Why study history? There are a number of valid reasons and explanations. One of the most succinct and direct is below. It comes from Marilyn vos Savant, the woman who has the highest recorded intelligence quotient (IQ) in the Guinness Book of Records (a competitive category that has been retired).
“The chronicle of historical events teaches us – bit by bit by bit – about civilization, human nature, and its consequences. Imagine two men after a centuries-long journey in time. One was asleep all the way; the other was awake. The latter witnessed every triumph and calamity, learned where beauty flowered and where it died, watched the greatest and most inglorious fights of good against evil. Which would you choose as a leader? As a friend? Which would you rather be, the man who saw everything or the man who saw nothing? Your answer shows why you should study history.”
Studying history can be like the photo above. Do you focus on the house, the trees, or the character of the whole image? What is it that you are seeing? Having worked as a high school history teacher during my favorite part of my career, of course I would like everyone to study history and to learn the lessons that study brings. Unfortunately, some people cannot see the house for the trees (to reframe an old metaphor). Take in the whole, not just a single part.