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The hardest things to understand about much of the past are its errors and delusions.
J. M. Roberts
What’s It All About?
Welcome to Stranger Histories! I’m a history professor and I have been teaching history for for thirty-six years. Needless to say, I really enjoy studying, learning, and teaching history. History is fascinating. Its about people and their lives. So its about us. History is important to a society. Our history gives us our identity as a society just as our memory gives our identity has individuals. History shows us where we’ve been and it helps to guide on our path into the future. But while history is a serious subject, it can also be fun.
Then there are myths. Myths are also part of any society’s identity. Myths can be fun. They can also be serious. Myths are not a problem as long as people realize they are myths, not history. In a modern society, myths are often a distraction from reality. For an individual to ignore reality can have tragic consequences. When a society ignores reality, almost inevitably enormously tragic consequences will follow. So it is important to know the difference.
So the goals of Desperately Seeking History are:
1) Have some fun with history
2) Learn some history
3) Explore the diversity of history
4) Distinguish between history and myth
So let’s have some fun exploring history. We won’t save the world but hopefully we’ll open our minds a bit. Who knows, it might end up being a cure for baldness.
Biographical Sketch
Professor Ronald H. Fritze earned his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge. He has taught at Louisiana State University, Lamar University, Concordia University-Chicago, the University of Central Arkansas, and Athens State University where he retired as emeritus professor of history and religion. He is the author or editor of twelve books including New Worlds: The Great Voyages of Discovery 1400-1600 (2002), Invented Knowledge: False History, Fake Science and Pseudo-Religions (2009), Egyptomania: A History of Fascination, Fantasy, and Obsession (2016), and Hope and Fear: Modern Myths, Conspiracy Theories, and Pseudo-History (2022). In 2005 Professor Fritze appeared in the Emmy nominated series THE CONQUEST OF AMERICA that premiered on the History Channel. He is currently working a new book: Rejecting Reality: Conspiracy Theories in Our Time.