To a large degree, it is not vitally important that historians research the past, and particularly not some parts of the past. The practical point of historical research is to help us understand the choices we have as we face our own problems today. Much historical research is not particularly useful in that regard. However, we can argue that researching the past is important (to some extent) in two ways.
Historical research is important simply because we people want to know things. Human beings are endlessly curious and historical research helps us “scratch that itch.” For example, there can be no real importance in knowing exactly where the city of Troy was, but people just want to know. Things that have practical applications are not the only important things in our lives. History is important in part simply because humans want to know things.
Historical research also has practical implications. ...
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It helps us understand what human beings are like and what mistakes we tend to make. This can help us understand our present situation. For example, let us say that historical research tells us that environmental problems caused the fall of various ancient civilizations. That might imply that we need to be more careful about what we do to our own environment.
Thus, historical research is at least somewhat important both for practical reasons and for reasons that do not have practical applications.
Why is it important for historians to research the past?
The classic answer is: "To not repeat the mistakes of the past." But this does not always work, as humans constantly repeat the same mistakes. There have been many financial scandals over the years, such as the one that led to the Savings and Loan crisis in the 80s and more recently, the banking crisis in 2007-8.
It is important to research in order to find out not only what happened, but how it happened and who was involved. History is not only about the people you read about, the "greats" in you textbook, but the people who would have never had a chance to be in your textbook if they had not done something simple to change history. An often used example is Rosa Parks. If she had given up her seat and stood up instead of staying put, no one outside of her family would probably have ever heard of her.
Historians also need to research history in order for facts to be facts. If you look on the Internet, people often use figures from the past to propose a certain political belief that benifits them. Without historians, no one would be able to make sure whether someone was lying.