Some people just don't know their history

[Anonymous]

Note to Mersenne6: Very much the same thing happened to me in school regarding computer-synthesized speech. It hurt and I sympathize with what happened to you.

On the other hand, consider how your simple act of reading that book goes beyond having a superior knowledge of Edison's career or the invention of nitroglycerin. The other people, unless they changed their ways or ran into particularly inspired teaching, are the ones who suffer. .. I bet many of those people, conditioned as they are to "facts" being spoon-fed them, are the ones who take out second mortgages to "consolidate" consumer debt, that debt based on credit cards that offer the screamer low APR's to very few people (that info not on TV but in very small print in the direct-mail.

Besides the teacher's turning your differing but superior knowledge into a popularity contest against you, which was totally unprofessional, the lesson the class got was threefold: a) don't challenge anything; and b) if it's spoon-fed to you via mass media (especially TV), it must be true, leading to the absurdity of c) the mass of people can determine historical (or any empirical) fact by relying on their feelings and "safety in numbers." We laugh today about the Tennessee legislature revising Pi from 3.14159 down to three, to spare Tennessee children all that bother, but of course that kind of thing goes on today, too. I just hope it isn't on the rise. I'm not even all THAT smart, but things I've been taught to look at with curiosity is so often labeled "boring" by my fellow Baby Boomers (apparently the goal of a fully realized American life is now never having to read any books). When I look at things with what I consider a healthy skepticism I often am told is "cynical" instead. You want cynicism? Look at the tens of thousands of people who deliberately stayed in New Orleans, despite official prediction. But of course, if you want it badly enough, reality will step aside . . . until you get pulled off a roof.

Now that I'm an old f**t of fifty, I frequently wonder whatever happend to common sense. And COMMON KNOWLEDGE!

[Clutch Cargo]

Wait till you get 60 smalling.

It gets worse. [V]

Kurt

[Anonymous]

The original post referred to the question on the "millionaire" show. Which would be the correct answer? "gold" or "iron"? Do we emphasize "last" or "driven" or the symbolism? I'm sure they were looking for "gold", but If the contestant said "iron" I'd have to call it a correct answer. Sadly, he/she said nothing.

Off-Topic for Kurt and CopCar, above: Thanks for the battery mention. There's a ton of info out there. They're known as the "Baghdad Batteries". This segues neatly into...

Mini-Rant: What's wrong with using a search engine? Google or otherwise. That's how I found the ton of info on the batteries. I a few minutes, I located a bunch of interesting stuff about something I'd never heard of. This is a good thing, (right, Martha?) High-speed access is a real help. There is simply too much info out there to find anything without an index. Like the thing in the back of a textbook. The greatest utility of a body of knowledge is knowing how to use it and how to find it. The danger of the Google approach is in believing whatever pops up. I'm sure several of the thousands of hits on the batteries would claim it is conclusive proof that aliens came through a Stargate about 250 BC. Merely because someone put it on the Internet does not make it gospel.

Dave Fleming - Baltimore, MD

[Clutch Cargo]

This is good.[:D]
Sometimes I don`t know wheather to Laugh or Cry.

May 10, 1919: The 50th Anniversary of the Golden Spike Ceremony. The town of Promontory was ready to host a grand celebration, yet not a soul appeared. Local newspaper had planned a great excursion and celebration. However, once they discovered the "Wedding of the Rails" had not taken place at Promontory Point, but instead Promontory Summit, "a desert without water or shade," the celebration was held in Ogden instead.

I share your views Dave. Thanks

Kurt

[Murphy Siding]

coborn35: My kids have a harder time with history than I did. That's because there is more of it now![:)]

[Sterling1]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mersenne6

I wouldn't sweat the load on what is or isn't in the history books in school. From what I've seen of the history books my son uses today they don't differ much from what they were when I was in school back in the mid 1950's.

I remember only too well some of the encounters with the "facts" that I had back then. One week in 1958 I read a biography of Thomas Edison. That weekend the TV had run some old movie about Edison (I think the title was Edison the Man but I can't be sure). Our family was the only one in the area without a TV so I missed this marvelous bit of "history". In any event, apparently there is a scene in the movie where young Tom makes nitro glycerine and the conductor discovers this. Apparently they stop the train on a bridge and lower his concoction over the side and then run for it and the bridge is blown just as the train clears the bridge.

