Where do I start to learn history?

Question

I know very, very little about ANY history i.e WW1, WW2 etc. I am Scottish, and know basically nothing about William Wallace! Basically at 24 I think its about time I took a step and actually read about the past. My problem though is I am interested in all areas and really dont know where to start! Can anyone suggest what period in time I should begin at or what books I should read?

Answer 1

You should start with your family's history, then your county's history then your country's history.then your continents history then the worlds history in that order,Its great to read and research what your interested in,read what your interested in,. as you read you will become interested in certain things then go from there I wish you the best.

Answer 2

The is a lot of flexibility here--history isn't like math or chemistry, where you HAV toknow some things firstbefore you can tackle the next item or topic.

But having a framework is a good idea too. Where you start is really more a matter of personal preferance. If, however, you are interested in British history, I'd start with a general history of Englind in the medievil period (1066-1500) , the transitional period from 1500 to about 1800, or, if you are mainly interested in more recent hstory, a general work that starts its scoverage around 1870-1900. Look for titles like "Early Modern Britain, 1689-1832" that indicate its a general work.

A good way to get a feel for how to organize this is to see how professors do it--and that is very easy to do. You can do searches on the web for topics using your topic area ("British history" for example) and keywords like "syllabus"--and you will be able to find sites where professors who teach courses have put their course plans (syllabus) and reading lists online for their students. That not only gives you an outline prepared by a professional, it gives you specific titles to look for in the library. Hint: if you choose to buy books, try Amazon.com--they market in the UK and they have good quality used books for good prices.

Have fun!

Answer 3

I have a few recommendations for you, but the best answer will depend a great deal on HOW you prefer to learn.

IMHO, many people "hate" history because they were forced to learn it in the order or manner of an instructor. You have the option of learning at your own pace and in an order that interests you.

Internet reading
One of the ways too start is with the History Portal of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:History

You can pick and choose the areas of interest, and continue to move to new articles of interest as you desire.

Another options is learning through books.

I recommend for your consideration:

National Geographic Concise History of the World: An Illustrated Time Line by Neil Kagan and Jerry H. Bentley.

Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: National Geographic (October 24, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0792283643
ISBN-13: 978-0792283645
Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.5 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.16 pounds

Three options (AU, UK, US) offered below:

http://www.dymocks.com.au/ProductDetails/ProductDetail.aspx?R=0792283643&Producode=0792283643

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Concise-History-World-Illustrated-Timeline/dp/0792283643/sr=11-1/qid=1168787848/ref=sr_11_1/203-3088163-9757540

http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Concise-History-World/dp/0792283643/sr=11-1/qid=1168787910/ref=sr_11_1/102-6751647-0510567


For some other options I recommend here on Yahoo! Answers. There is a question by "dad2ike" similar to yours, and the "Best Answer" by "Karma Chimera" is very good.

(Anyone know how I could have sited another question and answer here on Yahoo! Answers?)

Answer 4

You can go to your library and ask for books on any period of history. You say your Scottish so start with your own country's very rich history. Other than that you could take a course at your nearest college, or even ask the local High School history teacher to suggest some titles for you to read. There are also lots of documentaries available on various parts of history like the World Wars etc. History encompasses more than just countries and wars though,consider the history of dance,liturature,the arts,native peoples,customs,religions,craft, philosophy and even science and medicine.The possibilities for learning are as endless as history itself. Above all enjoy it.

Answer 5

There are books and Internet sites you can use for that. But since you have mentioned the World Wars, let me start with giving you basic facts: On the 28.6.1914, a Bosnian Serb underground (which included Muslims too) assassinated the hair to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife. That is because Bosnia-Herzegovina is a traditional Serbian land, where, in the 1870s, its population rebelled against the Ottoman (Turk) occupation. Russia helped the rebbels (Serbs and Bulgarian) then, but due to Western (British & French) threats, BiH Became an Austro-Hungarian province. But in 1914, France & Britain had a treaty with Russia, which felt obliged to defend Serbia, which was under pressure from the AH Empire to let an AH team into it to investigate the assassination. Germany, on the other hand, felt obliged to defend the Austro Hungarian Empire, since Ausrians are kind of Germans. So that was the reason for the war. At the end, Germany and its allies were defeated, Farnce and its allies pressurised Germany in particular to pay money in compensations to the victorious countries. The reaction of the Germans was bringing Hitler into power on the 31.1.1933. Hitler occupied Austria, as an act of "German unity" in March 1938, then he occupied Czeckoslovakia. But after he invaded Poland on the 1.9.1939, Britain and France gave him an ultimatum to withdraw his troops from poland of face war, and declared war on the 3.9.1939. Italy and Japan Joined Hitler on a later stage, and the USSR & USA joined Britain. Germany was defeated and surrendered in May 1945, and Japan surrendered in August-September the same year, after two atomic bombes were dropped on it (on the 6.8 on Hiroshima, and on the 9.8 on Nagasaki).

Answer 6

Go to www.history.com you will have loads of fun there it has all you need. Audio/visual as well as pictures and emmense study programs to click throughout. This is the official site for the history channel as well. It can alert your computer to when there are shows of interest being telecast. It is also history for entertainment too, so take a pause and enjoy your favorite stars, or music.

Answer 7

You've got one of the best sources for studing history at you're fingertips the Internets a great place to start. Look at some general history sites and when something take you're interest you'll undoubtedly find more specialised sites for what you're interested in.

Answer 8

Why not start at the beginning with Herodotus "The Father of Hitory" who wrote "The Histories". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histories_(Herodotus) http://classics.mit.edu/Herodotus/history.html
Then try Thucydides who wrote "The History of the Peloponnesian War" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Peloponnesian_War http://classics.mit.edu/Thucydides/pelopwar.html

Wikipedia can usually fill in all the major gaps in anyone's knowledge.

Answer 9

Start in your own town or village. Look at the buildings - how did they begin life - what was the purpose, why, who built them and so on. Speak to your local librarian.

Answer 10

start with ancient Egypt or Babylon