PS
The reason that people say "those who fail to understand history are doomed to repeat it" is because a study of history puts things into context and explains things that otherwise would be mute mysteries.
A good example came to mind after I posted: Ever wonder why George Bush was so dependent on British PM Tony Blair? It'd be a mystery if all you knew about that part of the world was Tech's partisan hit-piece about Truman. But when you know that the British are basically responsible for all the problems we're dealing with today in the Middle East as a result of their actions at the start of the 20th Century, it makes a bit more sense: They're experienced (god help us), and they speak English. Nobody else fits the bill.