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United States flag

For years, Americans loved telling the story of Robert G. Heft , the Ohio high school student who supposedly designed the modern 50-star flag as part of a class project in 1958. According to the tale, his teacher gave him a B minus, only to change it after President Dwight Eisenhower selected his design for the nation.

But real history turned out to be more complex. When Alaska and Hawaii officially joined the U.S. in 1959, the government received roughly 1,500 proposals for a new flag. In 2022, writer Alec Nevala-Lee dug deeper into the records and found that the final version was actually credited to the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry, not a teenager from Ohio. The current version first flew in 1960 and has now lasted longer than any other American flag design. Those 13 stripes still honor the original colonies, while the 50 stars honor the states.

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National anthem: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

You’ve probably sung it hundreds of times, but did you know that "The Star-Spangled Banner" didn’t begin as a song? Our national anthem started as a poem written during one of the most dramatic moments in early American history.

In September 1814, lawyer Francis Scott Key watched from a ship as British forces bombarded Fort McHenry near Baltimore, Maryland. The darkness was heavy, but at dawn, Key spotted the American flag still waving over the fort. That moment inspired him to write a poem called "Defence of Fort M’Henry," and the melody that kept matching in his head for the poem was borrowed from an old British drinking song called "To Anacreon in Heaven," from 1775. Ironic, considering the circumstances. The song became widely popular across the country, but it became the official national anthem in 1931, under Hoover’s presidency.

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Pledge of Allegiance

For generations of Americans, the school day began the same: standing by a desk, hand over heart, facing the flag. But the Pledge of Allegiance has changed since it was first written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy for a nationwide Columbus Day Celebration.

The original version didn’t even mention the U.S. by name. Children simply said, "I pledge allegiance to my flag." Years later, in 1923, the words were changed so that every school kid, native or immigrant, would think of "the flag of the United States of America" when reciting it.

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National bird: bald eagle

The first relevant appearance of the bald eagle wasn’t as the national bird; it was in the design of the Great Seal. This was in 1782, when the first committee appointed to design the task suggested this bird. The committee was formed by John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, who was the only one who thought of the bald eagle as a bird of "bad moral character." Jefferson and Adams, instead, thought the bald eagle represented strength and independence, which seemed perfect for a young country trying to stand on their own. Moreover, the bird was unique to North America at the time, which made it feel distinctly American.

While it has appeared on the Great Seal, currency, and documents since that year, it was only in 2024 when it was designated as the national bird by an Act of Congress under Biden’s administration.

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National motto: "In God We Trust"

Many Americans assume that E pluribus unum is still our national motto, but in 1956, that changed. The modern motto "In God We Trust" first appeared during one of the country’s darkest moments.

In 1864, as the Civil War tore the nation apart, several religious leaders urged President Lincoln to recognize God on American currency. Many believe the nation needed a symbol of faith and stability during such uncertain times. That same year, the motto appeared for the first time on a two-cent coin. But it was during the Cold War in the 1950s that the words took on new importance and officially became the national motto in 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the law.

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Great Seal of the United States

The seal is printed on passports, official government documents, and even the back of the one-dollar bill. It features a complex design, and every detail on it means something.

The story of the Great Seal begins on the 4th of July, 1776, when the Continental Congress recognized that the new nation needed a seal to sign official documents. But that was just the beginning. Six years and three committees later, in 1782, Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, designed the seal we know today. The olive branch and the arrows held in the eagle’s talons denote the power of peace and war. The eagle faces the olive branch, but gazes toward the arrows, meaning it’s ready to defend. The 13 stars honor the colonies, and the escutcheon represents the eagle’s courage, along with the motto E pluribus unum, which was the official motto at the time.

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National march: "The Stars and Stripes Forever"

Today, no Independence Day is complete without the bass of "The Stars and Stripes Forever," but its origin goes back to 1896. The national march began during a difficult trip across the Atlantic.

In 1896, composer John Philip Sousa was traveling home from Europe after learning that his close friend and business partner, David Blakely, had suddenly died. As Sousa paced the deck of a ship, a melody kept playing in his mind. By the time the ship reached New York, the entire march had taken shape. Inspired by the American flag waving as he returned home, Sousa later added the title we know today. But it was on December 10, 1987, that the march was named the "Official March of the United States of America" under Reagan’s administration.

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National mammal: American bison

Long before highways crossed the country, bison herds thundered across the American grasslands from Texas all the way to Canada. But in the late 1800s, hunters began massively exterminating them to the point of extinction. Oddly enough, that’s when Americans began paying attention to them. Bison started appearing everywhere: on state flags like Wyoming’s, official seals, coins, and giant statues in cities across the country.

President Roosevelt became a big defender and helped create the American Bison Society in 1905 to protect the remaining herds. More than a century later, in 2016, Congress officially named the bison the national mammal of the U.S. and, today, more than 400.000 bison once again roam American grasslands.

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National floral emblem: rose

Roses have been part of American life for generations. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5574, declaring the rose the national floral emblem of the United States. This choice was highly practical since roses are grown in all fifty states and have been cultivated in American gardens since the nation’s inception. Reagan noted that Americans have long used the rose to "speak the language of the heart," making it a fitting symbol for the country.

