Historical significance

The Ferranti MRT is just a clipboard with a built in calculator, but it is said to have historical significance as the world's first application-specific handheld computer.

Historical significance is a secondary history concept and an important topic which defines and influences many things in human life. Historical significance is a form of importance decided by judgement against sets of criteria.

Relevance

Knowledge of dates and events is the primary content of history and can be considered "first-order knowledge" as a concept. Historical significance is an aspect of the study of primary content, therefore historical significance is a secondary or "second-order knowledge" concept. Historical significance is a largely overlooked aspect of history studies but it is a tool for guiding students to understand how cultural background affects perception of history and the preferences they have.

Overview

Historical significance is a central topic to the study of history and defines what is remembered about the past. When history is taught to students, particular examples are emphasised because they are considered more significant than others. Therefore, historical significance can be defined as importance but is also subjective and open to challenge.

Historical significance determines a present view of the past and many prominent aspects of contemporary culture (images on stamps and banknotes, street names, history books, etc).

Assessing historical significance is a form of judgement. Valid judgement is a comparison to reasoned criteria. Judgement of historical significance could be summed up in two questions:

• What are the criteria used?
• How have the criteria been applied? (particular regard if the application can be considered defensive)

Criteria are not always available to assess a judgement of historical significance. However, notable examples include the UNESCO criterion that, for inclusion as a world heritage sites, a site must "bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization".

Criteria do not necessarily prevent disagreement. Values change between one person and another. Ultimately the key is perception. Lucien Febvre wrote, "At the heart of history, there are sentiments". The true understanding of significance is in understanding your thoughts and feelings about a subject.