“Historical” or “historic”?

Historical is used to refer to things from or about the past.

Historic is used to refer to things that are important or significant.

‘Any past event is historical, but only the most memorable ones are historic.’ (William Saffire).

We can say that anything from the past is historical:

• Fossils are historical
• Old books are historical
• Weapons from the Napoleonic Wars are historical
• Palaces used by Russian Tsars are historical
• Shirts worn by footballers in the World Cup are historical.

We can also say that anything about the past is historical:

• War and Peace is an historical novel
• A painting of Winston Churchill is historical
• A textbook about the twentieth century is historical.

We can say that only anything that changed or made history is historic:

• The October Revolution was historic – it changed the history of Russia and the World.
• Roger Federer’s win at the 2018 Australian Open tennis tournament was an historic occasion – it was the first time any man had won 20 Grand Slam tournaments.
• The 1966 World Cup final was historic – it was the first and only time that England has won it.
• The launch of Vostok I in 1961 was an historic event – it took the first human into space.
• The Tower of London is an historic building – many famous people were imprisoned there.