Daniel Burghard, born in 1990 and hailing from Melbourne, Australia has done everything he can to make his life an adventure. With his main profession as a teacher, Daniel has used the time during every holiday to explore this wonderful world we live in. In particular, he has a keen interest in history and spends a lot of time and effort to visit historical locations, in an attempt to get as close to the "real picture" as possible. While Daniel has a love for the ancient times, spending many years researching every aspect of the ancient Roman and Greek cultures, even going so far as to taking part in an archaeological dig, Daniel is never one to ignore an opportunity to learn more about our more recent history. This has to be at least part of the reason Daniel moved to Berlin in 2015. For more info, his website is https://eyewitness-history.com/ . His recent book is Things They've Seen.
- How and when did you get hooked on history?
I’m not sure there was an exact point. I do remember as a young boy looking at travel catalogues at my Grandparents place and seeing pictures of the pyramids. I knew then I wanted to go and see them, so that surely was an influence. There was also a series called “Where’s Wally’s History of the World”, which definitely helped to stoke the fire.
- What role does history play in your personal life?
Well, I like to do a lot of historical reading. There is plenty to learn about and I love a good historical podcast or documentary in my spare time. Its also been a driving force for a lot of my travels. I normally pick destinations with some historical significance.
- How does history play a part of your professional life?
Outside of the book, I am a science teacher. People are often surprised but history plays a big role in this. I like to show the students experiments from the past and show them, through these experiments how the ideas developed to what they ended up as today.
- Why is studying/knowing history important?
There are so many reasons why history is important to learn. From a purely entertainment point of view, there are plenty of wild, interesting and peculiar stories to learn about, as good as any fiction book. From a more serious point, the idea is that each generation learns from the past and improves on what has been done. In order for that to work, people need to know where we have come from, to make informed decisions on how they want to move forward. As the old saying goes, history doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme.
- What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about?
I like different eras for different reasons. The modern history, such as WWII and the Cold War is amazing, because (if you are lucky) you can still talk to people that lived through it. So, there is a very personal touch to it, that I find fascinating. Otherwise, I love my Greek and Roman history. There are so many big personalities that still shine through after thousands of years, it is impossible not to want to know more about them.
- What prompted you to write “The Things They’ve Seen”?
What got me writing this book was pure luck. There was a monthly meeting at a hotel in Berlin that used to invite one guest each time to discuss their experiences in either WWII or the Cold War. However, one day, the meetings just stopped. I honestly panicked. I had never heard stories like those at the meetings before, and I was afraid of losing them all to time. So, I managed, with the help of an archive, to get into contact with as many as I could and interview them so others can learn from their experiences in those times. I feel very privileged that they trusted me to bring their stories to the public.
- What will readers learn and take away from reading “The Things They’ve Seen”?
The main thing they will get by reading the book is the view from common citizens living in Germany during WWII and the Cold War. Each interviewee brings a unique perspective to the book, one that is less often heard. Whether it is a son losing his father to the concentration camp, or someone suffering in a Stasi prison, or a German soldier during WWII or a Jewish girl fleeing Nazi Germany, with each story we learn more about the past and hopefully avoid such horrors in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment