There really many different between today's society and the one of past. It was out of the our imaginations to talk with out-country family members through telephone or internet. And also something that was very important in the past may not important any more. But, the experiences and knowledge we learnt from past could help us dig out some parts that we have not known.
First, though there are some study methods which no longer fit the knowledge boomed era, it gave us some clues to change the way that teachers tought their students. To recite whatever you had read is rooted in the traditional Chinese education. We often learn a story about Sima Guang who wrote Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government. Though he is a great man, he back home after recited what he had learnt in the day-time. While, for now there are too many knowledge for us to learn, this type of study not wasted only our time but confused our decisions also.  Neverthless, in practicing that method, we find a new way to grasp numorous knowledge which is critical thinking. In some extent it resloved the problem.
In addition, studying past could gave a clue to nowaday research. For instance, from investigating the  death of Napoleon, scientists suggested that cancer is  genetic. As they find the waist changes in ten years which fits the cancer pacient's, researchers just assumed he was dead from cancer. In further study, they discovered that Napoleon's grandfather, father and his three sisters all dead from stomach cancer. This is the first time that doctors  suggested the cancer could be passed down. We also learn that thalidomide caused abnomality of the offsprinfs from case-control study. If we never concluded and excavated the source, the real truth of a certain syptom, many etiological factors would be omit.
By and large, though time is changed, many things did not appeared any more. Studying the past assisted us conecting the past and discovering the further.