Let me start you today with a question.

Why do you love history?

Now I'm making the assumption that because you're someone who's gone out of your way to

download a history podcast, you've at least got a passing interest in the subject.

But I'm willing to bet that a lot of you listening are history obsessives.

Actually, I know for a fact that some of you listening are professional historians,

museum workers, archivists, librarians, and history teachers.

So why do you love history?

I think about this myself all the time.

Why am I so invested in the past?

And often the very distant past.

For me, it's partly just a fascination with human beings and the human story.

Our past is filled with stories that are often better than fiction.

I find the process of discovering those stories exhilarating.

I think the other big reason I love history as much as I do is that it can provide a skeleton

key to unlock some of the mysteries of the present.

Why are things the way they are right now?

Well, if you look to history, you might find some answers, or at least some context.

The more you learn, the less random our entire situation feels.

Well, in some ways, in other ways, learning history can make the world feel a little bit

more random and chaotic.

But perhaps there's comfort in knowing that people in other times felt similarly.

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