1

Backyard Barbecues

Image: Maude Frédérique Lavoie

You say American, you smell a barbecue, isn’t that right? Backyard barbecues are probably one of the most American traditions there is and it is all about that summer fun we all love!

Casual gatherings on a hot summer day to grill some meat is a favorite pastime for all. Adults chat while grilling some burgers or hot dogs, and the kids play. Everyone has fun!

This tradition, like many others, is about good food, good company, and having a great day outdoors.

2

Gameday Tailgating

Image: Scott Madore

Pre-game events? Isn’t the game enough? A tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food.

Hours before kickoff, fans tailgatein the parking lot with burgers on the grill and a football to toss. It is a fan gathering, a get-together to celebrate your team and get you in high spirits for the game ahead!

3

Family Game Nights

Image: Stephen Harlan

All it takes are those simple traditions, and sometimes they are the best traditions. A night of family games is an ideal opportunity to spend a few hours around the table having quality time with the ones you love.

Board games, card games, or even video games! It all comes down to bonding, some good-natured rivalry, and some potentially-not-very-serious debates on how to interpret the rules.

4

Turkeys Pardon

Image: Claudio Schwarz

If you don’t comply with many national traditions, this is one you definitely can’t evade. Thanksgiving has many rituals surrounding the holiday, but probably the most bizarre one is the ceremony by means of which the president officially grants a live turkey their pardon.

This is exactly as it sounds, traditionally, the president is gifted a turkey whose life is spared from the stove. The origins of this tradition are disputed but, regardless of who was the first to do so, this tradition continues today and it is one of the things that make Thanksgiving an amazing holiday!

5

Black Friday Shopping

Image: CardMapr.nl

The end of the year can easily become a chaotic time with all the gifts one has to get ready. Just as thousands of turkeys go unpardoned by the president, many shoppers take time to find the right Christmas gifts for their loved ones. The national weekend shopping kicks off with Black Friday, a day in which sales are high and shoppers are on alert . This shopping spree continues with Small Business Saturday and ends with Cyber Monday.

However this is one tradition that can escalate rather quickly, haven’t we all witnessed deadly stampedes or frantic arguments to get that one item?

6

Baby Showers

Image: Ajeet Singh

Celebrating a new child is customary in many cultures. All over the world babies to come are honored in many ways, but the American way is something else.

Baby showers are the traditional way to celebrate the mother and the child. They are gatherings in which friends and family "shower" the mother with gifts for the baby to come. It is worth noting that this tradition has evolved and it includes gender reveals now too.

Thanks to social media and the quick spread of news, baby showers have become a tradition in many countries now, but it all started in America!

7

Supersized Food

Image: Visual Karsa

You’ve surely been to McDonalds or Starbucks, have you ever stopped and thought about how they offer you different sizes of food and cups ? Why is that?

Well, this is already embedded in the American DNA. In our country, fast food or takeaway orders come in different sizes. And that is not all, the smaller size is not small at all; a nd the biggest is exactly as the title says, supersized.

This practice can be traced to the 70s when marketing directors saw a way to sell more for lower prices. This tradition became customary in many countries too, but each nation adapted their sizes to their customers.

8

Trick-Or-Treating

Image: Nick Fewings

Halloween is a festive time, customs come out and decorations get put up. Many cultures follow these traditions, but America is different in that children in our country go on a door-to-door hunt for candy. But that is not all, the practice is not complete until a child says "Trick or treat!"

Lovely as they are to see, the magic words are a requirement to get those precious pieces of candy they will later enjoy with their friends and family . They only have to hope the giver doesn’t require a trick from them!

9

Display Of National Symbols

Image: Serena T

If you are one to watch movies often, we have a challenge for you: try and spot the American flag in the movie you’re watching. No, we don’t work in the film industry, we know for a fact that American pride is shown in many ways, and displaying the American flag is probably the most common one.

Houses all over the country display a flag, American movies have at least one scene in which you can spot it, and the colors dress thousands of objects in all kinds of celebrations . Is there a flag in your front yard?

