Americans Flunk History

On July 4th, Americans from all walks of life will gather to celebrate their independence from … someone or other. According to a new poll, more than 1 in 4 Americans can’t name England as the country the colonists fought in the Revolutionary War, CNN reports. That figure includes 20% who said they didn’t know and 6% who just plain got it wrong—answers included France, China, Japan, and Mexico, among others.

The numbers were especially bad among young people—the question stumped a whopping 40% of 18-to-29-year-olds. Women too had trouble, with only 67% answering the question correctly, compared to 81% of men. (More poll stories.)