An annalist is a person who records events in chronological order. They are similar to a HISTORIAN, but focus more on the details of the events rather than the broader context. A HISTORIAN is someone who studies the past and interprets it to gain a better understanding of the present. A CHRONICLER is someone who records historical events in a narrative form. Annalists are often considered to be a subset of historians, as they focus on recording events in a chronological order.