Really? In my adult life I can't remember the last time it would have been genuinely useful (not just a neat party trick) to have the periodic table memorized,

Really? In my adult life I can't remember the last time it would have been genuinely useful (not just a neat party trick) to have the periodic table memorized, but a sizable chunk of the English language has Latin or Greek roots. I definitely think that's more useful, if only to have a better sense of the language you're speaking.