By its most common definition, the word history now means ‘the past of mankind’. Compare the German word for history - Geschichte, which is derived from geschehen, meaning to happen. Geschichte is that which has happened. This meaning of word history is often encoun- tered in such overworked phrases as ‘all history teaches’ or ‘the lessons of history’.

It requires only a moment’s reflection to recognize that in this sense history cannot be reconstructed. The past of mankind for the most part is beyond recall. Even those who are blessed with the best memories cannot re-create their own past, since in the life of all men there must be events, persons, words, thoughts, places, and fancies that made no impression at all at the time they occurred, or have been forgotten. A fortiori, the experience of a generation long dead, most of whom left no records or whose records, if they exist, have never been disturbed by the historian touch, is beyond the possibility of total recollection. The reconstruction of the total past of mankind, although is the goal of historians, thus becomes a goal they know full well is unattainable.