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Buzz Lightyear Was 1st Man on Moon: 20% of Brit Kids

Survey finds kids in UK know more about celebrities than history

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 8, 2010 4:28 AM CDT

(Newser) – Another day, another staggering study on British knowledge, this one focused on the wee ones. A fifth of children ages 6 to 12 believe the first person to walk on the moon was actually Toy Story spaceman Buzz Lightyear, not Neil Armstrong, according to a survey of thousands of schoolchildren. It found that many knew far more about celebrities like Britney Spears than they did about historical and political figures. For instance, a sixth identified Darth Vader's Deathstar as the furthest planet from Earth.

A fifth believed Charles Darwin invented the telephone, and 10% believed Albert Einstein was Frankenstein's brother. What did they know? Two-thirds knew that Cheryl Cole suffered from malaria, and the same number correctly identified David Beckham as the player to be most recently dropped by Fabio Capello.

Jessie and Buzz Lightyear are seen in a scene from "Toy Story 3." (AP Photo/Disney Pixar, File)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 15 comments

Ivan

Oct 10, 2010 6:41 AM CDT

and first man in space was Rasputin and not Yuri Gagarin? What's with this anti-Brit thing lately Newser? A bloke stole your g/f?

shopgirl1623

Oct 8, 2010 12:54 PM CDT

Great story, made my day. It's harmless and charming, and Armstrong shouldn't feel slighted at all. The moon landing was a big event for some of us, I was about 5 when I watched happening in real time on tv. A historical event some 40 years ago just isn't as important to kids that age, they're more interested what's happening on their favorite tv show or in their neighborhood... digital or otherwise.

mrwhalejr

Oct 8, 2010 10:49 AM CDT

Maybe they meant "Buzz Aldrin." That's at least closer.

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Buzz Lightyear Was 1st Man on Moon: 20% of Brit Kids

Survey finds kids in UK know more about celebrities than history

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

education • children • history

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More Newser Stories

To Succeed, Students Might Need to Fail First

School administrators wrestle with how to teach character

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Historians discover loads of mistakes in Five Ponds books

Textbook Says Thousands of Slaves Fought for South

Author Joy Masoff read about it on the Internet

Americans Flunk History

One-quarter of Americans don't know who got the short end of Revolution

Now, Even Recess Gets a Teacher

'Recess coaches' straighten out America's schoolyards

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