I just came across this little gem that will either make you feel stupid, or thankful. It's the 1908 University of Washingon entrance exam. I don't know the answers to hardly any of the questions! Q. Describe an Egyptian temple. A. Pointy on top, and in Egypt. (Somehow I think they're looking for a more in-depth answer). Q. What did Caesar do for Rome? A. Not much. Although he did bring one fabulous salad to Tijuana. Q. Compare the empire of Otto I with that of Charlemagne. A. Charlemagne's taste in drapes was much more tasteful than that of Otto I. Q. Who were the Minnesingers? A. In the coal mining days, the miners would use canaries to test for breathable air in mine shafts. If they heard the canaries singing from deep in the mines, they knew it was safe to descent. Thanks to the minnesingers. Q. What was the Holy Alliance? A. Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion on a sesame seed bun! (I knew that one!) Q. Why was King Henry VIII popular? A. That boy got game. Plus, the song. Q. What was "mortmain" (a dead hand) in early English history? A. Something that would likely be sawed off by a blacksmith with a rusty wagon wheel and no anesthetic. Q. Name the great drainage systems of the United States. A. Whatever they are, they can't smell good. Q. Give dates of the beginning and ending of the war between the states. A. 1861 -1865. Is that specific enough? Thank you, Ken Burns. And Margaret Mitchell. Q. What were the limits of the United States in 1783; in 1804; in 1820? A. First base, second base, and living together. Considering that all you need to know to succeed in college nowadays is "liquor then beer, never fear", I'd say that people were much smarter back in 1908. Either that or fewer people went to college in 1908. Or all that historical stuff was just so recent, that it wasn't hard to know all that stuff in 1908. It's like asking a modern-day freshman how many carats Paris Hilton's engagement ring was. And according to Wikipedia, her IQ is 83. Which explains a lot, actually, and is rather sad.