In this article, the author presents how the tools and skills of a historian has made it possible to hold accountable the executive branch of the federal government in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington DC. Historian Philip Zelig made it possible to secure the testimony of National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice--a request was initially denied by President George Bush for fears that it would set a dangerous precedent that could damage the ability of future presidents to acquire advice from their advisors--after procuring a grainy photograph of Admiral William D. Leahy, chief of staff to Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, testifying last November 22, 1945 before a panel investigating the attack on Pearl Harbor. This story offers evidence of the immense power and practicality of studying history. The author also observes how the study of social studies has received less and less attention with the ascendance of each new curricular focus.