So much for the fantasy that American kids are the world’s most ignorant. According to a new survey, British kids are no geniuses, either.
The BBC reports the dumb details:
One in 10 children thinks the Queen invented the telephone, a survey of children’s science knowledge suggests.
Others gave credit for the invention to Charles Darwin and Noel Edmonds.
One in 20 of the 1,000 pupils polled thought Star Wars character Luke Skywalker or Richard Branson had been the first to set foot on the Moon.
Some 60% of nine- and 10-year-olds thought Sir Isaac Newton discovered fire, the survey for science campaign Birmingham Science City found.
Despite these misconceptions, more children want to win a Nobel prize for science than the X Factor.
The survey of primary and secondary school children in the UK suggests there is some confusion about key scientific achievements.
Just under a half of boys (49%) correctly pinned down gravity as Newton’s ground-breaking discovery, compared with 76% of girls.
Just over a third of boys said Newton discovered fire, while the remaining 16% either said he invented the internet, or discovered the solar system or America.
Stupid Brit kids thought Sir Isaac Newton invented the internet? C’mon, wake up, you little morons. Everyone knows Al Gore invented the internet.
Source: BBC
