It’s a mystery to me how history will view anything

Date: 1/2/2019

History can change its mind. There can be people and events that are lionized or vilified and over the years new interpretations can bring reversals of opinion.

History, of course, is taught in school as fact  –  these events took place in the stated order and involved these designated people.  

The only problem, as any student of history knows, is the initial story of a historical event may not be accurate for any number of reasons. The reporter of the events may have been incompetent or superficial or even have a grudge. For instance, Rufus Griswold, who wrote the first biography of Edgar Allan Poe, hated him and made sure Poe looked as bad as possible in his book.

According to MSN, among the most common historical misconceptions is Jesus Christ was born on Dec. 25. Religious historians have determined through Biblical texts, that Jesus was probably born in early January.

Here’s another that you’ve heard: Albert Einstein was lousy in math. Actually he wasn’t.

There is no historical evidence that Vikings wore helmets with long horns, either. Archeologists have never found any artifacts to indicate that.

Here’s one more: the phrase “Napoleon complex” is often used to describe short guys trying to prove themselves. In fact, Napoleon had the average height of his time.

I bring this up as I witnessed an interesting event a few minutes before writing this column. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy was joined by Congressmen Richard Neal and John Larson as well as Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno at an event that celebrated the decision Malloy made to spend federal stimulus money to improve the commuter rail system in Connecticut.

That improvement led to the extension of rail service connecting to Springfield and this year will be a pilot program to bring this rail service to Greenfield with links in Northampton and Holyoke.  

Both members of Congress spoke of how history will see Malloy’s efforts as integral in linking communities in both states together. They spoke of how history will view this effort positively.

If you’re cynical you might say this event was two Democratic members of Congress thanking an out-going Democratic governor who has been deeply criticized for his role in the financial problems the state of Connecticut has faced.

Right now, Malloy’s name is mud for some folks. Will history treat him more kindly if this rail system grows and succeeds? I’m not sure what Connecticut residents will believe in the years ahead, but I do know one thing: the more transportation options we have the better, but we must leverage them to our mutual advantage.

For me, as a Springfield resident and Western Massachusetts partisan, I’m grateful for Malloy’s efforts.

I’ve said this before and probably will say it again until someone actually starts doing something:  how about marketing to the Hartford area events we have up here and mention the ease of travel the commuter line provides? Want to go to Six Flags? Develop a ticket that would allow a person to take the train to Union Station, then a bus to the park?

MGM, the Springfield Museums and events at the Big E could all benefit by developing package deals and mutual marketing.

Hey don’t get me started about a special stoner train, but that wouldn’t be feasible until we have cannabis smoking lounges.

These ideas are free, but I’m happy to accept some sort of consultant position for more.

The bottom line is history might view us as having squandered an opportunity to bring more tourism business here to Hampden County. That tourism flow could easily lead to needed additional retail and service businesses.