10

Road Trips

Image: Raphaël LR

Americans are hard workers, but like everyone else, they await those well-deserved holidays to get their feet up and chill out. Regardless of the available budget, which may vary from family to family, road trips are highly popular in our nation and they are not so common in other countries.

Mostly because of how vast the American territory is , road trips are the perfect way to travel and see all the wonders the United States has to offer. True Americans go on at least one road trip in their life, have you done it already?

1

​Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Every legal TV drama has a "You have the right to remain silent" moment. But that phrase actually became part of American culture thanks to a Supreme Court ruling. In 1963, American laborer Ernesto Miranda was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, and questioned by police for several hours about a kidnapping and assault case. During the interrogation, officers did not tell him he had the right to remain silent or the right to speak with a lawyer. Miranda eventually signed a confession that was later used to convict him at trial.

His lawyers appealed, arguing that he had not been properly informed of his constitutional rights. In a narrow five-to-four ruling, the Supreme Court agreed. Chief Justice Earl Warren explained that police interrogations place heavy pressure on suspects, making safeguards necessary. The Court ruled that suspects must be informed of their rights before questioning begins. Today, the Mirada Rights warning is one of the best-known legal protections in the U.S.

2

​Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

For many decades, racial segregation in public schools was considered legal under the doctrine "separate but equal." In reality, schools for Black children were often underfunded and unequal in nearly every other way. The issue came to a head in Topeka, Kansas, when Oliver Brown tried to enroll his Black daughter Linda in a nearby white elementary school. She was denied admission because of segregation laws.

Brown joined other families in challenging school segregation with support from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, whose legal team was led by Thurgood Marshall. The Supreme Court heard arguments from several related cases and faced enormous pressure because of the issue’s national importance. In 1954, Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered a unanimous decision declaring that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. The ruling overturned earlier legal precedent and became one of the most important decisions in American history, helping launch the modern Civil Rights Movement.

3

​Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

During the Vietnam War, protests and political debates spread across the country, including in public schools. In 1965, a group of students in Des Moines, Iowa, decided to wear black armbands to school to protest the war and support a Christmas truce. School officials quickly announced that students wearing the armbands would be suspended. Mary Beth Tinker and her brother John wore the armbands anyway and were suspended from school. Their family challenged the decision, arguing that the students’ First Amendment rights had been violated.

The case eventually reached the Supreme Court, which ruled seven to two in favor of the students. In 1969, Justice Abe Fortas wrote that students do not lose their constitutional rights when they enter a school building. The Court concluded that schools may only limit student expression if it seriously disrupts learning. The ruling became a major precedent protecting peaceful expression in public schools.

4

​Roe v. Wade (1973)

Before Roe v. Wade, abortion laws differed greatly from state to state, and many states severely restricted access to the procedures. The case began when, in 1969, a Texas woman, Norma McCorvey, challenged state laws under the pseudonym "Jane Roe." Texas only allowed abortions in cases where the mother’s life was in danger. Roe argued that the law violated constitutional protections for personal privacy.

The Supreme Court heard the case during a period of growing national debate over reproductive rights and government authority. In 1973, the Court ruled seven to two that the Constitution protects a woman’s right to privacy under the Fourteenth Amendment, including certain decisions about abortion. The justices created a legal framework balancing individual rights with state interests. Roe v Wade continued to be one of the most debated decisions in history. It was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022 via the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, which eliminated the federal constitutional right to an abortion and allowed individual states to set their own abortion laws.

5

​Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

Inequality based on race took all kinds of forms, and school desegregation was just the beginning of a long pursuit of justice and equality. As universities sought to address racial inequality in higher education during the 1970s, affirmative action policies became the subject of national debate. Alla Bakke, a white 30-year-old engineer from California, applied to the medical school at the University of California, Davis, and challenged its admissions program after being denied entry.

