Every time I hear history told in story format, I’m enthralled. History has clearly become my favorite subject in the academic world, though reading is much more difficult for me than consuming it through other mediums.
I’ve recently been listening to Dan Carlin’s Harcore History podcast and when I first saw that the episodes were 3+ hours each I almost didn’t even start to listen. I generally don’t listen to podcasts over an hour. Too much commitment.
This time I decided to though and almost immediately I was sucked in. Dan Carlin is a fantastic storyteller, but also the subject matter in which he was talking about was something that immediately sparked my interest. I especially love any history centered around big events in history. Wars, assassinations, etc.
I picked up his podcast in episode 50. The first installment of the series he calls “Blueprint for Armageddon.” Stories and history behind one of the bloodiest times in world history: the leadup to what is now known as World War 1.
I’ve learned a lot about the history behind WW2 but perhaps to my own shame knew close to nothing about this first major world conflict. I basically knew that what brought the American’s in was the sinking of the Lusitania, a huge ship similar to the Titanic.
For someone like myself, who loves history (though to be fair am pretty terrible at taking action on that) it made me realize how much is not known by people my age and especially younger about this great conflict. If all I know was who was involved and why the US was there, I’m missing out on so much history.
Is it necessary to function as a human? No, not at all, but I see it more as missing out. Missing out on something of insane proportions for us to learn and grow from. To see what others who have gone before you have done.
There are no WW1 veterans alive today, and I am afraid as more and more of that era die out, the more history that will be lost or forgotten simply out of indifference.
These men and women alive during that time sacrificed so much in these wars. Countries lost millions of people. What an insane sacrifice made by those who cared about the future of their children and grandchildren’s lives.
We really do stand on the shoulders of giants. I pray we don’t forget those giants.