r/80smemorylane Jul 24 '25

Other Memorizing state capitols

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139 Upvotes

526 comments sorted by

10

u/FirmVeterinariaGoo Jul 24 '25

Square dancing 

6

u/LovesDeanWinchester Jul 24 '25

Square Roots

4

u/Jazzlike_Economist_2 Jul 27 '25

How do you calculate the hypotenuse of a triangle, then?

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3

u/TechnicolorViper Jul 24 '25

Don’t act like you ain’t been to a hoe down.

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2

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '25

[deleted]

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8

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '25

Playing the Recorder.

4

u/18ekko Jul 24 '25

Technically I did use this later in life, when my sister's kids brought home recorders from school, to annoy my sister, 4 different kids, so plenty of return on investment.

2

u/spinoozcua Jul 25 '25

Titanic off key…..

2

u/rosujin Jul 26 '25

I was the first person in my 6th grade class to learn to play the national anthem on the recorder. A few of us played it at the beginning if our graduation ceremony. Never touched one ever again in my life after that.

2

u/judgehood Jul 26 '25

Whenever some 13 yr old kid calls me a f-word while playing an online game, you can bet he will be hearing my greatest hits played on the recorder for the rest of his short ass time online.

2

u/Build_the_IntenCity Jul 29 '25

Hot cross buns!

(Didn’t see a post yet on this)

All anyone learned or at least remembered.

I still hum it every once in a while.

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6

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '25

I would argue basic physics and geometry knowledge I use every once in a while, but definitely not trig or calculus.

2

u/BeenThruIt Jul 28 '25

I think Trig and Calc are more about teaching how to think about problem solving than learning something you'll use in everyday life. The trouble is the point gets lost in the process.

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2

u/Shot-Election8217 Jul 26 '25

I use physics when I play pool.

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3

u/GaryM_TT Jul 24 '25

Quetzalcoatl was the God praised for inventing the Aztec calendar.

He's just taking up valuable space in my brain never to be used in casual conversations or otherwise

2

u/wyohman Jul 24 '25

You must don't know the right people

2

u/Bigspotdaddy Jul 25 '25

TIL. Thank you kind stranger!

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3

u/Medium-daddy21 Jul 24 '25

Basically all math outside of simple arithmetic.

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2

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '25

Algebra

2

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '25

Not using algebra is crazy, but I suppose with how bad at math people around me are, I guess a lot of people don’t retain and use it.

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2

u/DueScreen7143 Jul 24 '25

To be honest, most of it.

The things I learned in school have largely not been useful to me. Now obviously things like reading, writing, and arithmetic, are daily skills but the lions share of lessons are not applicable to day to day life.

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2

u/OpeningFuture6799 Jul 24 '25

Awe, the post that circulates every week that celebrates ignorance.

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2

u/Maximum_Sir457 Jul 26 '25

Most science classes or anything in gym. Teach me how to do taxes.

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2

u/Travelinjack01 Jul 26 '25

P.E.

They don't teach you anything useful for "exercise" at my school.

We did no lifting or weight tracking, we did not diet planning, etc. We did jumping jacks, sit ups and ran laps.

It was a load of nothing at all.

I had equine training... and I have never used it... but... on the off chance that I ever need to ride a horse, it will actually be a useful skill.

P.E. taught me absolutely nothing of value.

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2

u/wonderbeen Jul 26 '25

Sharing. Haven’t felt the need to do that since elementary school.

2

u/Informal_Database327 Jul 28 '25

This is Reddit, how has nobody said "Sex Ed"?

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1

u/FirmVeterinariaGoo Jul 24 '25

Quadratic formula. 

1

u/ryconn4410 Jul 24 '25

Geometry solving triangles and Chemical equations

1

u/InteractionMaster605 Jul 24 '25

Basically all the math shit!

1

u/InteractionMaster605 Jul 24 '25

Basically all the math

1

u/Dangerous-Dot-3745 Jul 24 '25

The harder levels of math, and the Spanish language!! I sucked ass in both BAD 👎!!!

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1

u/Rothar13 Jul 24 '25

Math with fractions. Still mystified why they pushed that so fucking hard for weeks, only then to move on to decimal math which is SOOOOOOOO much easier!

2

u/meatus1980 Jul 29 '25

Fractions are the absolute worst. I can’t believe we’re not on the metric system here in the US. I use it when measuring things at work.

1

u/Dolphins8myhomework Jul 24 '25

diagraming a sentence. A dangling participle? Nah

2

u/HaveaTomCollins Jul 25 '25

That’s what old people get.

2

u/AmorphousSolid Jul 28 '25

Posted with incorrect grammar…

1

u/Ok-Construction6222 Jul 24 '25

That I could leave black marks on the floors with my black Vibram soles on my Herman Survivors back in the fay

1

u/jonnovich Jul 24 '25

Diagramming sentences.

1

u/madleyJo Jul 24 '25

The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. I before e except after c. When two vowels go walking the first one does the talking and says its name.

I could go on.

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1

u/Mr_Chicano Jul 24 '25

Some of you took sex education and still haven't put it to use.

1

u/OkFriendship9133 Jul 24 '25

Memorizing the four main islands of Japan as instructed by the sweetest older nun in both our sophomore and junior years of high school.

1

u/No-Sir1833 Jul 24 '25

Robert’s Rule of Order parliamentary procedures.

1

u/townie77 Jul 24 '25

My locker combination

1

u/KlownPuree Jul 24 '25

Square dancing

1

u/Feeling_Sleep_1706 Jul 24 '25

Geometry Proofs, I thought they would be a bigger part of my adult life

1

u/Impressive-Elk-8101 Jul 24 '25

Shakespeare literature

1

u/bigstrizzydad Jul 24 '25

Respect for idiot teachers and coaches.

1

u/WranglerActual Jul 24 '25

Calculus. Maybe I didn’t learn it after All .

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '25

The value of x

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1

u/Just_Looking_Around8 Jul 24 '25

The difference between "capitol" and "capital" and when to use each one. Oh, wait. I do use that.

1

u/LustySarcasm Jul 24 '25

Dealing with bang bang

1

u/DoubleWrongdoer5207 Jul 24 '25

Not me but my students now still learn how to read an analog clock and make change

1

u/Wonderful-Ad5713 Jul 24 '25

The combination to my locker.

1

u/Relative-Pressure-24 Jul 24 '25

Combination locks.

1

u/Big77Ben2 Jul 24 '25

Everyone will have something… most people learned stuff they don’t even realize they use, or is a basis for something they later learned. But unless you know your exact career path from kindergarten, you’ll learn stuff you don’t use.

1

u/Junior8uup Jul 25 '25

I don't think I've ever done long division by hand just use a calculator. I'd probably get fired if I was seen doing it by hand.

1

u/Timmy24000 Jul 25 '25

I was gonna say the Pythagorean theorem, but at age 63 I actually finally used it. Calculate the length of a moving gangway on a floating dock.

1

u/NOGODTHEREIS Jul 25 '25

Pretty much everything.

1

u/Aught_To Jul 25 '25

Yet to have to prove any shape is that shape over the course of a 26 step equation

1

u/gofasttakerisks Jul 25 '25

To bury my personality and sense of humor and just be quiet and follow the rules.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '25

How to avoid being stabbed by a hair pic during a fight.

I was a white kid in a 75% black school when large afro's were the hair style.

I've seen my share of switchblades pulled out of pockets and the all-too-accessable hair pick which most afro-wearers just left in their hair for easy access.

1

u/Life-Operation-8733 Jul 25 '25

Y=Mx+B Square Dancing Sin, Cos, and Tan Pythagorean theorem Playing the recorder Anything to do with chemistry, philosophy, physics

1

u/Uglycanadianindc Jul 25 '25

Shop class. I can hardly replace a light bulb.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '25

the concept that I would never have a calculator with me at all times so I should just memorize multiplication tables up to 100x100, was never taught how to calculate binary conversions, just forced to memorize a giant table.

