How many of these british historical figures do you know?

21 Comments

...to the point where you could give a good estimate of their century of birth, and a sentence saying what they did or who they were?

Michael Faraday
Oliver Cromwell
Isaac Newton
Geoffrey Chaucer
The Black Prince
Owain Glyndŵr

No Googling, by the way. I just want to know if you'd know them if someone brought it up in conversation.

I'm British - I knew 0 2
I'm British - I knew 1 3
I'm British - I knew 2 8
I'm British - I knew 3 2
I'm British - I knew 4 6
I'm British - I knew 5 4
I'm British - I knew 6 2
I'm not British - I knew 0 7
I'm not British - I knew 1 25
I'm not British - I knew 2 14
I'm not British - I knew 3 16
I'm not British - I knew 4 15
I'm not British - I knew 5 2
I'm not British - I knew 6 2
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Comments ( 21 )
  • [Old Memory]
    10 years ago

    I knew a few
    Oliver Cromwell - Murderer (Ireland) and regicide (King Charles I)
    Isaac Newton
    The Black Prince
    Owain Glyndŵr - a welsh Prince and Ruler
    never heard of the rest.

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  • thegift
    12 years ago

    Mr. Bean

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  • Angel_in_a_Glass_Dress
    12 years ago

    I knew the first 4 names:

    Michael Faraday - what has no one ever heard of a Faraday Cage?
    Oliver Cromwell - historical figure. I admit I forgot what he did but I knew the name at least.
    Isaac Newton - gravity!
    Geoffrey Chaucer - I have a copy of his complete works untranslated

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  • Uzzie101
    13 years ago

    Ye should all look up Cromwell. He's the British Hitler. Pretended to be nice and liberal but OHHH NOO!

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  • Juj
    13 years ago

    i actually know two but voted one :'(

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  • wigsplitz
    13 years ago

    I read the Canterbury Tales in Jr High and I loved it! I could stand to read it again, as the most distinct memory of the book is the part in which a gentleman has to take a dump, hangs butt out a window, and gets cornholed by a someone wielding a hot poker. L-O-f'ing-L

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  • Anonymous Post Author
    13 years ago

    Okay, time's up.

    Faraday - Physicist and chemist, early to mid 1800's. Lots of work with electricity and magnetism. Discovered benzene and appeared on English banknotes. Has an SI unit named after him.

    Cromwell - Political leader, early to mid 1600's. Executed King Charles I, turned England into a Commonwealth and declared himself Lord Protector.

    Newton - Mathematician (amongst other things), mid 1600's to early 1700's. One of the most influential scientists in history with work in optics, gravitation, astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy.

    Chaucer - Writer (and astronomer), late 1300's. The father of English literature and the reason we don't still speak in Latin.

    The Black Prince - mid 1300's, son of Edward III, father of Richard II. Led England against France repeatedly and was the chief reason for our successes.

    Glyndŵr - Welsh ruler, mid 1300's to early 1400's. The last Welshman to be Prince of Wales, raising an unsuccessful revolt against the English.

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    • [Old Memory]
      12 years ago

      What about George Stephenson who invented the Steam powered locomotive and the first ever public railway in the world, was on the back of the five pound note until they changed around 20 years ago and it ran Stockton to Darlington. That's pretty awesome. And should be memorable.

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      • dappled
        12 years ago

        I might ask the question again and include six different English people. Stephenson would be a good one to include (as everyone knows what a train is) so I'll definitely put him on my list. Anything for you, Miss Totty. :P

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        • [Old Memory]
          12 years ago

          I meant 10 years ago not 20. Typo. This was your question? Yes I could name lots more English achievers. That was the first one that sprung to mind :) haha yay Miss Totty :P

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          • dappled
            12 years ago

            This was one of mine from six months ago, yeah. I wanted to know whether only Brits knew our historical figures, whether everyone knew them, or whether nobody knew them. In the end, the foreigners did slightly better than the Brits, which is a bit worrying.

            I picked three people I imagined everyone must know, two people I thought most should know, and one person I thought more than half should know. Bit worried that two Brits didn't know any of them despite two of them being on British banknotes. :/

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            • [Old Memory]
              12 years ago

              Tbh I don't know the last two. Time for a bit of googling...

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  • Faceless
    13 years ago

    Not British. Only Isaac Newton obviously, However sound wave focusing says hes wrong. How else were ancient megalithic structures of this world moved?

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  • Anonymous Post Author
    13 years ago

    12 hours to go, Brits. Time to rescue your reputation! If you can!

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  • ToddStellar
    13 years ago

    Do not know much about Faraday, and I haven't heard of Glyndŵr.
    Geoffrey Chaucer, well, I can tell you all about him. My favorite works of his would have to be (of course) The Canterbury Tales, The House of Fame, as well as much of his poetry.

    When I first read the poll, the first name that came to mind was Winston Churchill.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      13 years ago

      Churchill would have been too easy (I'd hope, anyway). I wanted to pick a list of important people from different disciplines and historical periods. I didn't want ones that everyone knew, or no-one knew. Looking at the poll results, I didn't choose too badly. I think the non-Brits are winning, though, which is a sad inditement.

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      • ToddStellar
        13 years ago

        Yeah, I figured that is why he wasn't on there.
        He is just the first person I think of whenever I hear "British icons".
        Interesting poll, though. =D

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  • [Old Memory]
    13 years ago

    I'm not British, I know the first four:
    Faraday - physicist, invented the Faraday cage
    Cromwell - tried to overthrow the queen, Elvis Costello wrote a song about him(Oliver's Army)
    Newton - another physicist, invented the concept of gravity
    Chaucer - famous writer, wrote The Canterbury Tales

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  • [Old Memory]
    13 years ago

    Damn I was off on Cromwell :(

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  • [Old Memory]
    13 years ago

    Isaac Newton- Scientist who lived around the 19th or 18th century. Puritan.

    Geoffrey Chaucer- If I recall, he's a play-wright who lived....in the middle ages?

    Oliver Cromwell- He was a political and military strategist who lived in the 1800s. Only other thing I know is that the British look up to him.

    The others I have no idea about and I'm not British.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      13 years ago

      For anyone who is interested in playing along, full answers will appear here in about another 24 hours.

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