HISTORY

Historian's Rule: Any event, once it has occurred, can be made to appear inevitable by a competent historian. 

Lee Simonson, quoted by Herbert Prochnow in the Public Speaker's Treasure Chest.

Wolf's Law: Those who don't study the past will repeat its errors. Those who do study it will find other ways to err.

Charles Wolf, Jr.

History is the record of an encounter between character and circumstance. 

Donald Creighton, Towards the Discovery of Canada.