"History" is a general term, involving past events, memory, discovery, collection, organization, introduction and interpretation of information about these events. Scholars who write history are called historians.
History also includes the use of narrative to examine and analyze a series of past events and objectively determine the causal relationship that caused these events. Historians sometimes discuss the nature and use of history by discussing the research itself of this discipline, and regard it as a "perspective" for current problems.
Stories in a specific culture, but without the support of external sources (such as stories around King Arthur), are usually classified as cultural heritage or legends because they do not show a "selfless investigation" of the history discipline. Herodotus, a Greek historian in the 5th century BC, is usually regarded as "the father of history" by western tradition or "the father of lies" by some people. His contemporary Thucydides laid the foundation for the study of modern human history. Today, their works are still being read, and the gap between Herodotus, who focuses on culture, and Thucydides, who focuses on military affairs, is still a controversial point or method in modern historical writing. In East Asia, a national chronicle, Chunqiu Zhi, was compiled as early as 722 BC, although only the text of the 2nd century BC was preserved.
The ancient influence has contributed to people's different interpretations of the nature of history, which have evolved in the past few centuries and are still changing today. The modern study of history is extensive, including the study of specific fields and the study of certain themes or theme elements of historical investigation. History is usually a part of primary and secondary education, and historical research is a major topic of university research.