Define Historical

[Avalon]

How long before an event is considered historical - do you think?

eg are the events of the 1960's now historical?
Is 100 years the length to determine historical -
when does History become Modern History -
and when does something change from contemporary to Modern History?

[mike b]

I seem to remember that the University of Oxford used to regard 'Modern' History as starting in 1453 with the fall of Constantinople...

[gammaray]

History is "in the past" That said anything that happened in the past is historical. To take that to it's most absurd conclusion, me writing this post becomes an historical event as soon as I have finished it (not a particularly note worthy event but "historical" non the less).

[Loosehead]

The common meaning of historical is indeed in the past, but often the word historical is used for significant events, for example 9/11 was only a few years ago but it is indeed Historical, however the colour of my socks in 1971 is indeed history but not particularly Historical, hysterical perhaps!

[waimarie]

This is an interesting question as I was aged between five and eleven throughout the 2nd world war and remember a great deal about events. . So, it is now quite startling to think I actually lived through this remarkable era of world history

[mike b]

(beware, incidentally, of the pedantic difference between 'historic' and 'historical'...)