Inaccuracies: A Contemplatory Interjection

So, twice today I read in the newspaper incorrect facts that made me angry. Mainly because people simply should be more intelligent than they are.

Firstly, this morning I saw an article in the Metro as to how Fabio Capello wants England to be only the second team after Brazil to win the World Cup out of their hemisphere. As tenuous an opportunity as it is, the point remains it's rather difficult. This is mainly because in addition to Brazil (winning in Sweden in 1958, Mexico in 1970, USA in 1994 and South Korea in 2002), the second team to win the World Cup out of their hemisphere was Argentina, who won the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Do people not think or bother to check these facts?

Well, clearly not. Because in the evening paper, I was treated with the delights of several people writing in talking about a 300-year association between Scotland and England. This is very nice. Except that for most historians, the union of Scotland and England occurs not with the official and neatly named 'Act of Union' in 1707, but one hundred and two years earlier, with the ascension to the throne of James I (James V of Scotland), who was the first King of 'Great Brittaine' as he termed himself.

Not two particularly interesting facts, but the fact that I knew both facts were wrong off the top of my head proves either that I retain useless trivia, or that people need to not talk about things without making sure they're correct first. Or perhaps both!