1

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.

2

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.

3

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.

4

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.

5

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.

6

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.

7

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.

8

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.

9

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.

10

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.

1

What are bills made of?

Unlike other currencies, dollar bills are not made of paper or plastic. U.S. dollar bills are made from a special fabric blend composed of 75% cotton and 25% linen. This mix makes the bills extremely durable and resistant, and they can be folded about 4000 times before tearing.

2

What bills are valid?

Any U.S. dollar bill that was legally printed is valid, no matter how old, as American currency does not have an expiration date. While some bills might not be accepted by businesses of foreign exchange services due to their condition or if they are a discontinued version of the bill, the bills themselves are still valid, and American banks will accept them, though they might take them out of circulation.

3

American leaders

Five bills have a depiction of an American president. The exceptions are the $10 bill, with Alexander Hamilton on the front, and the $100 bill, with Benjamin Franklin. The $1 bill, depicting George Washington, is extremely symbolic: several elements are repeated 13 times as a nod to the thirteen colonies, and it showcases the Bald Eagle and the Eye of Providence as a sign of God watching over America.

4

A change in size

Did you know that dollar bills used to be so big that they were nicknamed "horse blankets"? Original dollar bills were 7.4 × 3.1 inches. In 1929, the Treasury Department reduced the size of bills to 6.14 × 2.61 inches to reduce production costs and materials. Old bills, though still valid, are worth much more as collector items.

5

Uniformity

Besides their value and design, all dollar bills have the same size (6.14 × 2.61 inches), color, and weight (1 gram) , which sets American currency apart from other countries where bills of different values are differentiated by size, color, or both. Why doesn’t the U.S. implement differences among bills? The cost of adapting vending machines, bank drawers, and ATMs to new bill sizes would cost billions of dollars.

6

Hard to copy

Originally, dollars were not green, but black. As time passed, green ink was favored, as it was cheap and did not fade as much as black. The new color also prevented people from using black-and-white cameras to create counterfeit money. Currently, dollar bills are predominantly green, but newer versions also include extra colors, such as pink, orange, or purple.

7

A $100,000 bill?

Have you ever seen a $500 or 1,000 dollar bill? What about a $100,000? Up until 1945, the U.S. Treasury printed $500, $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, and $100,000 notes , in addition to the values currently in use. These higher-value notes were mainly intended for bank and government use, but were sought by criminals as they made it easier to hide large amounts of money. Even though they were officially discontinued in 1969, these notes are still valid, though rare, and they have a high worth as collector's items.

8

No numbers

Unlike bills, American coins have different sizes and colors related to their value. Originally, gold, silver, and copper were used for coins, but modern coins are made of copper, zinc, or nickel. Besides their size and design, the value of each coin is printed in letters, not in numbers , alongside depictions of American presidents.

9

Liberty for all (the coins)

By law, all American coins must include six specific details : the word ‘Liberty’, the name of our country, the national motto "In God We Trust", the oldest American motto "E Pluribus Unum", the value of the coin, and the year. Each coin also includes a mint mark that shows where it was made: "P" for Philadelphia, "D" for Denver, "S" for San Francisco, and "W" for West Point.

10

A global currency

The American dollar is one of the most powerful currencies in the world, acting as a backbone for international trade and finances. It is estimated that two-thirds of the physical dollars in circulation are outside American territory. Besides the U.S. and its territories, eight sovereign nations have the U.S. dollar as their official currency, with several more accepting it as legal tender.

1

It was almost completely torn down

Did you know that very little of today’s White House interior is actually original? Looking at the building now, it’s hard to imagine that it was once so unstable that it was in danger of collapsing.

By 1948, after decades of heavy use, outdated wiring, poor structural supports, and years of renovations layered over one another, the White House had become unsafe. Floors and walls cracked, and parts of the residence were literally sinking. President Harry S. Truman even joked that the place felt haunted because it made so many strange noises. Rather than abandon it, Truman launched a massive reconstruction project with Congress. Between 1948 and 1952, nearly the entire interior was gutted and rebuilt while the original exterior walls were preserved, giving America a strong and reliable White House.

2

During WWII, they built an underground bunker

Did you know there’s a fortified bunker hidden beneath the White House? A couple of years before Truman’s famous renovation, another major project was quietly built beneath the presidential residence.

In 1942, during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the construction of a secure underground shelter to protect government leaders in case Washington, D.C., came under attack. Built quickly and in great secrecy, the bunker was completed within months, though it was luckily never needed during the war. Today, the facility is known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, or PEOC, and it was famously used in 2001 by President George W. Bush and again in 2020 by Donald Trump.

3

It was not originally meant to be white

Can you imagine if it were called "the Gray House"? Today, it’s impossible to picture America’s most famous home as anything other than bright white, but that wasn’t the original idea.

