History Lovers?

[RustonIsMyHome]

Are there any history lovers out there? Whether it be church history or secular history... If you do love history, what makes you eager to learn more. And if you don't love history, then why do you feel that it is not important as current happenings in the world?

[BenRaines]

I enjoy reading and studying about history. Most recent was studying about the Council of Nicea and how the Nicene creed came about and evolved.

The Internet has made it much easier to research and read about history.

Ben Raines

[Acez]

Don't tell anyone... but yes I am a History Lover. I do love to learn about Church History but also love New Zealand and Maori History and also World War 2.

Acez

[Maureen]

...If you do love history, what makes you eager to learn more....

I think for me I like history because it's already happened. I can compare what has happened before with my own culture and environment. I like the differences between the past and present. It's like seeing into the future because I know what happens or I'm going to learn what happens. And in relating to historical figures I see their life events based on their personality, their choices and sometimes wonder if they lacked that idiosyncarsy would events have turned out differently. :)

M.

[OIC]

Oh most definitely.

You can ask my wife. If I had a job in as a document restorationist in a moldy old archive somewhere I would be in 7th heaven.

[BenRaines]

I think that one danger in studying history is trying to understand it with modern understanding.

For example there were few people who enjoyed the comforts in life that even the poorest of Americans do back in the time of Christ. Most in that time barely had anything to eat, hardly ever ate meat and worked from early morning to late at night to eat a meager meal.

Ben Raines

[Aphrodite]

I absolutely adore history. I'd go as far as to say Im a bit obsessed with it. All my family and friends know me for this. My 'special' areas are tudor England and Victorian/Edwardian times. Im also really into greek mythology and classical history. If i hadnt done nursing i would have done a history degree and been in heaven! My family and I went to Windsor castle the other day and I could tell my family who the paintings were of by sight as Ive studied them relentlessly. (I read history books for pure pleasure and my sister calls me a freak lol). I was dead chuffed with myself being able to say, 'That's William of Orange, oh and thats queen Mary his wife he married when she was 9' lol. If I ever had a wish, i would go back in time to an era of my choice for one day to see what it was like. I have no idea why I love it so much. I just feel really connected with the people and I am just fascinated. Im always dragging my husband round museums and palaces while hed rather be at a theme park lol. So I have no idea where my love/stroke obsession comes from but Im glad I have it!

[CrimsonKairos]

I like history, but sometimes herstory is just as valid.

[JcDean78]

I love History. We can learn so much from those who came before us. Many different ideas have been tried and different things have happened. We can look back and try to find ways to continue what went right and prevent what went wrong. Once we forget the history, we are truly doomed to repeat it.

Look at the USA and look at ancient Rome. Some huge similarities there... but alas, most people do not know the history of ancient Rome.

[LT04]

Its funny you mention that. I had a history teacher explain to us that history was about his story, the one who had the pen in his/her hand at the time. For example had the Axis won the second world war they would have been the good guys b/c they had all the pens then.

-LT04

[JcDean78]

Its funny you mention that. I had a history teacher explain to us that history was about his story, the one who had the pen in his/her hand at the time. For example had the Axis won the second world war they would have been the good guys b/c they had all the pens then.

-LT04

There is much truth to that. Consider also that it is not just the victor that writes History (if there is a victor) but that it is writen from the perspective of the person writing. They might choose to omit or add things based on that perspective or skew even things to their way of thinking.

Look at how polarizing things are now. Can we agree on much as a society? Many feel the war in Iraq is going well while others feel it is not. Who will write the history on this one? Depending on the person writing it, depends greatly on the persepctive that it will be known through time.

So your point is very valid but I would say we also need to factor in the perspective of the writer as he/she might not have the same as the rest of socitey or even a large % of socitey.

[Palerider]

I too love History.....I especially love Church History. I live in a town of about 5000 people and I love reading about the history of this small town.

[Traveler]

We are our history. Ecc 1:9

The Traveler

[pushka]

Yes I'm a great fan of history. As others have already stated, we can learn lots from what has happened in the past. Also, it is useful to read histories from different peoples' perspectives.

My favourite kind of history is Social History, and I studied Social Policy for a short time in Uni. The 19th Century interests me the most, but I love to watch documentaries and some fictional docu-dramas from most historical periods.

[susieSA]

Are there any history lovers out there? Whether it be church history or secular history... If you do love history, what makes you eager to learn more. And if you don't love history, then why do you feel that it is not important as current happenings in the world?

I personally do not love history... The main reason is that I am so very pathetic with dates

On the other hand I did enjoy learning about the events themselves. Church history as well as secular.

I feel that history is very relavent to what is happening in the world today :)

[BenRaines]

"those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it."

George Santayana

[JcDean78]

<div class='quotemain'>

Are there any history lovers out there? Whether it be church history or secular history... If you do love history, what makes you eager to learn more. And if you don't love history, then why do you feel that it is not important as current happenings in the world?

I personally do not love history... The main reason is that I am so very pathetic with dates

On the other hand I did enjoy learning about the events themselves. Church history as well as secular.

I feel that history is very relavent to what is happening in the world today :)

Dates & names (exact spelling!)... that is what ruins history in so many ways. It almost did for me! When i was in school all they cared about was the dates things happened and the names (exact spelling!) of the main people involved but nobody was required to know what happened and why. The date is simply a small detail and overall not very important but what happened and why is.

In reality it is ONLY what happened and why that matters. Do not let the date and name nazis keep you away from a love of History.

[sixpacktr]

Love history. Love it love it love it. All sorts of history, church, world, US, anything. I have, over the last couple of years, been fascinated by the Revolutionary War and the men that made that happen. I felt drawn to them because they were working God's will and accomplished so much even though they all have their share of pain, problems and sins. But what great men they were!!

My kids even get me the thick books now to read (which I do voraciously, in between showings of "24" and "Lost" and "CSI"!!) about the Revolutionary War or biographies about those men, etc., every Christmas, B-Day, Father's Day, etc.

FWIW...

[JcDean78]

Love history. Love it love it love it. All sorts of history, church, world, US, anything. I have, over the last couple of years, been fascinated by the Revolutionary War and the men that made that happen. I felt drawn to them because they were working God's will and accomplished so much even though they all have their share of pain, problems and sins. But what great men they were!!

My kids even get me the thick books now to read (which I do voraciously, in between showings of "24" and "Lost" and "CSI"!!) about the Revolutionary War or biographies about those men, etc., every Christmas, B-Day, Father's Day, etc.

FWIW...

Check out Joe J Ellis book called His Excellency which is about George Washington. It sets up how we got to that war and covers a lot of the French Indian war as well. It is so important to understand the big picture of what was going on at the time and how this man shaped this nations destiny. Really good read. I also enjoyed his book called Founding Brothers which is about our founding fathers.

[BenRaines]

Regarding the Civil War, can you have a civil war? The war between the states, I read a good book and also enjoyed the movie, for those who don't or can't read. Gods & Generals.

I once read that those who don't read are no better off than those who can't.

Ben Raines

[Palerider]

I also enjoy reading about WW II and the events that lead up to it......and I love to read about Al Capone and all the gangster stuff that went on in Chicago.

[LT04]

I didn’t care for genealogy before I got into history. Once I could put the context around what my ancestors were doing at the time and had an idea of what life could have been for them it made genealogy a very interesting topic for me.

For example I have found ancestors from England that died October 4, 1066 in Hastings. To many this doesn’t mean anything. Then I found another from France that died October 6, 1066 in Hastings. I though what in the world was going on to make two people from different countries die in the same week in the same place. So I looked into it the one from England died defending England on the first day of the historic battle of Hastings. The other died on the last day of the same battle invading England.

It’s funny to think that they would have surviving children that hundreds of years later would be intermarried. But those dates wouldn’t have meant any thing to me had I not come across them around the same time and looked into it.

-LT04

[pushka]

It's fascinating to hear that you have traced your ancestors back that far, I'd love to know how you managed that, and how certain you are of the correct lineage...I would have requested to see your family tree, but now realise that would be an invasion of your privacy!!

[LT04]

Pushka,

The Genealogical Society of Utah has published several family trees. That’s why its church policy to contact Salt Lake when you get back as far as 1500. They do this for two reasons 1 ) they have different paper work for the temple and 2 ) the church is very confident you will have tied into a tree already done.

I wish I could put the copy of the tree that I was given but its like3 feet by 4 feet so it won’t fit in my scanner. From all the other work I have done it now closer to 30 feet by 16 feet so I definitely can’t fit that into my scanner.

-LT04

[pushka]

Wow! That's some size...well done. Does the Genealogical Society of Utah produce family trees for people other than LDS members, and do you have details of their fees and how to go about requesting information, please?