Herschel!

[poliphilo]

OK, so I was sounding off about Trafalgar the other day and last night I was watching one of those improving cultural history programmes the BBC does so well. This one was about the history of science and it majored on the work of the 18th century astronomer William Herschel.

I came away wondering why this stuff isn't taught in schools. Herschel invented the reflecting telescope, discovered Uranus (no snarky comments please), mapped the Milky Way and was the first person to form a true estimate of the ginormous size of the universe. If these achievements don't make him a greater man than Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson (I nearly wrote Hornblower) I'll eat my (gold-trimmed, three-cornered) hat.

Comments

[cdpoint.livejournal.com]

It's easy to understand how Nelson got to be more famous: his achievements were easier for the popular press to describe and detect. One side beat the other, and it all happened with lots of noise. Scientific achievements were (are) harder for the average journalist to understand and tend to take place slowly and quietly.

Einstein got great press because his hair made for great news photos. If anything, he got most of his coverage long after his best achievements.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I also think it's got something to do with the power elite setting the news agenda.

Hey, but I've solved the problem of who we should put on the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square-

Herschel!

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

War. Nelson was a WAR hero. Herschel was not.

They should at LEAST name a telescope in an observatory after him...maybe they have...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think they have. He's a famous name in scientific circles- but that's the point. Why is the history of science not taught alongside military and political history?

[hastursdaughter.livejournal.com]

They could begin by putting Nelson and Wellington on the syllabus (before they consider Herschel) given that all this Trafalgar expense and celebration probably has little meaning, to those children (or indeed some adults) who are not in Plymouth or Portsmouth, other than as very pretty boats and fireworks seen on TV on Tuesday night. :-)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Are they no longer on the syllabus? They were in my day.

[hastursdaughter.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately not; In secondary school, we had the importance of battlements in castles, and 1066 for the first year; War of Roses, and Henry VIII & assortment of wives for the second year; and Elizabeth I, plus relatives for the third year. Beyond that History was voluntary, where we were taught the progress of medicine from Egyptians to Early 19th Century, and completed a project on the history of our home town.

As far as I am aware, A-level history focuses on Nazi Germany, and I know that A-level English Lit covers the propaganda, poetry, and drama influenced by WWI.

Alas, no ships! (so for me, these Trafalgar celebrations have led to a history lesson - by my own choice - that I wasn’t taught earlier, rather than meaning anything political).

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

So much history- so little time to teach it in!

I really don't know what the answer is.

Well I do. The answer is good teachers- people who can get kids so fired up about the past that they go home and do their own reading and research.

Only you can't legislate for good teachers.

[ibid.livejournal.com]

Oh God yes! A lot of university departments are extremely concerned about the 20th centurey Dictatorship bias at A-level -so much so that a good a level is almost of no use if you want to do history.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

Hooray for Herschel.

So he is the man who brought me the moon in my backyard telescope.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

If it's a reflecting telescope, yes.

But if it has lenses then the man you have to thank is Galileo.

[ibid.livejournal.com]

Herschel's German name and poncy science doesn't really fit the bos own image of British history.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm just so sick of the tribalism and machismo.

[qatsi.livejournal.com]

Actually, Newton invented the reflecting telescope, though I would find it easy to believe that Herschel was more practical in its construction and use. (And probably a more pleasant chap, too). Of course there is more on Herschel here - and yes, there is a telescope named after him.

I'm trying to remember what I did study in history at school (having dropped it at 14). The Romans, the Normans, (there's a year here that was probably about the Tudor period but I genuinely can't remember anything about it), the Victorians, and some 20th century stuff - World War II, the Chinese revolution, and industrial unrest in Poland in 1981 (which we were studying as "history" in 1986). So there are some significant gaps in my knowledge when it comes to history.

I always smile when I see Paxman on University Challenge looking completely amazed that someone interrupts and knows the answer to one of the scientific starter questions. They're easy if you know the answers.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I was misinformed.

And it was the BBC that misinformed me. This is terribly disillusioning.

Actually there were one or two peripheral things in the programme that might have put me on my guard and caused me to check the facts. For example, the violinist in 18th century costume who was playing Franz Lehar- and the inclusion of a painting by Jan Van Eyck in a fly past of 17th century masterpieces.

Bah!

[qatsi.livejournal.com]

Ha! I know the BBC has gone Doctor Who-mad, what with the Today programme using the theme music for a piece on the South Staffordshire General Election, but even so, they shouldn't introduce time travel in their factual programming!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ah, the Dr Who theme.....

All together now

Dum de dum
Dum de dum
Dum de dum

Doo

Whoo-hoo.....