The past is big because it grows. It grows like any work of fiction and, make no mistake about it, fiction is essentially what it is. All facts can be disputed. What science tells you about reality today it will revise tomorrow. History is written by the winners in any contest.
All good historians are novelists and poets and storytellers at heart.
I had not given the question much thought and my answer surprised me. My parents were both fictitious, that must be the reason why I can only answer questions by telling a story. My mother knew nothing about my father and never asked him anything about his life. Not only that, but she was also vague about her own past. For instance she could not remember her own maiden name.