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18 Facts That'll Make You Feel Proud to be an American this 4th of July

Land of the free, home of the generous??

Lauren Gherna

Jul 19, 2018

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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18 Facts That'll Make You Feel Proud to be an American this 4th of July

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With all of the political controversy and social unrest plaguing our daily lives, it may be difficult to find something to celebrate this Independence Day. I still firmly believe there is some good yet to be shown by the USA, so I took it upon myself to do some research. Believe it or not, there's a lot of information out there for us to celebrate...

1. In terms of area, the Pentagon is the biggest office space in the world.

One can only imagine how much havoc Michael Scott could wreak in that office.

2. Thanks to the US, the Internet was developed.

The United States was a "driving force" for the development of the Internet, so we can blame all of our wasted time on the good ole red, white, and blue.

3. People who live in the US are most likely to help others.

This is according to something called the World Giving Index.

4. Harvard, the world's second best university, was the first to exist in the United States.

Elle Woods is only one of their most famous alumni.

5. Our firefighters? Yeah, they're mostly volunteers.

Nearly 70% of all United States firefighters perform their services voluntarily.

6. Two of our presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, stayed patriotic two the end.

Both men died on July 4, 1826 after each serving as president.

7. Believe it or not, English isn't the official language of the United States. There isn't one.

I still can't believe how many people don't know this. Martin Van Buren, the first president born in the US, actually spoke Dutch as his first language for Pete's sake!

8. Which do we have more of: McDonald's restaurants or public libraries? The answer may surprise you...

Our nation does indeed have more libraries than McDonald's. It's such a shame that more people don't read.

9. Even more impressive is the number of museums we have.

There are more of these than ALL of the Starbucks AND McDonald's!

10. We love our furbabies.

In fact, we have 2 of them for every 3 humans. A life with pets is better than a life without!

11. We ESPECIALLY love our doggos.

We love them so much, we let them be in charge. The town of Cormorant, MN elected a dog as mayor for its 3rd term in August 2016.

12. Our families are always growing.

4% of women in the US are pregnant as we speak. Yay for babies!

13. Who run the businesses? Girls.

We aren't close to equality in this sense, but we're making strides. Women own 30% of all US businesses.

14. We truly are a nation of immigrants.

More people of Norweigan descent live in the United States than in Norway. Maybe that says something about Norway, maybe that says something about the US. Either way GO USA!

15. We're getting better at preserving our natural resources.

Specifically, we use less water than we did in 1970. How's that for conservation?

16. We truly believe in an open democracy.

We all have the ability to obtain power: the application to run for president consists of a single sheet of paper and takes about 4 minutes to complete.

17. We have a hotline for everything.

211 is a line that connects people with services they may benefit from.

18. Our patriotism is clever.

The state of Washington features a city called George. Get it?

#TEAMUSA

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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18 Facts That'll Make You Feel Proud to be an American this 4th of July

Land of the free, home of the generous??

1. In terms of area, the Pentagon is the biggest office space in the world.

2. Thanks to the US, the Internet was developed.

3. People who live in the US are most likely to help others.

4. Harvard, the world's second best university, was the first to exist in the United States.

5. Our firefighters? Yeah, they're mostly volunteers.

6. Two of our presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, stayed patriotic two the end.

7. Believe it or not, English isn't the official language of the United States. There isn't one.

8. Which do we have more of: McDonald's restaurants or public libraries? The answer may surprise you...

9. Even more impressive is the number of museums we have.

10. We love our furbabies.

11. We ESPECIALLY love our doggos.

12. Our families are always growing.

13. Who run the businesses? Girls.

14. We truly are a nation of immigrants.

15. We're getting better at preserving our natural resources.

16. We truly believe in an open democracy.

17. We have a hotline for everything.

18. Our patriotism is clever.

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The Best Lines from the Fab Four

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you

Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend

He say, "I know you, you know me", One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Oh please, say to me, You'll let me be your man. And please say to me, You'll let me hold your hand

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Can you hear me? When it rains and shine, it's just a state of mind

Little darling, it's been long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it' s been here. Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright

We danced through the night and we held each other tight, and before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I'll never dance with another when I saw her standing there

I love you, I love you, I love you, that's all I want to say

You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world

All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do they all belong

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday

And when the brokenhearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

And anytime you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you'll love me too. I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you. I don't care too much for money. Money can't buy me love

All you need is love, love is all you need

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more

Obviously the best superpower.

There have been many lessons learned.

1. The importance of traditions.

2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

3. How to give back.

4. What the word "community" really means.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

10. How to work for what I want.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

12. How to be humble.

13. To be well-rounded.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

16. To be prepared for anything.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

18. How to be creative.

19. To brush off gossip.

I have never been so thankful to know you.

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

Don't freak out

Email the professor

Attend the first class

Keep attending class

Have a backup plan

Remember that everything works out at the end

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