# Without looking it up, do you know of these two events? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 27, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293 "2013-08-27T13:54:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/41 "2013-08-27T16:25:52Z")
Yes - yes - 57. As others have said, I’d have picked the right march on Washington due to recent publicity, in my case, NPR. You sent me googling because I vaguely remembered that “John Brown’s Body” had filked another song before being filked for “The Battlehymn of the Republic.” I was pleasantly pleased to find my memory vague but accurate. The tune was originally from the song [“Say, Brothers”.](http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200000003/default.html) Although looking at the lyrics, either they modified the tune somewhat to fit in the extra words in each line, or each of the words in the original had several notes assigned to it. ---
**Author:** ![cherry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/42 "2013-08-27T16:31:35Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > 50 and Canadian. > > No idea about John Brown, had a vague idea that the Washington thing might have had something to do with the I had a dream speech because that’s been on the news of late. This, but 39 and only had some inkling the Washington march because of the news recently. ---
**Author:** ![geneb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e4f/32.png) [@geneb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geneb)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/43 "2013-08-27T16:36:35Z")
28, I knew both of them… Learned about them in school as I recall. I don’t recall what grade, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/44 "2013-08-27T16:37:32Z")
Yes to both, though like others I paused for a second wondering which march on Washington you meant before deciding it was probably the 1963 one. 32 y.o. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/45 "2013-08-27T16:46:31Z")
Yes to both. I was born on August 28, 1963, so the March on Washington and the “I Have a Dream Speech” have special meaning to me, and I have studied their history and collected relevant memorabilia since I was in high school. I also can mark major milestone birthdays by the amount of celebration and commemoration of the March. This year is going to be a big one. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/46 "2013-08-27T16:54:23Z")
Thanks for all the replies. I realize that there are other times that people marched on Washington, but I was stunned that my colleagues didn’t know the March on Washington (should have capitalized it in the OP), especialy this week and even after I gave them the hint that it happened 50 years ago this week. The John Brown one came out of a conversation with a colleague, she told me that she had gone to Harper’s Ferry for the weekend, I made some reference to John Brown and she didn’t know what I was talking about. Harper’s Ferry isn’t a big place, I didn’t think you could get out of that town without absorbing something about John Brown just by osmosis. She must of thought that the town just had the creepiest mascot ever, a wild eyed bearded man. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/47 "2013-08-27T16:57:44Z")
Of course everyone knew these events here. Remember, everyone on this board has an IQ of at least 150! ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/48 "2013-08-27T17:01:30Z")
Yes to both. 53 year old American southerner. And I knew which image of John Brown was going to be linked upthread. That was on the original Kansas album cover, if I recall correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/49 "2013-08-27T17:06:01Z")
I’m a 30-year-old male and I know both of these, but I’m also a social studies teacher so I’d damn well better. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/50 "2013-08-27T17:08:10Z")
Pretty much yes to both. I did wonder specifically which march on Washington. I thought first of the burning of Washington during the War of 1812, but then thought maybe the OP was referring to the Martin Luther King, Jr. march. 44, female ---
**Author:** ![jayrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/51 "2013-08-27T17:11:25Z")
Yes to both. 56-year-old white Amurican female. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/52 "2013-08-27T17:19:46Z")
I know a fair amount about both of these events, but it is probably because I am 59, and was born and raised in Maryland, about 80 miles from Harpers Ferry and 40 miles from DC. We old people know lots of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![48Willys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/db5fbb/32.png) [@48Willys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/48Willys)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/53 "2013-08-27T19:53:28Z")
I also knew about John Brown, as well as several of the marches on Washington. So for you, the 1963 march is THE MARCH? Hmmm… > [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Of course everyone knew these events here. Remember, everyone on this board has an IQ of at least 150! Speak for yourself. Heck I can barely count to 150. 🙂 I am a fifty something White fellow from “Out West”. ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/54 "2013-08-27T20:00:21Z")
Please dont kick me off the board but I am 45, female and have no idea about the first one, and the second one, first thing I thought of was the million man march, but then when I read other replies, I saw it was about the March on Washington from back in the 60s. I remember seeing it on Forrest Gump, that’s when Forrest saw Jenny in the water and they ran to each other, lol. In my defense, I always hated history in school. And geography. So I would definitely flunk out on any geography related questions as well. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/55 "2013-08-27T20:04:04Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > Pretty much yes to both. > > I did wonder specifically which march on Washington. I thought first of the burning of Washington during the War of 1812, but then thought maybe the OP was referring to the Martin Luther King, Jr. march. > > 44, female I had the same series for the march on Washington but I’m Canadian so the order makes sense 😉 I also knew John Brown and Harper’s Ferry but it took me a minute of thought to place it and I wouldn’t have from his name, Harper’s Ferry was the memory trigger for me. Female, 45 ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/56 "2013-08-27T20:12:19Z")
> [@want2befree](#): > > Please dont kick me off the board but I am 45, female and have no idea about the first one, and the second one, first thing I thought of was the million man march, but then when I read other replies, I saw it was about the March on Washington from back in the 60s. I remember seeing it on Forrest Gump, that’s when Forrest saw Jenny in the water and they ran to each other, lol. In my defense, I always hated history in school. And geography. So I would definitely flunk out on any geography related questions as well. I would bet my life that there are others who answered “yes” that had no idea what these events were. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/57 "2013-08-27T20:24:29Z")
Without looking at the other responses: 1. John Brown was a southern abolitionist that led a failed slave revolt in Harper’s Ferry, WV. I remember that they made a federal armory / magazine either their target, or that’s where they fled to after they were driven from their main target. I want to say the armory was their target. I know a future Important Person in the Civil War was involved in the response to his raid… I want to say Lee but am uncertain about that. 2. I’m guessing you are referring to British troops marching on Washington during the War of 1812. 32yo male, highschool dropout FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/58 "2013-08-27T20:27:36Z")
Ok. Right on the first, not the second. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/59 "2013-08-27T20:34:53Z")
47 year old American female. Harper’s Ferry I didn’t remember - honestly - I was thinking it was where the gold rush started (Yes - I somehow confused Sutter’s Mill with Harper’s Ferry because I am an idiot but you guys know that) but the march on Washington I knew because they keep bringing it up on the news (the anniversary). I knew about it before that of course - I can’t imagine anyone today who WOULDN’T know about that. That was a huge part of history. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293/60 "2013-08-27T20:36:16Z")
I had heard of Harper’s Ferry, but couldn’t place it, and when I heard “march on Washington,” I assumed it was the British sacking during the war of 1812. I really should learn some American history. Note: I posted without reading any of the comments above. I’m a History major (European history) from Canada. 26. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-of-these-two-events/667293.md?page=4)