Americans: did you know what the moon was before 7/20/69?

[Quintas]

Just curious. I did not know: I think I knew that there was a big glowing orb in the night sky, but when people said "Astronauts landed on the moon" I a) had no idea that they were referring to that object, and b) had no clear idea what the "Moon" was - ie, was it an uncharted island? What?

I don't think I'm that unusual in that. Now that it's so famous I think people assume that everyone always knew what the Moon was- but I don't think that's necessarily true.

(People who lived on the Moon either during or before the landings don't need to reply unless they somehow didn't know what the Moon was.)

[elfkin477]

I honestly had no idea what the moon was before the moon landing.

[elmwood]

I'm an ignorant American, so I'm obligated to say "no". I was also three years old at the time, but that doesn't excuse me from not having knowledge about the most visible celestial objects.

[fubbleskag]

Love this thread!

[AClockworkMelon]

The atoms that would eventually come together to form the sperm cell that would impregnate an egg of my mother's were scattered throughout the world.

So no.

[JRDelirious]

Would enjoy it more if I knew what was the parody or referenced même...

And I may have had just turned 8 but darn tootin' I knew whut th' Moon wuz and Ah wuz ticked off they didn't ask if I wanted a ride

[Quintas]

Originally Posted by JRDelirious

Would enjoy it more if I knew what was the parody or referenced même...

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=600757

[Asimovian]

Have I heard of the what, now?

(I didn't think that thread was *that* bad, for the record.)

[Kyla]

I was born in 1978, so I've always known what the moon was.

[elfkin477]

Originally Posted by Kyla

I was born in 1978, so I've always known what the moon was.

You didn't know what it was before 1969, though, did you?

[blondebear]

I had heard the moon was a harsh mistress, but that's about it.

[Kyla]

Originally Posted by elfkin477

You didn't know what it was before 1969, though, did you?

Fair point. I did not.

[The Second Stone]

I was almost 7 at the time of the moon landing and had recently spent the Summer of Love in San Francisco, where I lived. I knew the WTC was being built, was going to be the tallest buildings in the world and that I wanted to live in a Yellow Submarine. I knew what the moon was, but could not figure out why it appeared during the daytime. By the time I was 8, I knew.

Good times.

[Randy Seltzer]

I think "the moon" is probably as good as it's going to get. But here are some other tries:

***

Americans: did you know what death was before the O.J. trial?

Just curious. I did not know: I think I knew that something happened to keep you from living forever, but when people said "O.J. stabbed his ex-wife to death" I a) had no idea that they were referring to that event, and b) had no clear idea what "death" was - ie, was it a city in California? What?

I don't think I'm that unusual in that. Now that it's so famous I think people assume that everyone always knew what death was- but I don't think that's necessarily true.

(People who are dead or in prison for killing someone don't need to reply unless they somehow didn't know what death was.)

***

Americans: did you know what a "President" was before the JFK assassination?

Just curious. I did not know: I think I knew that there was an executive branch, but when people said "the president has been shot" I a) had no idea that they were referring to the head of that branch, and b) had no clear idea what a "president" was - ie, was it a small forest animal? What?

I don't think I'm that unusual in that. Now that it's so famous I think people assume that everyone always knew what the president was- but I don't think that's necessarily true.

(People who have been the president don't need to reply unless they somehow didn't know what a president was during their term.)

***

Americans: did you know what a shoe was before that guy threw one at Bush?

Just curious. I did not know: I think I knew that there were things on the outside of my socks protecting my feet, but when people said "a dude threw a shoe at Dubya" I a) had no idea that they were referring to those things, and b) had no clear idea what a "shoe" was - ie, was it a type of difficult question? What?

I don't think I'm that unusual in that. Now that it's so famous I think people assume that everyone always knew what a shoe was- but I don't think that's necessarily true.

(People who wore shoes before the incident don't need to reply unless they somehow didn't know what a shoe was.)

***

Americans: did you know what love was before "Say Anything"?

Just curious. I did not know: I think I knew that there was a type of emotional connection some people felt, but when people said "John Cusack really loved whasserface in Say Anything" I a) had no idea that they were referring to that emotional connection, and b) had no clear idea what "love" was - ie, was it a legal process? a fungal infection? What?

I don't think I'm that unusual in that. Now that it's so famous I think people assume that everyone always knew what love was- but I don't think that's necessarily true.

(People who somehow knew true love before Say Anything don't need to reply unless they somehow didn't know what was happening to them.)

