What is history?

The word history comes from the Greek word historeo meaning “to investigate”. History is all
around you. It is in the buildings you see, the songs you listen to, the clothes you wear and the
tools and technology you use. Everything you use was first made in the past. Now you are part
of what people in the future will call “history.” You are “history”.

Why should you study History?

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgmNkYUL_Cw)

1. History is a window into the past.

2. It helps us to understand the present.
3. Information from the past can help us to solve problems in the present.
4. We can understand other people and cultures if we study history.
5. It gives us a lot of perspectives and interpretations.
6. It strengthens our critical thinking skills.
7. It teaches us to collect evidence, and to find trends.
8. It makes us think outside the box and be creative.

Explain the following sentences. ☺

‘Those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it.’ (Edmund Burke)

‘He who controls the past controls the future.’ (George Orwell)

‘The supreme purpose of history is a better world.’ (Herbert Hoover)

 Wordsearch

H A P P E N C W V C S M Q HISTORIAN
B I Y I J Y R O T S I H W PAST
Y M S Y K O V Q D T D N D TIMELINE
E N E T I M E L I N E B A HAPPEN
A B F U O L W C E G F V T EVENT
R X Y N R R E M Y O R C E YEAR
T Z T W E K I N P L A C E DATE
Y H H Q T U Y A H L U V Y
MONTH
U Y X E Y J S G N K E G U
AGO
I T C L K T U O J N I F H
CHRONOLOGY
O R V P M H I B T Y O E N
C H R O N O L O G Y P W B PEOPLE

Q E U E V D O E O H O S F PLACE
W D I P C S P W P B M A W HISTORY
 Historical Sources

A historical source is something that tells us about History. It can be a document, a

picture, a sound recording, a book, a cinema film, a television programme or an object.

There are two main types of historical sources: primary sources and secondary
sources

A primary source is something that comes from the past.

A secondary source is something that has been made recently about the past.

for Example: A Roman coin that was made by the Romans is a primary source, but a
drawing of a Roman coin made in 2003 is a secondary source.

OR

A book written about the Tudors in 1525 is a primary source, but a book written about
the Tudors in 1995 is a secondary source.
1. Decide whether the following sources are primary or secondary ones.

a. a piece of the original Magna Carta signed by King John in 1215

b. The Mona Lisa - Painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1506

c. a book about the Tudors written in 1999

d. a mug made in 2009

e. a cartoon of Napoleon made in 1975

f. Roman coins made by the Romans in 45 A.D.

g. a poster of a Van Gogh painting made in 1975

2. A picture shows a steward's jacket that was recovered from the wreck of the Titanic
and is now in the Titanic Museum in New York. The Titanic, owned by the White Star
Shipping Line, only made one journey and sank on 15th April 1912.

Are these statements true or false?

The jacket belonged to a cook

The jacket was found on the Titanic

The jacket is at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean

The jacket was worn in 1912

The jacket was made by the steward's mother

What is the source in this case?

Why has the source survived?