1

The Big Mac (McDonald's)

The Big Mac was invented in 1967 by Jim Delligatti, a Pittsburgh-area McDonald's franchisee who figured customers wanted something bigger than the standard burger . It was originally priced at 45 cents, and proved so popular that McDonald's added it to the national menu just a year later, in 1968.

Two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a three-part sesame bun. That little jingle, "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese...", got burned into America's brain back in the 1970s.

2

The Whopper (Burger King)

Burger King rolled out the Whopper in 1957, and the whole pitch was simple: a bigger flame-grilled burger for just 37 cents (a steal even then). The flame-grilling is the real signature : it gives it a smokier taste than McDonald's griddle-cooked beef, and BK has leaned into that "flame-grilled" branding for decades.

It became the centerpiece of one of fast food's longest-running rivalries, with Burger King regularly poking fun at the Big Mac in its ads.

3

The original recipe fried chicken (KFC)

Colonel Harland Sanders perfected his "11 herbs and spices" blend back in the 1930s at a roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, and, to this day, the exact recipe is locked in a vault and split between two manufacturers so no single person knows the whole thing. The pressure-frying method he pioneered cooks chicken faster while keeping it juicy.

4

The Frosty (Wendy's)

Dave Thomas, Wendy's founder, wanted a dessert that was thicker than a milkshake but still drinkable through a straw, so in 1969 the Frosty was born; that chocolatey, half-ice-cream, half-milkshake treat with the signature spoon-straw . Thomas was famously particular about it staying exactly that consistency, refusing to make it thinner just to speed up the drive-thru line.

5

The Slider/Original Hamburger (White Castle)

White Castle opened in Wichita, Kansas in 1921 and basically invented the fast food burger chain as we know it, way before McDonald's existed. Their small, square, steam-grilled burgers with five holes punched in the patty cook fast and stay soft, earning the nickname "sliders" because, well, they go down easy.

They're cheap, they're nostalgic for a lot of Americans, and the 2004 movie Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle turned the brand into a full-blown pop culture punchline for a newer generation.

6

The Crunchwrap Supreme (Taco Bell)

How do you eat a crunchy taco and a soft tortilla together without it falling apart? The answer was a clever hexagonal fold wrapping a tostada shell, meat, cheese, and sauce, all into one portable package . Genuinely inventive engineering disguised as junk food, it became a cult favorite almost instantly upon its 2005 debut, and remains one of Taco Bell’s signature, can't-mess-with-it menu items.

7

The Subway Footlong (Subway)

Subway built its whole identity around being the "healthier" fast food option, and the Footlong sandwich, sold by the inch since the chain's earliest days, became the symbol of that customizable, build-it-yourself appeal . It got an extra wave of fame in 2014 when a viral photo showed a customer's "footlong" measuring just eleven inches, sparking a real lawsuit and a wave of internet jokes that the brand never quite lived down.

8

Sourdough Jack (Jack in the Box)

A West Coast favorite that never quite broke out nationally, the Sourdough Jack pairs beef patties and bacon with melted cheese on grilled sourdough bread instead of a regular bun . It's been on the menu since the 1970s and has a loyal following among people who grew up with Jack in the Box, especially in California, where the chain has always had the strongest presence and the most devoted regulars.

9

The Animal Style Burger (In-N-Out)

Not listed on the official menu, the Animal Style burger is part of In-N-Out's famous "secret menu": a mustard-grilled patty, extra spread, grilled onions, and pickles piled on top. It started as something employees made for friends and regulars before word spread and it became one of the most requested items in the chain's history.

The fact that you have to "know to ask for it" is exactly what made it a Southern California legend.

10

The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich (Popeyes)

When Popeyes launched its chicken sandwich in 2019, nobody expected total chaos, but that's what happened . A rivalry with Chick-fil-A's sandwich exploded online, and the sandwich sold out nationwide within two weeks; there were even reports of fights breaking out in some stores over the last one.

The brioche bun, pickles, and crispy-but-juicy chicken turned out to be genuinely great, but the viral frenzy is what cemented it in fast food history.

1

Measuring

This is a difference most Americans are aware of: most countries use the metric system rather than U.S. customary units, and most use Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. Countries such as the UK and Canada still use some imperial units in everyday life, but they mainly use the metric system. Another measure that confuses foreigners is the particular way ingredients are measured in American recipes, which often use cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons rather than measurements by weight.

Fun fact: The only other countries that use the Imperial system officially are Liberia and Myanmar.

2

Sales tax

Do you find having to calculate sales taxes annoying? That’s a unique American experience. In the majority of the world, the price you see is the price you pay , because it has the sales tax already added.

Why is it different in America? Sales taxes vary across states , so retailers find it easier to showcase the base price and then calculate the total at checkout.

3

Cutlery use

Many Americans abroad are surprised by the realization that not everyone uses a knife and fork in the same way they do . In fact, no one else does. While most Americans have learned the American style —also called the zig-zag or fork switching method— that involves using the fork in the left hand for cutting and then changing it to the right to pick up the food, European and Latin American countries don’t do this . It might seem like a small difference, but it completely changes the way you eat.

4

Iced drinks

Do other countries not have ice? They do, but they don’t necessarily assume everyone will want it. While serving water and other beverages with ice is customary in America, in many other countries, you need to request it —even during the hottest of summers.

But even if you get ice, many times you will need to specify the amount : the same drink that would be filled with ice cubes in America might come to you with just two or three cubes elsewhere.

