Astronaut Scott Kelly apologises after quoting Winston Churchill on Twitter

Sharing inspiring quotes on Twitter isn't exactly the coolest thing to do, but it's very easy to read something, think it's good and then share it without giving it too much thought.

That's probably what astronaut Scott Kelly did on Saturday when he shared a quote from Winston Churchill, which has gone on to spark controversy.

The American astronaut shared a quote from the controversial British prime minister as a comment on the current political situation in the US.

While he's got every right to make a statement of this kind, Kelly found himself being criticised for sharing a Churchill quote, with many people pointing out some of the more unsavoury parts of the wartime leader's character which, in retrospect, have damaged his credentials.

Kelly's followers began to inform Kelly about some of Churchill's more problematic views and achievements.

Others chose to defend Kelly and encouraged him to stand by the quote.

However, Kelly eventually changed his mind and posted a tweet apologising for quoting Churchill and vowed to educate himself more about the politician.

This didn't do him any favours, as Churchill supporters felt that he went a bit too far when he labelled Churchill a 'racist', while others said that he definitely didn't need to apologise or bow to pressure.

If we've learnt anything from this: DON'T QUOTE CHURCHILL ON TWITTER.

HT BBC News