Well, amid the various post about bbq’s and fireworks, didn’t want our UK subscribers to feel left out. Beyond me why y’all don’t make more of a celebration, not like you don’t have good reason.
(goodness isn’t Nov. 5th a little cold for fireworks? although I guess very good for bon fires.)
a recent survey concluded a large percentage of the British population didn’t know America had ever been a British colony
Please tell me I’m being subtly whooshed by dry British wit here, because I can’t wrap my head around the literal meaning of your statement.
That’s a bit scary. I wonder what such people think the USA is celebrating its fndependence from. 
They couldn’t name what century the First World War had started in, agreed with the proposition that Adolf Hitler was a fictional character, and didn’t know America had ever been a British colony.
And happy “Huh? Really? Oh, well, then…” day from us Canadians, too. 
Australians should almost call this a kind of Thanksgiving Day, I suppose. If it wasn’t for the War of Independence, so some historians say, then dear ol’ Blighty wouldn’t have felt the need to not only pip the French at acquiring territories in the Southern Hemisphere, but also set up a convict colony in Terra Australis (after they’d lost all chances of continuing same in America).
:eek: Eegad, that’s like end of “Threads,” only without the nuclear war prerequisite.
Not that the American public would necessarily fare better in a similar poll. 
Well, can we try to start a Guy Fawkes day here, but with copies of the old king? 
I was just on ICQ with a business partner in England. He allowed as we must be very sad today, since it’s the anniversary of us losing our motherland.
Haha - and are you going to continue to be this person’ business patrtner?
I’m sure he was joking, though. 
Guy Fawkes’ day was celebrated in New England at one time, but seems to have died out in the 19th c.
On the one hand, this is very sad. On the other, well, I’m glad our kids aren’t the only ones with huge gaping holes in their education.
Mk VII, have you a link to the specific survey? I have big issues with many of these types of surveys, in the way they phrase questions vs. they way they report the findings. Such as giving the interviewee a blank map of the world, with only continent outlines, and asking them to point to Afghanistan. I’m only 80% confident I’d be on target, if Iran and Pakistan weren’t clearly identified!
As for the ‘fictitious character’, it was probably multiple choice, with three fictitious historical characters. So somebody with, umm, less than average intelligence & education, could easily be bewildered and take a random guess. And one in four of those guesses would be for Hitler.
Yes, on both counts. I replied, of course, that it’s all that we can do to bear the heavy burden of the day, drowning our sorrows with sausages on buns, baked apple confections and brewed alcoholic beverages. Not necessarily in that order.
I am . It seems from looking over the BBC’s homepage that Bonefire night is still celebrated, and it seems like much the same holiday.
The BBC’s search engine seems to be down. Here is a alternate link.
Ahem (bolding mine):
[QUOTE=Mk VII]
Guy Fawkes’ day was celebrated in New England at one time, but seems to have died out in the 19th c.
Oh, New England.
Well, 'twas just a joke that we, as americans should take to buring effiges of (Kingie-poo) George William Fredrick, rather then Guido Fawkes. Kind of a taking an (Old England, not New) english holiday, and making it 'Merican.