Historical Knowledge Dissonance

[counterblitzkrieg]

So I was watching "Rome" with my older brother. It was the final episode if I recall correctly. We were in the part where Mark Anthony was about to commit suicide. He asked me whether Anthony in real life commits suicide or not. So I replied along the lines that Mark Antony and Cleopatra were like Romeo and Juliet since they both killed themselves. My brother was angry because I was spoiling on what was going to happen. I was confused, I thought that everyone knows that Mark Anthony and Cleopatra's relationship didn't end well.

So my question is, has anyone ever experience something like this. Where you just feel/act like this historical fact is common knowledge and all of a sudden there's actually someone who doesn't know it?

I don't know if the title is a fitting name for such a thing but it's the closest thing I can think of for a fitting name.

 

[Plumber]

Two of my friends yesterday didn't know what Chernobyl was

 

[Albidoom]

So my question is, has anyone ever experience something like this. Where you just feel/act like this historical fact is common knowledge and all of a sudden there's actually someone who doesn't know it?

Yes, and very often back in my school days. Although it was not that much of a surprise to me, as it sprung often from the sheer ignorance of the respective classmates on those matters.
And no one ever got angry at me, as they weren't really interested and so I couldn't really spoil anything for them.
But it was sometimes a bit hilarious. While not knowing every nation which participated in WWII is understandable (heck, even most of us here might have to double check which south american nations declared War on Nazi Germany and which didn't), but for some people to struggle with the question whether Germany did win or lose WWII had me suppress a laughter back then in school... (should be noted that me and my former classmates are all german citizens)

 

[LordVetinari]

Someone at my school didn't know what a telegram or telegraph was, and there are too many more to count.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I think I've mentioned before my friend who thought Germany had won WWII.

 

[Emperor-of-New-Zealand]

One time my history teacher didn't know anything about what colonial Africa looked like. We were discussing NZ colonisation and somehow I got onto the topic of British Africa. I remember him saying, "I thought they already had the Congo?"

 

[Polish Eagle]

I think I've mentioned before my friend who thought Germany had won WWII.

Guess he watched too much Hysteria Channel. If the winners truly do write history, it makes sense that Hitler would assign himself so much coverage.

Regarding the OP, I worked at an aerospace museum over the summer. Maybe 1 in every 4 visitors did not know that the US stopped sending people to the moon, and maybe 1/2 didn't know the Russians put something in space first.

 

[Pischinovski]

We read a poem at school "...Nevermore war, nevermore Hiroshima..." (or something like this) and a girl asked: "What is a Hiroshima?"

 

[Pamc]

I had a classmate in history who thought world war one was a war with spears and javelins

 

[Campbell1004]

I had a classmate in history who thought world war one was a war with spears and javelins

Might make a cool premise if done right.

 

[Errnge]

when I was in 7th grade, my school did a geography-bee. one kid in my class, when asked where the sahara dessert was located responded with "... Florida?"

how about that Georgia educational system

 

[Zuvarq]

I had a classmate in history who thought world war one was a war with spears and javelins

Maybe he was actually somewhat clever, and he was joking and referring to the Einstein quote?

 

[Pkmatrix]

Regarding the OP, I worked at an aerospace museum over the summer. Maybe 1 in every 4 visitors did not know that the US stopped sending people to the moon, and maybe 1/2 didn't know the Russians put something in space first.

Huh, that's odd. Almost universally, anyone I've discussed the Moon landings with who wasn't a space buff generally thought we went only once, in 1969. This includes a shocking proportion of people who lived through the era. It was to the point where my father, when the film Apollo 13 was released, was stunned when it was mentioned during the Academy Awards that it was based on a true story - until that moment, he thought it was a pure science fiction story and had no clue there were any Moon missions past the first.

Perhaps this, at least in part, explains why so many people subscribe to the "Moon landings were a hoax!" conspiracy theory? A good chunk think, "Well, if it was real, why didn't we ever go back, huh?", not realizing we DID go back.