On July 4, 1776, a nation of freedom, intelligence, and great riches was formed. Since then, the United States has seen some of the greatest inventors, thinkers, writers, and politicians. Growing up in America, we are told to be grateful that we were born into such a prestigious and lucky country; we watched cartoons that referred to our home as having "streets paved with gold." Even today, we are told to be thankful that we have clothes to wear, food on our tables, water to drink, and homes to live in. Every year on the Fourth of July, we have barbecues, firework shows, and parades to celebrate the birth of such a fantastic nation. In case you have forgotten just how amazing our country is, here are six truths that prove just what kind of nation we live in.
1. Eight of the top eleven richest people in the world are Americans.
In 2016, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Michael Bloomberg, Charles Koch, and David Koch are all among the eleven richest people in the world, and they're all American. This group of individuals currently holds $388.4 billion of the world's wealth. The remaining three are from France, Spain, and Mexico and they hold $153.1 billion of the world's wealth.
2. Americans have received 337 Nobel Prizes as of 2015
71 Nobel Prizes have been awarded for chemistry, 55 for economics, 11 for literature, 21 for peace, 89 for physics, and 100 for physiology of medicine. Americans have been awarded 337 out of the 573 Nobel Prizes that were awarded since 1901.
3. The United States has had some of the greatest inventors.
Most of the technology the world has today can be attributed to Americans. Charles Francis Jenkins and Philo Farnsworth invented the television, Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity, Orville and Wilbur Wright invented the airplane, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, Henry Ford invented the assembly line, and Dr. James Salk invented the vaccine for polio. Since then, these inventions have saved numerous lives and/or made life easier for people all over the world.
4. America has one of the largest education systems
In 2015, 20.2 million students attended American colleges and universities; this is a 4.9 million increase since the fall of 2000. Each year, these institutions award 1.8 million bachelor's degrees and 802,000 master's degrees. America has never seen a time when higher education was more popular than now.
5. High school graduation rates have never been higher.
In the 2011-2012 school year, graduation rates reached a high of 80%.
6. But this is the best we can do.
