Currently browsing: Americana
Americana means different things to different folks. Here at Great American Things, it means cool stuff that doesn’t fit into any other category. I guess we could have called it Miscellaneous, but “Great Miscellaneous Things” doesn’t tell you much, does it?
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...
Read MoreKid 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...
Read MoreAmericana: Zagat
Zagat seems like it’s “been around forever”, though it got its start “in 1979.” “Customer...
Read MoreAmericana: Roller Coasters
I read the history of roller coasters, and let me tell you: boring. The thrills and speed possible now make anything constructed before...
Read MoreAmericana: The Naval Academy
For 160 years, the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis has been turning out outstanding young men and women – “morally,...
Read MoreAmericana: "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"
Here you have the unofficial song of baseball, written in 1908. Want a really strange bit of trivia? Neither the lyricist (vaudeville...
Read MoreKid Stuff: Summer Camp
Several weeks after school lets out for the summer, a curious confluence of needs emerges. Parents need to get away from their kids, who...
Read MoreAmericana: The Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell sits silent today, a symbol of our national values and an icon of freedom. But in its early days, it was rung for many...
Read MoreAmericana: Ice Cream Trucks
It doesn’t matter whether you’re five or 75 – when you hear the ice cream truck come into your neighborhood, it makes you...
Read MoreAmericana: Firefighters
Firefighters in most cities are individuals who are paid for their dangerous work. In many small towns across the country, however, brave...
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