What are the two different sources in the study of history?

Answer 1

The two different sources in the study of history are primary and secondary sources.

Primary sources are those that come from those that have experienced or witnessed the history themselves. These include their diaries, speeches, personal statements, etc. If one were studying Einstein, for example, these would be his own statements, letters to his children, published papers, etc.

Secondary sources are those that come from others who have compiled and analyzed historical events. These include the writings of other historians, journalists and often family members or friends of an historical person or people tangentially related to an historic event. In the Einstein example, these would be the comments of his biographers, newspaper articles about him, the comments and writings of his friends and family, etc.