11:10am UK, Monday April 05, 2004

Britain is a nation of history dunces with many even believing Adolf Hitler never existed, according to a new survey.

A quarter of those interviewed were not sure if the Battle of Trafalgar was a real historic event, while one in seven did not know the Battle of Hastings really took place.

Hitler: Fact or fiction?

Researchers found that many of the 2,069 adults questioned could not tell fact from fiction.

More than one in 20 thought the sci-fi classic War of the Worlds, in which Earth is invaded by Martians, was a historical event.

Some even believed the Battle of Helm's Deep from the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Battle of Endor from Return of the Jedi actually took place.

Almost half of those asked thought William Wallace never existed and more than half believed King Arthur was real.

A quarter thought Robin Hood was a genuine historical figure, while one in 20 thought Conan the Barbarian was real.


Some of the respondents confused popular television series with fact, with some believing Edmond Blackadder and Zena Warrior Princess had existed.

The survey of adults aged 16 and over was commissioned to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the Battle of Blenheim on August 13.

Yet the results showed that, despite being one of the greatest victories in British military history, nearly three quarters of the population had never heard of the battle.

John Hoy, chief executive of Blenheim Palace, said: "We set out to establish where the Battle of Blenheim stood in the nation's consciousness and were amazed to find out that so few people had even heard of the battle.

"We're determined to do all we can to change this.