The rote repetition for math is more obvious. Drilling in the repeated proof that yes, this is how things proceeded from start to finish and it is known. Howev

The rote repetition for math is more obvious. Drilling in the repeated proof that yes, this is how things proceeded from start to finish and it is known. However at least my History classes wanted to instill trivia, rather than a general overview and mastery of the general course of events and knowledge. Precise dates and figures, rather than knowing what to lookup if I ever did need __specific__ data. Which is exactly what I'd want to do if I did have a need for that data, to make sure I had the correct date, spelling, and maybe refresh my context years or decades later.