A new study by Bo Poulsen, Associate Professor at Roskilde University, Denmark, together with Dr Jelle van Lottum of the University of Cambridge, shows that the Scandinavians were better at reading, writing and arithmetic than French, German, Spanish, Dutch and Italian seamen in the 18th century. The study also confirms that being bright does pay off. The study also shows that Scandinavian seamen came out on top in the 18th century when it came to using their brains.
The study is based on the researchers’ analysis of 966 maritime enquiry documents kept in the National Archives in London. During the 18th century, England was at war with practically all other nations in Europe. As a result, thousands of foreign vessels were seized and the crews brought before a military tribunal and subjected to a maritime enquiry which was concluded with a written statement. Nearly 20,000 of these statements have been preserved, and these are the documents that have been systematically analysed by the researchers and now serve as documentation of the level of proficiency among seamen. Roskilde University is a member of UNAI. For more: http://bit.ly/1nxjru3