Chapter 1. What is History? FREE
History is the study of the past. It tells us about the people who lived before us, long before you were born. When you learn history, you learn about the things that happened yesterday, last year, and even hundreds of years ago. History helps us understand how life used to be and how things have changed.
The past and the present
The past means all the time that has already gone by. The present means right now, today. Everything that has already happened is part of the past, and the present is the moment you are living in this very minute.
- The past is what already happened, like the day you were born.
- The present is now, like reading this page today.
- The past can be a long time ago or only a moment ago.
Time words
We use special words to talk about time. These words help us say when something happened. Learning them helps you place events in the right order.
| Time word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Long ago | Many years in the past |
| Earlier | Before now, a little while back |
| Yesterday | The day before today |
| Now | The present, this moment |
Why we learn about people who are gone
Many people who lived long ago are no longer alive, but their stories still matter. We learn about them because they built our towns, made our rules and passed on their ideas. Their lives help us understand the world we live in today.
A simple timeline
A timeline is a line that shows events in the order they happened. The oldest event goes on the left and the newest event goes on the right. A timeline helps us see what came first and what came later.
- You were born.
- You started school in Grade 1.
- You are now in Grade 4.