"The 'Little Known' Rant" Topic

I like to watch documentaries and read historical books as I am sure many of you here do as well.

Lately I'm seeing 'The Little Known Story' moniker thrown around for practically everything. I just watched a PBS documentary on Netflix that claims to tell the 'little known story of the bombing campaign against Germany in World War II.'

Earlier I watched a documentary called "Iran, Forgotten Glory" which was about the 'little known history of the Persion Empire.'

I've seen recently 'little known' thrown about to talk about the entire Korean War, the naval battles of World War I and even the entire Eastern Front in World War II.

Ok, aside from the fact that the average person is pretty ignorant of any history, what makes the bombing campaign of Germany in World War II 'little known?' It's been immortalized in movies, television shows, and I've seen dozens of documentaries about it. There are video games, board games and Gameboy games where you can simulate the Bombing of Germany in World War II. It's about as well known as any historical topic can get.

Sorry to rant, but really, I've had my fill.

Little known to me implies…. wait for it … something that is actually little known.

Like-

The Battle of Madagascar in World War II
The War of Jenkins Ear (though it is well known on this site).
The American Civil War battle in New Mexico
The Indo Pakistani Wars of the 1960s.
The Russo Persian War of 1804
etc.. etc..

If you have video games dedicated to your topic, I don't think you can say it's 'little known.'

Sorry, rant off. Carry on.

I generally find the phrase "little known" to be directed toward those that "know little".

There's a Gameboy version of the bombing of Germany in WWII?

I also rail against the "Nobody knows" response to a question, when actually what is meant is "I can't be bothered to find out, but I don't want to admit it."

One of those replies to a TMP question today got me going through a pile of books written by actual experts, who DID know.

From what I could tell, the little known part was that Churchill was initially all for the bombing campaign – it fit his no Gallipoli or Somme like battles – but at the end of the War in Europe he pointedly snubbed Bomber Harris and Bomber Command for doing what he asked them to do.

The destruction of Dresden being the classic example: Harris and Bomber Command did not have the city on their list of priority targets but Churchill wanted it leveled to show support for Stalin's war effort in Eastern Europe.

Is this "little known" enough to warrant the title of Little Known? Otherwise it was a fairly straight forward account.

ACWBill- Yep, B17 Fortress In The Sky

YouTube link

"Little known" means that neither the producer nor his classmates at the Columbia School of Journalism had heard of it.

Sorry, my response was meant for Agent Brown, not ACWBill.

Don't get me started…

OFM – a more granular version of my own sentiments.

xkcd.com/1053

After all, "You only don't know it because you are ill read and uneducated" isn't going to sell any toothpaste.