“History

is

Bunk”

Henry Ford

Henry Ford looked forward only; he changed the world with his vehicles but he had no time for the past.

The recording of history is a risky business, often distorted by mistranslation, lies, exaggeration, bias, typos, political ambition, gossip, misinformation, miscalculation or just plain delusion. The great pioneer industrialist, Henry Ford said "History is bunk", and he never looked back. We take a look at a few examples of facts gone wrong.

Our New 5 Part Series

IS HISTORY BUNK?

PART 1

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Lost in Translation: Did the Bishop Kill his Wife?

The past, or more specifically those bits of it we think might be important or entertaining, keeps changing. And usually, the story grows. All of us like to be accurate but also, we generally prefer to interest others if a little icing on the cake of truth will help.

J.M. Lemoine in his 1878 Chronicles of the St. Lawrence relates the changing story of a then recent tragedy which occurred at St. Albans, Quebec. The first report was in the English-speaking papers and was that one John Bishop, in a fit of jealousy, shot his wife and then himself. The French newspapers misunderstood and claimed the offender was not Mr. Bishop, but the local Bishop.

As the story was repeated it became necessary to assure the readers that the Bishop involved was a Protestant one, as, of course, a Catholic one could not have had a wife to shoot. Somehow the reports were also now amended so that the wife was expected to recover. As the story spread, it recrossed the language barrier and reached its ultimate absurdity in the Daily News. The murder suicide was reported thus; ‘In a fit of jealousy, a man killed himself and afterwards killed his wife.’ Sometimes it occurs that the past is not simply lost but simply, ‘lost in the translation’.

So is history forged.