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Tag: history

  • History Is Fun!

    History Is Fun!

    Not only can we learn from history, but history makes us who we are!

    There are people who think history is boring – and sometimes it is.  For some people, history is just about remembering a lot of dates.  What happened on the 10th of July in 2003?  Who knows?  But history is more than just a bunch of dates.  History is also the story of the world. How do we know who we are without it?

    Think about it: what would your answer be if someone asked you,“who are you?”  Would you tell them you are a human who lives in North America on the planet Earth?  Or would it be a little more personal?  Maybe you would say, “I’m Anna.  I’m Brad and Janet Duffy’s daughter.  I am in the 6th grade at Sir John A. MacDonald Elementary School.”  I think most people would say something like that if they were asked who they were – and that is history!  History is simply a story and it can be as short as what you did last night or as long as all the books in the library combined.

    Now that we know what history is, the next thing we need to figure out is: why is history important?  Well, just like how knowing your own history tells you who you are, the history of a country tells us who the people of that country are and world history tells us who the people of Earth are. History gives people a shared story, one they can gather around and celebrate.  For example, your family may have its own traditions and heritage, but on Canada Day we are all celebrating the same thing.

    You may still be wondering, however, why history is an important subject to study in school.  Along with teaching us who we (and others) are, history also teaches us many important lessons.  You have probably heard the old saying that we learn from our mistakes and it is true – everyone learns from their mistakes!  Well, you can consider history a record of some of the greatest mistakes and successes ever made.  Imagine if your parents never taught you to look both ways before you crossed the road?  I bet you’re glad they did!

    Humanity has come as far as it has thanks to our unique ability to learn from the past.  And that is not just from our mistakes, but from the mistakes of others, too. This is something we should never stop doing!  So whether it is the story of your summer or ancient history, remember that history is our story and we can learn from it.

  • Why Do We Have to Study History?

    Why Do We Have to Study History?

    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.

  • I Like History Because…

    I Like History Because…

    Not only can we learn from history, but history makes us who we are!

    There are people who think history is boring – and sometimes it is.  For some people, history is just about remembering a lot of dates.  What happened on the 10th of July in 2003?  Who knows?  But history is more than just a bunch of dates.  History is also the story of the world. How do we know who we are without it?

    Think about it: what would your answer be if someone asked you,“who are you?”  Would you tell them you are a human who lives in North America on the planet Earth?  Or would it be a little more personal?  Maybe you would say, “I’m Anna.  I’m Brad and Janet Duffy’s daughter.  I am in the 6th grade at Sir John A. MacDonald Elementary School.”  I think most people would say something like that if they were asked who they were – and that is history!  History is simply a story and it can be as short as what you did last night or as long as all the books in the library combined.

    Now that we know what history is, the next thing we need to figure out is: why is history important?  Well, just like how knowing your own history tells you who you are, the history of a country tells us who the people of that country are and world history tells us who the people of Earth are. History gives people a shared story, one they can gather around and celebrate.  For example, your family may have its own traditions and heritage, but on Canada Day we are all celebrating the same thing.

    You may still be wondering, however, why history is an important subject to study in school.  Along with teaching us who we (and others) are, history also teaches us many important lessons.  You have probably heard the old saying that we learn from our mistakes and it is true – everyone learns from their mistakes!  Well, you can consider history a record of some of the greatest mistakes and successes ever made.  Imagine if your parents never taught you to look both ways before you crossed the road?  I bet you’re glad they did!

    Humanity has come as far as it has thanks to our unique ability to learn from the past.  And that is not just from our mistakes, but from the mistakes of others, too. This is something we should never stop doing!  So whether it is the story of your summer or ancient history, remember that history is our story and we can learn from it.

