I was having a conversation with a colleauge who is in her late 20s, and she hadn’t heard of either of these two events. I was surprised, but then I asked a few other colleagues in their late 20s and none of them had either.
The two events are:
What did John Brown do at Harper’s Ferry?
What was the march on Washington?
When you answer, could you please give us an idea of your age?
After some replies, I’ll give more detail on what they did and did not know about those events.
John Brown was an abolitionist who was trying to get the salves to revolt. Harper’s ferry was an arms depot I believe.
Which march on Washington? There have been many but I suspect you are referring to Martin Luther Kings civil rights march where he made his I have A Dream speech.
Born in the early 60’s.
46yo, white male, went to school in California.
killed some people, pissed off some other people. Didn’t get the reaction he wanted from anybody.
the one after the Civil War? northern vets wanted their money, went and protested in person.
Yeah, but I’m both fairly well read and a history teacher.
I know both of these. 43-year-old white male. Also a former history teacher, so I’m not the best example.
It doesn’t surprise me at all that your colleagues hadn’t heard of them, I’m afraid. When I last taught in 2005, my college students knew almost no history or geography. Many couldn’t find Britain on a map.
Yeah, I was shocked. The march on Washington is really in the news right now and in their defense, all of them were aware of the famous speech associated with the event, but none of them had heard of John Brown even after I explained the event.
ETA: we’re in DC and there are all kinds of events marking the 50th anniversary of the march on Washington around this week.
I’m surprised they didn’t know what the march on Washington was - or rather, that they couldn’t make a guess. There’s been a lot of marches on Washington, but that’s the most famous.
I only know of John Brown and Harper’s Ferry because I’m from Kansas, and we were taught about him since he’s a native son and in all the social studies books. I usually change my profile pic on Facebook to this image on Kansas Day, and most of my Indiana friends have no idea who he is.
I know both of these. 51 year old (with an undergraduate degree in American History). We watched Dr. King’s speech in middle school (not live, about a decade later). I’m sure I learned about John Brown’s raid in High School.
I knew what image you were going to use the second I read that. 
John Brown? He had a cold upon his chest, no? Umm, slavery, abolition and something about Bloody Kansas?
March on Washington - MLK Jr. “I Have a Dream” and civil rights.
Early 30’s, I know what both are but I’m not sure I would have known Harper’s Ferry from school. I think one problem is that because US history classes tend to be split into 1492-1865 and then 1865-present, the Civil War unfortunately tends to get breezed over because they’re running out of time and it’s the end of the term. Maybe when some of the older dopers went to school it wasn’t like that because there was less history to learn. 
Yes to both.
As old as my tongue, and not quite as old as my teeth.
Nah, that was his baby. John Brown is currently a’mouldering in the grave.
Knew both - and multiple different examples for the latter. Not a history teacher. 26.
Yes. I’m a 59 year old former college librarian.
Yes, both. I’m 48.
Also, interestingly, Robert E Lee was in charge of the federal forces that went to deal with John Brown.
Less interestingly, because of knowing about John Brown, I once bingoed the word MOULDER in Lexulous.
I scored a 50%. I knew the answer to the John Brown question, but I thought the “March on Washington” was referring to the 1932 “Bonus Army” incident.
(48 y.o.)
Without reading the other replies and/or checking google:
Don’t know
I imagine it was the march on Washington by the WW1 veterans demanding better recompense for their troubles. (I know more about it than that but for some reason today I’m having memory failure).
34, not-American.
For 1, yes, I know about it.
For 2, I assumed it was the Bonus Army march, with MacArthur and Eisenhower involved.
Age: mumblety-mumble 50-something; Canadian.
Not enough.
I’m really surprised about this one, because this is an anniversary year and there has been a lot of media attention on looking back to the Civil Rights era. So even if you didn’t know before, it seems startling to me that you could miss it now.
