4. The Ancient Greeks invented mathematics and public schools

Image: Disney

The ancient Greeks were great inventors of the future. First they established public schools, and then begin teaching an intriguing new subject called mathematics. And with math comes mechanical technology and the birth of a high tech life we enjoy today.

Let’s explore this part of the script a little more closely.

Did the Greeks invent mathematics?  No.  Greeks did not invent math.  What they did invent was the idea of mathematics as a discrete area of study, along with the NAME “mathematics.”  And a many great mathematicians lived in ancient Greece. 

But the basics of mathematics – including complex mathematical concepts such as geometry and quadratic equations – were invented long before the Greeks were a twinkle in history’s eye.  The Babylonians, Egyptians, Sumerians, and Chinese were all calculating to beat the band a thousand years before Archimedes and Aristotle developed formal logic.  The critical discovery (or invention) of the zero (without which modern math would be impossible) came, not from Greece, but from Egypt, in about 1740 BC.

Did the Greeks invent public schools?  OK, if you feel that schools intended to serve about 7% of the population are “public schools,” then I suppose this is a reasonable claim.  If, on the other hand, you feel that “public schools” are schools which serve the general public then…  no.

5.  Rome's "World Wide Web" is leading us into the future

 Rome built the first world wide web, and it's leading us into the future.

This is a fun metaphor, but it seems to be implying that Rome’s amazing system of roads (many of which still exist, and which really did connect civilizations) is leading us into the future.  Not quite sure what that’s about… unless the idea is that taking the Roman roads will lead you to cities in which people are working on new technologies which will shape the future?  Hm.  That’s a bit of a stretch!

6. The Home Brew Club and Apple Computers invented the first computer small enough for the home

What if everyone could have one of these amazing machines in their own house? There's just one problem: They're as big as a house. The solution comes in of all places, a garage in California. Young people with a passion for shaping the future put the power of the computer in everyone's hands. Together we form a super network that goes with billions of interactions, and once again we stand on the brink of a new Renaissance.

The script seems to be telling us that Jobs and Wozniak were the first to create a computer smaller than those used to send a rocket to the moon.  They were not.  There were multiple small programmable computers invented before the Apple, including the Altair and the Cromenco (one of the first small computers with a screen).  But those first small computers were sold in kits and built and used by enthusiasts and professionals.

What made the Apple special was the fact that it was really the first personal computer which could be plopped on a desk and used by the average person.  What also made Apple special, of course, was Steve Jobs – whose ability to sell the concept of the home computer made the Apple corporation one of the most successful in the world.

Whether we’re on the brink of a new Renaissance is debatable – but things are certainly different as a result of the desktop (and laptop and handheld) computer!

7. The Internet has created a truly global community

After 30,000 years of time travel, here we are, a truly global community, poised to shape the future of this, our Spaceship Earth.

The 30,000 year mark is a tricky one; it’s not quite clear where that number comes from… but what the heck, it does take us from the time of the hunter-gatherers to the modern era.  Just be sure your kids don’t zero in on 30,000 as a significant number.

Perhaps more importantly for homework purposes is the expression “a truly global community.”  Are we a global community?  On the one hand, most (though by no means all) of us are in fact connected through digital technology.  On the other hand… well, we’re not exactly all on the same team, working together as a community toward common goals.

But Epcot, and Walt Disney World as a whole, are all about the idea of a positive future… and it sure would be great if we WERE a truly global community…  And maybe saying it’s so is the first step in the right direction!