What do you think history is? 

History means the study of change over time and covers all aspects of human society. Political, social, economic, scientific, technological, medical, cultural, intellectual, religious, military developments, etc are part of history. Normally, professional historians specialize in a particular aspect of history, a specific time, a sudden approach to history, or a specific geographic region. 

Historians who write history emphasize the value of primary sources, which means dating from a particular time while understanding the limitations of such sources. Nonhistorians read books or watch documentaries, while historians do the same things and even go to archives in search of original records.

Historians list all the sources that they have used in footnotes and bibliographies in their works. This helps other scholars who are interested in finding those sources and this shows that the writer is careful, thorough, and honestly giving credit for the origin of the information. Providing a bibliography is how historians demonstrate their methodology and support their conclusions. It starts with the past and makes the present its sheet anchor and points to the future. Events like wars, revolutions, the rise, and fall of empires, fortunes, and misfortunes of great empire builders as well as the masses in general are all the subject matter of history. 
 

But if we talk about history according to your school, then it is-

History is a subject that includes geography, art, culture, literature, civilization, religion, and even mathematics, etc. History is not only about culture and religion but also about philosophy and natural science in which we are interested. History today has become an all-embracing, comprehensive subject to an almost limitless extent.
 

Let's talk about the concept of history - 

History is the analysis and interpretation of the human past that enable us to study continued changes that are taking place over time. It is an act of investigation and imagination that seeks to explain how people have changed over time. 

Historians use all forms of evidence to examine, interpret, revisit, and reinterpret the past. This not only includes written documents but also oral communication and objects such as buildings, artifacts, photographs, and paintings. Historians are trained in the methods of discovering and evaluating these sources and the challenging task of making historical sense out of them. 

History is a means to understand the past and present. 

The different interpretations of the past allow us to see the present differently and therefore imagine—and work towards—different futures. It is often said to be the queen or mother of the social sciences. It is the basis of all subjects which comes under the category of humanities and social sciences. It is also the basis of the study of philosophy, politics, economics, and even art and religion. It is considered an impactful subject in the complete education of man. 
 

So, now the question is what is the aim of teaching history-

 History gives a proper understanding of the concept of time, space, and society. History is a link uniting each of us as an individual with a whole greater than ourselves. History teaches tolerance to different faiths, different loyalties, different cultures, and different ideas. History is the only subject that can unfold the process of change and development through which human societies have evolved to their present stage of development. 
 

The modern concept of history- 

Modern history has gone beyond the traditional status of an antiquarian and pursuit to a very useful and indispensable part of a man’s education. It is scientific and comprehensive and has expanded in all directions both vertically and horizontally. It has become broad-based and attractive. 

According to the modern concept, history does not contain only the history of kings and queens, battles and generals, but the history of the common man-his house and clothing, his fields and their cultivation, his continued efforts to protect his home and earth, and to obtain a just government, his aspirations, achievements, disappointments, defeats, and failures. It is not only the individual but the communities and the societies that are the subject of the study of history. The study of history depends on our understanding of the potentiality and limitations of the present. It has thus become a future-oriented study related to contemporary problems. For all these reasons, history has assumed the role of human science.  

At last, I want to say that history is very much important in our life because it helps us to understand the present. If we will listen to what history has to say, we can come to a sound understanding of the past that will tell us much about the problems we now face. If we refuse to listen to history, we will find ourselves fabricating a past that reinforces our understanding of current problems. People tend to underestimate the power of history. If I want to convince you that capitalism is evil, I could simply tell you that capitalism is evil, but this is likely to have little effect on the skeptical. This frontal attack is too crude. However, I disinterestedly tell you the history of capitalism, nonchalantly listing all the atrocities attributable to it, I am much more likely to achieve my goal. I can leave a lasting impression that will evoke revulsion at the mere mention of the word. History teaches values. If it is true history, it teaches true values; if it is pseudo-history, it teaches false values. The history taught to our children is playing a role in shaping their values and beliefs—a much greater role than we may suspect.