Financial Times: Observer: It doesn't add up: “Even the commemorative mug given to shareholders as they left the meeting was a collector's item of inaccuracy. Shell Transport and Trading's lifetime was given as 1907-2005. In fact, it was born in 1897.” Wednesday 29 June 2005

Published: June 29 2005

Shell demonstrated an admirable candour by including two of its reserves restatements in the illustrated display about the company's meeting at the annual meeting.

Other parts of the timeline, alas, were chronologically challenged. The Wright Brothers' first flight was attributed to 1900, three years too early. And the date of the alliance with Royal Dutch was shown as 1904, when it actually took place in 1907.

Even the commemorative mug given to shareholders as they left the meeting was a collector's item of inaccuracy. Shell Transport and Trading's lifetime was given as 1907-2005. In fact, it was born in 1897. observer@ft.com

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