It might seem like history is just a collection of dates and names. Queen Elizabeth I ruled England from 1558 to 1603. Ruby Bridges became the first black child to attend William Frantz Elementary School in 1960. The people who study and write about history are called historians. But why would we need historians if history is just a collection of hard facts? It turns out history is a lot more than facts. You can think of history as being made up of thousands of different stories, opinions and perspectives. Historians sift through these different pieces and analyze them to come up with theories about the way things went and why. Why is it important to study history? Because our past helps us figure out who we are in the present and who we might be in the future. Which of the following is most like the work of an historian? A A novelist makes up the plot of a book. B A chef works for years to create the perfect recipe for a dish. C A mathematician works on finding a single proof for a theorem. D A police officer takes statements from lots of witnesses to try to understand a crime.