10 Surprising Things Kids Knew in 1980 and Don’t Have a Clue About Today
A study comparing students from 1980 and 2012 shows that knowledge in culture has skyrocketed while an awareness of history and geography has taken a major dive.
1.
That Place That Makes Croissants, Fries, and Toast…?
Way more students correctly answered the question, “What’s the capital of France?” in 1980 than they did in 2012.
In 1980 it was the sixth most correctly answered general knowledge question. In 2012 it ranked as 23rd.
Thirty percent of 2012 test-takers also thought that Baghdad (Iraq) was the capital of Afghanistan. Another question asked which
country Nairobi was the capital of and six percent of respondents gave the answer “Africa.” Twenty-one percent also found Budapest (Hungary) to be the capital of India.
2.
Steve Jobs Discovered Electricity
Electricity is just for MacBooks and iPhones, anyway. Whoever used it for anything else?
In 1980, knowing that Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity was pretty commonplace. In the general knowledge study, this question ranked 20th in terms of correct answers. This evidently insignificant fact has now dropped to 56th place.
Knowledge about another forgotten inventor, Marie Curie, the scientist who discovered radium, ranked in 1980 at 108th and now resides at 163rd.
3.
American History 101
Inundated with technology and saturated with second-by-second media, today’s young people find history to be so yesterday. In 1980, the name of the man who iconically cried, “The British are coming!” was ranked as the 23rd most-known fact. Now it’s sunk to 53rd place.
P.S. It’s Paul Revere.
Other American history factoids that fell by the wayside include knowledge of the woman who sewed the first American flag (Betsy Ross). This question fell from 58th to 79th place. And Lieutenant Colonel George Custer lost the Battle of Little Bighorn. His ranking dwindled from 84th to 171st.
4.
Cleopatra’s Beauty Has Faded…
When you hear “Egyptian queen,” you think, “Cleopatra.” Am I right?
Apparently that’s not a universal thought. Nowadays, the matriarch that once joined forces with Mark Antony ranks just after Paul Revere at 54th most commonly known, dropping from 32nd in 1980.
5.
Don’t Play It Again, Sam
Humphrey Bogart.
Casablanca. Two pretty unforgettable names.
So it would seem.
The 1980 general knowledge test had recognition of the name “Bogart” as the male lead from the film
Casablanca ranked at 91st. Not horrible. 2012 has the iconic Bogart name ranked at 180th.
Also gone the way of Bogie? Legendary
Gone With the Wind star Clark Gable. Once ranked 68th in connection to the classic film, Gable now lies at 200th—a rude awakening for culture buffs everywhere.
6.
A Medicated Public
The youth are on
more prescription medications than they used to be. This phenomenon may explain why knowledge of the severe headache termed “migraine” has climbed from 25th to sixth place in the last 32 years.
How many times have you heard, “Mom, stop—you’re giving me a migraine; where’s the Advil?”
7.
‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in the Rankings
The comic-book mega-corp Marvel is far from passé
. Since 2008, the Dark Knight rose, Avengers avenged, a man of steel saved Earth, and an Iron Man crushed the box office.
Marvel has been very busy triumphing over evil and lowering student’s knowledge of history. The ranking of Batman’s ever-important secret identity of “Bruce Wayne” has jumped from 115th place to the 87th most common piece of knowledge. His Butler’s name, “Alfred,” rose from 137th to 101st place.
8.
Breaking: Cigarettes Are Cooler Than Ever
Millennials’ taste for all things vintage has dug up an old enemy: cigarettes.
In 1980, the brand of cigarette (Marlboro) that invented the flip-top box was a barely known nugget of information. The factoid has become twice as known today.
9.
Grab Your Bagpipes
Vital information: The short pleated skirt worn by men in Scotland is called a “kilt.”
In all seriousness, this is a subject millennials know more about. In 1980, this answer was ranked 79th. In 2012, it jumped to 25th place.
10.
I’ll Never Grow Up!
Ol’ Walt Disney would be proud.
General knowledge of the last name of the villainous captain in
Peter Pan has shot up from 73rd to a staggering 18th place—ranked just before the name of Tarzan’s girlfriend “Jane.” The name of the “Cheshire” Cat in
Alice in Wonderland also jumped from 106th to 77th place.
Who needs science, history and geography anyway in Never-Never Land?
