Millions of kids lack basic knowledge like how many wives Henry VIII had
Researchers polled 1,000 children aged 14 and under to see how much they know about history – testing them on kings and queens, past civilisations, wars, and battles. And despite 73 percent declaring a ‘love’ for learning about the past, six in 10 didn’t know Henry VIII had six wives, and 36 percent thought Alexander the Great wasn’t real. While 38 percent weren’t familiar with one of the pivotal moments of WWII – the Battle of Britain – with more than one in 10 believing it was a notorious football match between England and Scotland.
Four in 10 (41 percent) didn’t know who Cleopatra was, 30 percent thought Sherlock Holmes was a real person, and almost half (45 percent) didn’t realise Vikings originated from Scandinavia.
The research was commissioned to celebrate two new books in the Adventures in Time series which aims to bring past alive for modern kids.
Author Dominic Sandbrook said: “It’s incredibly sad that so many children today are effectively cut off from their own history – because a knowledge and love of the past is the foundation of any healthy society.
“The past is a world of amazing stories and colourful characters, far more dramatic and exciting than anything in fiction.
“As historians, we have a duty to go out and show children just how thrilling and fascinating history can be.”
