This is just sad...

Report: 1 in 4 Britons Think Winston Churchill Never Existed

One in four Britons don't believe wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill existed, according to a recent survey.

I'd laugh and laugh at this, but am willing to bet a similar number of Americans would say the same about FDR.

Churchill is compared to Florence Nightingale and Sir Walter Raleigh, seen by many survey respondents as a mythical person, the London Daily Mail reported Monday.

The survey, conducted with 3,000 respondents to test their general knowledge, reported other historical figures such as Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, Cleopatra and the Duke of Wellington were made up for books and films, the Mail reported.

Oh I've seen this on Leno. Who knew he could've gotten scholarly attention for this? (note: am sure this serious statistical analysis was exponentially more funny than Leno has ever been)

The survey, by UKTV Gold, also found that Sherlock Holmes was a real person.

A drug-addicted genius solving the impossible while abusing his good-natured doctor friend? 'Course they think he existed...they watch House, M. D.

Young Britons under 20 lack a basic historical education according to the survey results, historian Correlli Barnett told the Daily Mail.

I'll take 'Obvious Conclusions that Really Didn't Need an Expert to State' for $300, Alex.

"This suggests a complete lack of common sense and respect for our greatest heroes of the past," Barnett said.