HistoryHow We Know About the Past: Clues from Photos and Old Things
Atlas the friendly explorer kneels by a wooden treasure box, holding up an old photo and a worn toy while warm lamplight glows around shelves of clues.
- Name three kinds of clues that tell us about the past: photos, objects, and stories.
- Identify an old object as a clue from a time before now.
- Explain that we learn about the past by looking at clues, not by guessing.
- Tell the difference between a real clue and something that is made up.
Key terms
- evidence
- A clue that shows what really happened in the past.
- artifact
- An old object made or used by people long ago.
- primary source
- A clue made by someone who was actually there at the time.
- oral history
- A story about the past spoken aloud by a person who remembers it.
- the past
- Any time that has already happened, from yesterday to long ago.
Why We Need Clues
No one has a time machine, so we cannot simply travel back to watch the past with our own eyes. Instead, people who study history act like detectives. They gather clues that were left behind and use them to figure out what life was really like. A single clue might only tell a small part of the story, but when we put many clues together, we start to see a clear picture of how people lived, what they wore, and what they cared about.
Three Kinds of Clues
Historians group their clues into helpful kinds. A photo is a frozen picture that shows real faces, clothes, streets, and machines from a moment in the past. An object, sometimes called an artifact, is a real thing you can hold, like an old coin, toy, or tool. A story, especially one told by a person who was there, is called oral history. Each kind of clue is strongest when we compare it with the others to check that they agree.
Real Clues Versus Made-Up Ideas
A clue only counts as evidence if it truly comes from the past. An old photo taken years ago is real evidence because it captured a real moment. But a drawing someone invents today, or a guess we make up in our heads, is not evidence at all — it never happened. Good history always rests on real clues. When we are careful to use only true clues, the story we tell about the past stays honest and trustworthy.
Worked examples
Decide which item is real evidence
- Look at the two items: an old photo of a family from 1950, and a cartoon you drew this morning.
- Ask which one was made at the time of the event you are studying.
- The photo was taken in 1950, so it captured a real past moment.
- The cartoon was made today and shows nothing that really happened back then.
Answer: The old 1950 photo is real evidence; the cartoon drawn today is not.
Name the kind of clue this is
- Your grandmother tells you about walking to school when she was young.
- She was actually there, so her memory is a firsthand account.
- A spoken memory from someone who was there is called oral history.
Answer: It is oral history — a true story told by someone who lived it.
Activity
Sort each thing into the clue box that matches: photo, object, or story.
Practice
Name one object in your home that could be a clue about the past.
Is a grandparent's story a photo, an object, or a story clue?
Common mistakes to avoid
- We can just guess what the past was likeGuessing is not evidence; historians learn about the past by studying real clues that were left behind.
- A made-up drawing is a clueOnly things created at the time of an event count as evidence, so an invented drawing tells us nothing true.
Check your understanding
Which one is a clue that helps us learn about the past?
Atlas wants to know what his grandpa did as a kid. What can help most?
Which thing is an object clue from the past?
Recap
We cannot travel back in time, so we learn about the past from real clues. Photos, objects, and stories from people who were there all give us evidence, while made-up ideas do not count.
Reflect
What is one clue that could tell future people about your life today?