How can it possibly be that almost 25% of Britons don't even know that Winston Churchill was a real person?
LONDON (AFP) - Britons are losing their grip on reality, according to a poll out Monday which showed that nearly a quarter think Winston Churchill was a myth while the majority reckon Sherlock Holmes was real.
The survey found that 47 percent thought the 12th century English king Richard the Lionheart was a myth.And 23 percent thought World War II prime minister Churchill was made up. The same percentage thought Crimean War nurse Florence Nightingale did not actually exist.
Three percent thought Charles Dickens, one of Britain's most famous writers, is a work of fiction himself.
Indian political leader Mahatma Gandhi and Battle of Waterloo victor the Duke of Wellington also appeared in the top 10 of people thought to be myths.
Here are some of Churchill's speeches. You'll find lots of pictures of the man here. There is audio of his famous defining speech of World War II ("we will fight them on the beaches"). The video contaims images spliced together with the audio:
It's frightening when gaps in basic knowledge become this great. How could any adult not know how England held on, rallied, and prevailed in World War II? How could the story of World War II be understood without knowing of this man, who warned of the threat posed by Adolph Hitler, was ignored until after the threat became real, and then fought against difficult odds for Britain's very survival?
And now private Muslim schools in Britain are going to be conducting their own inspections. Do you suppose that children's knowledge of Britain's history -- and of the heroic Winston Churchill -- will likely rise or fall as a result?
In Britain?? The majority of people in the US can't find Iraq on a map. The problem is not Britain's alone. Give that test to average joe six pack and I guarantee the results would be the same. Conservatives have dumb downed education in order to give their wealthy constituents money for private schooling. This teaching to the test is pointless.
Posted by: Anne | February 04, 2008 at 12:16 PM
Judging from the high educational achievements of Muslims in the UK (especially second generation immigrants from India and Pakistan), and the high regard Muslims have for discipline and respect in the classroom, I'd say close to 100%.
Posted by: roGER | February 05, 2008 at 12:13 PM