Skip to main content

10 Things You May Not Know About the United States

America the great, the beautiful, and perhaps the nation you don’t know as well as you thought. Aside from high school history, major headlines over the years, and any tidbits you may have picked up along the way, it seems feasible there may be a few little factoids that may have slipped under the radar. Founded in 1776, it leaves nearly 250 years of history and knowledge to comprehend and the next time you find yourself at trivia night or standing around a Bob and Jessica’s dinner party, drop this USA! USA! USA! knowledge on the masses.

Independence Day

Fourth of July Sparkler and American Flag
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We all love fireworks, a day of barbecuing, and the ole stars and stripes but it seems the celebration associated with the Fourth of July is a tiny bit of a farce. In 1776 the United States of America did declare independence from British rule, though July 2nd was the actual day Congress voted to free the U.S. And it was on the 4th is when John Hancock and fifty-five other men signed the official Declaration of Independence. So maybe there is no right or wrong answer to when the fireworks should be soaring through the sky, but and if independence was declared on the 2nd and signed on the 4th, it seems fitting to celebrate the entire three-day period … off from work, with beer and flag in hand.

Americans Eat a Lot of Pizza

pepperoni pizza in a box
Alan Hardman / Unsplash

One can not deny that Americans love to eat and more than any other food in the grand buffet, Americans consume upwards of 100 acres of pizza a day. And how much pizza is 100 acres, you may ask? It’s about the equivalent of 100 football fields or the footprint of the Mall of America. As there is no perfect season for a slice, nor is there an allotted time of the day, as pizza is being consumed at all hours of the day, from coast to coast. And at the end of this year, with the help of the largest day of pizza consumption, the Super Bowl, Americans will have consumed 300 billion whole pizzas. And as a famous mascot once said, “Pizza. Pizza.”

Great Idea, Just a Hair Too Late

secret service
Bettmann/Getty Images

How many movies and tv shows can you name where the Secret Service is under attack and one way or another is rushing the President off-screen into some underground bunker? There are a lot, but the thing to consider is when did the Secret Service first come into employment and who was responsible for its formation? Turns out just hours before his assassination, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation creating the U.S. Secret Service. The irony is staggering and maybe he could sense something was coming, but the vast majority of Presidents to follow have Abe to thank for putting the Secret Service into action, especially since Jack Bauer is a fictional character.

That’s a Lot of Water

split rock lighthouse
Gian Lorenzo Ferretti Photography/Getty Images

Can you name all the Great Lakes or even count how many there are? There are five: Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Erie, making up the largest body of freshwater on Earth. But it is Lake Superior, with coastal shores along Minnesota, Wisconsin, and our friend to the north, which is the largest freshwater lake in the world in total area. It holds a staggering amount of water that reaches into the quadrillions of gallons and if it were somehow to entirely spill out it could cover both North and South American in a foot of water. Lake Superior is America’s greatest lake, even if it’s shared with Canada, and through all four seasons is a major waterway for large vessel shipping.

Would You Like to Add a Drink?

first mcdonalds
Tim Boyle/Getty Images

The iconic golden arches are spread out across the world and have cooked well over 100 billion burgers, but in the U.S. 1 in 8 people have worked at McDonald’s. Back up, 1 in 8? That means you probably know someone who has fired up a Big Mac and at the very least, know someone who knows someone. It’s one of the largest fast-food chains in the world and with nearly 15,000 McDonald’s in the U.S. alone, maybe it doesn’t seem too far-fetched that you, someone from school or in your office, or the person you’re standing next to flipped burgers at some point.

Is That One “N” or Two?

liberty bell
drbueller/Getty Images

The Liberty Bell does indeed have a big crack running down the middle dating back to 1846 but perhaps more interestingly, “Pennsylvania” is misspelled. It’s kind of one of those “he said, she said” things because when the bell was molded, “Pensylvania,” with one n, was an acceptable spelling. One ‘N’ or two, many will surely never notice from a quick glance, but now that’s been mentioned you’re going to tell everyone you know or perhaps initiate a conversation with the next person to sit next to you at the bar.

Oh, Florida

alligator
Image used with permission by copyright holder

50 states in the union and all have something spectacular to share, but Florida has come to be the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist in the wild. Sure most can’t tell the difference at first glance and the general assumption is that one or the other lives in saltwater where the other prefers freshwater. But South Florida provides a habitat suitable to both species with its vast and desolate estuaries. So whilst in tourist mode, we are the only people given the chance to play Guess Who as a snout appears in the water.

