HISTORY

The past is the present rolled out for reflection. The present is the past rolled up for action... Will Durant

We've all heard the wisdom that those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it. Mankind has made more than a few choices that led to economic collapse, hunger, tyranny, civil war, despair and misery. The Democrats and other liberals, for example, are currently drifting toward socialism, whereas the Republicans and other conservatives are sticking with capitalism.

This topic is related to Politics where you will find a list of books similar to the one below. They are just a few of the books that helped me understand why history matters and what I can learn from it. Enhance your understanding of history. Read the books in the list below, then get to a library and study it carefully with other books on history. Don't be surprised to discover that a book on history can be as much of a thrilling, dramatic page turner as a novel. And don't be surprised to discover how much history can teach you about yourself.

Past events cannot exist independently of the historian because without the historian we would know nothing about the events. Just keep in mind that history is what the historian says it is. Events that were never recorded are like the tree in the forest which fell where there was no one to hear the sound. A tree that falls changes things, makes history whether anyone heard it or not. The point is not whether the fall of the tree made a noise but whether it changed the forest. The space it left, for example, let in the sun shine on shade-grown species, or fell across a path that forced animals to change their route through the forest.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
The Outline of History by H. G. Wells
Cultural Literacy by E. D. Hersch