What History Forgets

One of my least favorite subjects growing up was History. That's kind of ironic considering I married a History buff. Nonetheless, I just couldn't see the relevance and more to the point, I just couldn't remember all those dates.

However, now that I am a bit older, and out of school, I find that I am fascinated in regards to the stories of history. I still am not good with dates, but I am intrigued by things that happened in the past. I think that if History class was presented as more of a story time instead of facts and figures then I would have relished that class back in the day.  I also think there are tons of things you don't learn about in history class that are so relevant and so interesting.

More to the point, I just finished an enlightening read, Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. It's the story of the World's Fair that took place in Chicago around 1893. What struck me the most was how little I knew of what this fair entailed. My knowledge was limited to the fact that the Museum of Science and Industry building was a product of this world fair. But that is a grain of sand in the desert of knowledge and information that has eluded me until now.

This fair was a huge event. I mean, it changed Chicago and the whole country. It influenced architecture and engineering and pushed them to new heights, both literally and figuratively. It captured the imagination and captivated a country hit hard by recession. It was a phenomenal feat that it even happened at all. I wish I could have seen it. And that, my friends, is just scratching the surface. The story of how it came together is somewhat of a miracle, though not without hard work, sacrifice, and many hardships along the way.

The other part of story is that of a serial killer, H.H. Holmes that resided in Chicago during the building of and duration of the fair. Sadly, his is not a pleasant story and though he did hang for three murders committed in another state, Chicago will never know the extent of his rampage here. He was a sick, sick man, with the charm and beauty of the Devil himself, hence the title.

This story, this history, was completely intriguing and made me wonder why all history cannot be presented as such. It made me want to learn more. And I think I shall do some more research at the library when I get a chance. I want to see some pictures from this unbelievable fair! It also made me wonder how such a momentous event in the history of America seems to be omitted from history learned in school. I don't ever remember hearing about this. It's a shame!