During construction in the 1790s, workers covered the exterior sandstone with a lime-based whitewash to protect it from moisture, cracking, and harsh winter weather. The coating gave the building a pale grayish appearance, not the brilliant white we recognize today. A long-standing myth claims the White House was painted white to hide the burn marks left after British troops set it on fire in 1814, but in reality, the building had already been whitewashed years earlier. Still, after the fire and reconstruction, the white exterior became permanent and eventually inspired the famous name "White House," though for many years people still called it the "President’s House."

4

10 people have died in the White House

Many people have lived and worked in the White House over the centuries, but, according to the White House Historical Association, only 10 people are officially recorded as having died inside the presidential residence.

Among them were two U.S. presidents. William Henry Harrison died there at age 68 in 1841 after falling seriously ill, likely from contaminated water. Zachary Taylor died at age 65 in 1850 from a severe stomach illness after attending Fourth of July celebrations in extreme heat. Three First Ladies also passed away in the White House: Letitia Tyler in 1842, Caroline Harrison in 1892, and Ellen Axson Wilson in 1914. Other deaths included presidential relatives, aides, and staff members, among them Abraham Lincoln’s son, Willie Lincoln, whose death at the age of 11 in 1862 deeply affected the family and became one of the White House’s most heartbreaking stories.

5

Presidential whims

Not every White House renovation happened due to war, damage, or urgent repairs. Some changes came simply from the personal tastes and hobbies of the presidents who lived there, and over the years, there have been quite a few memorable ones.

In 1973, Richard Nixon installed a one-lane bowling alley beneath the North Portico. Years later, in 1989, George H. W. Bush added a regulation horseshoe pit near the White House grounds, where he often relaxed and challenged visitors, including Queen Elizabeth II, to games. Then, in 2009, Barack Obama had the South Lawn tennis court modified so it could also be used for basketball, one of his favorite sports.

6

Jackie Kennedy's furniture

When the Kennedy family entered the White House in 1961, the first lady was disappointed to find that many of the historic rooms had lost much of their original character.

Determined to restore the White House’s history and elegance, Jackie Kennedy famously launched a massive restoration effort. She helped create the White House Fine Arts Committee, brought in historians and curators, and filled the residence with genuine antiques and historical pieces tied to past presidencies. On February 14, 1962, an estimated 46 to 56 million people tuned in to watch the First Lady’s televised tour of the White House, making it one of the most-watched programs of its era. She also supported a congressional act that made many of the White House’s historic furnishings official property of the nation, so future presidents could no longer sell, replace, or discard them.

7

Official name changes

As we mentioned, the building was not always white, and therefore was not always officially called the White House. For much of the 19th century, Americans usually referred to it as the "Executive Mansion" or the "President’s House." Even after its famous white exterior made the nickname popular, it still was not the building’s official name.

That finally changed in 1901, when Theodore Roosevelt began printing "The White House" on presidential stationery. According to official sources, Teddy Roosevelt preferred this name because it clearly separated the president’s residence from the many state "executive mansions" used by governors across the country.

8

It was once America's largest house

There is one thing about the White House that no one can deny: it has always been huge, even in its early days.

When the White House was first occupied in 1800, it already contained more than 100 rooms spread across three floors, making it one of the grandest homes in the United States at the time. In a time when most Americans lived in modest houses or farms, the presidential residence was seen as a palace. Many historians even consider it the largest private residence in the country during its early years. Today, the White House covers about 55,000 square feet, though modern private buildings, like the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, are now far larger.

9

President Benjamin Harrison’s fear

Among the many changes the White House has undergone over the years, few were as revolutionary as the arrival of electricity.

For nearly a century after it was built, the presidential residence relied on candles, oil lamps, and gas lighting. That finally changed in 1891, when electricity was installed during the presidency of Benjamin Harrison. But, like many families in that era, the Harrisons were not exactly thrilled by this modern invention. According to White House stories passed down over the years, President Harrison and First Lady Caroline Harrison were so nervous about the possibility of electric shock that they rarely touched the light switches themselves. Instead, they often asked the house staff to turn the lights on and off for them.

10

Hillary Clinton’s special gift

Of course, Jackie Kennedy wasn’t the only First Lady to leave her mark on the White House. Hillary Clinton added her own personal touch as well, this time as a gift for her husband.

In 1996, Hillary Clinton transformed a little-used room on the White House’s third floor into a private music room for President Bill Clinton. The gift came during the year of Bill Clinton’s 50th birthday and reflected one of his best-known passions: music. Complete with space for listening to records and playing his famous saxophone, the room gave the president a quiet retreat inside the White House.