Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc 

For a basic biography you should consider the historical questions: who, what, when, where and why. In writing about historical research Richard Marius and Melvin Page noted that, “historians ask who the people involved were; what exactly happened, when it happened, where and why.”[1] In writing your short biography, considers these items more specifically: Who questions focus on historical people and their influences on others, i.e., who was Pacal? What questions seek to understand history… what happened to your historical person or what did they believe? When questions seek to know exactly when something happened and help to place your biography historically in time. Where questions involve geography and location and often lead to possible explanation of actions and events. Why questions stem from basic curiosity… why it happened, why it influenced Alexander? Your Task: From the list of people provided on page 2, select one individual and write a short biography for your historical person, in one to two pages, that considers the historical questions described above while providing specific facts like: Date and place of birth and death Major achievements / contributions Education Work facts An overview of what makes the person significant in history Lastly, in your closing statement select one aspect of the person’s life that you would alter and explain how this change may have altered history.