History is defined in the dictionary as a chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes. A historian might argue that any event that affects life as it is today is a part of history. For example the Big Bang or the extinction of the dinosaurs are very significant parts of history that affect life of today. History is recorded in the form of writing. One might say that an ideal historical document only states the truth, is objective, and is completely impartial. Most historical documents not only discuss an event, but often are also accompanied by an explanation of its causes and effects. This leads to historical documents becoming false, opinionated, and biased, which in turn leads to debates, arguments, and contradictions. Humans study history by reading these historical documents in order to learn lessons from others' mistakes and to seek knowledge about how their lives have been affected by the past.
             An example of written history is the Loewen article on Columbus. This article is very opinionated and contradicts many other historical documents. The historical event that it discusses is Columbus's discovery of America. Loewen states the cause of this discovery as exploration for conquest and exploitation. Then he states the effects of the discovery as Europe's rise to world power and America's trend of conquering and oppression. His article is very opinionated and contradicts many other historical textbooks. This is okay because no one was around when Columbus sailed to America and it is the reader's decision, whichever story to believe. Any piece of writing can be considered a historical document as long as it describes an event that affects life today, such as a private diary about the Holocaust, John Smith's writing on Virginia history, or an encyclopedia.
             When searching for a reliable historic...