History is a very interesting subject. It is the study of ancient times up until the present since the discovery of writing. History is basically the written account of events since the very dawn of human civilization. So why is it so important to study the past? What’s so interesting about history?

History is very important for a large number of different reasons. It isn’t only important to just remember the people and events of the past because we want to remember them; the events of the past have all, in some way, led to the way things are in the present. Studying history can help us understand this series of events, and how the changes that occurred led up to the present day.

It is often repeated that, “if we don’t study history, we are doomed to repeat it.” This statement is very true.  Since the past affects us so much now it is important to know where ancient people went wrong, such as which decisions led to unpleasant things like wars, technological innovations, and laws.

For example, World War One, which lasted from 1914 to 1918 was one of the most deadly and dangerous wars that ever occurred. This war changed the balance of power in the world, creating whole new countries and destroying old ones. Its easy to see why its so important to learn about this war, many of the reasons that things are as they are, is due to the changes that the war brought about.

Another very big historical changing point was known as the Protestant Reformation. This event changed the entire world. Before the Reformation all of Christianity was controlled by the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther was a German man who disagreed with the way the church was being run, so he nailed his 95 Theses to the front of a church door. This event led to the creation of many new sects of Christianity and more huge changes in the world. Wars happened between countries that supported the Catholic Church, and those who did not.

The most important reason to study history is so that the mistakes of the past are never repeated again, for the good of all of humanity. Two major examples of this are the Holocaust and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two Japanese cities. The Holocaust was a horrible atrocity that occurred in World War Two where millions of Jewish, Gypsy, Polish, and communists died under the orders of Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany. Knowing history is so important because awful events like this can never be repeated. As long as we remember the tragedies and mistakes of the past, we can take steps to avoid them in the present.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed entirely by American atomic bombs at the end of World War Two. The cities were completely destroyed with only one each. The power of the bombs shocked the world, and since then no country has ever again used a nuclear weapon in war. This is an example of people learning from the past by studying history, and putting the information to peaceful use  in the present.

For these reasons, it is important for us to learn about the history of our world.