I wouldn’t take these snapshots too seriously.
I dare say they eliminated a huge number who answered correctly….and shoving a microphone up some kid’s nose in the High Street, in front of a camera, is certain to make anyone nervous and stumble over their response.
There’s a considerable amount of evidence that indicates educational results have generally improved over time. It depends how you measure it..and , of course, the emphasis placed on different subjects changes. We no longer limit education to the 3 “R/s”
The fact that the Mona Lisa or Churchill may be familiar to you…middle aged or older….doesn’t really say anything. How are you with explaining how Bitcoins work? Would you recognise many current media icons aged under 25?
One of the advantages of old age is that I know great deal about history. Unfortunately, I find it difficult to recall what I ate for dinner yesterday
Remembering where I’ve been, or what I’ve eaten recently could save my life in certain medical situations.
Knowing who won WWII is likely to be irrelevant….although the men in white coats would be entitled to cart me off if I answered “Germany “.
On the other hand. some would claim that, long term, Germany (and Japan ) came out of WWII rather better than we did