American Henry Fischel, the First Person to Invent Exams: Facts

Story:

Henry Fischel was the first person who invented the “EXAMS”. Please forward to all students.. He has spoilt the fun of our life.

Other Versions

This is Henry Mishel – the first American person who invented the “EXAMS”.

Fact Check:

These picture messages shared online in various versions and languages claim to show an American person called Henry Fischel (or Henry Mishel) who supposedly is the first person to invent Exams. The claims are possibly hoax.

Concept of Exams

The first country to implement a nationwide standardized test was ancient China. Called as the imperial examination, established by the Sui Dynasty in 605 AD, it was meant to select able candidates for specific governmental positions. This system was abolished by the Qing Dynasty 1300 years later in 1905, but England adopted this examination system in 1806 for Her Majesty’s Civil Service, and was later applied to education, which further influenced other parts of the world gradually. This is how the concept of examinations for students developed.

Picture of Henry Detlev Fishel, a Psychotherapist — Henry Detlev Fishel, a Psychotherapist

Unrelated Pictures

The first picture in question, said to be Henry Fischel, is in fact, Henry Kimball Hadley (20 December 1871 – 6 September 1937), an American composer and conductor who is not related to the concept of education or exams. The second (and third) pictures above, also shown as the Henry Fischel who invented exams, is actually Henry Detlev Fishel, a psychotherapist in New York; nothing relating him to exams again.

Possible Origin

There’s another person Henry A. Fischel who is also attributed to the invention of exams. Henry A. Fischel (November 20, 1913, Bonn – March 20, 2008) was a professor emeritus of Near Eastern languages and cultures at Indiana University. He was an influential figure in founding the Jewish Studies Program and the department of Religious Studies at Indiana University. You can read more about him here. It appears like; this might be misunderstood or misinterpreted to convey that Henry Fischel is the first person to invent exams. Notably, the stories are mostly shared on humor platforms. So the claims that an American person called Henry Fischel (or Henry Mishel) is the first person to invent exams as such are possibly hoax.