The next day in class everyone, including the teacher, was marveling at how Edison, among his many achievements, had invented nitro glycerine as a boy.
I was the only one who had not seen the movie and, as I discovered, I was the only one in the class who had actually read anything about Tom Edison. I became the lone dissenter in a room full of people whose knowledge of Edison had been formed by some old movie from the 1930's or 40's. I had to appeal to my biography since the textbook didn't have much beyond the lightbulb and a brief mention of Tom being grabbed by his ears by a conductor when he was working as a news butcher. The sad part was since I had returned the book to the library I didn't have anything tangible to show them and no one, including the teacher, believed me.

Edison didn't invent nitro glycerine (in those days 2 words), I think it was some Italian and then refined later, by Noble who of course invented dynamite. Trouble is I don't really know who invented TNT, or C4

[Sterling1]

QUOTE: Originally posted by smalling_60626

Note to Mersenne6: Very much the same thing happened to me in school regarding computer-synthesized speech. It hurt and I sympathize with what happened to you.

On the other hand, consider how your simple act of reading that book goes beyond having a superior knowledge of Edison's career or the invention of nitroglycerin. The other people, unless they changed their ways or ran into particularly inspired teaching, are the ones who suffer. .. I bet many of those people, conditioned as they are to "facts" being spoon-fed them, are the ones who take out second mortgages to "consolidate" consumer debt, that debt based on credit cards that offer the screamer low APR's to very few people (that info not on TV but in very small print in the direct-mail.

Besides the teacher's turning your differing but superior knowledge into a popularity contest against you, which was totally unprofessional, the lesson the class got was threefold: a) don't challenge anything; and b) if it's spoon-fed to you via mass media (especially TV), it must be true, leading to the absurdity of c) the mass of people can determine historical (or any empirical) fact by relying on their feelings and "safety in numbers." We laugh today about the Tennessee legislature revising Pi from 3.14159 down to three, to spare Tennessee children all that bother, but of course that kind of thing goes on today, too. I just hope it isn't on the rise. I'm not even all THAT smart, but things I've been taught to look at with curiosity is so often labeled "boring" by my fellow Baby Boomers (apparently the goal of a fully realized American life is now never having to read any books). When I look at things with what I consider a healthy skepticism I often am told is "cynical" instead. You want cynicism? Look at the tens of thousands of people who deliberately stayed in New Orleans, despite official prediction. But of course, if you want it badly enough, reality will step aside . . . until you get pulled off a roof.

Now that I'm an old f**t of fifty, I frequently wonder whatever happend to common sense. And COMMON KNOWLEDGE!

Sometimes I'm a little surprised that people do the same ol' [censored] [soapbox] and I'm only in my late teens and I know some of that historical stuff. Sometimes it just gets to ya . . .

[Sterling1]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Murphy Siding

coborn35: My kids have a harder time with history than I did. That's because there is more of it now![:)]

Actually I think it's b/c they believe all that junk found on internet search engines. Hey even I like some of the wars . . . WW! in my opinion was boring but WW2 was worse. Kids are kids . . .

[mersenne6]

Sterling1, yes that was the point - I knew he hadn't but I was the only one who had done any reading on the subject and everyone else was going by what they saw in the movie. As you noted - Nobel perfected the stable version and made his fortune which became the "seed money" for the Nobel prizes.

[Clutch Cargo]

May 10, 1994: 125th Anniversary celebration to commemorate the completion of the Nation's first Transcontinental Railroad is held. For the first time since May 10, 1869, the original silver plated spike maul used in the ceremony and the Gold, Silver, and combination Gold and Silver Arizona spikes are all reunited at Promontory for the celebration. 14,000 visitors attended, including Merlin Olsen, and the CEOs of both the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads.

I am sorry.. I was not there in 97.I was there in Summer of 94.
Old age is tricky.

Kurt

[bnsfkline]

I gave the students at the school I worked at a quiz to see how much they knew....one of the was "In what state was the Transcontiental Railroad Completed" Some said Deleware, Some said Alaska, some said RUSSIA!

[Murphy Siding]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Sterling1

QUOTE: Originally posted by Murphy Siding

coborn35: My kids have a harder time with history than I did. That's because there is more of it now![:)]

Actually I think it's b/c they believe all that junk found on internet search engines. Hey even I like some of the wars . . . WW! in my opinion was boring but WW2 was worse. Kids are kids . . .

As Beaver Clever said on "Leave it to Beaver" : History's mostly about people killing people.[V]

[Clutch Cargo]

As coborn and sterlng pointed out.
All hope is not lost,...we have some awfully smart children out there.

It is not up to the teachers to wholy educate the kids.
It is up to all of us.

Kurt

[Train Guy 3]

I have a hard time educating people at my school about Opperation Lifesaver, let alone explaining that we built a rail across the west way back in the 1800s.