What are Americans most known for?

[mojotastic]

Creating the greatest democracy on Earth and then completely squandering it.

Wasnt those thw greeks?

[Tuck]

People actually do have a nuanced view of Americans.

Overall, Americans are seen more positively than the U.S. as a country. Across the nations polled, a median of 58% say they have a favorable impression of Americans. Positive views are especially common in Asia and Europe. They are less common, however, in the Middle East – Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon are the only nations polled where majorities express an unfavorable opinion of Americans.

It is, ironically, a caricature to assume people simply caricature us.

[Starter Set]

Man, can't believe i forgot that one. Good ol' greed of course and the overall American obsession with the only real god, Dollar.

Now Americans certainly didn't invent greed nor have they a monopoly on that, hell no, but my dear friends you sure perfected the art.

[dancj]

Lousy chocolate

Good call. Their chocolate is terrible.

[Spike-X]

Good call. Their chocolate is terrible.

I tried their 'Cadbury' chocolate. Ugh.

Protip - if your only choice is between crappy milk chocolate and crappy dark chocolate, always go for the dark.

[Charmed]

I love our crappy dark chocolate

I would say we are known for McDonald's.

[Conn Seanery]

I tried their 'Cadbury' chocolate. Ugh.

Protip - if your only choice is between crappy milk chocolate and crappy dark chocolate, always go for the dark.

Isn't that a little like going to France and judging their bread quality by what you get at their McDonalds? I can't speak for the US experience, but they sell Cadbury chocolate in supermarkets and convenience stores here in Canada. I'm not saying it's terrible, but if you're looking for above average chocolate why would you choose Cadbury?

Also, I believe Cadbury is technically a UK company.

[Spike-X]

Cadbury chocolate is quite good here in Australia. It's not very good at all in the US. That was the basis for my comparison.

I have had good chocolate in the US. Just not Cadbury.

[Jokerz79]

Most of modern pop culture you're welcome world or not depending if you hate it.

[dancj]

I tried their 'Cadbury' chocolate. Ugh.

Cadbury's used to be okay in Britain, but the quality has dropped since they were bought by Americans. It's still way better than Hershey's though.

Isn't that a little like going to France and judging their bread quality by what you get at their McDonalds? I can't speak for the US experience, but they sell Cadbury chocolate in supermarkets and convenience stores here in Canada. I'm not saying it's terrible, but if you're looking for above average chocolate why would you choose Cadbury?

The difference is that in the UK (and across Europe I think) they have strict standards on what is allowed to be sold as Chocolate. Standard American bars don't even meet that standard, so Hershey's and the like have to be sold as "chocolate flavour candy". Even the cheapo own brand value chocolate is actually quite edible here by comparison.

[The Darknight Detective]

Being the #1 superpower is what we're known for the most. Everything else is secondary, IMO.

[Starter Set]

If you're talking about Ben Franklin then no, he discovered nothing of the sort, his work only helped establish the connection between lightning and electricity.

Actually electricity was already known since the ancient Greeks. (static)

[foxley]

The first automobile? I don't think so. The first steam-powered self-propelled vehicle was invented by the French, the first internal combustion engined vehicle by the Swiss, and the first commercial gasoline powered car by the Germans.

Light bulb? First patent for an incandescent light bulb was awarded to Englishman John W. Starr in 1841. And Englishman Thomas Swann has just as much claim to the commercial light bulb as Edison.

Motion picture camera? Englishman Wordsworth Donithorpe in 1871.

Motion picture? Depends what you mean. As we still have some of Donithorpe's footage, then that is probably the first motion picture. If you mean film exhibited for profit, then the American probably beat the French by a few weeks. If you mean feature film, then that's Soldiers of the Cross, made in Australia in 1901.

And let's not even get into the subject of electricity.

Or are things not invented until an American claims to have done so?

[dancj]

The first automobile? I don't think so. The first steam-powered self-propelled vehicle was invented by the French, the first internal combustion engined vehicle by the Swiss, and the first commercial gasoline powered car by the Germans.

Light bulb? First patent for an incandescent light bulb was awarded to Englishman John W. Starr in 1841. And Englishman Thomas Swann has just as much claim to the commercial light bulb as Edison.

Motion picture camera? Englishman Wordsworth Donithorpe in 1871.

Motion picture? Depends what you mean. As we still have some of Donithorpe's footage, then that is probably the first motion picture. If you mean film exhibited for profit, then the American probably beat the French by a few weeks. If you mean feature film, then that's Soldiers of the Cross, made in Australia in 1901.

And let's not even get into the subject of electricity.

Or are things not invented until an American claims to have done so?

The question isn't what did Americans actually do. It's what are they known for. Truth is almost irrelevant.

[The Darknight Detective]

Light bulb? First patent for an incandescent light bulb was awarded to Englishman John W. Starr in 1841. And Englishman Thomas Swann has just as much claim to the commercial light bulb as Edison.

Edison created the first practical light bulb, which is why he's remembered for it and the others are not.