“Historic” or “Historical”

When should one use “historic” and when “historical”?

These two adjectives are often confused. Many think they are interchangeable. But they are distinctly different.

“Historic” refers to something monumental, noteworthy, such as an epic event that promises to go down in history. “Historical” means anything that's past, regardless of significance. “Historic election”: a very important election that will go down in history. “Historical records”: past records, not necessarily important.