Why did the third punic war take place?

explanation: we can only guess at how our actions may be perceived in the future. doing something really big like killing lots of people, saving lots of people, affecting the lives of lots of people is a sure fire way of being remembered in historical records. we can also make a difference in the history records by being a small influence on something bigger, whether that is as a civil servant, scientist or artist.

of course you could argue that we all affect history just as tiny cogs in a   bigger machine.

if you mean how do people influence our opinions of things which have already happened, then simply by writing a book which looks at things form a different perspective and trying to convince people that this perspective is more accurate or truthful. people do it all the time i.e. richard the third was a terrible or was he? plenty would disagree, it's just that their views aren't the most widely known.n:

abraham lincoln  (february 12, 1809  – april 15, 1865) was an american statesman, politician, and lawyer who served as the 16th  president of the united states  from 1861 until  his assassination  in april 1865. lincoln led the nation through the  american civil war, its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis.[2][3]  he preserved the  union,  abolished slavery, strengthened the  federal government, and modernized  the u.s. economy.