Comments: Not their finest hour
Comment by DaninVan:

We have history?!

re the light bulb:
"The first electric light was made in 1800 by Humphry Davy, an English scientist. He experimented with electricity and invented an electric battery. When he connected wires to his battery and a piece of carbon, the carbon glowed, producing light. This is called an electric arc.

Much later, in 1860, the English physicist Sir Joseph Wilson Swan (1828-1914) was determined to devise a practical, long-lasting electric light. He found that a carbon paper filament worked well, but burned up quickly. In 1878, he demonstrated his new electric lamps in Newcastle, England.

In 1877, the American Charles Francis Brush manufactured some carbon arcs to light a public square in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. These arcs were used on a few streets, in a few large office buildings, and even some stores. Electric lights were only used by a few people."

Posted at 2007-07-13 14:16:31 [PermaLink]
Comment by Bruce Rheinstein:

And people wonder why children in British (and American) schools receive such poor educations.

Besides, I'm pretty sure that Churchill didn't invent the light bulb. He invented the telephone.

Posted at 2007-07-13 14:29:58 [PermaLink]
Comment by Strangelove PhD:

We can hardly resurrect fascism and communism if people know about them and how to defeat them, now can we? Fetch me my harem.

Posted at 2007-07-13 14:37:24 [PermaLink]
Comment by Mark Collins:

Bruce Rheinstein: I thought he invented the siren suit:
[External Link]

Mark
Ottawa

Posted at 2007-07-13 15:22:48 [PermaLink]
Comment by Ernie G:

Most students nowadays are hazy on the details about Washington and Jefferson, particularly with respect to any good they may have done. But the teachers and textbook writers make sure there's one thing they know. Both were powerful white men who owned slaves.

Posted at 2007-07-13 15:33:18 [PermaLink]
Comment by DaninVan:

Irrelevant, Ernie; we're concerned about the lightbulb here. Get with the program, eh! :)

Posted at 2007-07-13 17:41:08 [PermaLink]
Comment by Bruce Rheinstein:

"he invented the siren suit"

And lost the '45 election. There's a connection there, somewhere.

Posted at 2007-07-13 17:56:26 [PermaLink]
Comment by Mark Collins:

Bruce Rheinstein: Despite also during WW II wearing the uniform of all three services (I think the last link is army); sure was hard to win the service vote.

[External Link]
[External Link]
[External Link]

Mark
Ottawa

Posted at 2007-07-13 18:51:13 [PermaLink]
Comment by Tom:

I thought Al Gore invented the light bulb.

Posted at 2007-07-16 12:25:40 [PermaLink]
Comment by ak:

"“relevant” topics such as drug and booze abuse"

Maybe they can teach kids that Churchill led the nation through WWII despite drinking from breakfast to bedtime most days and being addicted to nicotine. That would make it historical and "relevant."

Seriously, though, no real reason to wonder where all the ignorant, incurious, self-absorbed boors are coming from, is there?

Posted at 2007-07-16 12:59:56 [PermaLink]
Comment by Mark Collins:

Tom: But who then invented the Internet? And what was the person wearing? And ingesting?

Mark
Ottawa

Posted at 2007-07-16 14:20:16 [PermaLink]
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