Revisionist history is the name given by any group once in control of the Story to the newly corrected Story. Incorrectly done, revised history creates propaganda and (further) disenfranchises with no voice in the Story. Properly executed revisions of history both widen and deepen the scope of the Story, and give voice to anyone who was involved in the Story, no matter their social status.
Asking people to give up childhood heroes is difficult, and their adoption of any such idea is slow, but we’ve achieved revision in the cases of, say, Columbus or Custer. Revision need not result in a 180 toward vilification, as is the case in these examples. It simply asks that we look at the subject from more than one point of view. When studying or researching history, mistaken judgement comes from too narrow a viewpoint. History is, after all, the record of what many people have done, and even more have seen.
The next person I would like us to cast our multi-lensed historical bug-eye at is Thomas Alva Edison. He was a great reviser, tho often of the first kind, taking the ideas and energies of others and signing his name to the resulting output. He had his own ideas, and added to them the fruits of the minds and labors of other geniuses — mad scientists like Tesla and Swann, as well as the many who worked in his labs — and ran to the patent office before they could. Lack of governmental regulation, an almost superhuman amount of motivation, higher than average scientific prowess, and a sociopathic nature made Edison into the industrial power house he was, but the real Story has yet to be completely told.
Here is a beginning foray into the life of Nikolai Tesla, a man equally as (if not more) deserving of legend — for both his genius and his eccentricity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla
http://www.tankriot.com/2008/046/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Currents
This lame post brought to you by Brainstormer, Richard Shea and insomnia. 
