Second Man on the Moon

The other day I went to the bank to cash a check, and one of the clerks had hand-lettered a little sign that asked, "Who was the second man to walk on the Moon?" This was taped to the front of the counter, so I assumed it was "today's trivia question" or something.

I knew it wasn't Neil "one small step" Armstrong, and I didn't think it was John Glen, so I asked my teller, "Um, is it Buzz Aldrin?" Her eyes big as saucers, she blurted out, "You'r the only person to get it so far today!!"

"What?! You're kidding...."

"No! Most people just come up and say 'ok, I give up. Who is it?'!"

I had to then tell her about my run-in with ignorance at another bank, this time back in Stockton, CA. The shiny golden dollar coins hadn't been out long, and I was trying to amass a stash for use as spending money at historical events. I asked the teller if I could trade her a $10 bill for ten Sacajeweyas, and she just returned a blank stare. So I said, "The gold dollar coins." She then said, "Who's Sacajeweya?" The thought bubble over my head was reading, "What rock have you been living under? Don't they teach US history in schools anymore?! Do you even know who Lewis & Clark were you ignorant little twit? Put down the remote and read a book!!!!"

Luckily I didn't say any of that. Still, I weep for this country.