Historiography & Historical Interpretation Frontiers of Aviation: Lesson 1

Lesson Objectives  Comprehend why studying history is important to understanding ourselves and the world around us  Understand the Historical Approach  Know the difference between Primary and Secondary sources

What is History? “ History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity.” Cicero

What is History? “History is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind.” Edward Gibbon

What is History? “History is a myth we all agree to believe.” Napoleon

What is History? “History is more or less bunk.” Henry Ford

What is History? “History is something that never happened told by someone who wasn't there.” Ramon Gomez de la Serna

So What Is History?

What is History? “History deals not only with the lives of great individuals…it may be said to consist of the sediment of the lives of millions of smaller men and women who have left no name, but who have made their contribution.” A. L. Rowse

Why Study History “ The study of history is the best medicine for a sick mind; for in history you have a record of the infinite variety of human experience plainly set out for all to see; and in that record you can find yourself and your country both examples and warnings; fine things to take as models, base things rotten through and through, to avoid.“ Livy

Why Study History? “What is past is prologue.” William Shakespeare

Why Study History? “Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.” Winston Churchill

So…Why Study History?

Why Study History “There are human truths to be derived from history, and truths well worth the telling, some large, some small, some general, some technical. Some, if not the most important, of the problems which face society today are not new ones…The purpose of historical investigation is to produce answers, in the form of concepts and generalizations to the fundamental problems of historical change in the social activities of men.” J.H. Plumb

The Historical Approach How can we understand anything of other people or ourselves, if we know nothing of history? The historian shows us how change has worked in the past and helps us to understand the present and make educated guesses about the future.

Historiography  Historiography is the writing of history.  Historians vary widely in what they feel is significant and important about the past.

Historiography  Students of history must examine not only the past, but those who write about it. – Study the historian before you begin to study the facts.

Job #1 – Finding the Facts  What are facts  Which facts are important The historian investigates facts and selects relevant ones. This is an art and not a science.

Job #2 – Identifying Bias  Bias is the slant one puts on things. – It can be deliberate or unintentional. – All writing contains bias.  Identify it by looking at the types of words used. How are the words meant?  Every age contains its own biases. These make understanding past thinking difficult – but not impossible.

Job #3 – Dispensing With the Rubbish – Identifying Important and Answerable Questions.  Sources must be selected critically.  Topics need to be limited.  Primary and Secondary sources must be consulted.  Conclusions must be based on the weight of evidence.  Variations in interpretations should be understood and accepted.

Types of Sources  Primary Sources were produced at the time an event occurred and are directly connected to the events. Examples are: – Photographs – Memos – Dispatches – Cartoons – Newspaper articles – Art works – Literary works

Types of Sources  Secondary sources are sources produced after the fact – looking back on the events with the benefit of hindsight. They offer an analysis or restatement of primary source material. Examples include: – Textbooks. – Books about art or literature – Movies – Documentaries

Examples of Sources Soccer player interviewed right after the big game? Newspaper article from an eyewitness to the game? Magazine article quoting the player discussing the impact of the big game on their overall season?

Course Timeline Marking Period 1 Origin of FlightEarly AircraftWWIInterwar Years Marking Period 2 Interwar YearsWWIIAftermath Marking Period 4 Desert StormKosovoIraq/AfghanistanWhat’s Next Marking Period 3 Nuclear AgeCommercial AircraftKoreaVietnam

Lesson Objectives  Comprehend why studying history is important to understanding ourselves and the world around us  Understand the Historical Approach  Know the difference between Primary and Secondary sources