History is important. There are some who may not think so, but the reality is that is does matter. There is an old saying that goes “those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” This means that if we don’t recognize the mistakes of the past, we will only continue them. The pages of history are filled with countless good and bad examples.

There are also numerous instances of pride coming before a downfall. One such example is that of a man named Samuel Riddle. He was a wealthy man who owned a seemingly invincible racehorse by the name of War Admiral in the late 1930’s. Riddle was supremely and often overly confident. Many thought rightly so because his horse was an incredible athlete not to mention the reigning Triple Crown Winner. However, in the end, War Admiral is best remembered for his defeat by a small, often overlooked horse by the name of Seabiscuit on November 1st, 1939.

This is just one of thousands, even millions of insights that history can give us. Often, the storylines are anything but boring. If we just stop to listen for a moment, we can learn from them. There are small anecdotes as well as profound lessons. I am convinced that these stories serve a purpose.