Why do we need History?

Isn’t History just about staring at old things?

History has always been a subject which suffers quite a bit of stick from school kids and university students who claim that it is ‘boring’ or, if they’re feeling particularly blasphemous, that it is ‘pointless’ and they would rather be outside playing football. Now, while I am not one to claim that reading history is always more fun than having a kick about, I cannot stand the second irksome accusation and, thus, feel compelled to defend my subject. So here goes.

Without wishing to be immodest about it, history is part of the fundamental fabric of human society as well as being an irreplaceable means of interpreting and investigating the world around us. It is part of what makes us human as opposed to just highly evolved, mechanically thinking primates. History is a product of humanity’s unquenchable hunger for discerning our origins, to understand why we are here, and how we – that is, you and I specifically – came to be.

Why Britain loves the BBC – Hint: It’s not just about Sherlock

Enjoy watching hippos swimming in a circle? Maybe you’ll like the BBC.

While I was at home for the summer, I was reintroduced to the amazing concept of ‘television’. As a student who doesn’t have a living room in his flat and doesn’t have a TV, I often forget how great it is to just kill a few hours watching programmes live, without having to wait for a day before they appear online only to watch the hated word ‘buffering’ going around in circles on my screen.

You may be wondering – why do I always forget about television? After all, I can watch TV on my computer if I want to. I could subscribe to live TV like Sky Go if I wanted to, right?

Well, no.