People Share What Historical Events They Wouldn't Believe Had Happened If It Weren't Actually Documented

As you might understand, history isn't just about funny gags. While it has plenty of those, the subject can offer us much more.

"History gives us perspective," Dr. Reid told us. "It helps us to understand how our own experiences fit into a much broader pattern of human behavior; why do we go to war, why do we love, and why do we cause so much pain when we are trying to do the right thing."

"These are big questions with no easy answers, but understanding how and why our ancestors acted can help us to understand why we, as individuals and as a society, act as we do."

However, once you start diving deeper, you quickly realize that historians have done so much work, it's impossible for one person to become an expert in every stage of every civilization.

"Start by learning about whatever time period or topic speaks to you," Dr. Reid suggested.

"Don't try and nail down specific periods or important people because every period and every person's history is just as valid as everyone else's. Find what speaks to you and work out from there, always being open to engaging with stories, histories, and peoples that you come across whose experiences and perspectives take you out of your intellectual comfort zone."

Following your own curiosity and intuition, you are bound to discover something you will be able to share in a similar post when it comes up. Just don't be afraid of challenges.

According to Dr. Reid, even though academic literature can be intimidating for newcomers, historians are increasingly exploring new ways of bringing their research to life for new audiences. "Many [of them] produce podcasts, for example, that provide a much more accessible gateway into a vast range of periods and peoples," he explained.

"Historians are also starting to take control of mediums that haven't always represented the past as accurately as they could have. For example, I co-directed a documentary about Charlie Chaplin and mental health called Looking for Charlie: Life and Death in the Silent Era (to be released for free - streaming in the first week in November)."

Dr. Reid suggested that works such as this are likely to become more and more popular in the near future, providing deep insights into topics, but in an accessible way that will hopefully give people the best of both worlds.