Thanks for referring me here, @eric3579.

It's all true. The bit about pretty much zero world history being taught in schools is correct, but in a way that just makes it all the MORE puzzling.

I teach high school level students English. I do a unit on "Local Heroes" where my students learn a little bit about significant people from native English speaking countries. To get the theme across, I start with a Thai guy named Phraya Phichai who is a very significant person in the province where I live. From there I talk about Elvis Presley or Amelia Earhart for the US, Lord Nelson for England, William Wallace for Scotland, Nelson Mandela for South Africa, etc. to demonstrate people who have a similar kind of significance to people from those states/countries.

After that unit, during oral testing I ask every student to name their favorite historical figure / hero other than the ones we covered. Single most common response: the King of Thailand (the one that just died last year was and still is extremely respected / revered by Thais). But the second most common response: Hitler. By a pretty wide margin. I'd say 30%+ say the King, and nearly 10% say Hitler. Random sports players, musicians, etc. make up most of the rest -- but none with a big chunk of the responses like those 2.

I used to be pretty shocked by all of that kind of stuff here (I've seen the shirts, chicken restaurant, nazi flags for sale, etc.) but I guess I'm pretty numb to it by now. No idea what the source of it is, because it really does seem quite strange that Hitler isn't covered in schools here, yet somehow people seem to learn broad strokes about him enough for him to be oddly "popular". Whatever the source of that is, it seems to filter out the stuff that should make him infamous as opposed to a general pop culture sort of famous.

Hm. A moderately (If I can judge that) historically acurate George Washington vs. the Mel Gibson fantasy of WIlliam Wallace. ERB has certainly done better in the past.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wallace
"Sir William Wallace (...) was a Scottish landowner (...) a member of the lesser nobility (...)"

Most important, he was not a Highlander an as such did not wear a kilt or paint his face.

And....

"("Braveheart"), however, is a highly fictionalized account of Wallace's life and has been described by some as one of the most historically inaccurate modern films."

Your video, George Washington Vs William Wallace, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

If William Wallace had nuts the size of that squirrel's nuts, we would have all been living in Scotland World right now.

Well it won't win a Pulitzer, but I thought it was entertaining. Definitely it's more of a "pop" piece.

But, yes; I need to put up Archer clips when I hit silver as nobody does and I refuse to let that show ever die!!! Freedom!!!

/Freedom™ is a registered trademark and wholly owned by "Bruce" or William Wallace.
//Dana Snyder is also awesome. I would permanently talk like Master Shake, forever...

>> ^Fusionaut:

celtic
and I guess British is technically correct Unless you're William Wallace of course...


Darn-tootin' it's technically correct. Scotland is still part of Britain, ain't it?

But yeah, Celtic also applies!

All that doesn't matter. What really matters is that there's clearly something inherently wrong with Iceland.

*celtic

and I guess * British is technically correct Unless you're William Wallace of course...

William Wallace gave his life to secure these noble freedoms for all sons of Scotland.

ooohh....dead shit and down votes, to the king....an shit-
maybe start wiff' diss random list, and make yer way through them.....zifffy's lazy like that....
http://www.videosift.com/video/Top-Gear-Soccer-With-Cars-Toyota-vs-Volkswagen
http://www.videosift.com/video/SCTV-Bob-and-Doug-McKenzie-Mouse-in-the-Bottle
http://www.videosift.com/video/Nine-Inch-Nails-Head-Like-A-Hole
http://www.videosift.com/video/Scorpions-Rock-You-Like-A-Hurricane
http://www.videosift.com/video/Thank-You-For-Smoking-How-To-Argue
http://www.videosift.com/video/Intel-Inside-Homer

just knows knows some a these are alive....
http://www.videosift.com/video/Don-Cherry-Meets-a-Gay-Man
http://www.videosift.com/video/Nine-Inch-Nails-Hurt-Live
http://www.videosift.com/video/Oceans-Eleven-Trailer
http://www.videosift.com/video/Austin-Powers-Fights-Mini-Me
http://www.videosift.com/video/Garbage-Only-Happy-When-It-Rains
http://www.videosift.com/video/ADAA-approved-Dodgeball-Rules
http://www.videosift.com/video/The-Hunt-For-Red-October-Trailer
http://www.videosift.com/video/Youre-Gonna-Need-A-Bigger-Boat
http://www.videosift.com/video/Juuust-a-bit-outside
http://www.videosift.com/video/Braveheart-William-Wallaces-Battle-of-Stirling-Speech
http://www.videosift.com/video/Theres-Something-About-Mary-Dogfight
http://www.videosift.com/video/Weird-Al-Yankovic-Jurassic-Park
http://www.videosift.com/video/Rowan-Atkinsons-Guide-to-Dating
http://www.videosift.com/video/Queen-One-Vision-Extended-Version
http://www.videosift.com/video/Rodney-McCray-Runs-Through-a-Wall
http://www.videosift.com/video/Time-Bandits-Evil-Genius
http://www.videosift.com/video/Garbage-Push-It
http://www.videosift.com/video/Henderson-has-scored-for-Canada

Tags for this video have been changed from 'thomas midgley, stephen fry, quiz show, chlorofluorocarbons' to 'thomas midgley, stephen fry, quiz show, chlorofluorocarbons, william wallace' - edited by calvados

Personally I would have liked to see William Wallace's sword from Braveheart on the list. And how about Dirty Harry's .44 mag? My top 5 list:
1. Lightsaber, hands down number 1
2. General Kael's sword from Willow
3. Dirty Harry's .44 mag "do ya feel lucky punk?"
4. William Wallace's sword from Braveheart
5. Indy's Whip. It's just classy, versatile, and unique, not to mention he knows how to use it.

William: Sons of Scotland, I am William Wallace.

Short soldier: William Wallace is 7 feet tall.

William: Yes, I've heard. Kills men by the hundreds, and if he were here he'd consume the English with fireballs from his eyes and bolts of lightning from his ass. I am William Wallace, and I see before me an army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What would you do without freedom? Will you fight?

Tall soldier: Fight against that? No, we will run, and we will live.

William: Ay, fight and you may die, run and you'll live. At least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom.


This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Dang! I'm going to have to go watch it right now!