-----Original Message-----
From: William Maurer [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2001 8:40 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Proper term
Monday, President's Day, and again today I attended presentations at
historic sites in celebration of General Washington's birthday.
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Given the issue of proper terms, I recently learned (through a radio article
on NPR's All Things Considered) that there is no such thing as "President's
Day". It is in fact still officially "Washington's Birthday", perhaps
(observed). Congress changed the holiday from fixed to floating, but didn't
change the name. It was us (the people) aided and abetted by advertising
that has made it "President's Day."
Continuing the issue of manufactured history, (perhaps 'folk history' to go
with the commonly accepted term 'folk etymology'?) I worked in a war museum
that had parts of a Japanese "Zeke" (often called a "Zero") on display.
This aircraft had crashed and the pieces were brought back by a solder.
One of our docents had lived through the war, and when I heard her tell her
tale that the Japanese had stolen/secretly purchased the plans for the (at
the time quite superior) plane from Howard Hughes, I assumed she knew what
she was talking about. Since I was a young volunteer docent at the time, I
thought this was a great story and started telling it myself. Much later,
after moving on from that museum, I discovered that the tale was a myth,
based on the apparent similarities with one of Hughes' designs (H-1 racer, I
believe) and also from the need to explain how the Japanese (at the time
considered backwards, too nearsighted to make good pilots, and too
technologically ignorant to develop such an advanced design) were able to
defeat good, red-blooded Americans in an air-to-air battle. Had you asked
her, I'm sure she would have professed it to be the absolute truth, and
since the museum was not especially strong on aircraft (being more
concentrated on the infantry and other ground forces.) I don't know that
anyone there would have known enough to correct her. I do cringe somewhat
when I think of all the school kids I saddled with this particular myth.
I do wish to emphasize that the above statements regarding the Japanese are
merely reflective of popular opinion _AT THE TIME_!! The issue also came up
in relation to the collection of propaganda posters that were on display.
We did take pains to explain that distinction.
Larry Burke
Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
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