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34 Things About the U.S. That Gets the Rest of the World Wide-Eyed

Only one nation on Earth has a higher drinking age. Come on, ‘Merica!

34 Things About the U.S. That Gets the Rest of the World Wide-Eyed

February 16, 2024

We were about to call the United States “America,” but this list was pretty eye-opening in the name department. When U.S. travelers say that they’re “American,” it implies that only the U.S. should be considered “America.” From North to South, Canada, Mexico and 36 other countries could all call themselves American, too! Stop bogarting the word, and stop doing all these other crazy things you do as well!

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34

The nuclear football weighs 45 pounds, and five people take turns carrying it. UNITED STAT APIL Within it: A Black Book with retaliatory options, a book with classified locations, a few pages with Emergency Broadcast System instructions, and a 3 x 5 in. card with authentication codes. CRACKED.COM — Source

33

The President is never alone, even in the bathroom. The Secret Service can't leave the President alone in the bathroom or doctor's examination room or any places where you'd want privacy. CRACKED.COM — Source

32

If the President orders pizza, they have it delivered it to a nearby address. If the restaurant doesn't know who the recipient is, it lowers the chances of danger. CRACKED.COM — Source

31

When they travel, they're never more than 10 minutes away from a trauma center. + The Secret Service always have an agent posted at a nearby hospital. The agent has to know where the operating rooms are. CRACKED.COM — Source

30

The President always travels with a fridge full of their type of blood. 00 (MUMAN) - - - ... information WHOLE BLOCO HU BLOCO CENTRA LE BLOOD (HUMAN) - WHOLE BLOOD (HUMAN) H - - WHOLE BLOOD (HUMAN CENTRE - - - 56.1.00276 Collection - - - .93 - .00297 - Collection t سي - - , - A - - - A A AND - - - - --- - - Ten - - - - - I Swings Non reactive Servinge - The Secret Service always have an agent posted at a nearby hospital. The agent has to know — Source

29

TWO PARTIES There are ten political parties represented in Israel's parliament, the Knesset. The Bundestag in Germany has six. Eleven in the Oireachtas in Ireland. Brazil's Chamber of Deputies has 28. New Zealand? Seven parties. South Africa's Parliament? Thirteen. GRACKED.COM — Source

28

COLLEGE LOANS xx STOP R.I.P. T the Price OUR of our DR FUTURE Even keeping to where student loans are necessary, there's a big difference in how the U.S. and other countries handle them. In America, you'll be hounded to pay back loans even after declaring bankruptcy. In the UK, your student debt is completely written off if you have not repaid it in 25-35 years. GRACKED.COM — Source

27

DINNERTIME Since many middle-class Americans skip breakfast (or eat on the go) and eat lunch at their desk (if at all), they're ready for dinner as soon as they walk in the door, often as early as 5:30 p.m. This is considered too early for the vast majority of the world, where most people don't even consider sitting down to dinner until 8 or 9. GRACKED.COM — Source

26

TIPPING E 82386735 F 1 WASHINGTON, D.C. 9 5 DEPARTMENT THE 1789 OF HE TREASURY 29. 90 Dirt 02. 01 are H. simmers tary of the Treasury 5 UNITED Tipping varies greatly GRACKED.COM from one country to the next. In many countries, it can be a way of saying thanks but is considered unnecessary. In others, it's considered rude. Leave money on your table in some places, and your waiter might run out of the restaurant and chase you down to return it. — Source

25

BREAD To visitors from other countries, American bread tastes like cake. That's because manufacturers add a ton of high-fructose corn syrup-the stuff is so cheap there, thanks to corn subsidies. Some people think American bread tastes better. Others think the sweetness makes it incompatible with any kind of topping. GRACKED.COM — Source

24

ICY DRINKS Other countries chill drinks, and they throw in a couple ice cubes, but visitors to America are baffled by the tradition of filling a glass with ice and then trickling a tiny bit of liquid around it. Many think they're being cheated. They're somewhat mollified, though, when they learn about the American tradition of free refills. GRACKED.COM — Source

23

Cocaine Use

Individually, Americans use more cocaine than any other country. The percentage of users in America is only a tenth of a percent higher than Brazil, but Americans use 36% of the world's cocaine, compared to Brazil's 18%. CRACKED.COM — Source

22

America is one of the few countries where soccer is not the most popular sport. The map shows the most popular sports in every country. The color green represents soccer. Rather ironic considering the US Women's Soccer team has won the World Cup three times, more than any other country. CRACKED.COM — Source

21

The United States is the only modern democracy to elect its president via Electoral College CRACKED COM — Source

20

THERE ARE MORE TIGERS PRIVATELY OWNED IN THE US THAN TIGERS IN THE WILD WORLDWIDE. ESTIMATED TALLY ESTIMATED TALLY I IN THE WILD IN US CAPTIVITY 3,890 5,000 And only 6% of the tigers in the United States are held in accredited facilities. CRACKED.COM — Source

