As a non American there are all kinds of things associated with America and the American way of life; all manner of day to day items we live with on a daily basis that we probably take for granted yet should thank the USA for. Thank America in warm weather when you can store your food in a refrigerator; each time you drink through a straw or mop up kitchen spills with a paper towel – both late nineteenth Century American inventions. Each time you come to safe halt at a Stop sign remember who decided it might be a good idea – the original 1915 Detroit version has been improved over the years but nonetheless it is an American notion to stop and allow through traffic; an idea copied by most civilized countries around the World. Most Londoners are now well accustomed to the sight of the impressive ‘London Eye’ – an admittedly complicated and gigantic but all the same typical ‘Ferris Wheel’ – invented in 1891 - in America. There are a bagful of goodies America gifted to the rest of the World, such as the zipper used by most men at some time in their lives who should thank America whenever they are in a hurry...and the trusty Travellers’ Cheques we all use yet rarely stop to wonder how they came about...the dimmer switch; the mousetrap (shudder) and cotton candy. There are weightier American inventions such as air-conditioning, auto pilot and windshield wipers and the cuddlier ones such as the Teddy Bear and fortune cookies (ah you see – you thought they were really Chinese didn’t you!) American supermarkets have revolutionalized the way we eat and drink and how much we pay to do so. Is there anyone in the modern World who has not thanked his lucky stars for finding one open late at night when the baby is hungry and there is no powdered feed left in the larder? Bulldozers and cotton buds; drive-through movies; bubble gum and the iron lung. TAMPONS! Yay! Chocolate chip cookies (thanks guys); the electric guitar and Hollywood stars. Parking meters, multi storey car parks, not to mention deodorant (double thanks, guys...) Take aways...yummy...! As we get into space exploration and the internet, we realize how much we owe to good ‘ole Yankee Doodle and his pals, who gave us cosmetic enhancements, heart transplants and keyhole surgery. Straight teeth; white teeth; hair dye... Each time we microwave our supper or vacuum our rugs we should thank the USA for speeding up the World and introducing the rest of us to progress, celebrate in the way America celebrates change; the way it can adapt to circumstance and disaster and the shifting environment. On 4th July 2010, the last year of the first decade of the 21st. Century, congratulations America and Happy Birthday from the rest of the World.
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