Should history be more scientific?

Me, I've always been a "history is one of the humanities" type, except maybe when I was in junior high school, dreaming of Hari Seldon. But this report from Newsbiscuit may compel me to change my mind. The experimental design is pretty impressive:

St George decanonised after 20 million red cross flags show no measurable effect

In the largest experiment of its kind for four years, the power of St George or his flag to have the slightest influence on worldly events, let alone bring about a miracle, has been proven beyond doubt not to exist. Following a similar outcome in 2006, when the authorities allowed a ‘double or quits’ repeat of the 2002 experiment, the so-called ‘best of five’ experiment has been accepted as conclusive proof.

St George will now be de-canonised in a short ceremony led by the Pope’s envoy Cardinal Capello. The ceremony will take place in a secret location to avoid the possibility of revenge attacks on the Cardinal by members of Opus Dei, furious at how his teaching methods have exposed the inefficacy of flagellation as a technique.

Official observer Professor Richard Dawkins said every conceivable effect on people and objects had been considered for the experiment, which took place in South Africa and involved 90 minute tests involving experimenters kicking a special sphere, called a ‘ball’, around while 20 million St George flags were displayed and prayed to in England,’ said Prof Dawkins.

‘One idea was that the flags could act through the mythical fifth ‘incredibly weak force’ postulated by some physicists. The only possible evidence was some inexplicable movements of the ball in some of the early games, which almost had me believing that God not only existed but was American, but no measurable movement was achieved by England’s technicians.’

There's more where that came from...

Image: The Union flag. Its true meaning revealed?

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