Forgotten bouquet

Why is it that only tragedies and transgressions seem to be etched into history? War, aggression, occupation, colonial rule, and countless victims-when we study history, what we see are merely sorrowful records of nations clashing and dividing into victors and the vanquished.
Yet, was conflict and hatred truly all that the people of those eras left behind? If nations and individuals could honor one another's achievements, might we not break free from a history of conflict and forge a new history leading toward peace?