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National tree: The Mighty Oak Tree

The oak tree didn’t become America’s national tree through congressional debate alone. In 2004, the National Arbor Day Foundation opened the decision to the public, and Americans of all ages cast votes for their favorite tree over four months. From the start, t he mighty oak was the frontrunner, earning more than 101,000 votes and beating out redwoods, maples, and pines.

The choice came from the symbolism behind it. Oaks are some of the most widespread trees in the country, with more than 60 species stretching across the states. Besides, it carries roots in American history: The USS Constitution earned the nickname "Old Ironsides" because its oak hull was strong enough to repel British cannonballs during battle. Strong, enduring, the oak was a perfect match.

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Spanish

The fact that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the U.S. comes as no surprise if we consider that at least 18 of the current 50 states were once part of the Spanish Empire. This, combined with migration from other Hispanic territories, means that around 40 million people speak Spanish at home in the U.S., nearly 13% of the population.

Native Spanish speakers in the U.S. have developed their distinct dialectal variants, such as New Mexican Spanish in the states of New Mexico and Colorado, Puerto Rican Spanish , or Spanglish .

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French

French is, after Spanish, the most taught foreign language in schools. But did you know that more than a million Americans speak French at home ? Historical events such as the Louisiana Purchase or the French and Indian War in Canada meant that native French speakers migrated to the U.S. or became American when French-speaking territories were incorporated.

Nowadays, the French language presents three main dialectal groups in the U.S. , mainly located in Louisiana and the New England region. So, if you were planning a holiday in NOLA or Lewiston, you might want to brush up on your ouis , bonjours , and mercis .

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Navajo

Compared with other languages on this list, the Navajo speaker population might seem small, with around 170,000 native speakers . However, it is the most widely spoken Native American language , with most of its speakers located in the Southwestern U.S.

Navajo is famous for its use as a code during World War II . Its complex grammar and the fact that, at the time, it wasn’t a written language, significantly reduced the chances of enemy forces deciphering transmissions, and even native Navajo speakers wouldn’t have been able to understand the code used.

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Chinese

When we think about Chinese immigration into the U.S., we sometimes forget that China is a multicultural, multiethnic country, and that not all Chinese immigrants spoke the same language or came from the same region.

It is reported that more than 3 million people in the U.S. speak a Chinese language at home, with Mandarin, Cantonese, and Hokkien accounting for the majority of those speakers.

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German

Although more than a million Americans speak German at home , nearly half of them would have issues communicating with a German person. This is because there are several variants of German spoken in the U.S., such as the Pennsylvania Dutch, the Plautdietsch, or the Alsatian , mainly spoken by Amish or Mennonite communities, or the Yiddish , widely spoken in Jewish communities.

Standard German is the second most spoken language in North Dakota , while Texas German , a U.S. variant, is still spoken in the state of Texas by the descendants of 19th-century German settlers.

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Hawaiian

Hawaiian is recognized as one of the official languages of the state of Hawaii , but is classified as an endangered language . It is estimated that only 2000 of its 30,000 speakers learned it as a first language. In the late 19th Century, Hawaiian was banned from schools , which significantly reduced the number of speakers, but conservation efforts over the past decades have proven successful in revitalizing the language .

Hawaiian Pidgin , an English-based creole language , is also spoken by more than half a million Hawaiians and has been influenced by languages such as Portuguese, Cantonese, Japanese, Okinawan, and Korean .

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Italian

Italians are one of the most notorious U.S. communities of immigrant descent, with their way of speaking being one of the main traits associated with Italian-Americans . But nowadays, of the more than 15 million Italian-Americans, only 700,000 are fluent in standard Italian .

Many Americans of Italian descent speak a pidgin (a simplified language that results from the contact of two groups) that mixes English, standard Italian, and regional Italian dialects , with words like mootsarell’ (from mozzarella ), gabagool’ (from capocollo ), or latte (from caffelatte ). Something to think about next time someone orders a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks.

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Vietnamese

You might not know this, but despite Vietnamese immigration being relatively recent compared to other Southeast Asian communities, Vietnamese is the sixth most spoken language in the U.S . This is a result of a conscious effort by the Vietnamese community to maintain the language and pass it down to new generations.

Before the start of the Vietnam War, it was estimated that only 3,000 people of Vietnamese descent lived in the U.S. Currently, around 2.3 million individuals identify as Vietnamese-American, 1.5 million of them being fluent speakers of the language .

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American Sign Language (ASL)

When we say ‘languages other than English’, most of the time we are not thinking of sign languages . For many people, sign language is a variant of a spoken language, but sign languages have their own grammar, syntax, and rules that make them full-fledged languages.

It is estimated that American Sign Language (distinct and separate from the sign languages of some other anglophone countries) has between 250,000 to half a million native speakers , with thousands more as second-language users.

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Arabic

The presence of the Arabic language in the U.S. dates back hundreds of years, with records of Arabic speakers from the 17th Century . Arab-Americans are estimated to be more than 3 million, of diverse backgrounds, with ties to at least 22 Arabic-speaking countries .

