Wow! I thought we were bad. A majority actually believe that Sherlock Holmes is real.
Britons are losing a grip on fact and fiction – with nearly one in four believing Winston Churchill and Florence Nightingale are myths and more than half thinking Sherlock Holmes actually existed.
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They were also under the impression that Charles Dickens, one of the most famous writers in English literature, was a fictional character himself.
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Historical figures and the percentage of Britons who believe they are myths:1. Richard the Lionheart (47%)2. Winston Churchill (23%)3. Florence Nightingale (23%)4. Bernard Montgomery (6%)5. Boudica (5%)6. Sir Walter Raleigh (4%)7. Duke of Wellington (4%)8. Cleopatra (4%)9. Gandhi (3%)10. Charles Dickens (3%)
These people are obviously not reading and have no understanding of their history.
Update: Argh! You know, it’s really bad when you’re busting on a nation for being dumb and then you’re told you have a misspelling! Bummer!
posted February 4, 2008 at 4:10 pm
With the exception of Nightingale and Gandhi, how important are these people, in and of themselves, anyway? Kings, queens, warriors, the lot.
posted February 4, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I would say Churchill was very important in the history of England. Wouldn’t you? Without him the British might have surrendered to Hitler.
posted February 4, 2008 at 8:00 pm
And Richard I, the Moors.
Don’t misunderstand me, because I’ve loved the Plantagenet kings of England, even John, since I was ten years old. But, is my adult life better having grown up with them … or Pippi Longstocking?
Because, just maybe, a fictional character with more smarts and panache trumps the average real-life bloke.
posted February 4, 2008 at 11:10 pm
I firmly believe that one should know history because our life is impacted by what has come before even if we don’t realize it.
posted May 22, 2009 at 9:13 am
Does anyone know if they have flouride in their water?