'If anything is important it is the future. The past is gone, and the present exists only as a fleeting moment. Everything that we think and do from this moment on can only affect the future, and it is in the future that we shall spend the rest of our lives.' History is important. It has many lessons to teach and failure to heed them is one of the easiest ways to make mistakes in the future. History also carries with it many experiences both personal and societal that influence attitudes to the present and the future. In many situations these attitudes, which are derived from the past, determine our approach to the future. To create change we may need to break away from this domination by the past and think anew. This is often difficult, but if we are to solve many of the world's problems, it is necessary. One way to assist this may be to examine the way in which we refer to different periods of time. The English language is not alone in using the words 'past', 'present' and 'future', each suggesting the singular. There was one past-history rather than histories there is one present, not a series of presents and there will be one future. If, however, we accept the existence of effective human choice, there must be the potential for different futures to occur. Easy as it is to explain, when we are used to thinking about the past and the present, it can be still difficult to accept that futures are multiple. It seems to make the future different. But is it as different as all that? Consider the experience of an Englishman in Boston, Massachusetts. Some of the events that took place in and around Boston in the late 18th century are probably familiar to most English schoolchildren, but seeing them from an American perspective casts them in a new light. The British version of history generally regards the 'Brits' as the good guys, fighting bravely for right. Following the 'Freedom Trail' through Boston poses some interesting questions. The American view is different. We, the Brits, were the buddies! Although the past has happened and left evidence and memories, difficulties remain. The interpretation of the events can be very different when viewed from different perspectives. Which, if any, is right? Some of the most intractable political problems of today, such as those in Northern Ireland, the Middle East and the former Yugoslavia, originate in very different perspectives on history. Perhaps the main contribution that futurists can make to the resolution of these conflicts is to emphasize the existence of, and the need to understand histories, in the plural: that, although there may strictly have been one past, different human perceptions effectively create multiple pasts that are often incompatible. Only by recognizing the significance of these pasts can the varying presents be understood, with a view to achieving a future that will go some way towards meeting the conflicting preferences. In what way is history important to us?