Following historic events in the past decades, many Arab-Americans have stopped using the language or teaching it to their children to avoid prejudice or stigma . Nonetheless, Arabic is still one of the most spoken languages at home for U.S. citizens , with more than a million users.

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It was invented in Switzerland

While the name suggests a US origin, the technology that created American cheese actually began in the heart of the Alps. It was developed in 1911 by Swiss researchers Walter Gerber and Fritz Stettler, who were looking for a way to extend the shelf life of their country’s famous Emmental cheese.

The problem with traditional cheese is that it eventually dries out, molds, or separates into a greasy mess when heated. By shredding the cheese, adding sodium citrate, and heating it, the Swiss duo discovered they could create a stable, smooth product that didn't separate. While they weren't trying to create "American" cheese as we know it today, their emulsification process laid the foundational science for every single-wrapped slice produced today.

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It was popularized by a Canadian

The man responsible for the global dominance of American cheese was James L. Kraft. Ring any bells? Kraft was a Canadian immigrant who moved to Chicago in 1903. While he didn't invent the concept of processed cheese, he perfected the industrial scale of its production and marketing.

Kraft noticed that retailers struggled with cheese spoilage; if a wheel of cheddar didn't sell quickly, it was a total loss. He experimented with various methods of heating and blending cheese until he found a formula that could be canned and shipped long distances without spoiling. In 1916, he received a patent for his "processed cheese," and during World War I, the U.S. government purchased millions of pounds of it for soldiers, cementing its privileged place in the American diet.

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It was almost called "Embalmed Cheese"

When processed cheese first hit the market, it had its detractors. Traditional cheesemakers were horrified, and so were pure food advocates. These critics argued that the product shouldn't even be called cheese. They’ve even gone so far as to call it "embalmed cheese" because of its unnaturally long shelf life and the chemical emulsifiers used to keep it stable. Yet, Kraft’s marketing prowess and the sheer convenience of the product ultimately won the naming battle. At least in the court of public opinion.

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Technically, it isn’t cheese

Kraft may have won the battle among the people, but legally, American cheese is not considered cheese. If you look closely at the packaging, you will rarely see the word "cheese" on its own. Because of strict FDA regulations, most varieties are legally classified as "Pasteurized Process Cheese Product" or "Pasteurized Process American Cheese Food."

To be labeled "cheese," a product must be made primarily of milk, salt, and enzymes. Processed American cheese, however, is made by blending real cheese—usually cheddar or Colby—with emulsifying salts, whey, and sometimes extra milk or fats.

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Any cheese can be made into American cheese

The term "American cheese" refers more to a process than a specific flavor. In theory, you could make "American-style" brie, blue cheese, or parmesan. The defining characteristic is the addition of an emulsifier, which breaks down the proteins and allows the fats and water to stay together.

In fact, some high-end chefs now make their own artisanal American cheese with aged cheddars processed with sodium citrate to create a slice that has the complex flavor of an expensive block but the melting point of a Kraft Single.

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It isn’t naturally yellow

The vibrant orange-yellow hue of American cheese is entirely a cosmetic choice. Traditionally, cheese color varied by the season; when cows ate fresh grass in the summer, their milk contained more beta-carotene, leading to a naturally yellowish cheese. To make their cheese look high-quality all year round, cheesemakers began adding dyes.

American cheese takes this tradition to the extreme. It is typically colored with annatto, a seed from the achiote tree. Without this dye, American cheese would be a pale, creamy white, which is how it is sold in many delis as "White American". Yes, that’s right, there is no flavor difference between the white and yellow versions.

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It has an extremely low melting point

The scientific superpower of American cheese is its meltability. Traditional cheeses have a protein structure that tightens when heated, which is why a slice of aged cheddar on a burger often results in an oily puddle and a rubbery clump.

Because of the emulsifying salts, the proteins in American cheese can withstand heat without clumping together. This gives it an incredibly low and stable melting point, transforming the slice into a silky sauce. This is why it remains the undisputed king of grilled cheese sandwiches.

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It’s been in space

When you're hurtling through orbit in a cramped capsule, you need food that is stable, easy to eat, and won't crumble into thousands of tiny, electronics-clogging pieces. American cheese fit the bill perfectly for early NASA missions.

Processed cheese in tubes or cubes was a staple of the Apollo missions. Because it doesn't separate or sweat oil in varying temperatures and pressures, it was one of the few dairy products that could reliably provide flavor and calcium to astronauts.

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It helped bring cheese to the masses

Before the advent of processed cheese, cheese was often a seasonal luxury. It was difficult to transport, expensive to store, and highly variable in quality. James L. Kraft’s invention changed that. By creating a product that was uniform in flavor and shelf-stable, he made cheese affordable and accessible to every corner of the United States.

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The U.S. Government once gave it out

The U.S. government not only bought tons of American cheese during World War I. In the 1980s, the term "government cheese" became a thing. During a period of dairy surpluses, the government bought millions of pounds of cheese to prop up prices for struggling farmers.

To avoid letting it rot, the Reagan administration began distributing five-pound blocks of cheese to low-income families, seniors, and schools. For many who grew up in that era, that pale orange processed cheese was a lifesaver.