19

CRACKED.COM American portion sizes are abnormally huge. Food servings are 40% to 80% larger in American cities than in European ones. op When adopting 95 an a typical American diet or moving to America, people from other cultures gain significant amounts of weight. — Source

18

GRACKED ASKING WHAT DO YOU DO? Asking about someone's profession is a common American icebreaker, but is considered insulting or possibly classist in countries like The Netherlands. If the dinner party guest says lawyer or janitor are you going to treat them differently? — Source

17

GRACKED ATHLEISURE ISN'T COOL EVERYWHERE ELSE. TRANSBORED Sure, stylish sportswear outside of the gym is trendy, but in Japan, most of Europe, and elsewhere, wearing sweatpants, leggings, flip flops, and even baseball caps in public is disrespectful. — Source

16

GRACKED YOU'RE FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Travelers saying they're American implies that only the U.S. should be considered America. From North to South, there are 38 American countries. — Source

15

GRACKED SITTING IN THE BACK OF A CAB. In many countries, sitting in the back of the cab/Uber/Lyft is considered offensive and elitist, so riders sit in the front passenger seat. To be fair, most American cabbies would prefer you sit in the back too. — Source

14

GRACKED AMERICAN DATES ARE CONFUSING. 12 17 18 19 24 25 Americans write the month, the day, then the year, but pretty much every other country writes the day first, then the month, then the year. So 06/03/1985 is June 3rd, 1985 in the U.S., but the 6th of March, 1985 everywhere else. — Source

13

GRACKED WORLDWIDE DRINKING AGES. 64% of the world's drinking age is 18 or under. Canada is split between 18 and 19, but America's age of 21 is only behind the Eastern African nation of Eritrea (25 years old) and, of course, the 11 countries where alcohol is banned altogether. — Source

12

GRACKED THANKSGIVING IN THE U.S. IS WEIRD! Canada has an even older Thanksgiving than the U.S., and most countries who celebrate Thanksgiving do so in early October, to give thanks for the last harvests. The U.S. holds it way after the harvest, and is the only one that involves Pilgrims. — Source

11

CRACKED WEARING SHOES IN THE HOUSE. The rule is household to household in the U.S., but it's considered rude and offensive in most of Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Canada. — Source

10

GRACKED THE U.S WORKS WAY TOO MUCH. INSURICARE I I SERVICE Americans work almost 25% more hours than Europeans, 137 more hours per year than the Japanese, and 499 more hours per year than the French. Americans retire later, and take fewer vacations than most other countries. — Source

9

The Constitution

The document is framed in pure titanium coated with gold. The encasement is designed so the building could collapse around the Constitution and the document would survive. CRACKED.COM — Source

8

When not on display, the Constitution is lowered into an underground vault. The atomic bomb-proof vault that keeps the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights safe is shrouded in secrecy since its update in the early 2000s. CRACKED.COM — Source

7

The President and Vice President cannot refuse Secret Service Protection. After they've served their term(s), they can hire private security. CRACKED.COM — Source

6

There are five full-time Michelin star chefs that work at the White House. Chefs are on-call 24/7. Everything the President eats goes through security (including a rumored food taster). White House Chefs have one of the highest security clearances. CRACKED.COM — Source

5

The White House is a museum, a monument, a state guest hotel, and an impenetrable fortress. The White House includes 6 stories, 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, a tennis court, a bowling alley, a movie theater, a jogging track, a swimming pool, and a putting green. CRACKED.COM — Source

4

Secret Service agents never swear to protect the President's life over their own. UNITED AMERICA The oath is made up for Hollywood. It's understood it's a dangerous job, but agents make sure every danger is avoided. CRACKED.COM — Source

3

White House Service Staff stay on for decades, serving many presidents. Ninety-six people work full-time in the residence, and there are another 250 part-time employees. It's not uncommon for multiple generations of a family to serve in the White House. CRACKED.COM — Source

2

The President's limo can help the President survive any form of attack. The doors are believed to be as heavy as those on a 757 jet. It's sealed against biochemical attacks, has night vision, can put out a smokescreen, fire tear gas, and can lay down an oil slick. CRACKED.COM — Source

1

The President gets an itemized bill of expenses every month. L RESERVE NOTE 5279860I 1 WITH RESERVE UNITED SYSTEM STATES is NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER KB 462 DEBTS. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ere Excobeds Cabral SERIES United States Henry m has F 2006 206 Secretary of the Tru The President is responsible for ONEHUND paying out-of-pocket for all groceries, dry cleaning, and general household objects in the White House, as well as hourly wages for waiters and cleanup crews at private parties. CRACKED.COM — Source

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