I don't disagree with anything you just said, but many people take "history" to be distinct from "prehistory" (the latter ends and the former begins at the poin

I don't disagree with anything you just said, but many people take "history" to be distinct from "prehistory" (the latter ends and the former begins at the point in time when humans began to keep records of their affairs). So I caution you not to assume people are necessarily being disingenuous when they say something is at a historical high or whatever.