What exactly is History?

Question

I am just asking how does one call something history

Answer 1

If it happened in the past and had to do with people, then we call it history.

Answer 2

History is what history dose.

The English word "History" comes from a Greek word meaning, "Investigation" and history is just that, an investigation of our past.
Just as a detective at a crime seen pieces back together a specific event using material artifacts (Archeology dose this for historians.) eye witness accounts (primary source documents-and no they are not always to be taken at face value), and secondary sources documents such as other historians accounts of their own investigations and speculations-these are not as valuable as PSD-equivalent is another detectives report and conclusion.

Examples
Detective:
The detective is told by a wittness to a shoting that the assailent tossed the murder wapon (A nine mm black hand gun) into a a green dumpster ajasent the crime seen. This is a primary source document when the report is written. The detective however is well aquented with the witness who has lied to him in the pass so is doutbful but the law requires him to be more diligent than the below historian. A 9mm hand gun is recovered from the dumpster thus colabarating the primary source document. The fingerprints on it lead to an arrest which lead to a confesstion which further colabarates the eye wittnesses account of what happened.

Historian:
The Historian is told (Via a primary source document written by an observer.) by "reading" say the Bible:The N.T. Book of "Acts" that when Saint Pual was on a missionary journy which took him to Athens,Greece he saw a Temple dedicated to the "Unknown God". Now this Historian dose not belive the Biblical account becuase he is very well read in the Greek sources and has never seen a refference to this before, unlike "Mars Hill" also mention in "Acts" which he has seen refference often. His 1st hunch is that this account is appocraphal and he dismisses it out of hand.
Several Decades later the undiligent historian stubles on an artical (A secondary Source Document) tieing an archiological find ("A merterial Artifact i.e. the "hand gun" if you will-The alter to the "Unknown God".) in Athans greece which collabarates this Biblical Account. The Historian now beleives that "Acts" is a good primary source document for the material dosen't lie. (The above is a true account.)

In sum this is how history works. It is an Art more than a scince which is good becuase scince is like a ruler which is great for measuring the lenth of a football feild but I have yet to find one as a helpful tool in determining weather or not one is a murderer or not. And although DNA tecnology can give compeling facts they are only compeling in the speculative realm not the scientific.

Answer 3

History is a record of anything that has happened. It can be recent history, ancient history, or anything in between. Someone who is an alcoholic has a history of excessive drinking. An outstanding student has a history of excellent work and good grades. A trouble maker has a history of being a pest. A history of World War II would be a chronology of the events of the time.

Answer 4

History is the story of what happened in the past. What you did yesterday is history. It's not important enough to be recorded; at least not yet. But if you become famous, it very well may become a recorded part of our history.

Answer 5

Those answering that History refers to events happening in the past are only partially correct. The term history refers to a written record of events happening in the past. Therefore, historic events are those which are documented, written down for others to read. Events which took place prior to the development of writing are considered prehistoric.

Writing was developed roughly 5,000 years ago. Therefore, events dating 5,000 years ago to present are considered historic. While events prior to 5,000 years ago are referred to as prehistoric.

Answer 6

History is anything that has happened in the past.

Answer 7

anything that happened one second ago, one minute ago, one hour ago can never be re-lived! The only way I could relive history, is to take this answer back before I send it on to you. Once I send it, it's History!

Answer 8

history is hitherto the record of class struggles

or something like that.

And then something about freedman and serf, guildmaster and journeyman, and whatever.

Answer 9

the past