Man, I'm not trying to take a side here -- history is pretty complicated -- but that writing style is seriously aggravating. In general, if you ever find yourself in the position of saying, "I'm a comedian, you shouldn't take what I say seriously," you should probably take a step back and ask yourself if you ought really to be participating in long-form debate.
That is exactly the problem I have with the oatmeal. A lot of people BELIEVE what he says, no matter what, especially, when he knowingly spreads false information for the sake of comedy. The people who read his site don't know any better.
Personally, I think the oatmeal is a bully, and find him to be too arrogant. I will admit some of his comics are good though.
It's funny how Inman criticizes Edison for not actually inventing the light bulb, just making it practical. However, if you make the same observation about Tesla and AC, then you better keep an eye out for the bear-love posse.