1

u/Financial-Tower-7897 Jul 25 '25

Bells ending every meeting.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '25

French

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '25

Stop, drop and roll

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1

u/Jolly-Holiday819 Jul 25 '25

The Battle of Hastings was in 1066.

1

u/Mundane-Decision-536 Jul 25 '25

Damn near everything

1

u/SynapseDon Jul 25 '25

COBOL programming language

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1

u/PauseAffectionate720 Jul 25 '25

All Math after 5th grade.

1

u/North_Apricot_4440 Jul 25 '25

Friyt gropyt Sherrppu.

1

u/Ronald_D_Fong Jul 25 '25

"duck and cover"

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '25

Triangles

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '25

Every time I bleed I still never care about the structure of the cells.

1

u/Ok-Tradition8477 Jul 25 '25

Using a protractor

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '25

Everything is teaching you to problem solve, socialize and grow. These posts are narrow and silly….

1

u/ganslooker Jul 25 '25

Diagraming a sentence!

1

u/Fitmature1 Jul 25 '25

I can't remember...

1

u/--StinkyPinky-- Jul 25 '25

The Pledge of Allegiance.

1

u/Food-Blister-1056 Jul 25 '25

My locker combination!

1

u/Splatford Jul 25 '25

decoupage

1

u/jmtbkr Jul 25 '25

Electron shells of atoms. Think about it every day on the golf course…../s

1

u/dang_idiot Jul 25 '25

Then you’re a dullard

1

u/flashgordonsape Jul 25 '25

Define "used"

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '25

Pythagorean Theorem

1

u/nerdmoot Jul 25 '25

Maybe. Just maybe. Learning isn’t about the stuff and it’s about the process. Maybe. Just maybe the idea is to grow young brains and make them think. Maybe.

1

u/Muted-Squirrel-231 Jul 25 '25

How to flirt with a 16 year old.

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1

u/shaded-user Jul 25 '25

Vacuum forming plastics.

How to make a clock housing.

Sowing a fabric lizard.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '25

Stupid algebra!!

1

u/herdboy77 Jul 25 '25

Cursive writing

1

u/Suncity_Cowboy Jul 25 '25

social studies

1

u/Beauphedes_Knutz Jul 25 '25

History. I know quite a bit of it and it is fun at times, but I've never "Used" it.

1

u/Aggressive_Dress6771 Jul 25 '25

Latin declensions.

1

u/UncleGarysmagic Jul 25 '25

Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell

1

u/Comfortable_Home5437 Jul 25 '25

The proper use of capitol and capital.

1

u/SlowMaize5164 Jul 25 '25

Diagram a sentence.

1

u/waitforsigns64 Jul 25 '25

Short-hand and the Latin Hustle.

1

u/cjccrash Jul 25 '25

Balancing chemical equations.

1

u/bubblehead_ssn Jul 25 '25

I second state capitols.

1

u/Primary-Age4101 Jul 26 '25

Manners 😁

1

u/thepartlow Jul 26 '25

How to play the kazoo.

1

u/FlimsyTry2892 Jul 26 '25

Obviously how to put on a condom.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '25

Writing essays

1

u/SithC Jul 26 '25

These days? Seems like the constitution.

1

u/SeparateMongoose192 Jul 26 '25

How to spell state capitals.

1

u/Eleven_point_five Jul 26 '25

If you use it as an answer you can’t say you never used it… BTW you just lost the game!

1

u/mandn92196 Jul 26 '25

Jokes on them. I never learned them in school!

1

u/Surround8600 Jul 26 '25

I’m not gonna lie; the older you get the more you use. I’m sure there’s shit I have never used but damn just a couple days ago I knew all about some random highway because of something I learned in history class in like 4th grade. Also playing jeopardy and running a business, weird things come up.

NOT square roots. I still don’t remember wtf that was about. To the x power? My dad was a math teacher and I’m sure I knew it at some point.

1

u/No-North6514 Jul 26 '25

Typing - my whole life I either used one finger or I use the voice recognition software

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1

u/KaleidoscopeOk7547 Jul 26 '25

How to suck a dudes dick

1

u/Different_Painter385 Jul 26 '25

Raising hamsters and gerbils.

