Buzz Lightyear was first on the moon say 1 in 10 schoolchildren
13 March 2010
Toy Story hero Buzz Lightyear was the first man on the Moon, according to one in ten schoolchildren. Many pupils thought the animated character - not American astronaut Neil Armstrong - was the first to take one small step for man in 1969.
It means big-headed Buzz, whose motto is To Infinity and Beyond, has finally got the recognition he craves.
Other names primary school children suggested might have beaten Nasa to the Moon included billionaire Sir Richard Branson, the legendary American cyclist Lance Armstrong and even the Star Wars hero Luke Skywalker.
Dr Pam Waddell, of Birmingham Science City looked at answers given by 1,000 primary and secondary school children in the tests, in advance of National Science and Engineering Week, which runs until March 21.
‘While some findings raise a smile, it suggests that school children aren't tuned into our scientific heroes in the same way that they moght be to sporting or music legends,’ she told the Daily Mirror.
That's something of an understatement when it comes to the question of who invented the telephone.
Three quarters of pupils gave the correct answer: Alexander Graham Bell.
But others said Charles Darwin, Noel Edmonds and even The Queen.
A third of boys thought Isaac Newton discovered fire, while others said it was DNA, the internet or the United States (it was the theory of gravity, if anyone is wondering).
Dr Waddell added: ‘Our work is about demonstrating the value that scientific innovation brings to the economy and the things we take for granted every day, such as using the telephone or TV.’
Her study showed that many children lose interest in science at secondary school, with only 33 per cent of 11 to 15-year-olds saying they would rather win a Nobel prize for science than an Oscar, compared to 70 per cent of nine to 10-year-olds.
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