Yeah but all of this is a symptom of a broader problem rather than reasons why the history API is useful.
SPAs, for example, require so many hacks to work correctly that I often wonder to myself if they’re not really just a colossal mistake that the industry is too blinded to accept.
Could you provide some examples of the hacks you're referring to?
As a user, I really don't care about the supposed purity or correctness of a website's tech stack. When I click "back" I want to go back to what I think the previous page was.