1

The Second of July?

The first 4th of July celebration took place spontaneously in Philadelphia in 1777 and included elements that still persist today, such as bonfires, parades, and fireworks. But not everyone was on board. Founding Father John Adams famously refused all invitations to celebrate on account of disagreeing with the date.

For him, celebrations needed to be held on July 2nd, the day independence was voted on, rather than the 4th, when independence was declared , but July 4th became widely accepted because it was the date that appeared on the distributed copies of the document. In a both poetic and ironic turn of events, Adams — along with Jefferson, who penned the document — died on July 4th, 1826, on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

2

Who came up with the turkey pardon?

While many correctly assume that the official Presidential turkey pardon on Thanksgiving is an old event, it was not an official tradition until 1989, under the George H.W. Bush administration . But the roots of the tradition are nearly as old as the holiday itself.

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln’s young son, Tad, asked to adopt the turkey intended for the Christmas dinner and named it Jack. This didn't become a regular tradition, but it set the precedent for President Kennedy to pardon the turkey gifted to the First Family in 1963 , a custom adopted by many of the following presidents, with Reagan being the first to call it the "presidential pardoning".

3

The anti-pumpkin movement

As a crop native to America, pumpkin is mentioned across American history, including the first Thanksgiving. But before pumpkin pie was a symbol of the holiday, it was a New England dessert that divided the nation.

Thanksgiving was instituted as an official holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, with turkey and pumpkin pie quickly becoming the main dishes on the menu. After the Civil War, the Southern states were reluctant to adopt the holiday and its associated pie, claiming it was a "Yankee tradition" and a celebration of Northern culture. As a way of rejecting what they saw as a cultural imposition, many Southern cooks replaced the pumpkin pie with sweet potato pie, which remains much more common in the South.

4

The 22 years without Christmas

The minute Thanksgiving ends and "All I Want for Christmas Is You" returns to the top of the charts, much of the country gets into the holiday spirit. Surprisingly, just a few centuries ago, and 100 years before the United States was officially formed, Christmas was banned altogether .

During Cromwell’s interregnum (1649-1660), the Puritan-led English Parliament canceled the Christmas festivities of 1644, claiming it was a Catholic festivity of pagan origin. The sentiment echoed across the Atlantic, where the Massachusetts Bay Colony, of Puritan origins, banned Christmas in 1659 and fined those who celebrated or took the day off. The ban remained in place even after the restoration of the Monarchy, and was only lifted in 1681. Ulysses S. Grant declared it a federal holiday in 1870.

5

Mandatory anonymity

Anyone who ever celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans knows that masks are an integral part of the event, with those in the parade and many spectators concealing their identity. What many don’t know is that, per Louisiana law, wearing a mask in public is illegal , a statute passed in the 1920s to counteract the Ku Klux Klan’s influence and its intimidation tactics.

So, what happens during Mardi Gras? In the traditional Carnivals, masks were a way for people of all classes to mingle without endangering their reputation. While it is not a requirement for spectators today, anti-mask laws are suspended during Mardi Gras . However, if you are taking part in the parade, masks are not only allowed but mandatory.

6

A very successful campaign

Does your family watch the Rose Bowl Game on January 1st? It’s one of the oldest postseason football games in American history . But, did you know that its origin stems from a tourism campaign?

In the 1890s, the city of Pasadena, California, started celebrating the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day as a way to promote the city’s mild weather to tourists on the East Coast . To increase promotion, a postseason college football game was played in 1902, but the result was so lopsided —49-0— that it was not repeated the following years. In 1916, a new game was organized with resounding success, and it has been held annually since then.

7

The original Black Friday

B efore being synonymous with big sales and discounts, Black Friday was synonymous with crisis . The first recorded use of ‘Black Friday’ dates back to 1869, when the stock market suffered a devastating crash due to financial speculation. The economic effects of the crash were so severe that the name connoted calamity and misery.

How did it become associated with the day after Thanksgiving? In the 1950s, Philadelphia received hordes of tourists who came to shop and attend the annual Army-Navy football game the day after Thanksgiving, creating such chaos that the police forces dubbed it the "Black Friday". To counteract the negativity, retailers adopted the name in association with massive discounts.

