Who's Sir Isaac Newton? The famous Britons we're forgetting: Achievements of luminaries going unrecognised by large parts of the population
More than a quarter of people do not know renowned artist JMW Turner
Half could not name any masterpieces, study to mark DVD release finds
29% of Britons do not know Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin
Half of people could not identify Sir Tim Berners-Lee as internet inventor
They are Britons who have cemented their place in history - but are now in danger of being forgotten.
Research suggests that the achievements of luminaries such as JMW Turner, Sir Isaac Newton and Sir Charles Darwin go unrecognised by large parts of the population.
In a study commissioned to mark the DVD release of Oscar-nominated film Mr Turner, more than a quarter of people did not know the renowned artist.
Sir Isaac Newton
Sir Charles Darwin
And more than half could not name any of his masterpieces, such as The Fighting Temeraire.
A similar proportion could not say why Newton – who discovered gravity – or Darwin, a key contributor to evolutionary theory, were famous.
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Other names that featured in the top ten included leader of Protestant reform William Tyndale, William Wilberforce - who helped abolish the slave trade - Michael Faraday, Oliver Cromwell, Marie Stopes and Sir Francis Drake.
Some 29 per cent of Britons did not know that Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, with 15 per cent thinking he created the character of famous spy James Bond.
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Identity: Almost half of the 2,000 people who took part in the OnePoll survey could not identify Sir Tim Berners-Lee as the inventor of the internet
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Bacteriologist: Some 29 per cent of Britons did not know that Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, with 15 per cent thinking he created the character of famous spy James Bond
Almost half of the 2,000 people who took part in the OnePoll survey could not identify Sir Tim Berners-Lee as the inventor of the internet.
WHAT DON'T WE KNOW? STUDY HIGHLIGHTS KNOWLEDGE GAP
58%: Can’t name any of JMW Turner’s masterpieces
44%: Do not know Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the internet
29%: Do not know Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin
28%: Do not know JMW Turner was an artist
15%: Think Sir Alexander Fleming created character of James Bond
The creation of the NHS was voted the best British moment by 680 people, followed by former prime minister Winston Churchill’s ‘fight them on the beaches’ speech in 1940, with 31 per cent of the vote.
He was also voted the greatest ever Briton by a quarter of those polled, followed by playwright William Shakespeare and the Queen in third place.
Actor and TV presenter Stephen Fry came out on top when those surveyed were asked which current British stars would be thought of as ‘great’ in the future, followed by physicist Brian Cox and Prince George.
Tennis star Andy Murray and former ITN newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald rounded out the top five.
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Well-respected: Actor and TV presenter Stephen Fry (pictured) came out on top when those surveyed were asked which current British stars would be thought of as ‘great’ in the future
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Research: The study was commissioned to mark the DVD release of the film Mr Turner, starring Timothy Spall
However, other current famous faces are not thought of so highly, with those polled putting comedian Russell Brand on top of a list of Britons they were most likely to feel embarrassed about in future.
We have much to be proud of and it’s about time these great figures received the recognition they deserve
Dr Paul Readman, historian
Katie Price came in second place, receiving 12 per cent of the vote, followed by Katie Hopkins and Prime Minister David Cameron, both with 9 per cent. Ukip leader Nigel Farage took the final spot with 8 per cent.
Historian Dr Paul Readman said: ‘The results show there are so many Brits that have shaped the course of history and they seem to have slipped out of our national consciousness.'
The senior lecturer in modern British history at King's College London added: ‘We have much to be proud of and it’s about time these great figures received the recognition they deserve
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