From one of my more educated buddies at Microsoft...
My mom teaches high school physics.
She said that most of her students haven't even heard of the Soviet Union. (The exceptions are the ones who happened to take history.)

I realize that school education is far from balanced, but I'm a bit surprised that popular culture doesn't mention it more (e.g. movies like Hunt for Red October).

-martin
Note, Martin's mom is in Nova Scotia ... so these are not even ignorant-of-world-matters-Americans who don't know this.  (BTW, for the Americans reading Nova Scotia is in Canada)!

Given now that the existence of and the dissolution of the Soviet Union is last century pop culture, made me think, it's probably to make up a test with pop culture questions from over time that statistically (based on what people usually know given formative years during that time ... e.g. What is the Soviet Union? Britney Spears' bra size? Before? After? etc) could determine someone's age.

Madonna has a few songs on the billboard charts right now, esp. the club play list charts ... imagine telling parents in 1983 that Madonna's fame will outlast knowledge of the Soviet Union.  That would've made them laugh.

(still in thread degraded mode but about to reboot...)