Why Study History?
Three ways history can improve your life.
Because it's Fun
Thirty years ago at the US Naval Academy, I recall a history professor—a guy who wrote the two-volume History of the U.S. Navy—asking the class this question: “Why study history?”
On came the cliches… One student answered, “So we don’t repeat the same mistakes.” Another offered, “So we can apply past lessons for future decisions.”
Unfortunately, no one quoted The Princess Bride and said, “So we never get involved in a land war in Asia.” Twice as funny considering land wars in Asia are all we seem to get involved in.
As the class struggled for an answer, the prof finally threw up his hands and said, “Okay, enough. The reason to study history is that it’s fun. That’s it.”
I could feel the air leave the room. These soon-to-be naval officers seemed shocked that studying history is nothing more than for their amusement.
Looking back, the professor’s glib remark reminds me of this reality: Populations (and the nations they form) will never stop being short-sighted and self-interested—no matter how many of them read Thucydides.
Thus, I believe, history is more fun for the individual than it is important for the masses. And no need to lament those unwashed masses, my barbarian friend. Because studying history—at least for jock-barbarian-nerds like me and hopefully you—is actually really fun!
And if studying history wasn’t fun, do you think I’d be spending most of my free time (like right now on a Saturday night) reading about it, writing about it, listening to, watching, and seeing history? The books, the blogs, the pods, the docs, and all the historical sites—I enjoy them all because they’re fun.
But wait, my savage friend, that’s not all. There’s more...
If my professor asked me now why I study history, I’d say that studying history offers more value than just fun—but not in the way most people might think.
The value history adds isn’t tied to improving the common good, it’s actually tied to helping you.
So here are three ways studying history benefits you, personally. Three answers for that age old question: “Why study history?”
1. History adds Wonder
In his book, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic, Tom Holland describes the scene just before Caesar’s legions invaded Britain in 55BC.
Set within [the Channel’s] icy waters waited the fabulous island of Britain. It was as drenched in mystery as in rain and fog. Back in Rome people doubted whether it existed at all…
…It was indeed to prove a journey back in time. Waiting for the invaders on the Kentish cliffs was a scene straight out of legend: warriors careering up and down in chariots, just as Hector and Achilles had done on the plains of Troy. To add to the exotic nature of it all, the Britons wore peculiar facial hair and were painted blue.
The wonders I feel reading that passage whisks me away from the tedium of modern life into a magical realm where legions march, chariots rattle, and barbarians lurk.
Sitting in my library, I take a sigh, have a sip, and form a grin. I’m right where I want to be in world—inside my time machine voyaging through history.
2. History adds Fuel
History is more than ink on a page. History is alive. My visions of a mythic past fuel my physical and creative endeavors in the present. History adds horsepower to my life.
In his book, A Wicked Company: The Forgotten Radicalism of the European Enlightenment, Philipp Blom writes this passage about Parisian writers and their deadly pens.
Unknown, poor, and poorly dressed, an aspiring writer with nothing but his wits to live on would have no access to the great salons in which literary reputations were made. Instead, his world was that of taverns and cafes… Here he would dive into the literary demimonde of long discussions fueled by the old triad of literary drugs—coffee, alcohol, and tobacco.
[Their radical] pamphlets were then sold ‘sous le manteau’ (under the cloak), as secretly and often as expensively as hard drugs today.
Ooh la la—How about that, brothers and sisters! When I picture those shadowy men, scribbling pages while candles drip, ink smears, and floors creak all I want to do is join them at the dark tavern to write till the morning light.
History gives us words, scenes, and people we can imagine. We can turn those imaginings into action. When I imagine warrior Celts, I want to lift weights. When I imagine outlaw nouvellistes, I want to write.
These imaginings prompt me towards action and can do the same for you. So use history! Picture it, feel it, and harness its power to fuel your pursuits.
3. History adds Gratitude
In my book’s introduction, I conclude with this:
We live in a golden age and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. While far from perfect, never in human history have more people enjoyed a higher standard of living; never have a greater percentage had such an abundance of food, shelter, and medicine; never have we been safer, warmer, cooler, and drier; never have we had greater freedom to do what we want, say what we want, and be who we truly are.
As fun as it is to imagine myself an outlaw writer, trading pamphlets “beneath the cloak” while outsmarting the king’s secret police hot on my trail, I can rest easy knowing I don’t have to. And that’s because in 2026 America, I’m free to write whatever the hell I want. And so that’s what I do.
Beyond that… I have a lot more going for me than a screaming Celtic warrior or beleaguered outlaw poet.
First, I’m well-fed, well-rested, and when necessary, well-medicated.
Next, I have my wife, my friends, my house, my books, my weights, and my cats.
I also have running water, a warm bed, and electricity. And don’t forget my peptides!
I have my life, this life—and so do you. We have all we need, barbarians, plus a hell of a lot more.
When we study history, we begin to realize that despite its tantalizing wonders, living long ago wasn’t all that great. For most, life was dirty, painful, and terrifying.
Many present-day Americans will spend a lifetime trying to win the lottery without realizing that they already have.
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When I read about ancient Celts painted blue, cloaked Parisians smuggling books, or any number of hardships our ancestors endured, I’m reminded of why I study history.
For the Wonder…
For the Fuel…
For the Gratitude…
When you want them and need these feelings, know that studying history provides them.
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