What will happen to historical/prototypical accuracy once everyone who lived in that era is gone?

[Wheatley]

What will happen to the standards for historical accuracy when the source of information will be in books/internet rather than listening to people's memory?

 

The same as will happen with every other subject before about 1930. The accurists will do their best to conduct accurate research from original sources, take care to corroborate them where possible and note the limitations of published sources, the pragmatists will consult enough sources of sufficient reliability to get it about right enough for whatever purpose they need the information for, and the other 99% of people will engage in heated and ultimately pointless debate over it on whatever replaces the internet.

[jonny777]

Ok, so the majority have been rather blasé about the future of historical accuracy so far, by referring to written texts.

 

Let's up the ante a bit, and ask how many people can provide an accurate audio profile of the sound emitted by a class 22 diesel, when starting out from a station on full power with a reasonably heavy train?

 

Oh, and before the facetious comments start - the sound of fire engines is not allowed as an answer. 

Edited January 31, 2018 by jonny777

[Northmoor]

There will no doubt be winners and losers, but I am convinced that - barring some kind of catastrophe - we are currently a lot better off than we were before.

A massive, extended solar flare (or global warfare using EM pulses) might wipe out most magnetic media and the data centres across the earth.

 

However, if either of those events were to happen, not being able to find historic railway images might not be high on our list of priorities.

[jjb1970]

Ok, so the majority have been rather blasé about the future of historical accuracy so far, by referring to written texts.

 

Let's up the ante a bit, and ask how many people can provide an accurate audio profile of the sound emitted by a class 22 diesel, when starting out from a station on full power with a reasonably heavy train?

 

Oh, and before the facetious comments start - the sound of fire engines is not allowed as an answer.

Did class 22 engines ever manage to run long enough for people to notice what they sounded like?

[PatB]

Ok, so the majority have been rather blasé about the future of historical accuracy so far, by referring to written texts.

 

Let's up the ante a bit, and ask how many people can provide an accurate audio profile of the sound emitted by a class 22 diesel, when starting out from a station on full power with a reasonably heavy train?

 

Oh, and before the facetious comments start - the sound of fire engines is not allowed as an answer. 

 

Probably not many. Realistically, the only accurate rendition would be a recording of some kind, probably on magnetic tape in this case, given the era. Certainly something with the potential to outlive any human who heard the sound. The best that first hand oral history could do would be either a human voice impression or a really expressive verbal or written (which at least would be durable) description. Either would require an excellent ear on the part of the observer, and either advanced mechanical mimicry skills or inspired wordsmithery. Even then, in the latter case, any such description is likely to compare the sound with something else which might also slip from first-hand memory.

 

Once again, although there is going to be something of a delay, we will, in future be very well served for such records because the majority of the OECD population (and a high proportion of that of the developing world) now carry a handy audio-visual recording device everywhere they go. Again, only a small proportion of footage will be preserved (quite rightly, I think ) and sorting through it may present challenges (but as others have said, this is a problem that invites solution)  but it will exist, somewhere.

 

Incidentally, I don't think anyone here is really blase about the issue; just realistic about what is feasible regarding the past and likely regarding the future.

[scouser]

Ah, a solar flare wiping out magnetic data. So that is obviously what happened to all of the imformation about the pyramids!

Aliens indeed, pah!

[tomparryharry]

Bacon. The aroma of bacon.

 

You can get the colour right, the gauge is down to the last thousands of an inch.

 

But, you can't always replicate the aroma of a footplate breakfast at 06:30 on a cold or snowy morning.

 

Ian.