Bakke argued that the school’s racial quota system violated the Equal Protection Clause. In 1978, the Supreme Court ruled that strict racial quotas were unconstitutional, but also said race could still be considered as one factor among many in admissions decisions. The ruling shaped college admissions policies for decades. In 2023, however, the Court overturned much of that framework, via Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard College, ruling that race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the Constitution, bringing a major chapter of the affirmative action debate to a turning point.

6

​Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Before 1963, many Americans accused of serious crimes had no guaranteed right to a lawyer if they couldn’t afford one. Clarence Earl Gideon, an impoverished Missourian drifter, learned this firsthand after being charged with burglary in Florida. Too poor to hire an attorney, Gideon asked the court to appoint one for him, but the request was denied because state law only required lawyers in death penalty cases.

While incarcerated, he sent a handwritten petition to the Supreme Court arguing that his constitutional rights had been violated. The Court agreed to hear the case and ruled unanimously in his favor. The Justices declared that the Sixth Amendment guaranteed the right to legal counsel in serious criminal cases and that states must provide attorneys for defendants who cannot afford them. The ruling greatly expanded protections for ordinary citizens in the criminal justice system.

7

​Schenck v. United States (1919)

During WWI, the U.S. government became increasingly concerned about opposition to the military draft. Charles Schenck, a leader in the Socialist Party, distributed pamphlets encouraging drafted men to resist military service peacefully. He was arrested under the Espionage Act of 1917 and argued that his actions were protected by the First Amendment. But the Supreme Court didn’t see it that way.

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. explained that free speech rights are not unlimited, especially during wartime. In one of the most famous lines in Supreme Court history, Holmes stated that the law would not protect someone falsely shouting "fire" in a crowded theater and causing panic. The Court created the "clear and present danger" test, allowing the government to limit speech that creates an immediate threat to public safety or national security. The ruling became an important balance between civil liberties and public protection.

8

​McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

In the early years of the U.S., many Americans still viewed their states almost like separate countries. After the War of 1812, in 1816, the federal government created the Second Bank of the United States to help stabilize the economy. Several states opposed the national bank, including Maryland, which placed a heavy tax on it. James McCulloch, who worked at the Baltimore branch of the federal bank, refused to pay the tax , and the dispute reached the Supreme Court.

In 1819, Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that Congress had the authority to create the bank, even though the Constitution did not specifically mention national banks. He explained that the Constitution gives the federal government certain implied powers needed to carry out its duties. The Court also ruled that states could not tax federal institutions. The decision strengthened federal authority and helped create a more stable national economy at a time when the young country was still finding its footing.

9

​Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

In the 1820s, steamboats were transforming transportation and trade across the U.S. New York granted a monopoly, giving certain operators exclusive rights to run steamboats on its waters. Aaron Ogden operated a ferry service between New York and New Jersey under that monopoly. Thomas Gibbons began running a competing ferry service using a federal license, leading to a major legal battle. The case raised an important question: Could individual states control interstate trade, or did that authority belong to the federal government?

In 1824, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gibbons. Chief Justice John Marshall declared that Congress alone has the power to regulate interstate commerce. The Court also defined commerce broadly to include navigation and transportation. The ruling prevented states from blocking trade across borders and helped create the open national economy Americans know today, making travel and business between states far easier and more consistent.

10

​Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Every time Americans expect the Constitution to protect their rights, they are relying on a principle established in Marbury v. Madison. Before 1803, nobody was entirely sure who had the final authority to decide whether a law violated the Constitution. That question arose during a tense transfer of power between Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. In his final hours in office, Adams appointed several judges, including Maryland businessman William Marbury. Some appointment papers were never delivered before Jefferson took office, and he ordered his brand-new Secretary of State, James Madison, not to hand them over to the appointees.

Marbury sued, asking the Supreme Court to force Madison to deliver the documents. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that Marbury deserved the position, but the law allowing the Court to hear the case directly was unconstitutional. In doing so, Marshall established judicial review, giving the Supreme Court the power to strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution.

