Who is Herodotus from The Greek Way and what is their importance?

Herodotus was the first historian. He observed the world during the fifth century and wrote about what he saw and what he thought he learned about the world. In particular, Herodotus was the historian of the Athenian victory over Persia. He believed the small city-state was victorious over the great empire because the Athenians were free men defending their freedom against tyranny and despotism. He is renowned for his ability to bring objectivity to his observation and investigation of the world and human life. Hamilton sees him as "a shining instance of the strong Greek bent to examine and prove or disprove. He had a passion for finding out."