1

Charm City

Image: Girish Dalvi

Even with this nickname, this coastal spot wasn’t always known for its good looks . In fact, back in the '70s, it was struggling with a bit of an image problem. For that reason, a creative PR campaign worked some magic and gave it a nickname that stuck. Now it’s known for its iconic seafood and working-class roots. Oh, and locals are seriously proud of their blue crab dishes. This nickname has a certain sparkle to it, don’t you think?

2

The Bayou City

Image: Nicole Herrero

Think steamy summers, sprawling highways, and a whole lot of swampy waterways. This nickname may sound like it belongs in Louisiana, but don’t be fooled. It’s a nod to the bayous that weave through this massive southern city. It’s also a hub for space travel, energy, and some top-notch food. If you know the South, this one should ring a bell. Have you guessed it already?

3

The Big D

Image: JosephHershMedia

Everything’s bigger in Texas, and this city wears its size with swagger. The nickname itself is bold and simple: Just one big letter. It brings up images of cowboy boots, shiny buildings, and football fever. This place is known for business, barbecue, and a whole lot of bravado. You know the state, but do you know which Texas titan we’re talking about?

4

The Golden City

Image: IRa Kang

Between the shimmering water, a world-famous structure, and a "bright" past, this place practically glows. Its nickname is short and shiny, much like the hills it rests upon. Known for quirky charm and tech power, it’s a city where history and innovation collide. And yes, the fog does roll in, but somehow it just adds to the magic. Got it yet?

5

Rip City

Image: Edgar Chaparro

This one’s a bit of a curveball… Yes, we’re referencing basketball here because this nickname started as a throwaway comment during a basketball game in the '70s, but it stuck like glue. Now you’ll see it on jerseys, bumper stickers, and maybe even a tattoo or two. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but that’s part of the charm. Sports fans, this one’s for you!

6

Beantown

Image: Xuancong Meng

Baked beans might not sound glamorous, but they sure helped this historic place earn a nickname. That and a long list of American "firsts," this city is wonderful. It’s also been known to call itself the "Hub of the Universe." Has anyone seen modest? History buffs and chowder lovers, you’re probably already picturing cobblestone streets, aren’t you?

7

Baltimore

Image: Brendan Beale

Yep, Charm City is Baltimore! That catchy name was cooked up to shine a brighter light on the city’s best features. And guess what? It worked! Baltimore’s got a rich mix of culture, grit, and pride, plus some of the best crab cakes you’ll ever taste. Not bad for a city once overlooked, right?

8

Houston

Image: Carlos Delgado

Say hello to The Bayou City: Houston! Its unique geography inspired the nickname, and the city’s grown into a powerhouse of space exploration, culture, and business. Between NASA connections and a killer food scene, Houston has more going for it than just the heat. And yes, those bayous are still winding through it all.

9

Dallas

Image: Gabriel Tovar

That big old D? Dallas, of course. This city isn’t shy about its size or influence, and the nickname says it all. From skyscrapers to stadiums, Dallas lives large and wild. Add the cowboy flair, and you’ve got a Texas city that owns its identity. We love it!

10

San Francisco

Image: Alexey Komissarov

The Golden City? None other than San Francisco, what else could it be? With its iconic Golden Gate Bridge and a history rooted in gold rush dreams, it’s an easy one to guess. But even beyond the sparkle, the city has got a heart of tech and a soul of protest. Yes, the fog is quite the character, but this city shines bright anyway.

11

Portland

Image: Zack Spear

If you guessed Rip City was Portland, you guessed right! The name came out of a Trail Blazers game and somehow became a token of pride. That’s Portland for you: a little weird, totally charming, and full of surprises.

12

Boston

Image: todd kent

You guessed it: Beantown is Boston. The beans are just the beginning—Boston is packed with revolutionary charm, Ivy League brains, and a sports scene like no other. And if you hear someone call it "The Hub," now you know what they mean. It might just be the center of the universe after all.

1

The Pillsbury Doughboy

Image: Dan Depew, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

You only need to see a tiny bit of his fluffy body to recognize him: Poppin’ Fresh, better known as the Pillsbury Doughboy, is a global star. The Pillsbury Company created him in 1965, and over the decades, he has appeared in hundreds of commercials and on all kinds of merchandise. Now, 60 years later, his cute image is still familiar to Americans everywhere. He’s even part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

2

Tony the Tiger

Image: SqueakyMarmot from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our childhood memories include a character who was and still is right there at the breakfast table. We're talking about Tony the Tiger, the beloved mascot of Frosted Flakes. Introduced in 1952 by Kellogg’s, many of us grew up with him and watched him become a cereal icon. And of course, no one can forget his iconic catchphrase: "They’re grrrreat!"