8

From Decoration to Memorial Day

The last Monday of May, America remembers and honors those who laid down their lives in defense of the country. Friends and relatives of fallen service members gather to lay wreaths and flags in cemeteries ; the Memorial Day holiday also serves as the unofficial starting point for the summer season. But where does this tradition come from?

It wasn’t always Memorial Day. Originally called ‘Decoration Day’, the tradition of adorning graves started after the Civil War , and it was first celebrated on a national scale in 1868. After World War I, the tradition was expanded to include all American soldiers fallen during a military conflict.

9

Hedgehog Day

You might just know about it because of the popular 1993 Bill Murray movie, but Groundhog Day is real, and it’s celebrated every February 2nd. According to tradition, if a groundhog emerging from its burrow sees its shadow, it will go back to hibernate , and there will be six more weeks of winter. If not, spring will come early. But did you know that the tradition usually observed the behavior of a different animal?

Though Groundhog Day is celebrated across America —and even Canada— it was initially a Pennsylvania tradition, brought by German and Dutch immigrants. Back in Europe, they observed the behavior of hedgehogs and badgers to predict the length of winter, but these were not native to America. Looking for a similar local animal, they turned to the groundhog.

10

The 6-month difference

We can name a select few holidays that are celebrated internationally, such as New Year’s Day or Christmas. But what about Labor Day? While nearly 160 countries across the globe celebrate it on May 1st, the U.S. celebrates it six months later , on the first Monday in September.

Labor Day (also known as International Workers’ Day) started as a commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago, where a protest for workers’ rights ended with several casualties. As the protest was linked to socialist labor movements, the U.S. government was wary of celebrating workers on that date . As a compromise with labor activists, President Grover Cleveland instituted Labor Day as a federal holiday in 1894, but deliberately chose a date as far away as possible.

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

Titanic (1997)

James Cameron’s Oscar-winning blockbuster frames the tragic 1912 sinking around the fictional romance of Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet), while depicting real-life First Officer William Murdoch (Ewan Stewart) accepting bribes, shooting passengers, and taking his own life.

When the film premiered in 1997, the portrayal of Murdoch caused significant outrage. Survivor accounts prove the First Officer acted heroically, working tirelessly to launch lifeboats and saving hundreds of lives before dying in the freezing Atlantic. Additionally, third-class passengers were not locked below deck by armed guards as portrayed in the movie. _Titanic_’s producers eventually traveled to Murdoch’s hometown of Dalbeattie, Scotland, to issue an official apology to his descendants.

2

Braveheart (1995)

Mel Gibson’s epic depicts William Wallace leading a 13th-century Scottish rebellion against English rule, wearing belted plaid kilts and seducing Isabella of France (Sophie Marceau).

Many details in the film are inaccurate. For example, Scots didn’t wear kilts until the 16th century, nearly 300 years after Wallace’s death. Furthermore, Isabella was roughly three years old and living in France during Wallace’s rebellion, making the affair impossible.

3

Pearl Harbor (2001)

In Michael Bay’s romantic war drama, Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) and Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett) face Japanese Zero fighters, join the British Eagle Squadrons before the U.S. enters World War II, and witness direct attacks on civilian medical units.

In real life, U.S. Army Air Corps officers like Rafe were legally forbidden from joining Britain’s Eagle Squadrons while the United States remained neutral. During the December 7, 1941 raid, the Japanese prioritized attacking battleships, airfields, and fuel depots, and they didn’t target field hospitals or civilian nurses as depicted in the film. Also, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (Jon Voight) dramatic moment where he stands up out of his wheelchair to inspire his cabinet never occurred.

4

Pocahontas (1995)

Disney’s animated film famously tells the story of a young Powhatan woman named Pocahontas who falls in love with the English explorer Captain John Smith, helping to promote peace between their two cultures.

