(Cross posted at Whatif?)
George Santayana told us: “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
What on earth do you do, though, with those who never learned any history in the first place?
A fifth of British teenagers believe Sir Winston Churchill was a fictional character, while many think Sherlock Holmes, King Arthur and Eleanor Rigby were real, a survey shows.
The canvass of 3,000 under-twenties uncovered an extraordinary paucity of basic historical knowledge that older generations take for granted.
Despite his celebrated military reputation, 47 per cent of respondents dismissed the 12th-century crusading English king Richard the Lionheart as fictional.
More than a quarter (27 per cent) thought Florence Nightingale, the pioneering nurse who coaxed injured soldiers back to health in the Crimean War, was a mythical figure.
In contrast, a series of fictitious characters that have featured in British films and literature over the past few centuries were awarded real-life status.
King Arthur is the mythical figure most commonly mistaken for fact – almost two thirds of teens (65 per cent) believe that he existed and led a round table of knights at Camelot.
Sherlock Holmes, the detective, was so convincingly brought to life in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels, their film versions and television series, that 58 per cent of respondents believe that the sleuth really lived at 221B Baker Street.
Fifty-one per cent of respondents believed that Robin Hood lived in Sherwood Forest, robbing the rich to give to the poor, while 47 per cent believed Eleanor Rigby was a real person rather than a creation of The Beatles.
If such a high percentage of today’s youth imagine a fictional history instead of what is reality – what would poor Santayana have to say about that!?
You know, I saw that article and meant to comment on the fact that the authors are also a bit confused. Two people listed as “fictional” are Lady Godiva and Mona Lisa … both real. Of course, maybe that’s an even bigger indictment of the system
That 20% of British teens think Winston Churchill was fictional is just depressing, no matter how you slice it.
on the face, I find these statistics hard to believe. But then I ask my teenage sister when the war of 1812 was and it makes all too much sense.
I am actually impressed. My own experience teaching history suggests the Brits are above average.
“Lady Godiva and Mona Lisa”
I will leap to the authors defense. The Mona Lisa was certainly of a real person, but the we cannot be sure who it is, and that was not her name, thus the “person” Mona Lisa can be said to be fictional.
Lady Godiva did exist, but her fame is based on a legend. In a sense she resembles King Arthur. A king may have existed to attach the legend’s to, but peeping Tom’s lustful eye’s never beheld Lady Godiva the historical figure. Instead a legend grew up and was attached to her name. That Lady Godiva never existed.
I guess I can give a pass on Lady Godiva (although its stretch since we know she actually existed), but Mona Lisa was not only real, we know exactly who she was: Lisa del Giocondo. “Mona” is simply short for ma donna (It. for “my lady”).
Giorgio Vasari wrote of the painting:
My chivalry is unappreciated;^)
A Lady Godiva existed, the connection from there is pretty tenuous.
As for Mona Lisa, that has been in dispute, though I agree it probably shouldn’t be. It also wasn’t known for a long time. Anyway, the point I was trying to make was the author need not be historically ignorant to see these “people” in the public imagination as less than real. In fact, the real Mona Lisa has no actual impact to know about, other than her face.
There is a chain of pubs here in the Houston metro area as well as elsewhere named “Baker Street Pub”, after the famed fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, which has a logo with a silhouette of the character in his signature houndstooth deerstalker cap and pipe. It’s a decent English style pub where one might enjoy a few pints of a few imports from The Isles while staring at pictures of British icons.
One night my wife and I were there and I was trying to remember what was the exact address of Sherlock Holmes. So I took the off chance that our comely young waitress might know, given that she works there.
So I asked her, “Do you know what is the number of where Sherlock Holmes lived on Baker street?”
She replied, “Oh I don’t know. Didn’t he die a long time ago?”
While chuckling I said, “Yes, I believed he was mauled to death by Frankenstein’s Monster.”
But a few minutes later I felt like an idiot, too. The number was clearly written on the logo. 21, of course.
Cheers.
im actually reading some sherlock holmes stories. all very good, and Holmes was actually based off a real person Doyal knew. A patent clerk i believe who helped the police with some cases.
and don’t forget the Sherlock’s pubs pogue. Not sure what the difference is except that Baker St seems to be a little more sit down-y and they serve food. Though the Sherlocks by my apt did have a friday happy hour buffet one time.