Obvious: Survey says people are ignorant about history

Written by Darren Hewer

Winston Churchill & Sherlock Holmes

Which of the two people depicted to the left (Winston Churchill or Sherlock Holmes) was a real, historical person? If you answered Winston Churchill, you’re correct, but a recent survey in the UK suggests many people have little knowledge of history:

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 … 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. [Source: Daily Mail]

If the old maxim is true, that "those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it", what does this say about the current generation? (The poll "suggests that the under-20s are most lacking in basic historical education.") Could the unnecessary postmodern skepticism of history actually be having quite a negative impact on society and world issues today?