What Are They Teaching In British Schools?
Very little, apparently . A new poll published by a British television network says that about one quarter of the people who answered believe that Winston Churchill was a fictional character. It gets worse. About a half thought Sherlock Holmes did exist.
Never, in the field of human ignorance, have so many known so little about famous Britons.
A quarter of the population think that Winston Churchill never actually existed, a survey suggests.
While a poll recently named him the greatest Briton of all time, the wartime prime minister is seen by many as a mythical figure along with the likes of Florence Nightingale and Sir Walter Raleigh.
This could well have something to do with the TV insurance adverts inviting viewers to "challenge Churchill" and featuring a lugubrious talking dog.
According to the survey of 3,000 respondents, many believe the inspirational Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, Cleopatra and the Duke of Wellington are also characters dreamed up for films and books.
Some think Charles Dickens was himself a character in fiction rather than the creator of David Copperfield, Oliver Twist and Martin Chuzzlewit.
In a damning indictment of the nation's historical knowledge, many of those surveyed said they believe Sherlock Holmes was a real person, along with the pilot Biggles and even the Three Musketeers.
Well, these are television viewers who watch a network that runs old shows. So it may be a bit skewed. But it sounds pretty awful, doesn't it?
World news | Gaius Sunday, 3 February , 2008
By Sam, Sunday, 3 February , 2008 @ 8:37 pm
Well, when a good portion of the population sees the world through a television screen then it only makes sense that they can’t tell real people from made-up people. They all look the same on television, after all.
By terrence, Sunday, 3 February , 2008 @ 8:47 pm
Speaking of the British, did you see this article giving some answers to questions on British quizz programs?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=511405&in_page_id=1770
Some samples
1. UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE (BBC2)
Bamber Gascoigne: What was Gandhi’s first name?
Contestant: Goosey?
2. BEACON RADIO, Wolverhampton
DJ Mark: For £10, what is the nationality of the Pope?
Ruth from Rowley Regis: I think I know that one. Is it Jewish?
3. THE BIGGEST GAME IN TOWN (ITV)
Steve Le Fevre: What was signed to bring World War I to an end in 1918?
Contestant: Magna Carta?
4. JAMES O’BRIEN SHOW (LBC)
O’Brien: How many kings of England have been called Henry?
Contestant: Well, I know there was a Henry the Eighth. . . er . . . Three?
By martian, Monday, 4 February , 2008 @ 1:56 pm
And they wonder why the sun has set on the British Empire?
By sam, Monday, 4 February , 2008 @ 4:03 pm
To be fair, you could probably get similar results in the U.S with a similar quiz. Have you ever watched Jaywalking on the Leno show? He walks around on the street asking people questions. The answers he gets are hilarious - about like the British quiz.