3

The Energizer Bunny

Image: Jazz Guy from New Jersey, United States, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Style, attitude, energy: The Energizer Bunny has it all. With his signature sunglasses, drum, and flip-flops, this bunny first appeared in 1989 as a parody of the Duracell bunny, and he quickly grew far beyond Energizer batteries. In fact, he became a symbol of vitality and nonstop energy, so much so that when someone can’t sit still, they’re often compared to this bunny. You know, he just keeps going and going and going.

4

Mr. Clean

Image: JESHOOTS.COM

His style is unmistakable: that celebrity tan, bald head, bright white eyebrows, and even a cool earring. Of course! It’s Mr. Clean, the magical helper who shows up when stains get stubborn. Procter & Gamble introduced him in 1958, and he quickly became more than just the face of a product; he is a full character with his own personality and identity, deeply tied to the idea of household cleaning.

5

Mr. Monopoly

Image: Fluffybuns, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

We already talked about Mr. Clean, but there’s another Mister who is just as famous, if not more: Mr. Monopoly. While we all know him by that name today, he originally had a much funnier one: "Rich Uncle Pennybags." His mustache and top hat are unmistakable, and his fame has long transcended the Monopoly game, turning him into a visual symbol of wealth and capitalism in pop culture.

6

The Jolly Green Giant

Image: greefus groinks, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The Green Giant Company introduced its giant mascot in 1928, and he quickly became synonymous with frozen vegetables across America. The Jolly Green Giant originally had a somewhat intimidating look, but a later redesign turned him into the friendly, smiling giant everyone knows and loves today. Decades of TV commercials, packaging, toys, and pop-culture references made him famous even among people who don’t buy the products.

7

Mr. Peanut

Image: InOttawa.ca, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

With his classic top hat and monocle, Mr. Peanut is undoubtedly a sophisticated mascot. And since he’s literally a peanut, it’s almost impossible not to think of Planters every time we grab a handful, right? Surprisingly, despite his excellent condition, Mr. Peanut is over 100 years old, having been introduced in 1916.

8

Mickey Mouse

Image: Brian McGowan

If there’s one truly world-famous mascot, it’s definitely Mickey Mouse. His round ears, white gloves, red shorts, and big yellow shoes are so familiar that most of us could sketch them from memory. Mickey started as a character but quickly became the unmistakable icon of Disney. Over time, he even transcended the brand itself, appearing in all kinds of products, commercials, shows, and parades, becoming a symbol of childhood around the world.

9

Colonel Sanders

Image: Marques Thomas

Every time you see this face, you instantly crave fried chicken. That’s the magic of the iconic Colonel Sanders, who is much more than a mascot. He was a real person, the founder of KFC. Because of that, his face has become so familiar to Americans that he feels almost like a father figure. His fame is so strong that KFC often doesn’t even need the brand name; the Colonel’s friendly face says it all.

10

Geico Gecko

Image: Roland Balik, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The GEICO Gecko is so famous that seeing any lizard instantly brings him to mind. This friendly character has been tied to the brand since 1999, and the idea for him came from people mispronouncing "GEICO" as "gecko." Over the years, he has become a celebrity, so recognizable that he doesn’t even need the brand name for people to know exactly who he is.

1

The first Thanksgiving feast

Image: Claudio Schwarz

The story of the first Thanksgiving is often heavily romanticized, but it was largely rooted in political and survival needs. Wampanoag leader Ousamequin reached out to the English at Plymouth not out of inherent friendship, but because his people had been devastated by epidemic disease and needed allies.

Moreover, English Thanksgivings were originally solemn occasions of fasting and prayer —quite different from today’s feasts of abundance and celebration. The truth is that around the 1760s, Pilgrim descendants in Plymouth, concerned about their declining cultural influence, began promoting the idea that the original Pilgrims were America’s founding fathers. The notion of a holiday symbolizing unity and friendship between colonists and natives gained traction, eventually shaping the Thanksgiving tradition we know today.

2

Paul Revere’s "Midnight Ride"

Image: Priscilla Du Preez

Though "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" is legendary, Revere certainly didn’t act alone. The famous silversmith was only one of several riders, including William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, who warned of the British army’s approach. To be fair, much of the well-known story was fabled by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem "Paul Revere’s Ride," which is far from a historically accurate account.

Additionally, Revere would have never shouted "The British are coming!"—that wouldn’t have made much sense, as most Massachusetts colonists still identified as British. The actual alert was closer to "The Regulars are coming," referring to British troops.

