# Americans: did you know what the moon was before 7/20/69? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 16, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854 "2011-03-16T00:00:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/101 "2011-03-18T09:00:00Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > My moon is so big it has its own moon, and my moon’s moon is bigger than your moon. We heard you like moons, so we put a moon in orbit around your moon, so you could go to the moon while you go to the moon. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/102 "2011-03-18T10:01:47Z")
I am not American, but at the time of the moon landings I was 16 months old: based on behaviour observed in similar-age children, I suspect anything taller than my Dad’s head was outside my sphere of interest. ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/103 "2011-03-18T17:10:46Z")
> [@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… > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Woosh is the sound the moon makes when it’s full. I’m sure that I had never heard of the word _whoosh_ as in the meaning here, until I first started reading SDMB. Even so, I’m sure that it took me a while to get it. _ **Duhhh** _ Eta: Just in case there’s any doubt, yes, I am being serious here. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/104 "2011-03-18T18:50:35Z")
Pffft. I knew about the moon _before_ it was cool. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/105 "2011-03-18T20:22:37Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > My moon is so big it has its own moon, and my moon’s moon is bigger than your moon. Yeah, but is it as big as Uranus? ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/106 "2011-03-20T02:04:10Z")
Which Moon? The Earth has two, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/107 "2011-03-20T11:37:54Z")
Did anyone know what the Marianas Trench was before 1960? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/108 "2011-03-20T12:01:39Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > Which Moon? The Earth has two, after all. Cite?:smack: ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/109 "2011-03-20T13:38:45Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Cite?:smack: Probably from that QI episode where Stephen Fry got it wrong. [Cruithne](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3753_Cruithne) (pronounced KRIN-yuh) is not a real moon of Earth. EDIT: Neither are any of the [other moons of Earth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_moons_of_Earth). Luna is our only real moon. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/110 "2011-03-20T17:36:38Z")
**Americans: did you know who Rick Astley was before Rickrolling?** Just curious. I did not know: I think I knew that song “Never Gonna Give You Up”, but when people said “Aww, snap, yo. U just been Rickrolled!” I a) had no idea that they were referring to Rick Astley, and b) had no clear idea what the appeal was - ie, was he gay? 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 who Rick Astley was- but I don’t think that’s necessarily true. (People who did know who Rick Astley was, don’t need to reply unless they somehow didn’t know what a Rick Astley _is._) ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/111 "2011-03-21T18:44:00Z")
As I was busy being conceived, I can honestly say that I probably had other things on what would someday be my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/112 "2011-03-21T19:20:53Z")
I’ll admit that I didn’t know what it was. But then, my parents were cheap and only read me Goodnight Big Glowing Orb at bedtime. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/113 "2011-03-21T23:26:59Z")
There were plenty of songs about the moon in the roaring '20s, '30s, then in jazz, rock… People would praise the harvest moon, urban legends about full moons and pregnant women… I would think that even blind people would know what the moon was. ---
**Author:** ![Klytus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Klytus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klytus)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/114 "2011-03-22T12:29:40Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Hence the strongly implied impossibility of Mrs. Gorsky’s proposition. Well played 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/115 "2011-03-22T13:52:20Z")
I think it is very safe to say that nearly all Americans knew what the Moon was as of July 20, 1969. Little known fact: Before December 24, 1968, 90% of Americans had no idea what the Moon was. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/116 "2011-03-22T15:12:55Z")
Closing parody thread. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/117 "2011-03-24T14:31:57Z")
Parody thread reopened and moved to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/118 "2011-03-24T14:59:57Z")
I never understood The Honeymooners or Ralph Kramden’s “To the Moon, Alice” until June 20. 1969 ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/119 "2011-03-24T20:42:59Z")
I was a very young baby, later on I became a secret mime for the military, and it’s only now, years later that I can speak about it. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854/120 "2011-03-24T20:57:22Z")
I was only 4 (almost 5) years old when the moon landing came about. My mum kept me busy during that time by telling me to go outside and look REALLY hard to see the astronauts. “I can’t see them mum” “I see them fine, you’re not looking hard enough.” \ “Wait a minute, I think I saw something move.” Parents can be evil 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-moon-was-before-7-20-69/574854.md?page=7)