That's a really interesting question! And it makes me wonder how much awareness/interaction people had with the past in general. With the internet it's easy for us to complete these assignments today and learn about 1918, but 100 years ago, I would guess that their awareness of 1818 was probably much more limited because it took so much effort to do this kind of research. I agree regarding health, and I also might be curious about how people in 1818 supported their country and displayed national identity/patriotism.