  • The Strange History of Money

    The Strange History of Money

    We all use money every day. It is essential because if we want to buy some food, clothes or services we have to pay money for them. Money is recognized as banknotes and coins. However, many years ago people couldn’t just go to the shop and buy what they wanted. They had to exchange some merchandise or services in order to receive other goods or services. This process is called barter trade. It was a really difficult procedure – the barter often depends on a coincidence of wants. Giving an illustration, the seller of grain has to find a buyer who wants to buy grain and who also could offer something the seller wants to buy. The solution is to trade the wheat indirectly through a third, “intermediate” commodity. An intermediate commodity has to be imperishable and attractive in demand. For example, it could be cattle, salt, shells, wine and so on. Intermediate commodities had their disadvantages; for example cattle, fur and precious stones couldn’t be cut into smaller pieces and it was uncomfortable to keep and transport.

    Due to the disadvantages of intermediate commodities, people had to invent a simpler way to continue trading. This is where monetary or specie commodities come in. At first, specie was in the shape of metal bars, wires, rings or powder. This money was uncomfortable because it was necessary to weigh and to hallmark it. Soon, the weight and hallmark of specie were embossed on the money directly.

    The earliest known coins in the western world came from Lydia in about 650 B.C. They were made of electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver found locally. Greek cities, The Great Persian Empire and the Roman Empire quickly adopted the new useful technique of metal currency. By the end of the 6th century, coinage was common throughout the regions. However, coins also had many disadvantages. For instance, coins quickly show wear and they usually have small value. This makes it difficult to count lavish sums of coins. Because of these reasons, people invented paper money.

    At first, paper money was used in China in about 650 A.D. In Europe, paper money was first produced in the Netherlands in the 16th century and in the USA in the 17th century. Interestingly, paper money doesn’t have any value in and of itself. It is worthless and essentially just symbolic. In other words, paper money is just a note. It has a purchasing power because the government announces it as money and citizens accept it universally. Nowadays, we often don’t see real money (banknotes and coins) because we use credit cards and debit cards exclusively. Our money is placed into electronic space and it circulates just because of our imagination.

  • Online Learning: The Best Sites On The Web!

    Online Learning: The Best Sites On The Web!

    Finding information on any given subject is as easy as clicking a button on a search engine. Gone is the need for rows of encyclopedia’s, dictionaries and tangible books. Everything is available online at your discretion. Wading through the options, however, can take the shine off of the ease of accessibility. If you are looking for something specific, you still need to wade through your choices until you find a reliable source. This is not as easy as it sounds. Wikipedia, the wonderful, epic, online encyclopedia, is not considered a trustworthy website as it is user-generated. Literally any one can add and edit information at their discretion.

    Yet the World Wide Web is an amazing resource of quality material, knowledge from experts and an educational smorgasbord at your fingertips. It is argued that a quality education should not cost as much as some private universities are charging and that influential change makers are creating ways to offer learning opportunities through the internet that are solid and authentic. So how can you navigate your way through the dead ends, cobwebs and arm chair educators to find what you need? With a little research and a lot of time you can hunt out the best, but I have compiled a list of quality geography, history and science sites to get you on your way.

    Seterra is a geography program that offers a free download for a multiple level map game. Players choose their continent and go from there with either a wide focus, such as labeling the countries, or a more narrow one, such as finding the capital cities. The great thing about Seterra is the fun factor. It is easy to become addicted to improving your score and to forget that you are learning!
    www.seterra.net

    National Geographic is a trusted name and the organization has done a fabulous job of utilizing the internet to engage students of all ages with a variety of learning strategies that often come under the guise of games and videos.
    www.nationalgeographic.com
    http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/

    The History Place is a gift to those who appreciate the past and love to dig deeper. It is a website filled with detailed information and pictures. The site has also won numerous awards.
    www.historyplace.com

    Ted Talks is an amazing website with hundreds of video presentations about ideas worth spreading by innovative change makers from around the world. You can find just about anything worth knowing about on this website.
    www.tedtalks.com

    Khan Academy is a free world class education that changed the way people learned online. It recently got a grant of money which has resulted in a lot more lessons and a lot more exposure.
    www.khanacademy.org

    BBC history section is an incredible source of material, both compelling and richly informative. Anyone who visits this website leaves with a better understanding of the world we live in.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/