Those who say history is boring, have never lived it.
Certainly, the routine of a medieval peasant, or a industrial-age mill worker must have been a bit mundane (get up at dawn, work until sunset, go to sleep hungry). However, each age has had some spectacular historical moments.
Consider the expansion of the Romans across Europe; this empire plowed through countries, building roads, aquifers, building cities, and of course engaging in war.
What about the Celts who migrated from the farthest reaches of eastern Europe to Eire (Ireland), and managed to influence art, music, and legends throughout the world? And those pesky Vikings…they were the original party crashers.
For those who think that history is boring, perhaps they just never had anyone who was passionate actually engage them in the wonder of it.
Many years ago, a friend who was teaching a middle school class about the civil war, had the kids divide into two equal groups. As the two sides advanced toward one another, he called out their names and they fell to the ground, complete with dramatic death scenes. He told them that each fallen student represented about 2000 soldiers, wounded or killed. In that moment the history became real for them. They were engaged. No boring number on a page to memorize; they each committed to memory the event, and so they all learned the impact of Gettysburg.
Whether it is Hadrian’s Wall, or Watergate, the Transcontinental Railroad, or the Triangle Factory Fire, these moments in history have stores to reveal to all of us. The tales of the people whose lives were part of these histories are what makes them real for us. And sometimes, we find ourselves part of the history. I remember at 15 months of age, looking through the slats of my crib and seeing my mother watch the televised funeral of JFK. I remember seeing it, myself, although I had no idea what it was. I remember her crying. That was history in the making. And it was anything but boring, then or now.
Friends often say, “Wow, it must be a lot of work to write medieval stories. You must do a lot of research.” I have done a lot of research, but because there are magnificent stories in the histories, not just fact checking. To stroll through an archaeological display in a museum, to read about a newly discovered treasure, to study the anthropological connection that is discovered through tribal pottery. I challenge anyone to wander through the Titanic exhibit and not feel something powerful from the personal items reclaimed from the depths of that tragic shipwreck.
This is what connects us to one another. And our histories offer some magnificent tales.
