What is something that a 5th grader today would know more about than a well educated adult in the late 1700s early 1800s.

by chorroxking
goldturtles

A modern fifth grader could probably name most of the planets in our solar system.

wolfram184

Elements/The Periodic table of Elements: even in 1864 we only knew about some 44 elements, and the table as we knew it today was still in development. Not that a fifth grader would know them all, but even elemental aluminum was completely unknown until 1825.

In addition, basic familiarity with atomic structure, even an incorrect model, like the one with the looping electrons, wouldn't be developed for over one hundred years.