Why understand history

Language has changed and evolved over time and so has the way people write and express themselves. You can also refine your writing skills through learning to not just repeat what someone else said, but to analyze information from multiple sources and come up with your own conclusions. There are so many sources of information out in the world. What was a victory for one group was a great loss for another — you get to create your own opinions of these events.

It helps us understand the many reasons why people may behave the way they do. As a result, it helps us become more impartial as decision-makers.

In the study of history you will need to conduct research. This gives you the opportunity to look at two kinds of sources — primary written at the time and secondary sources written about a time period, after the fact.

This practice can teach you how to decipher between reliable and unreliable sources. There are numbers and data to be learned from history. In terms of patterns: patterns in population, desertions during times of war, and even in environmental factors. These patterns that are found help clarify why things happened as they did. All people and cultures are living histories. The languages we speak are inherited from the past.

Our cultures, traditions, and religions are all inherited from the past. We even inherit our genetic makeup from those that lived before us. Knowing these connections give you a basic understanding of the condition of being human. Learning about history can be a great deal of fun.

We have the throngs of movies about our past to prove it. History is full of some of the most interesting and fascinating stories ever told, including pirates, treasure, mysteries, and adventures.

On a regular basis new stories from the past keep emerging to the mainstream. Better yet, there is a history of every topic and field. Whatever you find fascinating there is a history to go along with it. The subject of history can help you develop your skills and transform you to be a better version of yourself as a citizen, a student, and person overall.

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Humans are exceptional animals for their ability to think 'long' as well as 'immediate'; and those abilities need to be cultivated. If educational systems do not provide a systematic grounding in the study of History, then people will glean some picture of the past and the role of themselves, their families, and their significant associations which include everything from nations and religions to local clubs and neighbourhood networks from a medley of other resources — from cultural traditions, from collective memories, from myths, rumours, songs, sagas, from political and religious teachings and customs, from their families, their friends, and from every form of human communication from gossip to the printing press and on to the web.

People do learn, in other words, from a miscellany of resources that are assimilated both consciously and unconsciously. But what is learned may be patchy or confused, leaving some feeling rootless; or it may be simplified and partisan, leaving others feeling embattled or embittered.

A good educational system should help people to study History more formally, more systematically, more accurately, more critically and more longitudinally. By that means, people will have access to a great human resource, compiled over many generations, which is the collective set of studies of the past, and the human story within that. Humans do not learn from the past, people sometimes say. An extraordinary remark! People certainly do not learn from the future.

And the present is so fleeting that everything that is learned in the present has already passed into the past by the time it is consolidated. Of course humans learn from the past — and that is why it is studied. History is thus not just about things 'long ago and far away' — though it includes that — but it is about all that makes humanity human — up close and personal. Interestingly, Henry Ford's dictum that 'History is bunk' now itself forms part of human history.

It has remained in circulation for 90 years since it was first coined. And it exemplifies a certain no-nonsense approach of the stereotypical go-ahead businessman, unwilling to be hide-bound by old ways. But Ford himself repented. He faced much derision for his apparent endorsement of know-nothingism. Some business leaders may perhaps affect contempt for what has gone before, but the wisest among them look to the past, to understand the foundations, as well as to the future, in order to build.

Indeed, all leaders should reflect that arbitrary changes, imposed willy-nilly without any understanding of the historical context, generally fail. There are plenty of recent examples as well as long-ago case-histories to substantiate this observation. Politicians and generals in Iraq today — on all sides — should certainly take heed. After all, Ford's pioneering Model T motor-car did not arrive out of the blue in He had spent the previous 15 years testing a variety of horseless carriages.

Furthermore, the Model T relied upon an advanced steel industry to supply the car's novel frame of light steel alloy, as well as the honed skills of the engineers who built the cars, and the savvy of the oil prospectors who refined petroleum for fuel, just as Ford's own novel design for electrical ignition drew upon the systematic study of electricity initiated in the 18th century, while the invention of the wheel was a human staple dating back some 5, years.

And the process by no means halted with Henry Ford I. So the next invention that followed upon his innovations provided synchro-mesh gearing for these new motorised vehicles — and that change itself occurred within the diachro-mesh process of shared adaptations, major and minor, that were being developed, sustained, transmitted and revolutionised through time.

Later in life, Henry Ford himself became a keen collector of early American antique furniture, as well as of classic automobiles. In this way, he paid tribute both to his cultural ancestry and to the cumulative as well as revolutionary transformations in human transportation to which he had so notably contributed.

Moreover, for the Ford automobile company, there was a further twist in the tale. In his old age, the once-radical Henry Ford I turned into an out-of-touch despot. He failed to adapt with the changing industry and left his pioneering business almost bankrupt, to be saved only by new measures introduced by his grandson Henry Ford II. Time and history had the last laugh — outlasting even fast cars and scoffers at History.

Because humans are rooted in time, people do by one means or another pick up ideas about the past and its linkages with the present, even if these ideas are sketchy or uninformed or outright mythological. But it is best to gain access to the ideas and evidence of History as an integral part of normal education. The broad span of human experience, viewed both in depth and longitudinally over time, is the subject of History as a field of study. Therefore the true question is not: 'What is the use or relevance of History?

Penelope J. Corfield is professor of history at Royal Holloway, University of London. Corfield All people are living histories — which is why History matters Penelope J. Corfield Historians are often asked: what is the use or relevance of studying History the capital letter signalling the academic field of study? The discussion is amplified under the following headings: Answering two objections to History Noting two weak arguments in favour of studying History Celebrating the strong case for History The repentance of Henry Ford: History is not bunk Summary Answering two objections to History One common objection that historians encounter is the instant put-down that is derived from Henry Ford I, the impresario of the mass automobile.

Those historical stories can also serve to inspire individuals to greatness. History remembers brilliant people and their heroic acts that have changed the shape of nations. You get a huge amount of motivation from learning about the inspirational events that make up where we are today.

The past is filled with warning signs. We must be able to reflect on the events that built up to them, learn from mistakes made and resist and question if we see similar patterns emerging. If your child studies history, they will be able to identify when society is going down perilous routes and contribute towards getting it back on track.

History is a respected academic pursuit that challenges our intellect. Students must analyse information that may not have one clear interpretation before offering a balanced conclusion. Critical thought is at the heart of every challenging intellectual pursuit. The ability to question and evaluate information is one that applies to workplaces in many industries, and Nord Anglia Education strive to provide the necessary transferrable skills to all our students.

History is one of the best subjects for stimulating and developing this ability. History is not about memorising a list of facts or dates. It requires interpretation and analysis of information around subjects which often have no right or wrong answers.

Still, there are plenty of effective methods for studying history, like these three:. History is shaped by a list of chronological events.

It can lead to a daunting list of times, dates and people to learn. One popular method for doing this involves making connections to develop the full picture. With your child, note down the different events, facts and people that played a role in a significant historical event. Then create a mind map that connects each part of the picture, using colours and symbols to establish a pattern containing a large amount of easily digestible information.

While history usually focuses on the larger picture rather than just a succession of dates or facts, it can also be worthwhile adopting memory techniques to ensure that your child can reach for specific information if they need it.

Some students see the Read…. These courses are more than learning rudimentary dates or placing a congenial timeline of who conquered whom — history is a vehicle of humanity and of understanding the world. To understand and to study history is as inherently about the future as it is about the past. If we want to understand the present climate of our political institutions, we have to look back in time at how societies have reacted, how the society has morphed and how history has played out.

People are frantically looking towards the past in an effort to connect history to the present for answers or clarity. Of course, history does repeat itself — history is nothing more than the culmination of decisions made by people over years.