trash heap of history

trash heap of history

English

Etymology

In a similar form (“that great dust heap called ‘history’”) used by English essayist Augustine Birrell in 1887 (but in use before),[1] popularized by Leon Trotsky in reference to the Mensheviks (1917).[2]

Noun

trash heap of history

1. (figuratively) A notional place where things which have been forgotten or have become irrelevant from a historical perspective go.

   Synonyms: ash heap of history, dust heap of history, garbage heap of history, ashcan of history, dustbin of history, landfill of history

   • 2012, Michael Bellesiles, A People's History of the U.S. Military‎, The New Press, →ISBN:

     As I talked with Billy, it suddenly hit me that I needed to do something—no matter how minor—to save these stories from the trash heap of history.

   • 2016, Kaare Sørensen, quoting David Headley, The Mind of a Terrorist‎, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:

     My ONLY hero is Muhammad Mustafa SAW and whatever he gave us will prevail and every thing else that stands against it is doomed to be decimated and end up in the trash heap of history, as you put it.

Translations

historical irrelevance

Finnish: historian romukoppa French: oubliettes de l'histoire f pl German: Müllhaufen der Geschichte m Polish: not used in Polish Swedish: historiens skräphög (sv) c

References

1. Mark Liberman (2011-12-23), “The what of history?”, in Language Log‎
2. William Safire (1983-10-16), “Dust Heaps of History”, in The New York Times‎, ISSN 0362-4331

Further reading

• “trash heap of history”, in Collins English Dictionary.