The Patriot

Watched Mel Gibson's Patriot the other night.

In an early scene they referred to Ursa Major as "The Big Dipper"!
Historically inaccurate. Would probably have called it "The Plough"
as Brits still call it.

Apart from that it was a history lesson. 😉


Any nationalities got weird names for the Big Bear?

@wolfgang59 said
Watched Mel Gibson's Patriot the other night.

In an early scene they referred to Ursa Major as "The Big Dipper"!
Historically inaccurate. Would probably have called it "The Plough"
as Brits still call it.

Apart from that it was a history lesson. 😉


Any nationalities got weird names for the Big Bear?

We still call it the Big Dipper.

@wolfgang59
Asians refer to it as the great she bear ( the third largest constilation in the northern hemisphere)

@wolfgang59
The Big Dipper is not a constellation. It's an asterism -- a group of
stars that is part of a larger constellation, in this case Ursa Major.

These days, the Big Dipper is a rap artist.

@handyandy said
@wolfgang59


The Big Dipper is not a constellation. It's an asterism -- a group of stars that is part of a larger constellation, in this case Ursa Major.

These days, the Big Dipper is a rap artist.

Didn't he did in a plane crash back in the 50's?
😛😃

@wolfe63 said
Didn't he did in a plane crash back in the 50's?
😛😃

Big Bopper, along with Buddy Holly.

@handyandy said
@wolfgang59
The Big Dipper is not a constellation. It's an asterism -- a group of
stars that is part of a larger constellation, in this case Ursa Major.

These days, the Big Dipper is a rap artist.

If I had said asterism it would have wasted folks time looking it up!

@suzianne said
We still call it the Big Dipper.

I know.
It wasnt prior to 1800s

@wolfgang59 said
If I had said asterism it would have wasted folks time looking it up!

Looking things up is never a waste of time. That's how folks learn things.

@wolfgang59 said
I know.
It wasnt prior to 1800s

According to Wikipedia:

"The folk song, 'Follow the Drinking Gourd,' gave runaway slaves directions to
follow the Big Dipper to get to north. In Africa, the seven stars were sometimes
seen as a drinking gourd, which is believed to be the origin of the name Big
Dipper, most commonly used for the figuration in the U.S. and Canada."

@handyandy said
Looking things up is never a waste of time. That's how folks learn things.

I agree ... but the folk doing the looking up may not.

@wolfgang59 said
Apart from that it was a history lesson. 😉

The film has been criticized for its historical inaccuracies.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jul/22/the-patriot-mel-gibson-reel-history

@handyandy said
The film has been criticized for its historical inaccuracies.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jul/22/the-patriot-mel-gibson-reel-history

Hence the 😉
The film is complete historical hog-wash.

Of all the mistakes in it I had never seen anyone reference the Big Dipper mistake.

"Aim small, miss small."

@wolfgang59 said
hog-wash

Hogwash is one word. 😉