Ride the Rails

street car
Image used with permission by copyright holder

America is home to more than 2,500 National Landmarks, but only two of them are mobile and, sadly, neither is the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Instead, the San Francisco’s cable cars and New Orleans’s St. Charles streetcar line hold the title and continue to run today. Built in 1873 and 1835, respectively, both cable and street car have been icons of their respective cities and America as technological achievements. Both San Francisco’s cable cars and New Orleans’s St. Charles streetcars have appeared in numerous movies over the years and unlike the other thousands of American landmarks, these are the only two you’ll ride on and not drive by.

Lost Luggage

luggage at airport
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ever had an airline lose your luggage, like really lose it beyond it showing up at your front door a day or two later? Well, “X” marks the spot on what should be considered American’s largest store of random goods, because once your luggage is officially lost airlines sell it to a store in Scottsboro, Alabama. The Unclaimed Baggage Center is a one-stop-shop for all your luggage, toiletry, and travel attire needs. And after the holidays, why not stop in to pick up some pre-wrapped gifts?

The Hunt Is On

realistic unicorn
Pone Pluck/Getty Images

We sure do love guns and hunting here in America, and in Michigan, you are free to hunt unicorns … with a license, of course. Enforced by the Wildebeastle (Mythical) Division of the Department of Natural Unicorns and the Unicorn Hunters of Lake Superior State University, one may set out on the hunt with his/her quest kit including a small flask of cognac, a large envelope, a small bottle of hoof and horn polish, and a single airmail stamp. It’s a mythical and often lonely journey one takes to track down a unicorn, but because it’s America and thanks to Michigan’s Lake Superior State University, the hunt is on.

Editors' Recommendations

Ben Hitch
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ben Hitch, well, he's the first of his name and one hell of a character. You can find him exploring the streets of San Diego…
This is what you need to know about top-secret UFC fighter contracts
With no union representation, the UFC retains lucrative rights
Isaac Moreno punches Henry Liu in the face during their mixed martial arts bout at the Strike Fight event at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Dec. 8, 2012.

Since shooting past boxing in popularity in the early 2000s, the UFC has built a minted empire. A May 12 earnings call revealed that the Endeavor Group’s revenue from March 31, 2021, to April 1, 2022, passed $1 billion. This makes investors, entertainment groups, UFC president and promoter Dana White, and top-billing fighters very rich. For mixed martial art professionals, this comes at the cost of lower-level fighters and binding contracts.

Have you ever wondered what a UFC fighter's contract looks like? When an MMA competitor signs a contract to fight three to four annual fights, they give away representational rights. Instead of a union serving as an exclusive representative to collectively bargain with the UFC for wages, hours, and working conditions, each professional is on his or her own, operating essentially as an independent contractor. Under these agreements, fighters are obligated by the terms of contracts, no matter how onerous. And they have no recourse should they be summarily released.

Read more
10 Lesser-Known Things About Le Tour
Check Out These Facts About the Biggest Bike Race on Earth
Peloton of men cycling on the road

The Tour de France is in full swing and it's already been one of the most entertaining races in the event's 109-year history. This year's race is already proving to be a battle, with several big names vying for the yellow jersey. But there's so much more to the world's greatest cycling race than just the bikes.

Le Tour is appealing on many, many levels. For starters, it's shot beautifully, offering sweeping views of the French countryside. Armchair travelers are wise to tune in as they can be whisked away to the Alps, French wine country, and every beautiful spot in between. There's also all kinds of drama, with riders engaging in strategic attacks during just about every stretch of each stage. Plus, it's just really cool to stare at a peloton for a while. It's like a flock of birds gliding across the asphalt.

Read more
Everything You Need to Know About Winter Olympics Skiing
Olympic skiier doing a slalom.

Many of the Winter Olympic sports are somewhat hard to relate to. How many of us have actually pushed a bobsled and jumped in, racing down an icy track, or tried curling, luge, or biathlon for that matter? While these events are still engaging to watch, there’s something to be said about watching a sport you’ve tried yourself or can at least imagine more easily. The various skiing events at the Winter Olympics are crowd pleasers for this very reason. Whether you are still a season pass holder at your favorite ski mountain or never made it back on downhill skis since your early days on the bunny slope, more of us have probably hit the slopes on a pair of skis than a ice track on a luge sled.
That said, the skiing events at the Winter Olympics are still foreign to plenty of people, and there are quite a few Olympic skiing events to keep track of. However, we’ve compiled a guide to the skiing events at the Winter Olympics, including the sports of alpine skiing, ski jumping, and freestyle skiing, to help you prepare for watching the Winter Olympics. Also, be sure to check out our guide to cross-country skiing events at the Winter Olympics.

What Are the Skiing Sports At the Winter Olympics?

Read more