Appreciating all that makes America special

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Food: Buffalo Wings

Posted by on Aug 5, 2010 in Food | 1 comment

This is probably the most recently developed food to make it to the Great American Things list. Buffalo wings weren’t created in the...

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Song: "Embraceable You"

Posted by on Aug 4, 2010 in Songs | 1 comment

This may be the ultimate example of a Gershwin song. With music by George (Great American Things, Feb. 24, 2010) and lyrics by Ira,...

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Travel: Sedona, Arizona

Posted by on Aug 3, 2010 in Travel | 2 comments

When the sun rises and sets, the rock formations around Sedona seem to glow in the most beautifully vivid shades of red and orange. Caused...

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Film: Rocky

Posted by on Aug 2, 2010 in Film | 2 comments

As the fight ends, an exhausted Apollo Creed says, “Ain’t gonna be no rematch.” An equally weary Rocky Balboa answers,...

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Sports: Willie Mays

Posted by on Aug 1, 2010 in Sports | 1 comment

Is he the greatest all-around player in baseball history? I think you can make the case. He had 660 home runs in the non-steroid era, 3,283...

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Americana: FedEx

Posted by on Jul 31, 2010 in Americana | Comments Off on Americana: FedEx

It’s unusual for a company to occupy a place on this list. Not that there aren’t some that deserve the recognition; it’s...

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TV Show: Late Night with David Letterman

Posted by on Jul 30, 2010 in TV Show | 2 comments

David Letterman accomplished something that no one else could – he made late-night television hip again. Johnny Carson (Great...

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Kid Stuff: Easy Bake Oven

Posted by on Jul 29, 2010 in Kids Stuff | Comments Off on Kid Stuff: Easy Bake Oven

When introduced in 1963, the Easy Bake Oven looked like a conventional oven (well, if ovens came in turquoise), used a light bulb as a heat...

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Actor: Spencer Tracy

Posted by on Jul 28, 2010 in Actor | Comments Off on Actor: Spencer Tracy

I’ve never been able to precisely characterize Spencer Tracy’s persona. You know, Marlon Brando = rebel…Tom Hanks = guy...

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Architecture: The Chrysler Building

Posted by on Jul 27, 2010 in Architecture, The Arts | Comments Off on Architecture: The Chrysler Building

For 40 years, the Empire State Building (Great American Things, May 13, 2009) symbolized New York City until the World Trade Center towers...

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