1

Duct tape

Image: Lucas van Oort

One of the most useful things to have around is, without a doubt, duct tape. This product can help fix an endless number of everyday problems in virtually any environment.

This adhesive tape was invented during World War II by a division of Johnson & Johnson called Revolite. It was initially used to seal ammunition cases because of its water-resistant properties.

2

GPS

Image: henry perks

The GPS technology we all use daily on our smartphones to navigate from point A to point B was originally developed by the U.S. military. It was designed to track the position of military units and help them find their way efficiently across any terrain —much like how we use it today for civilian purposes.

3

Internet

Image: Glenn Carstens-Peters

Few technologies have become such a big part of our lives in just a couple of decades as the Internet. Its origins trace back to the 1970s, when the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) created an interconnected network linking military centers to enable resource sharing.

The connection of commercial networks and enterprises by the early 1990s, along with the advent of the World Wide Web, marked the beginning of the transition to the modern Internet.

4

Walkie-talkie

Image: garrett parker

From children’s toys to invaluable communication devices used in critical situations, walkie-talkies are a common fixture in modern life. Their development during World War II has been variously credited to Donald Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, Henryk Magnuski, and engineering teams at Motorola.

Initially used by infantry, similar designs were created for field artillery and tank units. After the war, walkie-talkies spread to public safety and eventually commercial use.

5

Microwave oven

Image: Erik Mclean

Believe it or not, microwave cooking was accidentally discovered during a military-related project just after World War II.

In 1946, Percy Spencer, a scientist working on a magnetron at Raytheon, noticed that a peanut cluster candy bar in his pocket had melted from the magnetron’s microwave radiation. Curious to experiment further, he brought in some kernels of corn and made the first-ever microwave popcorn—leading to the invention of the microwave oven.

6

Super glue

Image: Scott Sanker

In 1942, a research chemist working for a defense contractor was developing a high-precision targeting sight for weapons. Although the project didn’t produce the expected results, the resulting product was incredibly sticky , leading to the creation of the now-famous Super Glue.

7

Aviator sunglasses

Image: Griffin Wooldridge

Aviator sunglasses were developed in the 1930s as a lighter alternative to the bulky goggles worn by pilots during the early years of aviation. Those goggles were heavy, uncomfortable to wear, and prone to fogging up mid-flight.

Colonel John Macready of the U.S. Army Air Corps helped develop the first set of aviator sunglasses, which became known as Ray-Bans—named for their purpose: banning the sun’s rays from a pilot’s eyes.

8

Packaged salad mixes

Image: Nathenia Landers

The bags of packaged salad mixes found at any local supermarket use "modified atmosphere packaging" to delay ripening and spoilage.

This technology was developed in the 1960s through a collaboration between Whirlpool Corp. and the U.S. Navy to send fresh lettuce and celery to troops in Vietnam .

9

Bug spray

Image: Wolfgang Hasselmann

The active ingredient in most insect repellents, known as DEET, was developed by the U.S. Army in 1946 for use by military personnel operating in insect-infested areas . The product’s success led to its commercial release.

10

Disposable sanitary pads

Image: Annika Gordon

During World War I, Kimberly-Clark invented Cellucotton, a wood pulp–based material designed to be more absorbent and cost-effective for use in bandages.

After the war, the company discovered that Army nurses had repurposed Cellucotton as sanitary napkins , which inspired the creation of Kotex—the first disposable sanitary pads.

11

Frozen juice concentrate

Image: Fotografía de Alimentos

In 1942, USDA scientists developed frozen concentrated orange juice during World War II to help provide soldiers with sufficient Vitamin C . Although it was never distributed to the military, the product was later introduced to consumers by Minute Maid.

12

WD-40

Image: Daniel Campbell

WD-40, now a common household product, was originally developed in 1953 to prevent rust and corrosion on the outer shell of the Atlas missile . Created by the Rocket Chemical Company, the name WD-40 stands for "water displacement," with the "40" representing the number of attempts it took to perfect the formula.