history vs. the past

[LACIJAY]

why are history and the past not identical?

[Grunty]

Some of us can remember many instances when history was changed, and was not therefore identical with the past. Often, history varies according to the country you are in at the time. For example, a town guide in Cadiz gives a very different version of the Spanish Armada from the one that is (or was) taught in English schools. Remember the Hollywood films that record how the Americans won the 1939-1945 war single handed? How about the versions of the Iraq invasion according to US sources and Middle East sources?

[jno]

sometimes 'history' means only recorded history; hence 'prehistoric' means a time when there wasn't anyone around to write it down - but it's still 'the past'.

[aristotle]

The past is a period in time. History is the story of what happened in the past. As others have pointed out, history can vary enormously depending on who wrote it - usually whoever won.

[Peter Pedant]

The past is raw data, and is objective

History has a theoretical background (someone's idea of what is important) - that is information.
History is also the jigsaw - of how it fitrs together (in someone's opinion), and is subjectgive - its involves someone's opinion.

If this is an essay then illustrate it with examples

Mrs Mop of Little Scruntfuttock dying in 1901 and Queen V dying in the same year

or the date the second worlkd war started
1939 for England and 1941 for USA