JusJoJan Daily prompt- Jan 29- History

History has always been my favorite subject. Then how did I become a student of science, you may ask. Well, the answer would be I was interested in learning the history of science and later Medicine. I love history.

It is said that anything that happened a moment ago is history. I remember this surprising me as a child when I read it in the Encylopedia Brittanica. How can something that happened a moment ago or a day back be history. Yet it is true.

Which part of history fascinates me ? The era of the British Raj is one of my favorite historical periods. I love stories of history about the undivided Indian continent that had almost open borders till modern Afghanistan and Bangladesh on the East. When I think of history the book that I thought of first was ” The Far Pavilions” by M.M.Kaye.

I loved to read about how Edward Jenner tested the cowpox vaccine on a 8 year old to prove theory that cowpox somehow protected against smallpox, a scourge of the time.

I also loved to read about the discovery of the Helicobacter pylori bacterium in the early 1980s, ( in our times), by Marshall and Warren and proved beyond doubt that duodenal ulcers were bacteria caused and not really due to lifestyle issues.

Isn’t history interesting ?

How about our current time ?

The Brexit made history but I would say the fact that there was a Prime Minister willing to give up his job because of the Brexit vote is one of the most notable events of our current times. And again, a 70 year old man beating all odds and predictions to become President is another event that would stand up in history. The day a woman leads the US would be a great day in the history of that country.

We can learn from history and mistakes others made, so we don’t repeat them ourselves. But that doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes human beings have to learn by making the same historical mistakes again themselves, before they change their behavior, if they do.

We can learn from history and use it to our benefit. Students are often bored by history but I think our teachers need to love history before they can make their students love history.