Currently browsing: Americana
Americana means different things to different folks. Here at Great American Things, it means cool stuff that doesn’t fit into any other category. I guess we could have called it Miscellaneous, but “Great Miscellaneous Things” doesn’t tell you much, does it?
Mickey Mouse
Yes, it’s a fair question – How could I have gone nearly three years and more than 900 posts and not included Mickey Mouse?...
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Orthodontics
Whoa, where did this selection come from? America certainly isn’t the only country in the world that has embraced the medical and...
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The Newberry Medal for Children’s Literature
The worst thing about children’s books is that everyone thinks they can write them. Most people have the self-awareness to realize...
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Dilbert
Everyone who has worked in an office knows how accurate Dilbert is. The self-serving, dim-witted boss. The lazy but resourceful coworker....
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Maxine, by Hallmark
“As far as I’m concerned,” Maxine says, “the perfect bra is a sweatshirt.” That’s the down-to-earth...
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The Howdy Doody Show
“Hey kids, what time is it?” Everyone who was a kid during the 1950s knows the answer to that question: “It’s Howdy...
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Weight Watchers
Hard to tell how many thousands of pounds people have lost using Weight Watchers over the years. I’ve used it, you’ve used it,...
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Tracking Santa Claus on Christmas Eve
Legend has it that it all started with a typo. Sears printed a number that kids could call to keep up with Santa, and it went to NORAD...
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“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”
It’s a high point of one of the high points of the Christmas season (you know, “the holidays”). There are lots of good...
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“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
Some Christmas songs are “owned” by one particular performer. Bing Crosby owns “White Christmas,” for example. No...
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