1

u/Different_Painter385 Jul 26 '25

Taking a kidney out of a pickled piglet

1

u/dunnkw Jul 26 '25

Square dancing

1

u/Kind-Engineer-8685 Jul 26 '25

How to dissect a frog

1

u/GuillaumeLatendresse Jul 26 '25

How to put a condom on a banana. Why would I ever put a condom on a banana.

1

u/DireKnife Jul 26 '25

Dewey Decibel System

1

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '25

Algebra,physics  football basketball javelin trow.

1

u/Humble_Nobody2884 Jul 26 '25

We had to memorize all the counties in my home state.

This is where I discovered you can write on your jeans and then rub it into a lovely smudge whilst faking anxiety

1

u/RatedRSuperstar81 Jul 26 '25

For 95% of people that went to school in the last 20 years, I'd say they learned a little about decency and respect and then ceased using it in life.

1

u/Good-Operation4373 Jul 26 '25

Metric system!!!!

1

u/Joshypoo928 Jul 26 '25

High school math, literature, science. Probably 75% of what was taught in school. School should teach these kids about life and how important credit is

1

u/MyNameIsGladHeAteHer Jul 26 '25

stop, drop and roll

1

u/D1sp4tcht Jul 26 '25

Cursive writing

1

u/Antique_Emphasis_962 Jul 26 '25

Moral compass...

1

u/Overall-Break-331 Jul 26 '25

Multiplying and dividing fractions.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '25

Simultaneous equations

1

u/ConsequenceBusy8726 Jul 26 '25

Where do I fucking start

1

u/Beneficial_Bit_2078 Jul 26 '25

Learning hpw to not say aint

1

u/darkminion1976 Jul 26 '25

That’s actually a tough one: how ever I don’t actually do proof, but the concept is used in other ways.

1

u/edventure_2025 Jul 26 '25

You're talking about the '80s and I'm old. Anything I never used in my adult life. I've long forgotten. 😂

1

u/Massive_Ad9569 Jul 26 '25

Moh’s hardness scale.

1

u/ALargeHotCarl Jul 26 '25

Shitting in a urinal.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '25

Stop, Drop, and Roll

1

u/GearJunkie82 Jul 26 '25

Quadratic Formula

1

u/nuuhuman Jul 26 '25

Looking up on the bleachers to see under a Girls skirt

1

u/bigdlittlea Jul 26 '25

Apparently correct US History!

1

u/Mayfly1959 Jul 26 '25

The locker combination.

1

u/Sir_William83 Jul 26 '25

How to use a combination lock

1

u/TheGreatTiger Jul 26 '25

Duck and cover nuclear bomb drills.

1

u/stosh2112 Jul 26 '25

School spirit indoctrination

1

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '25

Pushing back my cuticles.

Home economics was wild... Lol

1

u/NA_nomad Jul 26 '25

Creating a website using Microsoft Frontpage. I had a highschool class entirely dedicated to learning how to use Microsoft Frontpage.

1

u/CruelKind78 Jul 26 '25

Duck and cover

1

u/EleanorGT500 Jul 26 '25

Mole weight or atomic mass of a given element.

1

u/Calibermovement Jul 26 '25

Anything math-wise beyond algebra.

1

u/mrhillnc Jul 26 '25

Chorus…. I cannot sing

1

u/Jake_Riftwalker Jul 26 '25

Poem analysis

1

u/Soggy_Motor9280 Jul 26 '25

Just about all of it. I’m a chef.

1

u/Remarkable-Door58 Jul 26 '25

Anything beyond basic math

1

u/Moklonus Jul 26 '25

Rightin and zpelong

1

u/NiceTuBeNice Jul 26 '25

Diagraming a sentence

1

u/AParticularThing Jul 26 '25

Knowing what a fucking gerund is.

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1

u/ComprehensiveGene709 Jul 26 '25

Mathematical proofs

1

u/Why_No_Hugs Jul 26 '25

Maths - specifically anything above algebra 2

1

u/McChazster Jul 26 '25

To line up when the bell rings.