When John Smith arrived in Virginia in 1607, Pocahontas (whose actual name was Matoaka) was only around 10 to 12 years old, while Smith was a 27-year-old soldier, and there was no romantic relationship between them. Smith’s famous account of Pocahontas saving his life by placing her head over his is debated by modern historians, who view it as either a misunderstanding of a tribal adoption ceremony or an invention in his later writings. Pocahontas was later captured by English settlers, held for ransom, converted to Christianity, and married tobacco merchant John Rolfe before dying in England at age 21.

5

Gladiator (2000)

The plot of Gladiator revolves around Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) when he witnesses Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) being smothered to death by his son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who seizes the throne, rules as a tyrant, and is later killed in gladiatorial combat inside the Colosseum.

In reality, Marcus Aurelius was never murdered by his son; he died of an infectious illness in 180 AD. Commodus had already been co-emperor for three years before his father’s death. Far from an usurpation, Commodus ruled Rome for 12 years. He didn’t die in the sands of the arena either: he was strangled in his bath by his wrestling partner, Narcissus, during a palace coup. Moreover, Roman gladiatorial fights were officiated sporting events, not chaotic deathmatches.

6

Shakespeare in Love (1998)

A young William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) suffers from writer’s block until he meets aristocrat Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), who disguises herself as a man to act on stage, inspiring him to write Romeo and Juliet .

Almost the entire narrative is historical fiction. Viola de Lesseps never existed, and Romeo and Juliet wasn’t inspired by a secret love affair. Women were indeed banned from performing on the Elizabethan stage, but monarchs like Queen Elizabeth I never attended public theaters, which were considered unsafe and unhygienic. Instead, theater companies were hired to give private performances at court. Furthermore, by the mid-1590s, Shakespeare was already married to Anne Hathaway and was an established playwright in London, not an impoverished unknown struggling for ideas.

7

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Ron Howard’s biopic presents John Nash (Russell Crowe) battling schizophrenia. In the film, the Nobel Laureate mathematician has vivid visual hallucinations of a college roommate, a young girl, and a secret government handler.

It is true that John Nash lived with paranoid schizophrenia, but his hallucinations were auditory and delusional (he heard voices and believed extraterrestrial beings were communicating through newsprint). Filmmakers acknowledged altering his symptoms because visual figures were easier to convey on screen. The film also sugarcoated Nash’s personal life, omitting his first child born out of wedlock, his divorce from his wife Alicia, and his intimate relationships with other men.

8

JFK (1991)

Director Oliver Stone follows New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) as he uncovers a conspiracy behind President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination involving the CIA, FBI, military leaders, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Historians criticize JFK for presenting discredited conspiracy theories as historical facts. Key characters in the film (such as Donald Sutherland’s "Mr. X") were complete fabrications. Garrison’s actual prosecution of businessman Clay Shaw was based on dubious testimony and resulted in Shaw’s acquittal in under an hour. The narrative of a multi-agency coup remains unsupported by official evidence, yet the film prompted the release of classified records under the JFK Records Act.

9

The Sound of Music (1965)

In the iconic film The Sound of Music , governess Maria (Julie Andrews) teaches naval Captain von Trapp’s seven children to sing and helps the family escape the 1938 Nazi annexation of Austria by hiking over the Alps into Switzerland.

Had the von Trapp hiked over the mountains behind their house in Salzburg, they would have walked straight into Nazi Germany near Hitler’s mountain retreat at Berchtesgaden. In real life, the family walked to their local train station and boarded a train to Italy before emigrating to the United States. Also, the personalities were reversed: the real Captain von Trapp was warm and musical, whereas Maria was strict. What’s more, the couple had already been married for over ten years before leaving Austria.

10

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

The opening D-Day landing sequence in Saving Private Ryan is praised by military veterans for its technical realism, but the film’s core premise is fictional. Following the invasion at Omaha Beach, Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) leads a U.S. Army Ranger squad into enemy territory in Normandy to find Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), whose three brothers were killed in action.

The plot is loosely inspired by the real-life Niland brothers, but the U.S. military never dispatched an entire squad on a dedicated search mission through enemy lines to extract a single private. Additionally, the final battle in the fictional town of Ramelle overstates the ability of infantry small arms against heavy German armor, which in reality was neutralized by artillery and tactical air strikes.