Why do HN users post retro articles?

I'm really not sure why HN users post retro articles like just for example, what Bill Gates thought about iTunes licensing.

This history is so well known, just like the antitrust case where there is video recorded testimony from both parties.

Do HN readers have short memories or are they just finding detritus on the web that they think is clever?

It's a little baffling and sort of self aggrandizing.