When History Lies

 Well, maybe not history itself, but Wikipedia’s version of history is not always to be trusted. The annoying thing here is that the person who wrote the Wiki in question tried to do the right thing. They included a footnote pointing to their source. However, the source listed no source for their information, and most of what they said is wrong.

In question are a couple of facts about the turn of the 20th century actress and race car driver Eva Mudge. There are three facts that I question:

1. She was the first woman to drive an automobile

2. She was the first woman race car driver

3. In 1903 she was the first woman to get a NY driver’s license

The first “fact” is SO wrong. Women had been driving cars for decades before Eva got behind the wheel of her 1899 Waverly Electric. In fact, Bertha Benz, Karl’s wife, was the first person, man or woman, to drive an automobile more than just a few miles.

I can neither prove nor disprove the second claim. The records of early races are sparse past who the winners were. There are also many stories of women disguised as men entering races. So, we’ll let that one slide.

The third claim is at least confused or at most a lie. New York State didn’t start issuing driver’s licenses till 1910. They did, however, issue chauffeur’s badges starting in 1903, or maybe 1902. However, these were only intended for people who were paid to drive others. Eva may have obtained one, but it was not a driver’s license.

Where does this false info originate? The source referenced in the Wikipedia article is the 1939 edition of the Kane Book of Famous First Facts. They got it from who knows where. As I said, there are no footnotes there. I did find a couple articles, also un-footnoted, that suggested Eva’s publicist produced these facts to generate interest in Ms. Mudge’s acting career.

The Kane Book is not the only instance of the claims. I found them repeated in several books published throughout the decades following the supposed events.

So why do I care? I’m studying the history of the automobile and I keep coming across mistakes, misinterpretations and outright lies. My instinct is to go to Wikipedia and correct the issue. Unfortunately, the old car pages are mostly maintained by people who believe their version of history is carved in stone. Their stone. I have never been able to get a change approved. So I gave up.

Now I just vent my frustration by complaining.