This study investigates the mediating role of competence motivation in the relationship between exposure to the history of mathematical fallibility and students’ interest in mathematics. A cross-sectional survey design was employed using a quantitative approach. The sample comprised 285 undergraduate students of mathematics education in Ghana. Structural equation modeling and bias-corrected percentile bootstrapping were employed, and the analysis was conducted in AMOS (version 23). The results indicate that historical fallibility has a positive and significant effect on students’ competence, motivation, and interest in mathematics. Competence motivation partially mediated the relationship between the variables. The current study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by filling a gap in the literature. Previous studies have established the relationship between history and interest, but this study isolated fallibility as a motivational variable. The results also indicate that educators should draw on historical accounts of struggles to validate students' errors and foster interest. The findings suggest that integrating narratives of mathematical struggle and historical fallibility into mathematics instruction may contribute to more sustainable forms of mathematics education by promoting long-term student motivation, emotional resilience, and continued engagement with mathematics. The study further implies that humanizing mathematics through historical perspectives can support inclusive and psychologically supportive learning environments within digitally transforming higher education systems.