In high school, History class was one of the two subjects that I just got so bored studying. Our study books were old editions and not up-to-date. Other teaching materials weren’t too great, either. Nothing about History came alive for me.

If only I had a computer and the Internet in those days. My historical knowledge would have soared if I could have accessed all the history-related material available today.

For the record, I’m not talking just about American history. After all, there are many other countries and areas of the world with stories way older than our own. Just think of the countries in Europe and Asia. There are places of worship on those continents that are older than the USA. Other structures, too. Imagine the history behind the buildings themselves and the people who designed and built them.

I wonder about students today who do have access to all the resources of the Net. I wonder if they realize the wealth of information they have at their fingertips. Do they grasp how I would have gone from bored to excited if I could have hit the keyboard and surfed the Internet to learn about the history behind countries, inventions and people?

What about you? Does history come alive for you now? Do you make use of the cornucopia of maps, timelines, videos and pictures which are history-related? Are you connected enough to know that today is Bastille Day? Want to learn three unusual facts about this French holiday? Just watch this 35-second video to learn something new: