The Nature of History

‘Food bank’

What an interesting, philosophical thread. I don’t have much to add here, but history is being made everyday, somewhere in the world and you and I are not part of it.

It might, eventually, affect our lives, and maybe not. We are more likely to be a part of history making in our community, state or country.

Unless you are a Nobel scientist, inventor, politician, astronaut, etc.

I agree with many posters here that historical categories are numerous indeed and many levels within, and could include things that human hands haven’t even “touched”, like climate events. Historic in scope.

Let’s not forget “Family” history too - those stories of crazy Uncle Joe or what the Twins did… those tales go down from generation to generation. Heh, heh 😏

A mere speck of dust in the universe.
USA Gundy

For most people in the USA, tracing back their roots far far away is a passion which I totally understand. So many of my relatives left to seek a new life in the USA and OZ, from the 1830s. My dad's older brother and sister in the late 1920s - and all became very successful in their own way. Many generations down the line (5 of my dad's brother and sister)- still in touch and visiting both ways. Same in OZ and Tasmania, South Africa, and beyond.

Understanding why they left lead you to the historical aspects- and the reasons, context, the good, the bad, and the very ugly. Poverty and/or slavery rather than just 'curiosity or adventure'.

Dinahmo

The history curriculum taught when I was at school depended upon which exam board was used by the school.

For O Level history we studied 19th English and European from 1832 to the beginning of the WW1.

For A level history we had 3 papers - 18thC - British, European and the French Revolution. For some reason the latter always fascinated me - maybe it was the people involved.

I live in what is now known (officially) as Aquitaine and the Dordogne River is not far away. This region is of great interest to me because of the 100 Years War. Whenever we take friends to the ancient towns and villages along the river I imagine the English and French firing their cannons across the river at each other.

For O Level history we studied 19th English and European from 1832 to the beginning of the WW1

Yours started where mine left off, we took the Cambridge Board. I read a lot of Jean Plaidy novels too, much more interesting 😀
I didn't take it at 'A' level but have found it more interesting since I left school.

Couldn’t agree more. You put it beautifully!

How much history you learnt at school, as with everything other subject, depends on how much you enjoyed and were interested in the subject.

Learning, even at school age, is not just what teachers teach us in school hours, it is how that leads out into our life outside school.

I loved history from day one, so as well as absorbing it at school, it influenced my choice of out-of-school reading. I loved reading historical novels. (then, not now) I noticed history around me - that the local library was in the Manor House that was once owned by a major banking family, there was a major historic site 2 or 3 miles away, which I would wander off and visit, almost weekly in school holidays (entry was free then). I reached a stage of chatting to the curators.

As a result I left school with abiding interest and very wide knowledge of history. I cannot say the same of my knowledge of maths or physics, or French, where a friend who loved the language was trying to read French literature in the original at 15, where I scrambled through O level, and then left the subject.

Reading historical novels certainly helped me with my understanding. I think my first was the Scarlet Pimpernel, followed by Children of the New Forest. Jean Plaidy was good and also Georgette Heyer (for different reasons). The 19thC novelists cover a wide range of topics. Currently I think that Hilary Mantel is an excellent read.

D K Broster, Jeoffrey Farnol, John Buchan, very good on strange parts of Scottish history.