***

Here - try your own:

[/b]Americans: did you know what _____ was before _____?[/b]
Just curious. I did not know: I think I knew that there _____, but when people said "_____" I a) had no idea that they were referring to ____, and b) had no clear idea what the "____" was - ie, was it a ____? What?

I don't think I'm that unusual in that. Now that it's so famous I think people assume that everyone always knew what ____ was- but I don't think that's necessarily true.

(People who ____ don't need to reply unless they somehow didn't know what ____ was.)

[enalzi]

I did, but only because of the episode of The Simpsons a few years earlier where Homer goes to the moon to get his car that Barney abandoned there. It's too bad they never air that episode anymore.

[DooWahDiddy]

I keep getting caught between this thread and the one about New York City...

[Canadjun]

I admit I am Canadian and not American, but I suspect most Americans that are currently my age (57) had a pretty good idea what the moon was long before you guys got messy footprints on it.

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

Of course I new what the moon was. I visited in the 8th grade and took pictures. In fact it was freaky how many times I said "wow, no one else will ever visit it again", and then I was wrong!

[Ludovic]

Originally Posted by Randy Seltzer

Americans: did you know what love was before "Say Anything"?

I did not, but now I'm alive with the glory of it.

[Chefguy]

Being somewhat backwards in Alaska, we mistakenly called it the "Noom" for many years. Imagine how we felt when we heard on the news (two years after the event) that it was really called "Moon". We immediately all dropped our pants in surprise, and the rest is history.

[Beware of Doug]

OP is clearly ignorant of bygone popular culture. Up till the rock era, anyway, many pop songs referenced the Moon directly, usually in terms of its appearance in the night sky and the quality of its light (a phenomenon much less apparent since street lighting became universal).

It might be that people who came of age in the 1950s and later were comparatively ignorant of the Moon due to the lack of rock songs referring to it. People who came of age before this period are now a demographically insignificant group, so the OP's posing the question is perhaps excusable, although it betrays a very limited degree of intellectual curiosity.

[kunilou]

Americans: did you know what the moon was before 7/20/69?

What about non-Americans? Do they STILL not know what the moon is?

[ataraxy22]

I was in space in June 1969, but decided to visit Mars instead, thinking I could just visit the moon next time. Then they moved the whole thing to a sound stage in California and made it off-limits. I should have visited when I had that chance.

[msmith537]

M-O-O-N...that spells moon

[urban1a]

Do you mean that large, round object in the sky that shines brightly in the daytime, right? Yeah, I knew what the moon was.

Bob

[Gary T]

At the risk of being a sucker for a huge whoosh here....

I am flabbergasted that anyone who got through, say, 3rd grade would not know what the moon was. In first grade the teacher used an orbiter model (akin to this) to teach us about the relative motion of the moon and the sun. This was in the late 50's. If you really were not taught that in grade school, I'm wondering if you ever heard of George Washington or know what 2+2 equals.

[Procrustus]

Originally Posted by Beware of Doug

OP is clearly ignorant of bygone popular culture. Up till the rock era, anyway, many pop songs referenced the Moon directly, usually in terms of its appearance in the night sky and the quality of its light (a phenomenon much less apparent since street lighting became universal).

It might be that people who came of age in the 1950s and later were comparatively ignorant of the Moon due to the lack of rock songs referring to it. People who came of age before this period are now a demographically insignificant group, so the OP's posing the question is perhaps excusable, although it betrays a very limited degree of intellectual curiosity.

Later, it was only the Dark Side of the Moon that was recognized in pop culture.

[Lemur866]

Actually, it's all dark.

[Chimera]

Yes, but I am still afraid of that big glowing yellow thing in the sky during the day.

Not sure what it is called.

[kunilou]

Originally Posted by Chimera

Yes, but I am still afraid of that big glowing yellow thing in the sky during the day.

Not sure what it is called.

Did you know what it was before dawn this morning? You don't need to reply if you lived there.

[Kozmik]

Just curious. I did not know: I think I knew that there was a small rock flying around the Sun, but when people said, "Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto" I a) had no idea that they were referring to a planet and b) had no clear idea what a "planet" was - i.e., how do you define "planet"?

I don't think that I'm that unusual in that. Now that they're so famous, I think people assume that everyone always knew what they were - but I don't think that's necessarily true.

(People who attended public high school either during or before the definition don't need to reply unless they somehow didn't always trust what their teachers told them.)

[Little Nemo]

Was this parody really necessary?

