Why Study History?

You may be asking yourself, "Why should I learn these dates, people and events? They have no impact on who I am or what I am doing today. So what's the point?" Well, after taking this course I hope that you will be able to answer this question with ease. However, in the meantime, I will clue you in as to why all this "old, boring stuff matters."

History matters for a variety of reasons. One reason is that history has a tendency of repeating itself, time and time again. By not understanding mistakes made by those in the past, you are highly likely to repeat them again in the future. Such examples of this occurring phenomena would be Napoleon marching his French troops to invade Russia in the early 19th century. During this invasion, almost all of his troops died from frostbite, hypothermia and starvation. Hitler would do the exact same thing, about one hundred and twenty nine years later. Or a more resent example, the Holocaust occurred in Europe for most of the duration of WWII, 1939-45. A similar event would happen in Bosnia, some fifty years later. This was particularly disturbing, due to Bosnia being in the same part of the world as the Holocaust of WWII! Thus, without having a good understanding of the past, you are doomed to repeat the mistakes that people have made in the past.

Another reason history matters is that it is more than just dates and events; it is also a personal narrative of those that lived in the past. Studying history can give you a unique perspective as to how those of the past lived their day to day lives. History can help explain how settlers survived out on the plains and their perilous journey along the famous wagon trails of the mid 1800's. Also, history can tell the tale of how families managed to get by during the Great Depression and all the hardships they faced. Thus, history is more than just names, dates, and events but also the real lives of those that lived in the past.

So, history matters because without understanding our past, we are doomed to repeat the past! I listed a few examples above, but there are virtually endless amounts of examples, throughout the course of history of this phenomena roaring its ugly head. Also, history is more than just memorizing dates, people, and events. History tells the vibrant stories of those that lived in the past. So, still unconvinced as to why all these dates, events and people matter? Perhaps this fun video will be more persuasive? Now, I invite you to come up with a few examples of your own, as well as, why you believe history is an important subject worth studying? Or do you feel that History is not worth studying, and why?