• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

100 great things about America (26-50)

By
Scott Olster
Scott Olster
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Scott Olster
Scott Olster
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 3, 2013, 9:00 AM ET

[The list: 1-25 | 26-50 | 51-75 | 76-100]

26. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
If those oversized balloons don’t fill you with nostalgic joy, you might want to check your pulse.

134034262-macys-parade
Timothy A. Clary/AFP—Getty Images

27. The Amish
No TVs. No Apple products. No electricity. And yet they thrive. Fascinating.

28. Billy Joel
Long Island’s piano man.

29. Harlem Shake
How do they do that?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vJiSSAMNWw&w=545&h=307]

30. Muhammad Ali
He floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee.

31. The Price is Right
A show so great, not even Drew Carey can mess it up.

Frederick M. Brown—Getty Images

32. Mall of America
America’s real national cathedral.

33. The Wizard of Oz
Brilliant as musical, as camp, as metaphor for the Gold Standard.

pen4415-oz
Courtesy of Corbis

34. Fallingwater House
Timemagazine couldn’t have described it more succinctly in 1938, calling it “Wright’s most beautiful job.”

35. Chicken and waffles
Is it breakfast? Is it dinner? Who cares. It’s one of the finest gifts the South has given us.

Courtesy of Corbis

36. OK Cupid/Online dating
Helping you find “true love” at the click of a mouse.

37. The Federal Reserve
Keeper of our currency, and trusty steward through the latest economic malaise.

94903675-fed-reserve
Jay Mallin/Bloomberg—Getty Images

38. Stan Lee/Marvel
Never have more freaks and geeks — and billions of dollars — come from the mind of one man.

39. Buffalo wings
Add beer and sports, and you have the American Holy Trinity.

42-47149417-waffles
Courtesy of Corbis

40. Cotton Candy
Sugar, air, and coloring come together to give you your childhood back.

41. Selfies
Taking self-absorption to a whole new level.

42. Long Island Iced Tea
What’s more American than every single kind of liquor thrown together?

43. The Coen Brothers
Name a bad Coen brothers’ movie. Go ahead, we’ll wait.

50960516-coenbros
Courtesy: Jean-Christian Bourcart

44. Post-its
Making you look busy at work since 1968.

78739850-postits

45. Little League
No agents, no egos, no steroids – the pastime at its purest.

46. The Jersey Shore boardwalk
Snooki and Chris Christie can agree, this iconic summer destination will surely bounce back after Hurricane Sandy.

42-20040151-jerseyshore
Courtesy of Corbis

47. Beer pong
At Dartmouth, they play it with paddles. In the Northeast, some call it Beirut. But regardless, we all know how this thing works.

48. Doritos Locos tacos
A veritable job creator. Number of American jobs generated by the tacos in the past year: 15,000.

49. Southern hospitality
“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” — Blanche DuBois

50. The New York Times Crossword
Can anyone actually finish these?

pl6914-nytimes
Courtesy of Corbis

[The list: 1-25 | 26-50 | 51-75 | 76-100]

About the Author
By Scott Olster
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Features

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
C-Suite
OpenAI’s Sam Altman says his highly disciplined daily routine has ‘fallen to crap’—and now unwinds on weekends at a ranch with no cell phone service
By Jacqueline MunisFebruary 5, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Meet the Palm Beach billionaire who paid $2 million for a private White House visit with Trump
By Tristan BoveFebruary 3, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
After decades in the music industry, Pharrell Williams admits he never stops working: ‘If you do what you love everyday, you’ll get paid for free'
By Emma BurleighFebruary 3, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Travel & Leisure
How Japan replaced France as the country young Americans obsessively romanticize—they’re longing for civility they don’t see at home
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 5, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Ray Dalio warns the world is ‘on the brink’ of a capital war of weaponizing money—and gold is the best way for people to protect themselves
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 4, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Trump is giving the U.S. economy a $65 billion tax-refund shot in the arm, mostly for higher-income people, BofA says
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 5, 2026
1 day ago

Latest in Features

FeaturesBlue Ribbon Companies
Blue Ribbon Companies 2026: See which tech giant made more Fortune lists than any other in the past year
By Fortune EditorsJanuary 15, 2026
23 days ago
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.
InvestingWarren Buffett
Warren Buffett’s blind spot: Did the digital economy leave him behind?
By Adam SeesselDecember 30, 2025
1 month ago
Photo of Sam Altman
AIOpenAI
Inside OpenAI’s fragile lead in the AI race, and the 8-week ‘code red’ to fend off a resurgent Google
By Jeremy Kahn, Alexei Oreskovic and Lee CliffordDecember 17, 2025
2 months ago
FeaturesThe Boring Company
Two firefighters suffered chemical burns in a Boring Co. tunnel. Then the Nevada Governor’s office got involved, and the penalties disappeared
By Jessica Mathews and Leo SchwartzNovember 12, 2025
3 months ago
CoreWeave executives pose in front of the Nasdaq building on the day of the company's IPO.
AIData centers
Data-center operator CoreWeave is a stock-market darling. Bears see its finances as emblematic of an AI infrastructure bubble
By Jeremy Kahn and Leo SchwartzNovember 8, 2025
3 months ago
Libery Energy's hydraulic fracturing, or frac, spreads are increasingly electrified with natural gas power, a technology now translating to powering data centers.
Energy
AI’s insatiable need for power is driving an unexpected boom in oil-fracking company stocks 
By Jordan BlumOctober 23, 2025
4 months ago