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

Originally Posted by Gary T

At the risk of being a sucker for a huge whoosh here....

I am flabbergasted that anyone who got through, say, 3rd grade would not know what the moon was. In first grade the teacher used an orbiter model (akin to this) to teach us about the relative motion of the moon and the sun. This was in the late 50's. If you really were not taught that in grade school, I'm wondering if you ever heard of George Washington or know what 2+2 equals.

Woosh is the sound the moon makes when it's full.

[Little Nemo]

Originally Posted by DooWahDiddy

I keep getting caught between this thread and the one about New York City...

This post redeems the thread.

[Kozmik]

Originally Posted by Little Nemo

Was this parody really necessary?

This post redeems the thread.

[Shmendrik]

I did, but I was the kind of nerdy kid who spent all his time reading about gigantic rocky satellites which orbit a few hundred thousand miles from the earth. I may not be typical in that respect. And no, I had never been there.

[Lakai]

Originally Posted by Little Nemo

Was this parody really necessary?

Parody? Oh, good. The last line of the OP made no sense at all.

[fachverwirrt]

Originally Posted by JRDelirious

Would enjoy it more if I knew what was the parody or referenced même...

(Bolding mine)

The what, now?

[Rotllà]

Originally Posted by JRDelirious

Would enjoy it more if I knew what was the parody or referenced même...

And I may have had just turned 8 but darn tootin' I knew whut th' Moon wuz and Ah wuz ticked off they didn't ask if I wanted a ride

Are you honestly confused about the difference between the common French word "même" (meaning 'same') and the word "meme"? Like, are you really, honestly, completely unfamiliar with the last thirty years of evolutionary theory -- as you'd have to be, if you didn't actually know the difference?

I signed up because I saw people talking about how smart folks here were but I am feeling awfully confused now. I mean, any high school graduate of normal intelligence would know the difference between these two totally separate things.

Jesus. I tend to think of spelling as the lowest possible standard to judge people by but folks always manage to creep under the lowest possible standards of education, don't they?

[Koxinga]

You tell 'em, tiger.

[Dallas Jones]

I was living in a cave in Afghanistan at the time and yet even I knew about the moon.

[Freudian Slit]

Originally Posted by Rotllà

Are you honestly confused about the difference between the common French word "même" (meaning 'same') and the word "meme"? Like, are you really, honestly, completely unfamiliar with the last thirty years of evolutionary theory -- as you'd have to be, if you didn't actually know the difference?

Yes, but I'm familiar with the last three years of lolcatz, does that count?

[expectopatronum]

great thread

[DooWahDiddy]

Originally Posted by Little Nemo

This post redeems the thread.

Hey, it's the best that I can do.

[Rodgers01]

I will admit this is pretty funny.

And to answer the question: only sorta kinda. But only because until '72 my parents made me go to bed every night at sundown, so I never had the chance.

[BigBertha]

Of course. I was an astrologer and my pluto is square my sun.

[Musicat]

Astrologers noticed an anomaly in Uranus' influence, and thought there was a need for a planet that ruled intense energy. Areas in which we consciously or subconsciously seek to exercise power or control had no associated heavenly body and horoscopes were slightly off.

Using careful calculations from other sun signs and planetary influences, they computed just where this unknown force would be, and found it as expected in 1929. Now horoscopes could be complete.

However, after decades of detailed study, they became aware that the observed astrological effect was less than predicted, and in 2006, Pluto was downgraded to compensate.

[cochrane]

Originally Posted by Little Nemo

Was this parody really necessary?

No. Next some joker is going to ask "Do you know what Uranus is?"

[Raguleader]

Pffth, no offense, but that's a pretty insulting question to us Americans.

I mean, comon, what kind of a slope-headed knuckle-dragger wouldn't know that Pluto was Mickey Mouse's pet dog?

[Hello Again]

Originally Posted by Randy Seltzer

Americans: did you know what love was before "Say Anything"?

Just curious. I did not know: I think I knew that there was a type of emotional connection some people felt, but when people said "John Cusack really loved whasserface in Say Anything" I a) had no idea that they were referring to that emotional connection, and b) had no clear idea what "love" was - ie, was it a legal process? a fungal infection? What?

I don't think I'm that unusual in that. Now that it's so famous I think people assume that everyone always knew what love was- but I don't think that's necessarily true.

(People who somehow knew true love before Say Anything don't need to reply unless they somehow didn't know what was happening to them.)

***

I LOLed. Well done, sir, well done.