As a history teacher, I sometimes get the questions “how do we really know this happened?” and “how do we know this person existed?”

Things have gone the next step in Great Britain, where the public now is not sure whether folks like Winston Churchill and Gandhi existed – but are reasonably confident that Sherlock Holmes was a real person.

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.

Meanwhile, 58 percent thought Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Holmes actually existed; 33 percent thought the same of W. E. Johns' fictional pilot and adventurer Biggles.

The scary thing is that there are adults alive today who actually saw Churchill in person, and we have an ample video and photographic record of his actions. But I would guess that we have reached the point where the line between fact and fiction has blurred so completely – consider the ability to use computers to manufacture documents and photos – that people just are not sure any more what is real.

Posted by: Greg at 12:23 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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