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?
Americana: The Hollywood Sign
By 1923, the little California city of Hollywood was already synonymous with the movie industry. The lure of...
Read MoreAmericana: The Appalachian Trail
I’m sure that, among the thousands of people who read Great American Things, there are bound to be some who’ve hiked the...
Read MoreKid Stuff: Bugs Bunny
It was all there in his very first appearance, A Wild Hare, directed by the legendary Tex Avery and released in 1940. The...
Read MoreAmericana: Harley-Davidson
Occasionally, these posts are hard for me to write. Like this one. Because not only am I not a motorcycle guy, a motorcycle is about...
Read MoreKid Stuff: Peanuts
Charlie Brown will never get to kick that football. Lucy will always give out psychiatric help for five cents. Marcie will always call...
Read MoreAmericana: The Ford F-150
It came as a surprise to me to learn that the Ford F-150 pickup truck has been America’s best-selling vehicle a total of 24...
Read MoreAmericana: The Smithsonian Institution
If you like BIG museums, you’ll love the Smithsonian Institution. It’s composed of 19 museums and nine research centers. Oh, and...
Read MoreAmericana: Rose Parade
If you happened to have been in Pasadena in 1890 (Anyone? Anyone?), you could have been one of the 2,000 or so people who saw a...
Read MoreAlbum: "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Soundtrack
Even today, it doesn’t seem like a natural fit for a jazz soundtrack to accompany an animated Christmas show. Certainly the...
Read MoreAmericana: Macy’s New York
Not many retail establishments can trace their roots back before the Civil War. But R.H. Macy opened his eponymous store at the...
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