For some people, history seems boring. “It’s mostly dates, anyway, so what’s so exciting about that?” they might say, when face-to-face with someone of a different opinion.
Unfortunately, that’s a view quite a lot of people share. A 2021 publication, titled A Snapshot of the Public’s Views on History, found that as much as two-thirds of people consider history to be “little more than an assemblage of names, dates, and events.”
But in reality, it’s so much more!
Seconding the idea that history is more than a collection of dates and names, the University of the People emphasized that, “Understanding history helps us develop critical decision-making skills, cultural awareness, and the ability to anticipate future trends based on historical patterns.
“By examining historical events, we can all learn valuable lessons, avoid past mistakes, and make informed decisions that can positively impact both our personal and professional development.”
Talking about history in his TEDxTalk, British historian and Cahoon Family Professor of American History at Emory University, Patrick N. Allitt, Ph.D., too, pointed out that for many people—children in particular—history seems to be not much more than a “long catalogue of names and dates, people and places”.
Youngsters often think that everything inside a history textbook is “too remote from their own experience” or “too remote to have any real interest to their own lives.” However, as they grow older, people often find history getting increasingly fascinating.
Moreover, once they reach a certain age, they might notice children studying something they were a part of themselves. “And then you realize, history isn’t just all finished once and for all. It isn’t closed up in those books. It’s continuing right up to the present and we’re part of it,” Prof. Allitt said.
“As you begin to describe to your children the world that you grow up in, very often they find that fascinating. It’s easier for them to connect with than with descriptions of what the presidents did or the great wars.”
I will be the first to admit it: as a child, I too thought that history was mostly about dates and names (which, to make matters worse, you had to learn by heart before the next history lesson). I didn’t see the bigger picture. That was until I met the right teacher.
It’s no surprise that the right educator can make a world of difference when it comes to students’ interest in their subject; and history is no exception.
But instead of looking for the right teacher, some people turn to other sources of information for learning about history, such as documentaries or museums.
According to the aforementioned publication from 2021, the sources for information about the past that people turn to most often are not necessarily the sources they deem most trustworthy.
The research found that the top three go-to sources of information about the past were all in video format: documentary films, fiction films, and TV news respectively. More traditional sources, such as museums, nonfiction books, history lectures, and college courses ranked way lower on the list.
That aligned with people’s views that one can learn history anywhere, which is a sentiment shared by as much as 90% of respondents, and that it is easier to learn about the past when it is presented as entertainment, which 73% participants agreed to.
While many people agree that it’s easier to learn history when it’s presented as entertainment, it’s important to remember that your favored history movies or TV series might not be entirely factually accurate.
A study from Washington University in St. Louis found that watching a film that is consistent with the textual material on the same matter can increase correct recall by roughly 50%.
“In contrast, when information in the film directly contradicted the text, people often falsely recalled the misinformation portrayed in the film, sometimes as much as 50 percent of the time,” noted one of the researchers behind the study, psychology doctoral student in Arts & Sciences, Andrew Butler.
Butler continued to point out that, “Although films may increase learning and interest in the classroom, educators should be aware that students might learn inaccurate information, too, even if the correct information has been presented in a text. More broadly, these same positive and negative effects apply to the consumption of popular history films by the general public.”
If you’re learning history through means of entertainment, such as movies, or even memes, keep in mind that it’s crucial to double-check your facts with credible sources. But if you’re simply looking for something to ignite your interest in history, movies and memes can be a great way to start. Don’t you think?