If you are even remotely interested in GNU/Linux, you _should_ know about GNU, the GNU Project and rms! I don't say that you need to know that the `m' in `rms' is Matthew, but you should at least have heard about Richard Stallman.
True. But it is not so easy. Everyday I come across people who know about Linux, but not about GNU; people who know about Open Source but not about Free Software; people who know about Linus Torvalds and not about RMS. It is a very sorry state of affairs, but thats a reality. This is in no way helped by the constant debates on why one should call it GNU/Linux instead of Linux or the other way around.
My observation is that most of these people are simple-minded ignorant characters who need someone to 'drill' the facts into their head.
This very person who does not know who RMS is or what GNU is might already know Linus Torvalds.
Cheers, Debarshi