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57 °F 5 Day Forecast Tuesday, December 23, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 8, 2003 Since You Asked This one could go down in history What determines if something is historic or prehistoric? It would seem that everything is historic. —Jim H., White City Well, Jim, all we know for sure is that if our word guy couldn’t answer that, he’d be history. "Historic" means having importance in history. It carries the sense of something important or groundbreaking, as in "the historic landing on the moon." If something is "prehistoric," on the other hand, it existed before recorded history, an era that goes back not much more than about 5,000 years. It bugs the word guy when people confuse "historic" with "historical," which means anything related in a general way to history (without the groundbreaking sense). And it really riles him when people use "historic" when they mean "old," as in "the historic Ashland Armory." Something is not historic simply because it’s interesting, or it’s been there a long time. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times