Seriously - why do YOU like to study history?

I study history because I want to know about what happened in the past and how this is affecting our future.Sometimes,I even come across controversial decisions from written sources and by comparing and contrasting these sources,I make my own conclusions.The point?To avoid making stupid mistakes our ancestors has made in the past and to make decisions that will be beneficial to our world tomorrow.

Because, properly presented and studied, it is THE most fascinating of all "serial stories", and is the only way to get to understand "How Things Got To Be The Way They Are Now."

Most unfortunately, the way in which it is presented in Schools, Colleges and Universities is entirely wrong and "off-putting", jumping fom one period to another with no "narrative" to connect them, and requiring the memorizing of, no longer "King, Queens and Battles" which were at least interesting, but Acts of Parliament, Political Institutions etc. Recently, an Oxford Don was recorded as sayng "If you have 'B.A.Hist.Oxon' after your name it means you don't know much History".

The present Education Minister, Michael Gove, is very anxious to correct this, and re-introduce "narrative History" into Schools.. He is unlikely to be able to do this though - we are into the 3rd.generation of teachers who have been taught to University level the" wrong way", and so do not have the necessary overall knowledge to teach it properly.

There is also a serious problem with "Popular History" - the "facts" which everyone knows. And which , in the vast majority of cases, are entirely WRONG ! This is the result of the "Dr.Goebbels Dictum" that "The public will believe any lie which they hear repeated a sufficient nuber of times". And then go on to repeat it yet again.

The answer is to read good Historians - C.V.Wedgewood, Antonia Fraser, and, for "readability" Arthur Bryant's series "The Story of England". It is also necessary to keep up-to-date on the latest Historical Research - for example "Cromwell - an Honourable Enemy", by an IRISH Historian.

The great advantage wih this subject is that studying it is - should be - PLEASUREABLE ! (If not, then something's wrong.)

I like to study history because contrasting is interesting. Comparing our time to others or comparing other times to other times. For example - a main project i went into was ''What did the teutonic order and the Ottoman empire have in common and point out differences.'' This sort of stuff is freaking amazingly fun!

Lessons. I learn from the mistakes of others in the past so that I do not make the same. Strategy. Studying war strategy helps with solving everyday problems.

Worldly knowledge. I like to know why a country is how it is today. (I.e. North Korea)

I don't "study" history personally, but I am a history geek, and most books I read are non-fiction history books. It's just fascinating finding out how the world came to be as it is, and how easily things could've been different. It provides me with great enjoyment, and is one of my principle hobbies.