Make History Fun with ‘The Who Was? Show’
History is one of those subjects that a lot of people love, but few people claim to know a lot about. These days we are experiencing renewed interest in history, but some say it’s not enough.
Academics are alarmed that our kids are not learning history in school. We are frequently made aware of studies professing outrage at how few people can name our first president or the first person to walk on the Moon.
As a historian, I appreciate the frustration. But I will also admit that history is not an easy subject to grasp. After all, there is a lot of history out there to digest. And it is constantly being reassessed and reworked based on new discoveries or whatever social sensibilities may be in vogue at any particular moment. It also doesn’t help that there seems to be an unwritten law that history can only be taught in a dry, staid, boring, stale, (did I mention dry?) manner that puts people to sleep.
Learning history doesn’t have to be that way. Especially if we have programs like The Who Was? Show.
Based on the bestselling children’s book series begun by Penguin in 2002, The Who Was? Show is a new Netflix program that does what many seek, but few accomplish — it makes history entertaining as well as educational.
