historic and historical

[Sophie]

I still have some problems with the ­two words. I think it's too difficult to distinguish between "historic" and "historical". Why do we have "historical place" but "historic site" for example?
Thank you in advance.
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On earth there is nothing great but man, in man there is nothing great but mind.

[Michauek]

hi,
It's an interesting question :) I think that a native speakers should explain the difference, but I think that "Historic" is only connected with sth that has to do with history or sth with the past. (e.g. A historic battle)
"Historical" refers to a person, thing, an event that was in the past. ( A historic battle ??)
grr. I'm confused. I'm not sure.
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Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes. Oscar Wilde
Michal. I'm an english student :-)

[Ralf]

Hi Sophie,

Here's an example to illustrate the difference:

Waterloo is a place of historical interest.

The Vatican is a historic building.

The Vatican could also be a place of historical interest if you were interested in the very history of the building. But the historic status/ranking of the building means it is old and significant.

historical - go down in history

historic - a historical result for today
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