5

Date formatting

The U.S. is not completely alone on this one, but there’s a difference big enough to be worth mentioning. The standardized way of recording the date in America is month-day-year , a convention also followed by some Caribbean and Asian countries. But in the rest of the Western world, the conventional format is day-month-year , which can lead to confusion for Americans. In most Asian countries , the most commonly used format is year-month-day .

6

The word ‘American’

In the English language, ‘American’ is the only way to refer to people with U.S. citizenship . Other words, such as ‘Usian’ or ‘Unitedstatian’ have been proposed, but never stuck. This is why many Americans are surprised when other countries —Latin American countries in particular— use ‘American’ for anyone in the American continent , or continents, another big difference. In most European and Latin American countries, there is a different word for U.S. citizens, such as the Spanish ‘estadounidense’ or the Portuguese ‘estadunidense’ .

7

Moving out at 18 years old

This one is not so black and white, but more like a general tendency. Compared with most of Europe, Latin America, and Asia, Americans give serious consideration to the possibility of moving out after high school. Not everyone does, and not everyone can afford it, but it's fairly common.

In other countries, young adults generally move out if their job or education requires it , but they tend to stay at home a few more years if they can.

8

Driving a car as a teenager

America is quite car-centric , especially if you live outside of the big cities. While not everyone can afford to have a personal car —even a second-hand one—, it is common for 16 and 17-year-olds to legally drive their parents’ car, or save for their own.

In the rest of the world, the chances of high schoolers driving themselves to school are much lower, as most countries don’t allow underage kids to get a driving license .

9

Solo cups

Do plastic cups exist outside of the U.S.? They do, but they are not as iconic or as widely used as Solo cups, introduced in the 1970s as a disposable but sturdy cup for parties and events. Many foreigners visiting America are surprised when they realize that solo cups are a real thing , and not something that just happens in movies.

10

Filing taxes

Taxes in the U.S. are not that different from taxes in other countries, except for how they are filed . During tax filing season, thousands of Americans direct their efforts to ensure they have properly reported their income and that their return will match the IRS’s data.

In other parts of the world, however, the one responsible for calculating and filing taxes is the government , while citizens merely corroborate that everything is in order.

1

The Cardiff Giant

In 1869, workers digging a well in Cardiff, New York, uncovered what appeared to be a 10-foot-tall petrified man. Locals rushed to see the "giant," paying admission to witness history in the soil.

But, as it turned out, it wasn’t ancient at all. A man named George Hull had buried the statue as a prank and made some quick money from the curious crowd.

2

War of the Worlds Broadcast

This very famous hoax took place on the eve of Halloween 1938. Orson Welles’s radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds aired as if it were breaking news . Many listeners tuning in late thought Martians had really landed in New Jersey.

Some packed up their cars or called the police in panic. Though no invasion occurred, the broadcast became a legend in media history.

3

The Balloon Boy

In 2009, Americans watched live TV coverage of a silver balloon drifting across the skies of Colorado , fearing that a six-year-old boy was trapped inside . The story gripped the nation for hours.

When the balloon finally landed empty, police discovered the child hiding safely at home. His parents later admitted it was a publicity stunt gone wrong.

4

The Feejee Mermaid

In 1842, showman P. T. Barnum unveiled a marvel: a preserved "mermaid" supposedly from the South Seas . Crowds lined up to see the half-fish, half-woman curiosity.

The truth was stranger still. It was the upper body of a monkey sewn onto a fish tail and covered in papier-mâché.

5

The Great Moon Hoax

Readers of The New York Sun in 1835 were astonished by reports claiming that scientists had spotted bat-like people and crystal palaces on the Moon through a powerful new telescope.

The story was pure invention, but circulation went up. By the time the truth came out, the paper’s readership had reportedly increased dramatically.

6

The Crop Circles Craze

When perfect circles began appearing overnight in wheat fields , people talked about UFO landings. The shapes seemed too precise to have been made by human hands.

But, in 1991, two Englishmen confessed they’d used boards and ropes to flatten the crops. While this revelation explained many of the formations, the mystery lives on in popular imagination.

7

Alien Autopsy Film

In 1995, a grainy black-and-white video surfaced, showing doctors dissecting what seemed to be an alien recovered from the 1947 Roswell crash. The footage spread quickly worldwide.

Years later, the filmmaker admitted that the film was staged, using latex models and fake organs.

8

The Manti Te’o girlfriend hoax

Notre Dame football star Manti Te’o captured hearts when he revealed that his girlfriend had died of leukemia . Sports fans wept over the tragic love story.

But reporters later learned that the woman never existed. It was an elaborate online catfishing scheme.

9

The Patterson–Gimlin Bigfoot film

In 1967, a short film shot in California showed a large, hairy creature striding through the woods . Many viewers thought this was real proof of Bigfoot´s existence.

Decades later, one participant claimed it was a man in a gorilla suit, but that claim failed to convince many people who prefer to believe in the existence of this creature.

10

The Drake’s Plate of Brass

In 1936, a shiny brass plate found in California seemed to confirm that explorer Sir Francis Drake had landed there in 1579. Historians called it a priceless relic.

For decades, the plate was displayed proudly, until metallurgical tests in 1977 proved it was modern . It had been made as a practical joke among historians that went too far.

11

Paul Is Dead

The final entry on our list might not be American per se, but it drew much attention on these shores. In 1969, rumors spread that Beatle Paul McCartney had died and been secretly replaced by a double . Fans scoured album covers for "clues" like hidden messages and backward songs.

Paul, very much alive, later joked about it. The bizarre theory became a lasting pop-culture phenomenon.