frederick-the-great:

One of my favourite things about studying History is when you come across a rich, rather complete source from someone who is not really important in the sense of not being One Of The Great Figures of History but still lived through an interesting time or event or even when they lived through a totally uneventful period I still think it’s interesting when the source just gives us their general impressions about their life and the times they’re living. Basically knowing how normal, not very remarkable people lived and thought throughout history is immensely interesting. This is not exactly social history because social history usually doesn’t talk about individuals and doesn’t really concern itself with their thoughts and impressions. I have nothing against studying the great figures of history or against social history which tends to put people in social groups but the individual who did nothing especially grand and about whom we have luckily a good degree of information is quite extraordinary and ought to be more appreciated.