Question

In 1990, the Middle Eastern country of Iraq invaded its smaller neighbor, Kuwait. In response, an international coalition of forces led by the United States attacked Iraq. The resulting Gulf War lasted several months and ended with the defeat of Iraq, which withdrew its forces from Kuwait. A historian interviews two people who fought during a certain battle during the Gulf War. One person says U.S. forces fired first; the other person says Iraqi forces fired first. To try to learn what really happened, the historian should

Answer 1

If one person says U.S. forces fired first, and the other person says Iraqi forces fired first, then the historian should look to impartial sources that were at the scene. 

Answer 2

Continue interviews and attempt to find other documents.

Historians often must consult many points of view and documents to determine what occurred during an event.

In the case above, historians need more information to come to any conclusions on the event. Of course, each side of the battle will have differing perspectives but with multiple interviews, some conclusions could be made. Any additional documents available could also help such as military plans, media images, or civilian accounts. With any historical event, historians will establish historical facts which will be consistent and the historical analysis which are variable and based on the perspective of the accounts and the historian.