Earlier quoted context omitted.
The only thing more boring than hearing about peoples' dreams is hearing about their ancestral history.
You should try talking to people with interesting ancestors (or views of their ancestors). I won't go into too much detail here to avoid doxing myself, but I've had a few decent discussions about some of my and my friends' ancestors/likely ancestors as historical figures. Depending on who you're (un)fortunate enough to be descended from, you might find yourself viewing certain historical events in a different light.
"Did you know I'm related to Benjamin Franklin?"
"Cool"