3

The frontier was lawless

Image: Idean Azad

Popular culture paints the American West as a wild, lawless frontier, but crime was actually lower in many Western towns than in Eastern cities at the time. Local codes, vigilante groups, and early forms of law enforcement helped keep order, even in the most remote pioneer towns.

Many towns established designated areas where firearms were off-limits, requiring visitors to put away their weapons before entering. Of course, cities like Dodge City and Tombstone had their rowdy moments, but local communities established governance quickly. In many cases, justice in the West was rough but effective, and it helped establish America’s early legal backbone.

4

Washington chopped down a cherry tree

Image: Terence Starkey

Though it’s deeply etched in American memory, the story of young George Washington confessing to chopping down a cherry tree is entirely fictional. This tale was fabricated by Parson Weems, Washington’s biographer, to depict him as morally upright and honest from an early age.

While the story is charming and has contributed to America’s sense of ethos, it underscores the tendency in early American history to create heroic, almost mythical personas for its leaders. Yet, Washington’s legacy hardly needs fabricated childhood anecdotes to shine; his real courage and dedication to his country speak for themselves.

5

The Liberty Bell rang on Independence Day

Image: Dan Mall

The story of the Liberty Bell ringing for independence traces back to a fictional tale by George Lippard in an 1847 issue of The Saturday Courier. In this story, an elderly bellman in the State House steeple anxiously awaited news of Congress’s decision. Doubting their resolve, he suddenly heard his grandson’s triumphant shout: "Ring, Grandfather! Ring!"

This story captivated the public and cemented the Liberty Bell’s association with the Declaration of Independence. However, historians now doubt that the bell actually rang in 1776; at the time the State House steeple was reportedly in poor condition, and the bell may not have been in use. Though many bells rang throughout Philadelphia on July 8 to celebrate the Declaration, whether the Liberty Bell itself rang remains uncertain due to a lack of contemporary accounts.

6

Betsy Ross made the first American flag

Image: Luke Michael

The story of Betsy Ross sewing the first American flag is one of America’s favorite tales, but the sad truth is that there’s no historical evidence to support it. The story only emerged nearly a century after the Revolution, when her grandson published the account in a paper for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1870.

While the Continental Congress did approve a flag design in 1777, it’s unclear who actually made it. However, despite historians' doubts, the early flag design with 13 stars in a circle is still popularly known as "the Betsy Ross flag."

7

Orson Welles’ broadcast induced mass panic

Image: Muhammed ÖÇAL

It’s widely believed that Orson Welles’ 1938 radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds caused widespread panic across the United States, with listeners mistaking it for real news of an alien invasion. However, the actual extent of the panic was greatly exaggerated by newspapers looking to discredit radio as a rival news source.

While the broadcast did unsettle some listeners, most of the audience knew it was a dramatic performance. Reports of mass hysteria were largely fabricated, and ironically, the media’s reaction to the broadcast may be a greater testament to its power than Welles’ fictional invasion ever could be.

8

Cowboys wore big, flashy hats

Image: Brice Cooper

While movies and TV shows often show cowboys wearing wide-brimmed, flashy hats, most cowboys actually wore bowler or derby hats until the late 19th century. These hats were more practical and better suited for riding. Men also wore flat wool caps, Mexican sombreros, or even old Civil War hats like the kepi.

The wide-brimmed "cowboy hat" only became popular later and evolved into a cultural icon thanks to cinematic depictions of the Wild West. As with most things, in truth practicality ruled the range, and the stereotype of the cowboy hat developed more from fiction than reality.

9

Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity

Image: Felix Mittermeier

Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite experiment didn’t really "discover" electricity but rather demonstrated that lightning was a form of electrical energy. In fact, historians aren’t even sure whether he performed the famous experiment himself. At the time, scientists in Europe had been experimenting with electricity for decades.

That being said, Franklin’s findings did help advance science, and laid the groundwork for future innovations. His research not only led to the practical study of electricity, but his invention of the lightning rod also helped save both people and structures. In any case, Franklin never patented any of his inventions, believing that "products of the human imagination belonged to no one person," so he likely wouldn’t have wanted credit as the discoverer of electricity either.

10

The Fourth of July marks the signing of the Declaration

Image: Trent Yarnell

The Declaration of Independence is celebrated on July 4th, but the actual timeline of events is a bit more complex. Independence was formally approved by Congress on July 2, 1776, through the Virginia resolution, which officially severed ties with Britain. However, the text of the Declaration was subjected to intense debate and revisions before Congress approved the wording on July 4.

Further complicating things, the Declaration wasn't publicly read until July 8, and it took several more weeks before all signers had added their names. While some Founding Fathers, like John Adams, initially advocated for celebrating on July 2, the public ultimately gravitated toward July 4—the date displayed on the final document.