This may come as a shock to those of you who dozed off in history class, your bored and drooping head coming to rest somewhere between the Louisiana Purchase on page 231 and the Alamo on page 287, but history is hot. Not quite Britney Spears hot, maybe, but definitely on a popularity upswing. Consider this evidence:

• According to a recent National Survey on Recreation and the Environment, “visiting historic sites” ranks as the seventh most popular out-of-the-home activity among US adults 16 and up.