kid, that would be different. She could compare a cell phone with it, she could play with it, asks questions, and if I don't have answers, we could look up the answers together and both of us learn something new.

Conclusion.

I look back over how much history has occurred in my lifetime and I am just amazed. There's been world events, wars, political assignations, landing on the moon, and technical advances that seem commonplace today. I remember when we didn't have internet, computers, cell phones, and hundreds of other inventions that make our lives easier and simpler. History is being made every day and I believe most of that happens because of something someone learned from past history.