Most people would not think of going to the movies for a history lesson.

Movies are fun. History is, well, boring, according to too many people.

But once in a while history and cinema can coexist, and we can be both entertained and educated.

Such is the experience movie patrons receive when they see "The Butler."

Although the basic story is fiction, loosely based on an actual black butler who served eight U.S. presidents, the extensive interspersed film clips of the civil rights movement are all too real.

I overheard a young person asking someone after the movie, "Did that stuff actually happen?"

Yes, the vicious racism, violence, fires and explosions all happened, back in the 1960s.

That's history, and not ancient history, either.

Sadly, a lot of people don't know their history. And many don't care.

Just utter the word "history" sometime and watch folks yawn. They imagine thick textbooks filled with wars and dates to memorize.

But to me and, I'm sure, to an older segment of society, history is far from boring.

It's our past.

History defines who we are and where we've been.

I find fascinating history in unlikely places, none of them textbooks.

For about 13 years my husband and I have been doing volunteer work in two downtown Allentown historic cemeteries.

One is the final resting place of more than 700 local men who fought in the Civil War.

The other cemetery has a large population of local soldiers from the American Revolution, as well as veterans who served in our other major wars.

Many of Allentown's founding fathers and government leaders are buried in these cemeteries, as well.

On many occasions I have researched the lives of these soldiers and business and government leaders.

History came alive in their stories as I read of their contributions and accomplishments and sacrifices more than 200 years ago.

Rare would be the person who calls this kind of history boring.

"Place" history, the story behind the formation of our cities and towns, also can be mesmerizing.

Years ago, I interviewed and tape recorded an elderly neighbor, now deceased, who had lived in downtown Allentown for more than 92 years.

What a delightful history lesson he gave me about my neighborhood.

Through his personal, living history, I traveled back to gas lights, unpaved streets, horse stables, chicken coops, unlocked doors and numerous long-gone businesses.

Boring? Never!

Most people who know me are aware of my passion for antique autos. I am a regular at our local transportation museum and every car show or museum in the region.

I pore over classic car magazines and the hundreds of photos I shoot whenever I'm near vintage vehicles. I'm wild about running boards, Packards and the DeSoto Airflow.

This, too, is history. It's the enthralling history of our major form of transportation today and how it has evolved through the centuries.

It's the story of brilliant visionaries and independent car manufacturers who slowly fell by the wayside, leaving us today in the U.S. with primarily the big three: General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

History can't get more relevant than this.

We build our lives on history. That is our foundation.

History is unfolding this very minute. It's a continuum, and we're all helping to write it for generations yet to come.

Viewed that way, most of us would agree history is anything but boring.